- GeniusUpdates1@Gmail.com
Menu
[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Good performance (SD 8 Gen 1, UFS 3.1, DDR5).
Excellent WQHD
120Hz display 120W wired charging
50W wireless charging
[/i2pros][i2cons]Camera downgrade (Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra)
USB 2 connection only
below average battery life.
SD 8 Gen 1 overheating
No IP certification
No 4K video with the selfie camera
Camera sticks out
No LTE Band 20 (China version)
No DSS 5G (China version)
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Digression (opinion): Xiaomi has not only been growing in the middle class for several years but also in the flagship market. The latter also earns a lot of money, and the “overpriced” smartphones are correspondingly important for the manufacturers. After a good 2 weeks, however, I have come to the conclusion that Xiaomi currently feels very secure and does not really take its competitors, Samsung and Apple, seriously.
While the manufacturer was able to achieve considerable success in the 500+ price range with the Xiaomi 11 Pro and Xiaomi 11 Ultra last year, I think that is almost impossible with the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Call me a bean counter, but there are too many little things that make the Xiaomi 12 Pro the flagship smartphone that could easily be branded with Samsung or Apple.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has no advantages over the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. It even loses the direct comparison. Well, as you can probably tell, the spark didn’t jump over my head and I would definitely call myself a Xiaomi fan. But now to the actual test of the Xiaomi 12 Pro!
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is the big brother of the Xiaomi 12 in the truest sense of the word. With dimensions of 163.6 x 74.6 x 8.16 millimeters and a weight of 205 grams, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a typical flagship smartphone. The back is made of frosted glass with a fine and noticeable texture. The Xiaomi 12 Pro does not have a good grip, but fingerprints are hardly visible.
With the rounded back and front, however, the Xiaomi 12 Pro feels excellent in the hand. We tested the black version with the glass back. There is also a green version with a leatherette back in China. The camera hill at the back of the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which protrudes almost 3 millimeters from the back, is visually impressive. This means that the device is still wobbly on the table even with the case on.
Except for the subtle “Xiaomi” lettering on the back and a central punch-hole notch on the front, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is designed very unobtrusively. Finally, the dark gray metal frame also creates a valuable feeling in the hand. In addition, the Xiaomi 12 Pro looks modern with rounded display glass and thin edges.
As usual with all flagships, the fingerprint sensor of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is under the display. And it works surprisingly quickly and accurately. You can unlock your Xiaomi 12 Pro even faster by using face recognition via the front camera. There is absolutely nothing to complain about here.
A little gimmick: you can also measure your heart rate via the fingerprint sensor. The front camera is housed in a tiny punch-hole notch that is just 3mm in diameter. The power button is located on the right side, directly below the volume rocker. Both keys have excellent pressure points, sit securely in the frame, and are made of metal. On the underside, you can see the SIM card slot (dual nano SIM), one of the two speakers, the main microphone, and the USB-C port.
Unfortunately, the latter is still a USB 2 connection, and I no longer believe it when a USB 3 port gets lost in a Xiaomi smartphone. The left side of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is completely clean, and on top, you have the popular infrared transmitter, an additional microphone, and a second speaker. The Xiaomi 12 Pro has real stereo speakers installed.
The notification LED has been abolished in the flagship class for a few years. The Xiaomi 12 Pro can trump that visually with glowing edges, but this flashing of new notifications is only a one-off. If you depend on your notifications, you have to use the always-on display, and this function is fully implemented in the new Xiaomi flagship. However, Xiaomi does so without the IP certification that the predecessor Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro, for example, already had.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is an ordinary flagship with metal and glass as premium materials. At least the option of a ceramic back would have pleased me, but at least there is artificial leather for those who like to experiment. The fact that Xiaomi does without USB 3 in a Pro model and also omits the IP certification is a clear point of criticism at this price. Otherwise, I personally like the design quite a lot, but unfortunately you can’t stand out with it among similarly expensive devices.
After the test balloon without accessories in China, Xiaomi decided that the environment is not that important after all. ?. For you, this means that the scope of delivery includes a silicone case, SIM needle, charging cable, and a 120W charging adapter. That hadn’t changed in Bangladesh either, but in China, the Xiaomi 11 series was delivered without a charging adapter. Everything you see in the picture above is included in the box.
