Xiaomi 12T Review: Exciting, But Not Exceptional

Xiaomi releases dozens of phones every year, so it can be hard to figure out where new releases fit in the company’s lineup. 

The 12T Series includes models at mid-range and flagship price points, but it’s pitched as an affordable alternative to the regular Xiaomi 12 and 12S Ultra. It’s the cheaper regular 12T that’s our focus here, which has high-end specs yet starts at just £499/€599.  

But how much is sacrificed to hit that price, and are there better mid-range phones out there? The short answer to those questions is not much, followed by yes (for most people). But let me explain in more detail. 

Design & Build

• Premium glass design, but slippery
• Minimalist aesthetic
• Solid biometric unlocking options

Design has been a key strength of Xiaomi phones for a while now, and that’s no different on the 12T. With an all-glass build, razor-thin bezels and eye-catching rear cameras, it could easily be mistaken for a flagship. 

It’s no wonder Xiaomi opted for an identical design to the more expensive 12T Pro. In fact, the only way to tell them apart is to look for the small ‘108Mp’ text just below the main camera. More on how all four of the phone’s sensors perform later. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The camera module itself protrudes very slightly from the back of the device, but it doesn’t wobble at all when used face-up on a table. Applying the silicone case included in the box makes it even less noticeable, and adds some much-needed grip in the process.  

Without it, you may find the phone slips out of your pocket or even hand unintentionally. The large 6.67in display makes this more likely – I wouldn’t feel safe using the 12T case-free. 

However, you might want to choose a case that doesn’t obscure the rear design. The glass on the back of the phone has an attractive matt coating, meaning it shimmers in the light but still resists most fingerprint smudges. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The black model I tested resembles a dark grey at times, but silver and blue models are also available if you’d prefer. All three adopt a relatively minimalist aesthetic, with a small Xiaomi logo the only other feature of note on the back.

Flipping the phone over reveals that large display, which is only interrupted by a small hole-punch notch at the top. That’s where you’ll find a 20Mp selfie camera which works well for face unlock, although it’s not the most secure. I’d recommend using the under-display fingerprint scanner instead, which is generally reliable and faster than equivalent sensors on some other phones. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

One other key design feature is dual speakers in addition to the earpiece – that’s not something you see on many handsets these days. There are no surprises elsewhere, though, with the regular volume and power controls, USB-C port and SIM card tray. The latter supports dual SIM, but not expandable storage. 

At 202g, the Xiaomi 12T is fairly typical for a modern phone. However, its size and weight means it’s a two-handed device pretty much all the time.

The phone has a tough, durable design, but it lacks the IP53 dust and splash resistance of the 12T Pro.

Screen & Speakers

• Excellent OLED display
• 120Hz refresh rate and 480Hz touch sampling
• Above-average stereo speakers

I’ve mentioned the display a couple of times already, but let’s talk about it in more detail. The Xiaomi 12T is equipped with a 6.67in, 1220×2712 OLED panel – that’s identical to the 12T Pro. 

As expected, display is one of the main reasons to buy the phone. It delivers a rich, detailed viewing experience, with vibrant colours and deep blacks. A 1440p resolution or higher would’ve been nice to have, but it doesn’t feel like you’re missing out at all here.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The 12T and 12T Pro also share the same 120Hz refresh rate and 480Hz touch sampling, too, with the latter a measure of how many times the display can register user touch input every second. Combined, they deliver a silky-smooth, fluid experience that can easily rival flagship Android handsets.

However, the default setting allows the refresh rate to automatically drop to 60Hz when the display is static, in order to preserve battery life. You can manually choose 60Hz or 120Hz if you prefer, though. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Xiaomi claims the 12T can hit a maximum brightness of 900 nits, but I only recorded 506 nits in testing. Still, that makes it easy to use outdoors, including in sunny conditions. 

The phone does come with a screen protector pre-applied, but it’s fairly discreet and doesn’t take away from the 12T’s design. As such, I’d recommend leaving it on. 

Audio quality is often sacrificed on modern phones, but it’s clearly important to Xiaomi. The 12T has dual stereo speakers, and neither of them relies on the earpiece. I’m impressed by the crisp, punchy audio they produce, even at high volumes. 

