Redmi-fining mid range photography

WE celebrated the 40th day of my mom’s passing this week, and contrary to what I’ve heard people say, I don’t think it will ever get easier in time. I remember whenever I had a new phone to review, one of the first photos I’d take would usually be of my mom while she was cooking in the kitchen. She would get furious about the stolen shot and snap at me for taking a deglamorized photo of her, but she would always end it with “Is that a new phone?” Then, I’ll let her guess the price.

Looking back though, my mom would always wear makeup even if she was just doing the laundry. It was also a clue as to what her mood was for the day. If she didn’t have lipstick on when she came down, that usually meant it’s best to stay away.

I was going through her stuff and found out she had been using six phones. The funny thing though is that she never answers my call or reply until after a few days—even if her reply was just “OK.”

The launch of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 series was the first event I attended since my mom passed and I missed how she’d text me asking where we were, if we already ate and what time were we going home—in that order. The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G is also the first phone I never got to show her, but I still went to the kitchen to open it, out of habit I guess. I would’ve loved to hear her reaction to the 200MP camera, though I doubt she’d be able to guess the right price.

HIGH-RES FOR LESS

THE Redmi Note 12 Series is composed of the Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G—and is designed to keep up with Gen Zs’ vivid lifestyle and personalities and their budget. The Redmi Note series has delivered on the price-toperformance ratio and the Note 12 series brings with it many of the improvements that fans have been asking for. The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G will go down in the history books for its 200MP camera, 120W hyper fast charging, and enhanced Dolby sound features. It also comes equipped with a Dimensity 1080 chipset and a beefed-up 5000mAh battery—all while maintaining its P21,999 tag. Sounds too good? Here’s what we think of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G.

Design And Build

THE Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G combines asymmetrical design language and artistic geometry for a dynamic balance of aesthetic elements. This is enhanced by the texture of the smartphone body, showcasing a new material made with advanced CMF process and polished glass back that gives off a premium look and feel. There are three color options: Sky Blue, Midnight Black and the one that we have, Polar White. I do like how Xiaomi kept the finish clean and simple without those dizzying gradient patterns. Despite the smooth finish though it’s able to hide those fingerprints and smudges quite well.

It has a polycarbonate instead of metal frame, and its rear panel is made from glass. It feels cool to the touch and the subtly curved edges makes the phone a bit easier to hold despite its large size (162.9mm x 76mm x 8.98mm) and hefty 210.5g weight. It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection as well as an IP53 splash-proof rating.

Unlike the recent “minion goggles” camera module trend, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G has a more subdued design. It’s not the best we’ve seen but it blends well with the overall aesthetics of the device.

On the right edge is the volume rocker and fingerprint sensor. This side-mounted fingerprint scanner also does more than just unlock your phone as it supports double-tap gestures that lets you perform different actions, including turning on the flashlight, opening the control center, taking a screenshot, toggling silent mode, or launching the default camera app or the calculator.

It’s 2023 and the Redmi Note might be one of the last of its species to include a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also includes another Xiaomi trademark—the IR blaster. Both are located on top together with a mic and loud speaker.

FLOW AMOLED SCREEN

FOR the display, it has a 6.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED display that offers a 1080 x 2400-pixel resolution and a flagship 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother visual and gaming experience. But what makes it even more special is its Flow AMOLED screen which results in slimmer bezels that are almost visually symmetrical. It’s a first for the Redmi Note series and the remarkable display improves color performance, increases brightness and delivers over 1 billion colors with smooth gradation between colors and shades.

As for the 120Hz refresh rate, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G has an adaptive mode for the first time allowing the phone to automatically switch between power-friendly 60Hz or the silky smooth 120Hz. All that means the phone delivers an amazing visual experience. The colors are bright, the 120Hz refresh rate is smooth, viewing angles are great and the display remained easily legible even in direct sunlight. As for the sound, you get stereo speakers with decent volume and the mid-range clarity that’s good enough for watching YouTube or listening to music without needing to reach for a pair of headphones.

200 MEGAPIXEL GOODNESS

MOVING on to the cameras, the flagship of the Redmi Note 12 series is equipped with the world’s highest 200MP Samsung sensor with a 1/1.4” large sensor size. It also has an 8MP ultrawide lens and a decent 2MP macro. For selfies, it retains the same 16MP front camera. Xiaomi said it aims to redefine photography for upper mid-range smartphones and it makes a strong statement with the Redmi Note 12 Pro + 5G. The main camera can capture photos in 3 different resolutions using pixel-binning technology: 12.5MP, 50MP, and 200MP modes. For photographers who want maximum detail, you can choose between 50MP and 200MP in Ultra HD mode.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G also comes with a feature called Xiaomi ProCut. Once you’ve taken a photo under 200MP mode, simply review it in your gallery, and the system automatically detects human and animal subjects, generating 3 to 5 photos with different composition/ratios automatically for you to choose from. Furthermore, Redmi Note 12 Pro + 5G includes a unique film camera feature that adds a vintage vibe to your photos, perfect for fun social media posts.

Night photos are enhanced with a stronger lens setup, offering 159 percent improvement in low light capture for challenging scenes. The main camera also features ALD (Atomic Layer Disposition)—this coating technology can effectively reduce lens reflection, reduce glare and lens flares, and improve imaging in night scenes and backlight shooting. Camera performance in bright daylight was really good, capturing accurate real-life colors, and also works quite well even in less-than-ideal lighting. It has easily one of the best cameras in its price range and I was also impressed by the edge detection in portrait shots.

The 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor isn’t the best out there and the difference is quite noticeable. It also struggles indoors and in less-than-ideal lighting. The 2MP macro camera is OK but remember, the Redmi Note series once had a 5MP macro sensor.

As for videos, it can record 4K videos up to 30fps. Video quality is above average though it’s still shaky and a bit jittery when you are walking, or when panning the camera. If you are serious about shooting good videos, it’s best to use a tripod or a gimbal for more stable shots.

Performance And Battery

POWERED by the high-performance MediaTek Dimensity 1080 processor, the Redmi Note 12 Pro + 5G delivered all-around impressive performance during our two-week review. With its 8GB+3GB RAM configuration, it was able to handle all our daily tasks, like checking emails, managing our blog and social media accounts, web browsing, watching YouTube, Netflix, and editing reels and photos. The phone performed as well as any flagship would and everything felt snappy and responsive.

As for gaming, it has enough power for all those casual and 2D titles, but I think you need to stay on the default settings for more complicated games like Genshin Impact to get a smoother experience.

You get the latest MIUI 14 interface from Xiaomi but I was surprised a bit that it was still running Android 12. It’s not a dealbreaker, but a lot of other phones already run the latest Android OS out of the box.

Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G comes with a large 5,000mAh battery as well as 120W HyperCharge which lasted me more than a day of regular use. The 120W HyperCharge can fully charge the smartphone from zero to 100 percent in around 20 minutes. With the Xiaomi Surge P1 chipset, it also boasts improved battery health and overall battery efficiency.

FINAL WORD: The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G is a gorgeous phone that is bursting with all the features you might be looking for in a smartphone. You get a clear 120Hz AMOLED display, a 200MP primary camera that delivers nice photos, snappy performance, and an all-day battery life with 120W fast charging, making it one of the best options in its price range. ■