Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is a powerful device with slightly average software

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is a high-performing mid-range smartphone. With a respectable 200MP primary camera, a quick 120Hz AMOLED display, and lightning-fast 120W charging, this powerhouse offers a few luxury features without breaking the budget. However, it has flaws, such as subpar secondary cameras and video capabilities, a limited IP rating, and a bloated, old version of Android out of the box, which puts it slightly behind the tremendously strong competition.

It happens with every type of product and every market: when sales begin to stall, marketers create new product categories. The mid-range smartphone market is significantly overloaded, with alternatives from every manufacturer at various budgets, but there hasn’t been any real innovation in years. On the surface, handsets such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus may be contributing to the problem, filling a new and hazy niche created by marketers but without doing anything significantly different.

It is a name that promises to be for ‘Pros’, with an unspecified rationale for the Plus moniker, which could indicate to its size, power, or both. It is positioned as being slightly more premium than the more common mid-tier smartphone, but without the price point of the flagship category, making it a tough target with no proven demographic.

Price when reviewed: €234.98 | Check price at Amazon

Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus KEY FEATURES

The phone’s edges are impressively busy for a smartphone from 2023. The bottom edge houses the SIM tray, USB-C charging port, and a speaker vent. The power and volume rockers are located on the upper right side. Along the top? A 3.5mm headphone jack, a speaker vent, and a tiny infrared port. We are not sure what you intend to use it for, but it is an option. You may attempt the ‘phone as TV remote’ experiment again, but keep an eye out for spyware. A 6.67-inch OLED display graces the front of the device. The refresh rate is 120Hz, but the brightness is limited to 500 nits (900 nits peak).

Usage under strong lighting suffers as a result, but this is South Africa. We are virtually always in the dark. This thing looks good, whether it’s light or not. It’s fantastic to see AMOLED for around £400, and the 120Hz refresh rate helps things look fluid. The huge 5,000mAh battery is more than enough to allow all-day usage, and 120W HyperCharge gets you topped off rapidly. The 200MP rear camera produces outstanding images even in low-light circumstances, thanks to the utilization of 16-in-1 pixel binning technology to boost detail and light.

REDMI NOTE 12 PRO PLUS UNBOXING

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus arrives in a hefty white package. The bundle includes a 120W GaN charger, a USB-A to C cable, and a clear protective case.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus also includes a thin protective coating for scratch resistance. However, it is a smudge magnet, which we removed, but you are welcome to retain yours if you don’t mind.

CAMERA

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has a slightly unbalanced rear camera setup. The star of the show, a 200MP wide lens, is prominently displayed on the module. The primary sensor is 1/1.4 inches and has 0.56-micron pixels, which are 12% smaller than the pixels on the 200MP HP1 sensor (0.64-micron pixels) used in the Xiaomi 12T Pro and other Motorola flagships. Below that, there is an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP macro lens. Redmi has deleted the 2MP depth sensor seen on the previous Note 11 Pro Plus, which makes sense given that the phone’s software can achieve the same result.

For the most part, the primary camera captures a lot of detail, beautiful color (despite the near-constant rain in Vancouver), and high contrast. There is no specific telephoto hardware, as expected. Nonetheless, the primary lens crops its sensor to accomplish a similar end result of zooming in on subjects without losing too much detail at up to 2x. Anything above 10x becomes progressively fuzzy and pixelated.

Images are pixel-binned down to 12.5MP by default, and there is no option to shoot in RAW from the settings. However, there is an Ultra HD mode that preserves greater information at either 50MP or 200MP. I didn’t see much of a difference between the 12.5MP and 200MP images in mixed or low-lighting circumstances until I pixel-peeped them. Cropping into the image yields much more detail, but it also results in a significantly bigger file size, so I found shooting at 50MP to be a good compromise. You can see a few examples below, or visit this Drive for a larger collection of samples.