As you might expect from a device this size, it’s lacking in bass and a genuine depth of sound. But compared to most of the competition, this is a noticeable step up. For browsing social media or listening to voice-based audio, it’s more than acceptable. 

Specs & Performance

• Dimensity 8100 Ultra and 8GB of RAM
• Excellent performance with occasional blips
• Limited to 256GB of non-expandable storage

Phone performance is heavily reliant on the chipset, and it’s one of the main ways the 12T and 12T Pro differ. While the Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the regular model opts for the Dimensity 8100 Ultra instead. 

This is a step down from the flagship Dimensity 9000+ found in the likes of Asus’ ROG Phone 6D Ultimate, but it’s not far off in terms of pure performance.  

In fact, it actually performed better then the 6D Ultimate in Geekbench 5 tests, but worse than most 8+ Gen 1-powered phones. Unfortunately, many of the other benchmarks that provide a more accurate comparison wouldn’t run on the Xiaomi 12T. 

Regardless of the figures, combining the Dimensity 8100 Ultra with 8GB of RAM delivers excellent performance.  

The 12T handles all everyday tasks with ease, whether it’s browsing the web, scrolling social media, watching videos or keeping in touch with friends and family. You can even do two or more of these at the same time – multitasking is one of the phone’s key strengths. 

However, it’s by no means perfect. I did notice some hesitation and some occasional crashes, primarily while playing games. But it may be a software problem, and it’s certainly not a reason not to buy this phone. 

I was still able to play most games without issue, although it can’t rival a dedicated gaming phone if that’s something you’re serious about. 

In terms of storage, there are two options: 128GB or 256GB. I could comfortably fit all my apps and a few games on the 256GB model, although there’s no support for expansion via microSD. 

Software & Features

• MIUI 13 over Android 12
• Very different design to other Android skins
• Three years’ OS updates, four years’ security patches

The 12T still runs Android 12 rather than Android 13, but the experience is very different here than on Pixel phones. Like all Xiaomi phones, it uses the company’s custom MIUI 13 skin over Google’s OS, and there’s a definite learning curve if you haven’t used Xiaomi phones before. 

In general, MIUI is more vibrant and colourful than so-called ‘stock’ Android. The icons are square rather than circular, while the quick settings menu has a completely different design. You’ll also need to swipe down from the top-right to access the latter; a swipe from the top left opens the notification shade instead. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

But undoubtedly the most frustrating thing about MIUI is the bloatware. Xiaomi pre-installs plenty of software on its phones, most of which can’t be removed. On the 12T, you’ll find the company’s own apps for security, file management, themes, music, video, weather and many more. Having the option to install them is fine, but they shouldn’t be forced on you.  

If you don’t like the design of MIUI, you can easily swap it out for another launcher from the Play Store. But there’s nothing you can do about the bloatware – even if you don’t plan to use any of these apps. 

In terms of software updates, Xiaomi now commits to three years of OS updates and four years of security patches. That means it’ll get Android 15 (assuming that’s what it’s called) and support until 2026 – roughly in line with most Android phone makers these days. 

Cameras & Video

• Excellent 108Mp main lens
• 8Mp ultrawide still very usable
• Great selfies from 20Mp front lens

The Xiaomi 12T Pro’s 200Mp camera is the headline-maker, but the regular model isn’t far behind. Its main sensor drops down to 108Mp, but that’s still a higher megapixel count than most phones on the market. 

Smartphone image quality is just as reliant on software as hardware, and I’m pleased to report it’s a very good main lens. Stills from the main lens are vibrant, detailed and offer solid dynamic range, although the image produced is often a saturated version of reality. 

It’s particularly adept when there’s a clear subject in frame – St Pancras in the sun was a real highlight. Many of my test shots combined natural and artificial landscapes, and it captured both very well. 

Cameras on smartphones often overexpose the sky, but that wasn’t the case on the 12T. It even handled some tricky shots involving direct sunlight without any noticeable impact on quality. 

My main complaint is that it’s not the most reliable. I found myself taking a few shots in some scenarios before getting an image I was happy with. This is fine if you have time to spare, but the Xiaomi 12T isn’t the best option if you want to quickly take a great photo. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There’s no dedicated depth sensor, so you’ll be relying on the main camera and software for a portrait-style mode. You can get an attractive background blur, but it struggles a lot with edge detection. 

