Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ review

The competition

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ does bring a few meaningful updates over the Note 11 Pro+ model - an improved Dolby Vision display, a refined design, doubled storage, and a new 200MP primary camera. And while these are hardly features that will make 11 Pro+ owners jump ship, they would surely intrigue people who are using the regular Note 11 or Note 10 models.

Another thing that also got an update this year is the price. The global Redmi Note 12 Pro+ now costs €500 - that's €100 more than the launch price of the 6/128 Redmi Note 11 Pro+ last year. There is a silver lining though - €500 costs the 8GB+256GB Redmi Note 12 Pro+, which is in line with the pricing of the 8/256 Redmi Note 11 Pro+ last year.

There are a lot of phones in the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ price bracket. If you are eyeing the most expensive Redmi Note 12 model, it would be safe to assume you want the best midranger for your money, and that's why we won't discuss the regular Note 12 models. Still, if you don't mind a bit slower charging, a glossy design, and slightly less detailed photos from the main camera, you can save €100 and opt for the Redmi Note 12 Pro.

The €500 Xiaomi 13 Lite is another cool offer from the maker with a pill-shaped notch on its Dolby Vision display, one that contains a 32MP selfie and an 8MP depth sensor. The 13 Lite uses the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, which offers even faster CPU and GPU performance. The 13 Lite is also a more compact smartphone, so if you fancy performance and selfie quality over 120W charging, you should probably get this one instead.

Finally, if you are prepared to spend a bit more, the Poco F4 GT can be found for as low as €550. It has a similar screen but features the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and physical magnetic pop-up gaming triggers. It's a gaming-oriented smartphone with four speakers and fast 120W charging, while its camera performance is about average. It's an intriguing offer worth considering if you prefer gaming over photography.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro • Xiaomi 13 Lite • Xiaomi Poco F4 GT

The most recent Galaxy A54 costs about €500, too, and it's probably the only IP67-rated smartphone in this price range. It has a similar 120Hz Super AMOLED screen and should offer similar performance with its Exynos chipset. While the Galaxy's primary camera is not a 200MP one, it still impressed us with its photo quality. Plus, the ultrawide and the macro shooters are of higher resolution. The A54 is slower to charge, but a lot of people won't mind that.

The OnePlus Nord 2T is worth considering, too. It packs a more powerful Dimensity 1300 chipset under its 90Hz OLED, and its camera performance is as satisfying as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+. The Nord 2T's price has dropped down to about €300, which is quite nice.

And, if you live in India, the Realme 10 Pro+ could be a great alternative for its lower price. The Realme 10 Pro+ is basically the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with slower charging, a 108MP primary camera and a different UI.

Samsung Galaxy A54 • OnePlus Nord 2T • Realme 10 Pro+

Verdict

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a great midrange smartphone with a catchy IP53-rated glass body and one excellent Dolby Vision display with 120Hz refresh rate and 10-bit color depth. We do appreciate the good sustained performance across the board, too.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ impressed us with photo and video quality from its 200MP primary, and even its basic 8MP ultrawide camera turned out to be one solid performer. The selfies aren't bad either. All of these mean the Note 12 Pro+ can be considered as a good cameraphone on a budget.

And let's not forget the loud enough Dolby Atmos speakers and the impressively fast 120W wired charging.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a couple of weak points, of course. Xiaomi has retired the microSD expansion for this generation, and the chipset of choice could have been, say, the faster Dimensity 1300 instead of the 1080 model. We didn't like the dip in standby performance and the speaker quality since the Redmi Note 11 Pro+.

All things considered, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ offers a lot of bang for its buck, inflation adjusted obviously, and any Redmi fan would be happy with this smartphone. We are past the times when the Redmi Note had no competition on the market, though, so before making it your daily driver, as always, we suggest you consider what else the market offers.

Pros

• Dual-glass design, IP53-rated.
• Excellent OLED, Dolby Vision, 10-bit color, top-notch brightness.
• Impressible fast charging, 120W charger is bundled.
• Good performance, excellent stability.
• Class-leading photo and video quality.
• IR blaster, 5G, dual-SIM, NFC, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.

Cons

• Higher than average battery power draw in standby.
• Not the best speakers from Xiaomi.
• Launches on Android 12 instead of 13.
• No EIS in 4K recording.