REDMI NOTE 12 - Cheap (and valid) smartphones still exist
Grabbing a device with non-prohibitive costs now seems to have become a utopia, considering the dizzying increase in the raw materials used inside the devices. Yet among the cheap models we find the very recent one Redmi Note 12, which seems to offer everything you need for daily use focusing on reliability and concreteness, so let's find out more closely in our complete review.
Topics of this article:
unboxing
La sales package is now the usual, in white with the image of the product on the cover as well as the main specifications printed on one side of the carton. Within it we find:
- Redmi Notes 12;
- Transparent silicone protection cover;
- USB-A / USB-C charging and data transfer cable;
- Manuals;
- Pin for removing the SIM tray;
- Charger with European plug with max output 33 W.
DESIGN AND MATERIALS
Il design takes up the PRO variants of the 12 series, resulting in a modern, well-finished and well assembled, despite the materials used are of the plastic type, but so well worked that they look like glass on the back and metal on the frame. Laterally on the right we find the traditional volume adjustment and power buttons, where the latter has also been integrated biometric sensor to unlock the device. This works wonderfully, with fingerprint recognition 10 times out of 10 but above all the positioning was really perfect, which is easy both with right and left hand.
Mirror then we find the SIM cart which offers us well 3 slot, two of which are dedicated to nano-format SIMs that allow 4G LTE connectivity on both slots at the same time. As far as browsing speed is concerned, my tests were performed with the Very Mobile operator, with which I found top-level performance, without ever losing signals or jamming that forced me to switch the signal. However, we can expand the integrated memory by means of a micro SD card with support up to 1 TB without giving up the Dual SIM Dual Standby functionality.
The telephone sector is really excellent and the sound fidelity in conversation returned in the ear capsule is definitely excellent. On the lower profile we find it system speaker which offers powerful and distortion-free sounds both when listening to music and in speakerphone conversation, but above all the volume is not very high and above all it's just mono thus losing a multimedia immersion. Also in the lower part there is the main microphone and the input Type-C for recharging the device including the support OTG.
The top profile houses the second microphone for ambient noise reduction, the infrared transmitter which will allow you to control TVs, DVD players, etc. using your smartphone as a remote control as well as the jack from 3,5 mm to take advantage of your favorite headphones.
The back of the Redmi Note 12 is a single body in opaque polycarbonate where an oleophobic treatment is absent, therefore fingerprints and dirt in general will remain imprinted on the body. Excellent construction that does not appear at all "Cheap". Here on the back we find the photographic sector, with a rectangle shape in which they have been inserted 3 optics and a single tone LED flash.
AUTONOMY
Redmi Note 12 is a smartphone that is not compact but at the same time, due to its square shapes, it adapts to one-handed use offering a good grip. We have size and weight equal to 165,66 x 75,96 x 7,86 mm with a weight of 183,5 grams, very well balanced along the entire axis of the smartphone and in any case justified by a battery from 5000 mAh with support to quick charge to 33W, which is a further strong point of this terminal, managing to take home even 2 full days of use without problems, while for more consistent uses, you will always arrive in the evening with at least a good 20/25% of residual charge. The terminal is available in colors Ice Blue, Mint Green and Onyx Gray.
DISPLAY
On the front of the smartphone we find the brightness and proximity sensors in the upper frame of the display which have always been reactive and reliable, as they are of a physical type, as well as a large ear capsule while a notification LED is absent. The frames are well optimized and pleasing to the eye, in fact even the chin of the device is poco pronounced than the competition, offering 3 virtual function keys that can be eliminated if necessary to take advantage of the on-screen navigation gesture. But the display is the highlight of this banquet offered by Redmi Note 12, as we are in the presence of a panel from 6,67 inches diagonal which offers resolution Full HD + (2400 x 1080 pixels) in technology AMOLED supplied by SAMSUNG, with support to DRM Widevine L1 thus allowing the viewing of streaming content in high definition, while support for HDR content is absent.