As with most smartphones, there’s also a software-based ‘Night’ mode. It does preserve some details which would otherwise have been lost, but low-light shots are brightened and sharped a lot by default. 

I was concerned that dropping all the way down to an 8Mp ultra-wide lens would make me reluctant to use it. Shots aren’t quite as clear or crisp as the main camera, but they’re still more than usable. For many landscape shots, having that 120° field-of-view was a real plus. 

Even the 2Mp macro lens isn’t useless, but I doubt you’ll be using it on a regular basis. 

On the front, Xiaomi has managed to cram a 20Mp lens into a tiny hole-punch. It’s certainly paid off, with selfies from the 12T among the best you’ll find on any smartphone.  

My face was consistently detailed and well-lit, but you could still clearly make out elements of the background. Just make sure you turn off the beauty mode first – it’s enabled by default. 

The Xiaomi 12T supports video at up to 4K at 30fps, while OIS on the main lens helps keep everything steady.  

This is also where you can have some fun, with options for super slo-mo video (up to 960fps), dual video (from the front and back camera simultaneously) and a dedicated vlog mode. Good luck finding all these features, though – the camera app is more confusing than it needs to be. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Battery Life & Charging

• 5,000mAh capacity
• Sub-par battery life
• Super-fast 120W wired charging

The Xiaomi 12T is equipped with a large 5,000mAh battery – the same as you’ll find on the 12T Pro.  

That suggests it can comfortably last a full day, even with the high refresh rate display. With the brightness set to a fairly typical 200 nits, my result of 10 hours and 47 minutes on PCMark’s battery test is roughly what you’d expect from a premium Android phone. 

However, that doesn’t quite align with my experience. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the 6,000mAh capacity on the latest ROG Phones, but I found battery life to be underwhelming. Even set to 60Hz, it only just about made it through a full day on a single charge. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

This did include using mobile data and GPS at relatively high brightness, but these are all to be expected when out and about. As the evening approached, I found myself dialling down these settings to make sure it wouldn’t run out of power. 

The situation wasn’t much worse at higher refresh rates, but I was still expecting better, 

But if battery life is compromised slightly, charging is anything but. Via the 120Hz charger included in the box, you can expect a full charge in under half an hour. If you just need a quick top-up, I recorded 65% from off in just 15 minutes. 

Pricing & Availability

The Xiaomi 12T’s affordability is one of the big things in its favour. You’ll struggle to find better specs for its £499/€599 starting price, while even stepping up to the model I tested with 256GB of storage will only cost you £549/€599. 

But if you buy the entry-level model between now and 24 October, you can get it for just £399 in the UK. That’s incredible value for money, and puts it in direct competition with many of the best mid-range phones you can buy. 

For pure power and camera prowess, you won’t find anything that can beat the 12T at this price point. But the likes of the Pixel 6a and OnePlus Nord 2T still provide a more well-rounded experience for everyday usage. 

Like all Xiaomi phones, it’s not available in the US. 

Verdict

The 12T is a safe release compared to the 12T Pro, but it still excels in more ways than one.  

Performance from Dimensity 8100 Ultra is superb, despite the occasional app crash or stutter. Everything looks great on the 6.67in OLED display, especially when combined with a 120Hz refresh rate and 480Hz touch sampling. 

That 108Mp main camera is another highlight, but all four lenses on the 12T hold their own. With a slick, premium design and rapid 120W charging, there’s a lot to like here. 

But in exchange for those charging speeds, you’ll have to contend with underwhelming battery life. Xiaomi’s MIUI skin over Android 12 also leaves a lot to be desired. 

If you can look beyond those inconveniences, the Xiaomi 12T is an excellent phone – especially for the price. But for the average consumer, an alternative mid-range phone will suit you better.

Specs

• 6.67in, 1220×2712 OLED
• 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling
• MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Ultra chipset
• 8GB RAM
• 128/256GB non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage
• 5,000mAh battery
• 120W wired charging
• 108Mp f/1.7 main camera
• 8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide camera
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro camera
• 20Mp f/2.2 front camera
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Gorilla Glass 5
• 63.1mm x 75.9mm x 8.6 mm
• 202g