Redmi Note 12 5G Review – A Value for Money 5G Smartphone

The Redmi Note 12 5G is the latest affordable 5G smartphone from Xiaomi’s popular Redmi series. Launching in 2023, the Note 12 5G brings several premium features like a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, 120W fast charging, and 5G connectivity at an accessible price point.

In this detailed review, we will take an in-depth look at the design, display, performance, cameras, battery life, and software of the Redmi Note 12 5G. We aim to help you determine if this budget 5G phone is worth buying or not.

Before jumping into the review, here is a quick overview of the Redmi Note 12 5G’s specifications:

Redmi Note 12 5G Specifications

Feature	Specifications
Launch	2023
Price	Starts at ₹14,999
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1
RAM	4GB, 6GB
Storage	64GB, 128GB
Display	6.67″ FHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz Refresh Rate
Rear Camera	48MP (primary) + 8MP (ultrawide) + 2MP (macro)
Front Camera	13MP
Battery	5,000 mAh, 33W Fast Charging
Software	MIUI 13 based on Android 12
Colors	Frosted Green, Stardust Purple, Onyx Black

With the Note 12 5G’s key specs in mind, let’s take a detailed look at what this phone has to offer.

Design and Build Quality

The Redmi Note 12 5G has a refreshed design compared to its predecessor but retains a familiar look and feel. It features a flat frame with rounded corners and has a rectangular camera module on the back.

The Frosted Green color variant looks premium with its frosted glass-like finish on the back panel. The shimmery texture minimizes fingerprints and smudges effectively.

With dimensions of 165.9 x 76.2 x 8.9mm and a weight of about 200g, the Note 12 5G has a slim and lightweight construction that feels comfortable to hold. The plastic frame and back panel feel sturdy and durable.

The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button, which is easy to reach. Face unlock is also available for quick biometric authentication.

Overall, while not the most striking, the Redmi Note 12 5G has a functional and minimalist design with solid ergonomics. The Frosted Green color option particularly gives it an upmarket look.

Display

The Redmi Note 12 5G sports a 6.67-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) AMOLED display. It has slim bezels on the sides and a punch-hole cutout at the center for the front camera.

More importantly, the display has a 120Hz refresh rate that enables smooth scrolling and animations. The touch sampling rate is also increased to 240Hz for lower input lag.

The AMOLED panel has vivid colors, inky blacks, and excellent viewing angles. It has a peak brightness of 700 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate ensures excellent legibility even outdoors under sunlight.

For multimedia consumption, the Note 12 5G’s display provides an immersive experience with HDR10 support and DCI-P3 wide color gamut coverage. It has excellent color accuracy out of the box.

The centrally aligned punch-hole is relatively unobtrusive and doesn’t come in the way of watching full-screen content. Overall, this is among the best displays you can get in the budget segment.

Performance and Hardware

Powering the Note 12 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 mobile platform. This 6nm chipset uses an octa-core CPU with 4 high-performance Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and 4 power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8GHz.

For graphics, it has an Adreno 619 GPU that can handle casual gaming and graphics-intensive tasks smoothly. There are two RAM and storage configurations available – 4GB + 128GB and 6GB + 128GB.

In our usage, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 delivers reliable day-to-day performance whether it is routine social media and messaging use or browsing the web and consuming multimedia content.

Apps open swiftly and switching between multiple apps is seamless on the phone. Light gaming titles like Subway Surfers and Temple Run 2 run well without any lag or stutters. However, graphics-intensive games like BGMI may see occasional frame drops at high settings.

Overall, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 offers very capable mid-range performance despite being an entry-level 5G chipset. Unless you are looking to play heavy games at maxed settings, it won’t leave you wanting for power.

Cameras

The Redmi Note 12 5G features a triple camera setup on the rear comprising of:

• Primary: 48MP, f/1.8 aperture
• Ultra-wide: 8MP, f/2.2 aperture, 118-degree FOV
• Macro: 2MP

On the front, it has a 13MP selfie camera housed in the hole-punch cutout.

The 48MP main camera captures good-looking photos in daylight with plenty of detail and decent dynamic range. Close-up shots retain a good amount of texture and depth.

The 8MP ultra-wide sensor allows you to capture a wider perspective but details are mushy on zooming in. It works best for landscape shots.

Portrait mode produces pleasing background blur but edge detection could be better. The 2MP macro sensor lets you get up close to any subjects.

Low-light photos are just average with visible noise. Night mode helps improve brightness and reduces blur but isn’t on par with premium phones.

The front 13MP selfie camera takes social media-ready shots in daylight but also struggles in low-light situations. Overall, the Note 12 5G’s cameras are quite versatile given its affordable pricing but certainly not best-in-class.

Battery

One of the Redmi Note 12 5G’s highlights is its excellent battery life, thanks to the large 5,000mAh battery. With moderate use, the phone can easily deliver 1.5-2 days of usage per charge.

Even with heavy usage involving gaming, camera, and streaming, the Note 12 5G can last over a day without running out of juice. This stellar battery performance ensures you don’t need to worry about battery anxiety.

It supports 33W fast charging and comes with a 33W charger included. It can charge the battery from 0 to 100% in around 65 minutes which is quite fast for a 5,000mAh battery.

The phone also has battery-enhancing optimizations like MIUI’s battery saver modes. Thanks to its energy-efficient AMOLED display and processor, the Note 12 5G’s battery life is one of the best in its segment.

Software and UI

The Redmi Note 12 5G runs MIUI 13 based on Android 12 out of the box. MIUI 13 brings improved animations, fluid performance, and visual changes compared to MIUI 12.

You get some useful additions like Dual Apps, Second Space, Game Turbo for game optimizations, and custom Always-On display themes.

However, MIUI is laden with bloatware and you will see ads occasionally within the interface. This somewhat mars the software experience on the device.

On the plus side, Xiaomi guarantees 2 major Android version updates and 3 years of security updates for the Note 12 5G. This ensures it will remain up to date with the latest Android features.

Pros and Cons

Here is a summary of the key pros and cons of the Redmi Note 12 5G:

Pros

• Premium 120Hz AMOLED display
• Excellent battery life with 33W fast charging
• Reliable performance from Snapdragon 4 Gen 1
• Decent triple camera setup for the price
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• 5G network support
• Guaranteed software updates

Cons

• Presence of bloatware and ads in MIUI
• Average low-light camera performance
• No stereo speakers
• No IP rating for dust/water resistance

Should You Buy the Redmi Note 12 5G?

The Redmi Note 12 5G starts at just ₹14,999 making it an affordable 5G smartphone. It offers a gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED display, a capable Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor with 5G, excellent battery life, and fast charging support.

While the cameras are decent, low-light performance could have been better. MIUI has some room for improvement too but you still get a solid software update promise.

For the starting price, you are getting excellent value from the Note 12 5G especially if 5G support is a priority. Competitors like the Realme 9 5G and Moto G62 5G fail to match up against the Note 12 5G in most aspects.

Overall, if your budget is under ₹15,000 and you want the best possible blend of features, performance, and value, look no further than the Redmi Note 12 5G. It has our recommendation for being the best affordable 5G smartphone currently available in India.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are answers to some common queries regarding the Redmi Note 12 5G:

Final Words

The Redmi Note 12 5G offers excellent value for money at its affordable pricing. You get a gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED display, a capable mid-range processor with 5G, versatile cameras, outstanding battery life, and fast charging.

There are some corners cut like average low-light photography and bloatware in the UI, but the pros far outweigh the cons. If you have a budget under ₹15,000, the Redmi Note 12 5G is easy to recommend as the best 5G smartphone available currently.

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Last update on March 2024 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API