Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G review

The usual triple-camera setup

The camera setup is slightly different from the 4G version of the phone. The primary camera is replaced with a 48MP one here and is paired with an f/1.8 aperture. Aside from the main camera, though, the rest of the camera hardware is identical on the two phones.

We have an 8MP f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4", 1.12µm ultrawide sitting on the back along with a 2MP, f/2.4 macro shooter.

For selfies, the Redmi Note 12s use a 13 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.0".

Camera menus

The camera app is a rather straightforward implementation, though it does have its quirks. First, basic operation for changing modes works with sideswipes, and you can also tap on the modes you can see to switch to those directly.

Up and down swipes don't work for switching between the front and rear cameras; only the toggle next to the shutter release does that.

You can add, remove, and rearrange modes in the main rolodex by going to the More tab and navigating to the edit button, and you can access that from the settings menu as well. The unused modes will still be in that More tab, but you can switch to a (less intuitive) pull-out pane that's summoned from a line next to the shutter release.

Camera modes

The hamburger menu at the far end is where you'll find additional options, including the Macro mode, which apparently still doesn't deserve a place in the main carousel with modes. Next to that hamburger menu, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, an AI toggle, and a shortcut to Google Lens. We noticed that the HDR toggle always turns off after closing the camera app. So be aware of that and always check if the HDR switch is turned on. We recommend leaving it on, even though the software rarely chooses the HDR mode.

Camera settings

At the near end, you have the camera zoom switch that operates in one of two fashions. The first one is simply tapping on one of the three dots that represent the ultra-wide, primary, and 2x digital options. Or you can tap on the active magnification and slide sideways to reveal even more zoom levels - 2x and 6x, plus a slider for intermediate magnifications. Also around is a magic wand with beauty effects and filters.

There's a nicely capable Pro mode, where you can tweak the shooting parameters yourself. You can use the primary and the ultrawide cameras here. You get to pick one of 4 white balance presets or dial in the light temperature with a slider; there's a manual focusing slider, and shutter speed (1/4000s to 30s/0.8s for main/ultrawide) and ISO control with the range depending on which camera you're using. A tiny live histogram is available, and a toggle for zebra patterns (exposure aid) can be found next to the hamburger menu.

As expected, there's a host of extra modes, including Long Exposure with its own set of different presets - moving crowd, neon trails, oil painting, light painting, starry sky, and star trails.

Night mode is available only on the main camera and in 2x zoom mode.

Daylight photos

Main camera

The Redmi Note 12 takes decent enough photos as long as the right lighting conditions are met. It's unrealistic to expect excellent quality from a sub-€300 phone, after all. Keep in mind, though, that these photos were taken under a heavy overcast sky, so it may skew your judgment.

 

All in all, the noise is the most notable issue here. There's plenty of graininess all around, mostly in the shadows and homogenous backgrounds. Also, if you are taking photos one after another without waiting a few seconds, every shot after the second one turns out extremely noisy, which suggests the ISP performance might be limited.

 

Otherwise, we find the photos to be sufficiently detailed, sharp enough, with natural colors and acceptable dynamic range. The contrast is a bit over the top, though, in typical Xiaomi fashion. This often produces gritty-looking photos and overly dark shadows at times.

Daylight main camera samples

When compared to the Note 12 4G's stills, the 5G comes out the better cameraphone overall. The 4G version produces noisier and darker photos with more aggressive contrast. Colors on the 5G iterations are nicer, too.

Daylight samples: Note 12 4G • Note 12 5G

2x zoom

The 2x zoom mode is a no-go. It does carry the standard 1x mode properties and overall processing but noise is more apparent, everything is considerably softer and you can see the jagged straight lines from afar. The upscaling back to 12MP is pretty obvious.

Daylight 2x zoom samples

Ultrawide camera

As it's usually the case, ultrawide cameras in the low-end and mid-range class produce sub-optimal stills. Noise is aplenty, sharpness is lacking and fine detail is completely missing, no matter the lighting conditions. Xiaomi did boost the contrast and colors for a more appealing look and it has had an effect to some extent.

Daylight ultrawide samples

Macro camera

The macro camera uses a tiny 2MP sensor with a fixed-focus, so taking proper macro shots is a challenge. The detail isn't sufficient, although sharpness is good. The lack of contrast and lively colors make it really hard for us to recommend using the macro camera at all.

Macro camera samples

Low-light photos

Main camera

As was the case with the 4G version, the 5G alteration's main camera also struggles to deliver good low-light photo quality. Dynamic range isn't ideal as we can see crushed shadows, noise is present all around, and stills are generally soft and lack fine detail. However, we found the 5G version to produce better colors, the contrast is considerably higher, and the highlights look better.

Low-light main camera samples

The dedicated Night mode is a hit or miss. In an attempt to clear out the noise, the algorithm would smudge what's left of any detail in the photo. In fact, in some cases, the night sky looks extremely grainy with the Night mode on. The only benefit of using the Night mode is that it lifts up the shadows and introduces more detail there.

Night mode main camera samples

When it comes to low-light performance, both devices are quite comparable to each other. The only noticeable difference is in the colors and contrast. The same goes for the Night mode photos, too.

Low-light: Note 12 4G • Note 12 5G

Night mode: Note 12 4G • Note 12 5G

2x zoom

There's not much to say about the 2x zoom samples. This mode is unusable with or without Night mode. All the issues we found with the 1x zoom mode are amplified here.

Low-light 2x zoom: Normal • Night mode

Ultrawide camera

With an underperforming ultrawide camera during the day, it's unrealistic to expect good low-light stills. They are extremely soft, noisy, with washed-out colors and poor dynamic range.

Low-light ultrawide samples

Here's how the primary camera on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 stacks against the rest of the competition in the controlled environment of our Photo Compare Tool.

Redmi Note 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G and the Motorola Moto G82 in our Photo compare tool

Portrait mode

Portraits turned out to be pretty solid. The edge detection makes the bokeh effect quite convincing even with a more complex background or foreground, and as long as there's plenty of light, you can expect detailed, noise-free pictures with punchy colors and somewhat natural skin tone. However, the slightest drop in ambient light results in noisy and sometimes blurry photos.

Portraits

Selfies

The selfie camera leaves a bit more to be desired in terms of consistency. If you are able to keep your hand still long enough and you have good ambient light conditions, you can expect decent enough photos with good sharpness and detail. But more than half of the samples we took were unacceptably blurry, and the ones taken in medium room lighting are quite soft too. Colors are a bit bleak, too.

Selfies

Video recording

The video recording capabilities are quite modest but appropriate for the price bracket. The Redmi Note 12 5G supports up to 1080p@30fps video recording and it has EIS active at all times, no way do turn it off.

Recording with the main camera ensures decent results. The video is a bit soft even for a Full HD resolution but has decent contrast, nice colors and even with a heavy overcast, the software managed to balance out the shadows and highlights successfully.

The ultrawide's ability to record video is pretty limited. It's extremely foggy and noisy; no fine detail and colors are washed out. Hard to recommend even in good lighting conditions.

Once you are done with the real-life scenarios, take a look at our video compare tool to see how the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G stacks against the other phones we've reviewed.

1080p: Redmi Note 12 vs. Realme 10 Pro and the Motorola Moto G82 in our Video compare tool