The Xiaomi 12 already has a flawless display. The Pro version tries to top that. The Xiaomi 12 Pro, therefore, uses an LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. The LTPO display of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a bit brighter at 1300 lux (only in automatic mode in direct sunlight), and the heart rate can be adjusted more precisely during operation. In manual mode, you can reach a maximum of 780 lux.
The display refreshes at a maximum of 120Hz, i.e., exactly as fast as the Xiaomi 12. However, the Xiaomi 12 Pro also offers a 90Hz mode (a nice compromise between battery life and performance), and in automatic Hertz mode, the screen reduces the refresh rate to 10Hz. This always happens if you don’t do anything on the display for a moment.
This also saves battery. As usual, I wouldn’t have needed the high resolution, but if you absolutely want to use the 524 pixels per inch, you can activate it in the options. I can’t tell the difference and all content is crisp on the Xiaomi 12 Pro, even at 1080p. If you put the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro next to each other, you won’t see any difference with the naked eye anyway. Incidentally, the Xiaomi 12 Pro also has a so-called curved display, i.e., the glass is clearly rounded on the sides. Those who use swipe gestures will really like it.
In addition, edge detection can be set individually. The color display in the MIUI system is just as extensive and individually adjustable. The contrast is beyond doubt. The viewing angle stability is excellent; you can only see slight reflections on the curved edges. As usual, a dark mode (black/white reversal), reading mode (reduced blue light), and DC dimming (for sensitive users with PWM) are also on board.
The Chinese version of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is already Widevine L1 certified and thus supports HD, HDR, and Dolby Vision content from well-known streaming providers. Only at Amazon do you have to help a little with this trick.
The 480Hz touchscreen rate, which ensures lag-free input, is interesting for gamers. However, the touchscreen on modern smartphones is always fast and accurate, and so is the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The display glass is protected from scratches by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The Xiaomi 12 Pro ticks every conceivable box with the display, and displays in smartphones cannot and will not get much better.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 hardly caused any euphoria in the Xiaomi 12 test, and unfortunately, it gets even worse with the Xiaomi 12 Pro. After the second Antutu benchmark, it’s over, and the Xiaomi 12 Pro reports a shutdown due to overheating. After a few minutes, the wildlife stress test is over, and the Xiaomi 12 Pro breaks off with the same error message as with Antutu. The bad thing is that this happens to you even in demanding games. After 30-40 minutes of demanding 3D gaming, the shift is over and the Xiaomi 12 Pro has to cool down first. I’m talking about a noticeable 50° at the warmest point.
So I waited for three updates and nothing has changed in terms of heat development. For me, this is unacceptable for a flagship that you buy as a gamer and because of the great performance. Xiaomi probably wants to see high benchmark values in the first tests. But for practical use, you have to clock the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 down properly because that’s not the case. By the way, the main problem here is the graphics performance, but the CPU also clocks down significantly after a short time.
Ultimately, we end up at the SD888 level or even less performance after 10 minutes of load. So what Qualcomm has done with the new flagship processor is a disaster, and Xiaomi’s cooling performance is simply not up to this hothead processor. If you live in an area with a permanent 0° outside temperature and only spend time outside, you can confidently reach for the new flagship processor from Qualcomm.
The internal memory of the Xiaomi 12 Pro measures a maximum of 256GB and has a read/write rate of 1464/652 MB/s. Of course, this is the most modern UFS 3.1 storage. The latest LPDDR5 memory is also used for the RAM, and this delivers transfer rates of 30 GB/s. The memory is lightning fast, but the RAM only delivers half of the current peak values. In practice, you hardly notice anything. Apps install instantly, and the system is lightning fast. If you stay away from games and benchmarks, the Xiaomi 12 Pro won’t overheat either, but you really don’t need to put that much money on the table for a perfectly smooth system.
Since I’m in a griping mood right now, I have to get rid of something about the memory as well. The 8/128GB for the Pro model is just a joke. With a Xiaomi 12, I still turn a blind eye, but if a Poco F3 is already delivered with 8/256GB of high-speed memory, then you don’t have to kid the premium customers directly at Xiaomi. The Pro should also mean something, and two versions, one with 8/256GB and one with 12/512GB, would be appropriate in my opinion. Here we are again with the topic that Xiaomi is obviously adapting to Apple and Samsung’s attitude.
