Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

The Redmi Note 12 Pro is a classic dual-glass smartphone through and through. It has a flat Gorilla Glass 5 protecting its display and another flat glass on the back. The glossy panels are balanced out with a matte frame that's made of thick plastic.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro is IP53-rated for dust and light splash resistance, a common thing among most Redmi and Poco phones. While it's not exactly waterproof, it's still better than nothing, and we do appreciate it.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro is available in Sky Blue, Polar White and Midnight Black (ours). There is also a Stardust Purple version, which is flashier because of the stardust texture on the back, but for now, it's exclusive to China.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro looks different than the Pro+ as the higher-spec model has a curved matt glass for a back panel, while the regular Pro is all glossy and completely flat. And this black Pro looks thinner and classier than the Pro+ and design-wise - it would be the one we'd choose if we had to.

Pro and Pro+

One more thing, the Redmi Note 12 Pro, as well as the rest of the Note from the new series, adopt the camera housing design first seen on the flagship Xiaomi 12 series.

Let's take a closer look at the Redmi Note 12 Pro now.

The upgraded 6.67-inch OLED occupies most of the front with nicely thin and even bezels across all sides. The panel now supports 10-bit color depth and Dolby Vision, in addition to the 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10 certification. It has one of the smallest punch-holes on the market - inside, you can spot the 16MP selfie camera.

There is a barely noticeable earpiece above the screen, one that also doubles as a stereo speaker. And it has a second outlet at the top of the phone for better audio balance and a more immersive experience when watching videos or playing games.

The back of the phone is completely flat and glossy. The black glass is a giant smudge magnet, and it gets dirty quickly. You can prevent this by using the bundled case, or buying the white or blue models where fingerprints aren't that obvious. Whatever you decide, the good news is that the fingerprints can be wiped out rather easily.

The camera housing is similar to the one we first saw on the Xiaomi 12 models. It's a slightly jutting-out rectangle glass with rounded edges, and it houses the 50MP primary, the 8MP ultrawide and the 2MP macro camera. There are also two metal rings around the main and UW cameras, enveloping the end of their lenses. Oh, an LED flash is also around.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro wobbles a bit when left lying on a flat surface, quite a common thing with smartphones using high-resolution cameras or high-end camera lenses. If this bothers you, it can be avoided by using the supplied case.

The sides of the Redmi Note 12 Pro are flat and have a matte finish. There is nothing on the left.

The right houses the volume and power/lock keys. The fingerprint scanner is mounted on the surface of the power button; it's always-on and incredibly fast. If you find it too trigger-happy, there is a setting to change its scanning behavior to work on Press instead on Touch.

The top of the Redmi Note 12 Pro accommodates one of the microphones, the IR blaster, the 3.5mm jack, and a speaker grille.

The bottom has the other stereo speaker, the USB-C port, the primary microphone, and the dual-SIM tray.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro measures 163 x 76 x 8 mm and weighs 187 grams, which is 1mm shorter and 15 grams lighter than the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro offers a better grip than the more premium Redmi Note 12 Pro+ thanks to its flat design and glossy back panel. Contrary to what many believe, polished glass offers a better grip than matt/sandblasted glass.

Sure, the grip of the Redmi Note 12 Pro is far from the most secure we've experienced, but we'd say it's adequate, and we did not feel the urge to use the protective case. The phone feels solid in hand, is easy to handle and operate, and we liked its design. It's another great execution by Xiaomi, one that could have been perfect if it were completely water-tight.