Moving to the 8MP ultrawide results in a notable reduction in quality. It has a good 120-degree field of view, but detail, exposure, and color accuracy are slightly lower than the primary shooter. The macro is considerably worse and makes little difference for close-up images unless the lens is right up against the subject being photographed. Perhaps the results would have been better if Redmi had featured the higher-resolution 5MP macro camera from the Note 10 Pro Plus.

When using the 16MP front-facing camera, the beauty setting is enabled by default, as is common with Redmi phones. Turning it off is simple, but you may be surprised by the extreme facial smoothing in the first few images. Otherwise, the selfie camera adequately captures skin tones, and edge recognition in portrait mode is adequate, even without a depth sensor.

The cameras are fairly responsive at night, and the specific low-light setting helps to avoid fuzzy photos. However, images contain image noise, and while colors remain true, it may take longer to concentrate on dimly illuminated subjects. Without a doubt, the Pixel A series remains the low-light champion at this price point.

The primary camera can record 4K videos at a frame rate of up to 30fps, which is a significant compromise at this price point, given that Samsung and Google both provide 4K at 60fps. As a result, recordings can be unstable, while being well-balanced with realistic colors and minimum noise. The selfie camera’s 1080p videos are adequate, with excellent detail and great contrast. When given enough light, the objects are well-lit, while the background may occasionally appear overexposed due to the limited dynamic range.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

Design for mid-range smartphones is rarely a top priority; a gadget that looks fantastic above all else is only a nice bonus; affordability is what matters.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus does not attempt to contradict this assumption. If we define a modern smartphone as a huge glass and metal rectangle, the 12 Pro Plus is every bit as modern.

The rear has a prominent camera hump that holds the trio of sensors, as well as an unobtrusive ‘Redmi’ branding and a superfluous ‘5G’. The back is somewhat curved, which improves usage, and it is colored; our review unit was a modest white.

As one might anticipate, the glass rear allows for stunning falls from practically any surface; nonetheless, the accompanying TPU cover is an absolute must if you wish to carry this smartphone past the front door. The frame is composed of matte plastic and includes a convenient and quick fingerprint reader. Waterproofing is not provided, although the gadget is splash-resistant.

All of this may appear terrible, but it is not in isolation. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus may appear plain, but it feels solidly built. Given the screen’s size (6.67 inches) and weight (204g), one-handed operation is nearly impossible, unless you have massive mitts. This isn’t a phone you can use to quickly send a text while holding a crying kid in one arm.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

From one perspective, the human body is an advanced container for the soft, squishy grey matter that controls everything. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus features a 200MP camera sensor, which the brand has been touting since its international introduction in 2022. Xiaomi has previously showcased a 200MP sensor, but this is the first for the Redmi lineup. There are two more cameras on the back: an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro lens, with no depth sensor. However, the 200MP camera is actually doing all of the heavy lifting.

It is best suited for capturing 50MP photos, a feature termed Ultra HD mode. It combines four pixels into one to produce a big, finely detailed image that is more useful than a single 200MP monster. There is no RAW support, thus shooting uncompressed does little more than waste up storage space. Unless you’re a cropping enthusiast (and even if you are), it’s best to stick with the more detailed 50MP stills. That 200MP is simply an amazing number intended to draw your attention. And it worked, right?

Nonetheless, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has the potential to deliver decent performance. It’ll do well in low-light situations, but not so well that you can brag about its ‘nightography’ ability. That’s an entirely other brand. The 16MP front camera is likewise quite well configured. Smoothing is enabled by default, but it does not make you look like someone has badly wiped all of the lines on your face (unless you specify otherwise).

Buy it if...

• Dual-glass design, IP53 certified.
• Excellent OLED, Dolby Vision, 10-bit color, and exceptional brightness.
• Impressive quick charging, with a 120W charger provided.
• Good performance and stability.
• Superior photo and video quality.
• IR blaster, 5G, dual SIM, NFC, and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.

Don't buy it if…

• In standby mode, the battery draws more than average power.
• Xiaomi’s speakers are not the greatest.
• Launches on Android 12 rather than 13.
• There is no EIS with a 4K recording.

FULL SPECIFICATION