Redmi Note 12 5G review: It's just good

Xiaomi's Redmi earlier today (January 5) unveiled the new Redmi Note 12 5G series in India.

. Redmi Note 12 comes in three variants-- Redmi Note 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro+-- with prices starting at Rs 17,999.

. I have been using the Redmi Note 12 5G for close to a week and here're my thoughts on the new mid-range phone.

. Design, build quality, and display This frosted green model is exclusive to the classic Redmi Note 12 series. It looks gorgeous in the sunlight. However, it is a fingerprint magnet. I just suggest you use the transparent phone cover, the company offers in the retail box.

. It is soft and also with the see-through design, the case manages to maintain the visual appeal of the phone and most importantly protect it from cracking during an accidental fall.

. On the front, the company has used Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 shield and also applied another layer of plastic-based screen guard offering a double layer of protection against daily wear-and-tear scratches that most often happen when kept in the pocket with keys and coins.

. It should be noted that Redmi Note 12 also comes with an IP53 water-splash resistant rating, making it one of the most durable phones among the rival brands in the market.

. Another aspect I love about the Redmi Note 12 is that the company has managed to keep the 3.5mm audio jack port. It is the best way to listen to music compared to wireless earphones (and have to charge regularly). By the way, the speakers on the phone are good too.

. It also features hybrid dual SIM slots (nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2/microSD card) on the left side and on the right side, you will find the power button-cum fingerprint sensor and volume rockers.

. Of course, it has an infrared sensor at the top, which comes in handy to control compatible smart gadgets such as ACs and TVs.

. As far as the display is concerned, it features a 6.67-inch full HD+ (1080×2400p) super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. I had a great time watching YouTube vlogs on the Redmi Note 12. It has one of the brightest displays compared to any mid-range phone.

. It can support a peak brightness of 1,200 nits and it is just great for binge-watching videos, even outdoors in the shade. And, with 120Hz refresh rate capability, I had a great time reading news and scrolling through the social media platforms on the phone.

. Also, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor works as advertised. It is fast in terms of response time and unlocks the screen.

. Besides the frosted green, Xiaomi also offers Redmi Note 12 5G in two other colours-- matte black and mystique blue. They are said to be great too.

. Performance It is powered by a 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 Kryo-based octa-core (2.0 GHz Cortex A78 x 2 + 1.8GHz x Cortex A55 x 6) CPU backed by Adreno 619 GPU.

. The Redmi Note 12 is the first smartphone in India to boast Qualcomm's Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 silicon. It promises to deliver up to 15 per cent improved CPU and up to 10 per cent enhanced GPU compared to the previous generation.

. The new Snapdragon 4 includes a triple ISP (Image Signal Processor) and supports a Multi-Frame Noise Reduction feature that ensures the device's camera capture crisp, detailed photos (more on this later).

. The company is offering the device in two configurations-- 4GB RAM + 128GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage.

. Our review unit is the top-end model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The device worked smoothly in all day-to-day activities such as internet browsing, using email and calls, and switching between multiple apps. Also, the thermal performance is really good, while playing graphics-rich games and even when operating the camera for video recording.

. Though it runs Android 12-based MIUI 13, the user interface is very simple to navigate around the phone's settings. Yes, the software is more than a year old, but you won't be missing much from Android 13. The latter is just refined not much discernible upgrade over the 12 series. Users should try playing with wallpaper themes to spruce up the home and lock screen.

. The company has confirmed to offer a minimum of two years of Android OS updates (Android 13 and 14) and four years of security software support.

. The new Redmi Note 12 supports multiple 5G bands (SA/NSA)-- N1, N3, N5, N8, N41, N77, and N78 in India. Both Airtel and Reliance Jio are already conducting beta testing for the public in several cities across the country with an average cellular internet speed of around 1Gbps.

. With a 5,000mAh cell, the phone was able to consistently deliver more than a day's battery life. Like the predecessor, the new phone's hardware and software are also very well optimised to last long through the day even if you are using cellular mobile data all day. If used with Wi-Fi connected at home and at the office, it can easily last up to the first half of the second day of usage.

. And the 33W charger, which by the way comes with the retail box, can help you power up the phone from zero to 100 per cent capacity in a little over an hour.

. Photography Redmi Note 12 5G comes with a triple-camera module-- main 48MP ( f/1.8) + 8MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture with LED flash on the back.

. As you can see in the sample photos, it takes brilliant photos under natural sunlight. The colours of the subjects are vibrant, good for sharing on social media platforms.

. Even the macro photos too have come off great and have to say, one of the best I have seen among mid-range phones.

. As far as portrait mode is concerned, it does an excellent job. I managed to snap a fine photo of my in-laws' pet dog. The hair, eyes, and whiskers are so brilliantly captured and I am mighty impressed with them.

. With ultra-wide mode too, the Redmi Note 12 manages to do a fine job.

. However, in the night and evening, the photos seem to accumulate noise. It should be noted that I noticed the grainy background when I saw the images on the computer screen, but so much when viewed on the compact screen of the phone.

. Having said that, the image quality is on par with rival brands in the sub-Rs 20,000 range.

. On the front, it houses 13MP (f/2.0). Like the primary rear camera, the selfie camera does an excellent job with portrait images. It manages to clearly captures contours around the head and create a perfect depth of field effect between foreground and background.

. And, of course, like the predecessors, the new Redmi Note 12's native camera app comes with a bevy of super tools to enhance the selfies in terms of skin colour, tone, complexion, jaw size, eyes, nose, and other aspects of the face to make it photogenic, to be used for DP on social media platforms.

. Both the front and the primary rear-side camera can record videos up to full HD (1080p) at 30 fps (frames per second and HD (720p) at 30 fps. The video quality is pretty decent in the natural sunlight but so much in the night, and again like the still images, the quality is on par with other phones in its class.

. Final thoughts The latest phone from Xiaomi continues the legacy of the Redmi Note series' value-for-money adage. Good feature-rich phone with a reasonable price tag.

. It does a fine job in terms of performance, battery life is excellent, I am very much impressed with the premium build quality and the camera is fantastic, but only in natural sunny conditions. It falters a bit in the low-light environment. But, having said that the picture quality is on par with most of the phones in the sub-Rs 20,000 price segment.

. If you have a few thousand bucks extra to splurge, go for the Redmi Note 12 Pro or 12 Pro Plus series. The latter two come with the better camera hardware.

. Must read | Key difference between Redmi Note 12, Note 12 Pro and Note 12 Pro Plus

. Redmi Note 12 5G is available in two configurations-- 4GB RAM + 128GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for 17,999 and 19,999, respectively. If you have an ICICI card, customers are entitled to get Rs 1,500 instant discounts and this brings the price to Rs 16,499 and Rs 18,499, respectively.