Since Xiaomi has already brought new features to the market with MIUI 12.5, then jumping to MIUI 13 is somehow hardly noticeable. In any case, with the Xiaomi 12 Pro, there is now the “new” MIUI 13 based on Android 12. There are no major innovations, but the new version is, of course, safer, faster, and more stylish. Except for the new designs, I can’t judge “faster and safer” unfortunately. You have your usual MIUI with many customization options and a modern look, which actually doesn’t have much to complain about. Now a short paragraph on the Chinese version that we have in the test.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro only shares the 32-megapixel front camera with its smaller sibling. Otherwise, a significantly different camera setup is used. For the main camera, Xiaomi relies on a Sony IMX707, i.e., a 1/1.28-inch sensor. Even though the sensor size is highlighted in the presentation, it is smaller than the 1/1.12′′ Samsung GN2 from the Xiaomi 11 Pro or Xiaomi 11 Ultra. Also, for a good zoom camera, you have to wait for the ultra model.
However, the camera comparison with the Xiaomi 12 revealed obvious advantages of the 50-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. A Samsung JN1 sensor is used there, as is the portrait camera with double zoom.
Now let’s take a closer look at the different cameras on Xiaomi’s new pro flagship.
In daylight, the Sony main camera takes very good-looking photos. The images are rich in detail and extremely sharp, and the contrast is perfect even without the HDR function. The software is visibly reserved when it comes to color reproduction, and the photos show a rather accurate color profile. However, the Xiaomi 11 Pro or 11 Ultra takes visibly brighter pictures in comparison, and the Xiaomi 12 Pro unfortunately sometimes lacks details in dark image areas.
Let’s continue with the ultra-wide-angle shots. The Xiaomi 12 Pro also delivers very decent shots here, which can also be viewed on the PC due to the amount of detail and the solid sharpness. The color representation is a bit dull, and the photos don’t look very lively as a result. The dynamics should also be a little higher. In this price range, I would also have been happy about autofocus, which would then also enable macro shots with the UWW camera.
The main camera of the Xiaomi 12 Pro scores with good color reproduction at night. In addition, Xiaomi changes the night mode and only uses a long exposure time in dark scenarios. This makes the recordings look more realistic and ensures a black sky in all recordings, as it should be. So-called simply brightened images are only available with the Pro model.
However, the number of details and the noise behavior are rather disappointing for the price range. Despite being above mid-range, it cannot compete with many flagships from 2021. such as an iPhone 13, Xiaomi 11 (Pro and Ultra), or OnePlus 9 Pro. The OIS of the main camera ensures that the pictures are less blurred in practice.
The ultra-wide-angle camera can also be used from time to time. Of course, the recordings are much noisier and the colors are distorted. If there is still a lot of artificial light, you can produce decent shots with the UWW camera of the Xiaomi 12 Pro.
In terms of the front camera, nothing really changes compared to the Xiaomi 12, and there is no autofocus here either. That’s a bit of a shame, and the shots are never perfectly sharp. Nevertheless, you can produce decent selfies with good color reproduction. It is noticeable that the camera occasionally overexposes when your background is quite bright.
First, the good news: the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras support video recording at 4K/60 FPS. Unfortunately, you cannot switch between the camera sensors at the highest resolution. This only works at 4K/30 FPS. The recordings of the main camera are stabilized using OIS and EIS, and that works really well. The ultra-wide-angle camera also stabilizes excellently.
The portrait camera cannot record videos at all but is always filmed with the digital zoom of the main sensor. Xiaomi is also behind the competition when it comes to recording with the front camera. They are stabilized, but the resolution is limited to 1080p/60FPS. In any case, the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras can be used to take chic pictures with an equally appealing sound quality.
We expect further development of the cameras, at least for a pro model. Although the Xiaomi 12 Pro takes better pictures overall than the Xiaomi 11, it is definitely inferior to the Xiaomi 11 Pro and 11 Ultra when it comes to the main camera. With the ultra-wide-angle camera, you can take good snapshots, at least during the day, and portraits and selfies are also impressive.
The video recordings are bursting with details and are excellently stabilized. However, we have to criticize the lack of switching between the lenses at 4K/60 FPS and the blocked video function of the 2X camera. 4K is also part of the selfie camera in this smartphone class.