But above all, what is amazing is the color rendering, really faithful to the original and well calibrated, albeit at the software level we have the possibility to further adjust the color temperature and white point. We are talking about a display protected by a glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5, form factor in 20:9 and peak brightness of 1200 nits, more than enough for excellent vision even in direct sunlight. Also present is the reading mode, the night mode and a refresh rate to 120 Hz which makes navigation and reproduced images fluid.
Finally, the design is decidedly modern and pleasant, as we find the punch hole positioned centrally, in which the selfie camera is inserted, which will also allow the phone to be unlocked by means of face recognition, but unfortunately the times are not very fast and above all reliability in recognition even in adverse environmental lighting conditions is not very convincing. Finally, the display can be awakened or turned off with a double tap or by lifting the smartphone.
CONNECTIVITY
Redmi Note 12 has full support for the 20 band, almost obvious to say but it is good to remember, offering connectivity LTE 4G but also the rest of the specifications appear complete, considering the presence of the module Dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with quick fixes even on satellites Galileo but also the FM radio after installing an APK available on the net and full support for mobile payments via the NFC sensor. We also point out that the terminal enjoys the IP53 certification. Everything works perfectly, even with Android Auto.
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND PERFORMANCE
Having an economic nature we cannot expect miracles from the point of view of the components, but we can still argue that we have excellent hardware under the hood which consists of the performing processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 685, octa-core solution clocked up to 2.8 GHz and production process a 6nm, Adreno GPU 610 supported by internal memory type UFS 2.2 with 128GB cut (expandable up to 1 TB with micro SD) and amount of RAM da 4 GB of size LPDDR4X, expandable by a further 3 GB virtually. All this allows the Redmi Note 12 to always run smoothly and without slowdowns, offering decidedly comfortable user experiences even with graphically demanding games, obtaining respectable performance without ever undergoing particular overheating, thanks to the graphite cooling system.
The excellent Qualcomm processor, in addition to offering good performance, is also convincing for the optimization of consumption as we have already seen a few lines above, also surprising from the point of view of system management, by means of MIUI 14 with security patches updated to May 2023 and soul based on Android 13 which translates into full support for the Play Store and all Google services already pre-installed on the ROM and excellent RAM management. Unfortunately, the many pre-installed bloatware on which you will have to waste at least five minutes to remove when you first start up your smartphone should be noted. Overall the smartphone runs well but it is not a rocket, therefore you will have to animate yourself with patience for the opening of the app.
PHOTO AND VIDEO PERFORMANCE
The photographic compartment on the rear relies on a sensor from 50 megapixel with opening f / 1.8, which allows you to shoot video up to 1080p is 30 fps, with which we can enjoy the digital stabilization. If over the years, the step forward in terms of photographic performance has been considerable by the Asian brand, on this terminal we have to be content with sufficient performance, the results of which are sometimes poor in detail and colors poco natural. Good automatic HDR support that works very well when called by the software. It goes without saying that the night photos are of a poor standard, with the evident presence of digital noise and pastel color rendering.
The primary sensor is flanked by two further optics from 8 MP for ultrawide with f/2.2 and FOV 120° while the latest optics has resolution from 2 MP, f/2.4 performing macro capture function. La selfie camera is instead a drive from 13 MP f / 2.45, whose shots are of good quality and in any case superior to its direct competitors. Here too we can shoot videos at a maximum of 1080p 30fps. Not a camera phone but you could have done better, but don't despair because the GCam comes to the rescue, which you can find online to at least improve the photographic performance, taking it to another level.
PROJECTED IMPACT
Undoubtedly I liked this Redmi Note 12, both for the build quality that conveys the feeling of having a higher-end smartphone in your hands, and for the excellent display, but the presence of a super complete connectivity that boasts is not negligible either FM radio and NFC. Autonomy is a workhorse of the brand's devices and also in this case it does not disappoint. If we also add the excellent price, or around 150 euros, I would say that we are in the presence of a smartphone of sure interest and which I would recommend to anyone.
