Xiaomi didn’t have a great 2022. It faces scrutiny from the Indian government, many of its top executives left, and its overall shipments also declined last year. In a way, the new Redmi Note 12 series launch comes at the worst of times for the brand. But the show must go on, or at least that’s the approach Xiaomi is going for, as it kicks off 2023 with its most important launch.
But there’s a marked change this year, as the entire Redmi Note 12 lineup is now 5G ready. It is also much more expensive. This particular variant costs nearly Rs 30,000. As always, Redmi has gone on an overkill when it comes to specifications. The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ gets a 200MP camera, 120W fast charging, and 120Hz refresh rate on the display. It even has double the storage at 256GB. But what does all this mean for the user? We tackle these questions in our review.
Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: Does 5G work on this?
Yes, 5G works on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+. I used it with my Airtel SIM, and I did not even notice the phone was on the 5G network. I got download speeds of up to 230 Mbps. However, upload speeds remain on the lower side, as you can see in the screenshots below. But what does this mean for a user? Well, super-fast downloads are now possible. For instance, I managed to download Call of Duty Mobile which is around 1.4GB on this phone in just under two minutes at my office, something which would not be possible on previous 4G networks.
The 5G download and upload speeds are seen on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ when I used the Airtel network. In the last screenshot you can see Call of Duty, which is around 1.4GB was downloaded in a matter of seconds. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
But what I found most useful was that even with those relatively lower upload speeds, I could quickly upload photos from the phone to my Google Drive in my office on the mobile network alone. Now typically, when I am on 4G, I give up on this task. With 5G, there were no such concerns.
However, there are also worries that 5G could mean a significant drop in battery life. I have not faced that yet with this particular phone. If you were planning to get a new phone this year, it will likely be 5G ready, especially if your budget is above Rs 20,000.
Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: What about that 200MP camera?
The Redmi Note series has always offered excellent cameras, especially for the price. In fact, of all the Redmi phones I have reviewed, I found the camera on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max the best. So, I was intrigued to see whether this phone could top that experience. I was pleasantly surprised on some fronts. For one, Redmi is not just adding a 200MP High-Res camera at the back, but also introducing optical image stabilisation (OIS) to the Note series. This is supposed to help with low-light photos, and I would say the difference is noticeable in the results.
Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has an excellent camera as seen in this sample photo. The colours are vivid and accurate with details preserved. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
I must also mention that the camera bump at the back really just juts out prominently. This also means the device never sits flat on a table. In fact, the Redmi once fell down from my dressing table, but thankfully there was no damage.
Now, regular photos on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ are impressive, given this is still a relatively more affordable phone. If you are shooting in the bright outdoors or in a room with sufficient lighting, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ will deliver crisp photos with excellent colour reproduction. But what impressed me most was the low-light performance, which is certainly the best I’ve seen on a Redmi Note to date.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ camera is excellent in well-light scenarios and when shooting outdoors. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The photos below, with the red candle in my bathroom and of the idols, were taken without the Night Mode turned on. I loved the way the Redmi phone maintained contrasts and shadows, and kept the details intact. In fact, the ones with the Night Mode on are brighter side and also quite good. But I liked the ones without Night mode better. I also took some photos below of the cactus plants with minimal lighting and then no lighting in the room. The Redmi does a good job maintaining the details and ensuring the objects are clearly visible.
The image of a candle taken in my bathroom without Night mode turned on, using the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. Notice it has good preservation of shadows and details. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The same shot taken with Night Mode turned on where I felt the image was a bit too bright. Though you can also see myself taking the picture very clearly. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
This is an image I took in the studio with minimal lighting and using Night Mode on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Another image I took of the idols without the Night Mode on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
This image taken in low-light was shot using no Night Mode on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Coming to the 200MP camera, remember, if you take photos in this particular mode, they will be heavy—around 32MB or higher in size to be precise. Again, this is useful if you plan to take a picture of a rich landscape and zoom into the details later. Still, it’s not something many people would end up using regularly. Now, I took a few photos in 200MP and then cropped them using Photoshop. Yes, every element in the photo was in sharp focus, but it’s not something everyone would use.
This flower was actually cropped from the 200MP camera image. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ also does an excellent job on the Portrait front, as I saw from some results in the office. Video recording on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is good, though I have not had a chance to test this aspect extensively. One point of note: the skin tones when shooting indoors are on the redder side in the video mode.
While the 200 MP main camera is excellent, the drop in quality is noticeable when you switch to the ultra-wide camera. The macro camera remains forgettable as ever.
Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: Let’s talk display and performance
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ gets a 6.67-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The display quality remains excellent, and the phone supports touch sampling rates of up to 240 Hz. This also comes with Dolby Vision support. I watched a lot of How I Met Your Mother on this and found the experience enjoyable. I also played Genshin Impact, and Asphalt 9 and tried my hand at Apex Legends, and the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has an excellent display suited for gaming and entertainment. The audio is also loud enough on the device, and the phone comes with dual stereo speakers with Hi-Res audio certification.
The phone gets a 6.7-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The Mediatek Dimensity 1080 processor powers the phone, which is a 6 nm processor. This is definitely good enough to handle your daily tasks and gaming with ease. I didn’t face any lag or stutter. It managed to run Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9 without any overheating. In fact, the only heating I noticed was when I downloaded Genshin, which is common on most phones in my experience.
The biggest problem is not the Redmi’s processor. It is the software. The phone is still on Android 12, in 2023, which is unacceptable. Redmi has not given any clear reasons why the phone is not yet on Android 13, and while it will get two software updates, this also means it will only get upgraded to Android 14. All of this is disappointing.
The phone is great for daily tasks. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ also comes with a side fingerprint scanner, which did give me a bit of trouble. It would not recognise my finger, and I actually tried all of them to unlock the phone. Eventually, I just erased the fingerprint and had to set it up again, and then it worked fine. The phone also comes with an IP53 rating, which is good to see, but still doesn’t go dunking it in water. This is only good enough for occasional splashes.
Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: Battery and charger
Xiaomi is bringing 120W charging to the Redmi Note series and bundling the charger in the box. The phone’s 4980 mAh battery will easily last a day with heavy-duty usage and more than a day with moderate usage. The 120W charging means you can plug it in for just 20 minutes, and you will be done. The phone also has a setting to ensure that 5G does not consume too much power, which I saw was turned on by default.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus sports a glass back. The camera bump at the back is much more prominent as well. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: Should you upgrade to this?
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ packs quite the specifications and has a very interesting price as well. It is no doubt an excellent phone given the performance and camera. But the price now starts at Rs 29,999 and goes up to Rs 32,999. Of course, if you decide to club all the offers that Redmi has announced such as the ICICI Bank discount of Rs 3,000 plus exchange bonuses, you can bring the price down to Rs 25,999 for the 8GB RAM option. Redmi has also doubled the onboard storage to 256GB. But still, the Redmi Note series is now competing with a completely different set of devices.
It also means this is not the phone for every Redmi user, especially someone who perhaps is not comfortable spending beyond Rs 20,000. This one is strictly for Redmi loyalists and fans who want all the latest specifications and the best camera. If you are looking for a more affordable Note, you will have to look at other options in the series.
