Xiaomi 12 Lite review

Competition

Just like its predecessors, the Xiaomi 12 Lite shapes up to be a pretty good all-rounder. Moreover, the handset has a few standout features - an appealing and fresh design and the flagship-level, 12-bit, 120Hz OLED display. The device would be particularly appealing to anyone looking for a compact and lightweight handset.

Battery life may not be all that convincing, but the speedy 67W fast charging could potentially make up for the shorter-than-average endurance. We also believe that the Snapdragon 778G has a place in 2022 and it's a much better alternative than any other chip from the Snapdragon 600 series, which is commonly used in similarly-priced phones. And last but not least, the 12 Lite is capable of taking some pretty good photos, no matter the conditions and the software optimizations allowed for above-than-average ultrawide camera performance. But what about the competition?

Well, we were surprised to see so few worthwhile options around the €400 mark, so we expanded our search with some older releases from 2021 that are still relevant in 2022. Let's begin with the most recent ones, though.

The most recent release from Realme might interest you as it's currently selling for around €430 - the GT Neo 3T. It has a more powerful chipset, comparable screen quality, longer battery life, marginally faster charging, but photography skills are lacking compared to the 12 Lite. The handset's screen is a tad bigger, so anyone looking for that, the Neo 3T is a viable option. Otherwise, the lightweight design, compact display are key selling factors for Xiaomi's contender. There's also the Realme UI vs. Xiaomi's MIUI dilemma, but that boils down to personal preference.

Realme GT Neo 3T • OnePlus Nord 2T • Xiaomi 11T Pro • Motorola Edge 20 Pro

Another 2022 option is the OnePlus Nord 2T. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to test the device thoroughly in the office and it's hard to draw any conclusions just from the specs sheet alone. Aside from the OxygenOS, which is the key selling point of the handset and it's strongly subjective, the Nord 2T may pose a serious rivalry to the 12 Lite. It has a 50MP sensor that's just as big as the 108MP one on the 12 Lite and it's also optically stabilized. We also have bigger battery with potentially faster 80W charging, an even smaller display (in case you are looking for that) and a more powerful Dimensity 1300 chipset. The only objective and measurable advantage of the 12 Lite is the display as the Nord 2T caps at 90Hz and doesn't support Dolby Vision.

Looking beyond 2022, we can recommend some in-house competition, the Xiaomi 11T Pro as well as Motorola's Edge 20 Pro. Those are proper flagship killers that can be found for around €430, which is just a tad higher than what the Xiaomi 12 Lite asks. However, they both sport more powerful SoCs - Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 870, respectively. You also get bigger but not necessarily better displays. The 11T sports exactly the same camera setup while the Edge 20 Pro edges out (no pun intended), a more versatile setup that includes an 8MP 5x telephoto camera and a better 16MP ultrawide unit.

Despite both phones having bigger batteries, though, we believe you get the same overall runtimes. The 11T Pro charges faster, whereas the Edge 20 Pro drags behind with a slower 30W charger. The latter skips the stereo speakers as well. Interestingly enough, the two devices have side-mounted fingerprint readers, so you might want to take that into consideration if you are not a fan of this implementation. A clear advantage of the two devices of the Xiaomi 12 Lite is the build quality as they both carry metal and glass (eco leather is an option on the Edge 20 Pro too).

Verdict

The Xiaomi 12 Lite seems like a solid "lite" version of the more expensive Xiaomi 12X, vanilla 12 and 12 Pro. It maintains a relatively competitive price tag that, also makes sense in the Xiaomi 12 series while retaining some high-end features. А speedy 67W fast charging, flagship-grade OLED panel, big 108MP main sensor and boxy, catchy design make a compelling case. And camera performance is pretty solid, too.

Sadly, battery life keeps us from giving the handset an excellent score, the proper ingress protection is gone, so is the microSD card slot and we are getting a bit tired of the overused 8MP ultrawide sensor. Not enough to be a deal-breaker, though. In fact, the Xiaomi 12 Lite is an easy-to-recommend 2022 solution. Just keep an open mind for some older 2021 options as they often offer better price/performance ratio or, in some cases, more versatile camera hardware. Then again, if we go by the previous Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G and 11 Lite price action, price will go down pretty soon, building an even stronger case for the 12 Lite.

Pros

• Fresh and lightweight design, thin bezels.
• Flagship grade 120Hz OLED with 12-bit color depth.
• Competitive fast charging solution.
• Solid camera performance in all scenarios, selfie has AF.
• Android 12, feature-rich MIUI 13.

Cons

• Battery life could be a bit better.
• More powerful alternatives in the same price range, although from last year.
• No proper ingress protection this time around, no IP rating.
• MicroSD card slot removed.