Compact, Premium Design
The first positive aspect of design appears because the dimensions of the product reach 152.70 x 69.90 x 8.16mm. The phone weight decreased from 196g to 180g which makes it lighter than the Xiaomi Mi 11. The Xiaomi 12 provides excellent hand comfort because it fits perfectly in your hands when your hands are small. The premium quality of the phone becomes apparent through its first touch which shows the outstanding work Xiaomi has done to build this product. The speaker holes function as soundwave creation elements which require special design work to achieve their purpose.
People find it easier to touch the fingerprint sensor because its location requires them to reach across their body space. The matte back surface remains slippery which makes it hard for me to take secure one-handed phone grips. The design of the Xiaomi 12 shows only one flaw which needs to be fixed.
Xiaomi 12 5G + 4G LTE 256GB + 12GB Snapdragon® 8 Gen 1 Global Unlocked 50MP Pro Grade Camera (Only T-Mobile/Metro/Mint/Tello USA Market) + (w/Fast Car Charger Bundle) (Purple Global):
Xiaomi 12 5G + 4G LTE 128GB + 8GB Snapdragon® 8 Gen 1 Global Unlocked 50MP Pro Grade Camera (Tmobile Mint Tello Global) + (w/Fast Car Charger Bundle) (Gray):
Display Quality
The description of the Xiaomi 12 as a small-screen device fails to match its actual display size which measures 6.28 inches. The screen maintains its quality through an AMOLED display that shows FHD+ resolution and reaches a peak brightness of 1,100 nits while displaying 68 billion colors. The screen shows vibrant colors with excellent brightness so the display quality meets all my expectations.
You must decide whether you want to use a display that has curved edges on both sides. The device functioned without interruption because I experienced no unwanted screen taps and no negative effects. The Galaxy S22 offers a third choice which provides users with a flat screen display. The Xiaomi 12 screen offers exceptional quality because both Xiaomi 12 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra use curved display technology.
Camera Quality
The Xiaomi 12 features the 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensor which appeared in flagship smartphones released by major Android manufacturers in 2021. The device includes a 13MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP telephoto camera, and a 32MP selfie camera.
The Xiaomi 12 camera produces excellent photo results under bright lighting because it captures fine details and maintains accurate white balance and wide dynamic range. The colors appear natural, which simplifies the post-processing work because you need to create a detailed image.
Xiaomi spent two years improving its image processing unit called ‘Xiaomi Image Brain,’ enhancing the speed of opening and shooting. The camera system achieves accurate focus through its combination of CyberFocus technology and additional focus methods.
The main camera produces excellent results which leads to different color reproduction from the two additional camera lenses although their output remains decent. The camera shows excellent performance in low light situations because it produces moderate noise while effectively decreasing noise which results in natural-looking images that show authentic color reproduction. The system maintains control of bright regions while preserving most dark region details. The 1/1.56-inch sensor size is likely a major advantage in night photography, although it is smaller than the IMX707 on the Xiaomi 12 Pro, it is still larger than the 1/1.88-inch sensor on the iPhone 13. The telephoto camera has a maximum shooting range of 10x zoom, but it loses most of its detail after 5x zoom so I consider its telephoto performance to be poor.
The Xiaomi 12 supports high-quality video recording which enables users to record videos in 8K resolution at 24 frames per second and 4K resolution at 60 frames per second through its rear camera while its image stabilization system functions effectively. The front camera produces 1080p video at 60fps although the colors appear slightly subdued which I find more appealing.
Performance and Battery
The Xiaomi 12 delivers superior performance through its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor which operates with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM and its liquid cooling system. Basic tasks are certainly no problem for this device. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor still suffers from temperature problems which the device designers failed to solve. The phone overheated during my testing of two benchmark software programs which made it impossible to finish the tests. The back and especially the frame were burning hot, making it unusable. The software monitored performance drops that reached 42%. The phone design purposefully disables extended gaming sessions.
MIUI needs better optimization because I still experience app launch lag and unexpected app closures when I launch applications at fast speeds. Xiaomi still has a lot of work to improve MIUI. Android applications create an unsatisfactory user experience because Instagram Stories experience significant delays and the resulting images have poor quality.
The 4-speaker system which Harman Kardon optimized produces excellent sound quality during gaming and movie watching because it delivers balanced sound across different frequency ranges and maintains loud sound levels for optimal entertainment value. The 4500mAh battery provides me with almost full day usage when I maintain a 120Hz screen because I limit my 4G usage and refrain from playing games. Users can achieve increased onscreen time by activating automatic refresh rate adjustment which allows them to watch content for more than 6 hours. The 67W fast charger that comes with the device achieved a full 0% to 100% charge within approximately 50 minutes which allows users to use their device without worrying about battery performance.
Overall Review
The Xiaomi 12 provides excellent value as a compact flagship smartphone which offers exceptional camera performance and displays and sound systems that enhance your entertainment experience. The Xiaomi 12 does not suit your needs because you take telephoto pictures and require longer battery performance and you play games for extended periods and you want a budget-friendly option. Users who require budget-friendly alternatives should consider POCO and Redmi and Realme smartphones.
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.