The Chinese version of the Xiaomi 12 Pro works on the following 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G frequencies:
This means that the important LTE band 20 is missing for Bangladesh and the 5G DSS bands (1, 3, and 28) are unfortunately also not usable. At least not with my Telekom SIM. In the end, you have 4G instead of 5G on your Xiaomi 12 Pro. Ultimately, this is not a serious disadvantage, but it should be mentioned nonetheless. I’ll tell you at a later date whether that might change with the Xiaomi. EU ROM. In any case, the network reception of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is excellent, and I always had enough bars available.
VoWiFi (WLAN telephony) and VoLTE (telephony via the LTE network) are supported, and the call quality is great. The proximity sensor also reliably turns off the display when you hold the Xiaomi 12 Pro to your ear. A restriction for frequent callers: people in a quiet room can hear the entire conversation. This is because the speaker opening at the top emits the conversational sound loudly.
There were no abnormalities with the WLAN. With WiFi 6, the Xiaomi 12 Pro delivers high data throughput and a long range. Right next to the router, my gigabit line is completely exhausted and 10m and 2 walls later, 900/50 Mbit/s is still flowing through the line. The location determination also works phenomenally with the usual 3-meter restriction from Qualcomm. Dual GPS, Dual Galileo, Dual Beidou, Dual QZSS, Glonass, and NavIC are available for this.
Navigation in the car and as a pedestrian was always possible without restrictions. NFC can also be used normally in the China version using Google Play. All you have to do is set your wallet to “HCE-Wallet” in the options. Bluetooth 5.2 also showed no problems, only with my Seat Mii Electric, there were repeated interruptions in the connection. LDAC, LHDC, and aptX are supported as high-quality codecs. Due to the lack of equipment, I can’t currently judge whether aptX-HD and aptX-adaptive are also supported. I’ll provide the information when I get a chance, and I’m actually assuming that’s the case.
In addition to the 3 standards (acceleration, proximity, and 360° brightness sensor), a gyroscope, infrared transmitter, barometer, and compass are also installed as sensors. The sound quality of the stereo speakers of the Xiaomi 12 Pro can be extensively adjusted in the options using Dolby Atmos. The sound is loud and clear and can definitely be convincing for a smartphone.
Xiaomi installs a 4600 mAh battery in the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which is hardly sufficient in view of the high-resolution and larger display. That’s only a whopping 100 mAh more than in the smaller and lower-resolution Xiaomi 12. After all, you can, of course, lower the resolution to Full HD on the Xiaomi 12 Pro, and I would recommend that too. Let’s first come to the PCMark battery test, which I ran for you on 4 combinations:
Incidentally, the system recognizes a benchmark in PCMark and runs continuously at 120 Hertz, even if some images are shown there. My practice took place with FHD resolution and automatic heart rate. I also had the AOD display activated from 6 am to 11 pm. I effectively got 3-4 hours of usage time without games and still had 20-30% of the battery in the evening. So, with intensive users, the battery life of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is almost tight. but there are about 5-6 hours in it. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is definitely not a two-day smartphone, but which flagship is it these days?
With the supplied charging adapter, the Xiaomi 12 Pro charges from 0 to 100% in just 21 minutes. However, this time you have to activate it separately in the system, otherwise the charging process with the Xiaomi 12 Pro takes almost 30 minutes. If you’re just on the go and need a battery quickly, then this feature is simply a blessing. In exactly 10 minutes and 34 seconds, you will have 69% of your battery available again. It’s still just crazy. With the appropriate charging pad, you can also go wireless from 0 to 100% in just under 48 minutes.
We don’t shy away from clear words, and in this case, I’m already addressing them directly to Xiaomi. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a disappointing iteration of the Xiaomi 11 Pro. Only the display and the connectivity are really “professional” on the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Otherwise, for example, the IP certification is missing, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has massive heat problems, the cameras and features are too weak considering the price, and the battery life slips below average with intensive use.
Then you don’t have to talk it up. If you want a Xiaomi flagship, then get the Xiaomi 11 Ultra, which is not only cheaper but also a much better overall package. For the time being, this is only the Chinese version, and it also has other disadvantages. Unfortunately, the China version lacks LTE Band 20, and DSS 5G does not work either. The first precludes the device from being imported, and we must wait for global versions of the flagships, after which all network frequencies for our areas will be available.
