Redmi recently introduced its new Note 12 lineup in the Philippines. They are all quite promising, and more importantly affordable. For reference, the most affordable model in the lineup starts at only PHP 8,599 for the entry-level Note 12. If you want to check out that phone, we have a full review which you can read here 126.
Today, we’re checking out the mid-spec model – the Note 12 Pro 5G. It starts at PHP 16,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant. For that price and spec, the smartphone already packs a 6.67-inch full HD+ AMOLED display, a MediaTek Dimensity 1080, and a 50MP main rear camera.
On paper, the specs of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G are great. However, there is one issue – competition. In the price range of under PHP 17,000, there are a lot of great and affordable models to choose from. This begs the question – should you consider this phone given the vast number of models in this segment? Well, let’s find out in this review.
Table of Contents
Design and Construction
In terms of design, the Note 12 Pro 5G looks great, especially in this Midnight Black colorway. Like most phones released this 2023, it features a boxy design similar to the Note 12, which I personally like as opposed to the curved screen on the higher-end Note 12 Pro Plus
It feels nice to hold, and surprisingly the back panel is made out of glass. Despite its design and very reflective construction, it is a bit smudge resistant. This means that you won’t leave nasty fingerprints that much unless your hands are quite dirty. I would also prefer to use it without the case. Here, you’ll also the triple rear camera with a square housing.
Like the back panel, the frame is also made of hard plastic. It doesn’t feel cheap and surprisingly feels nice to the touch. You’ll find the volume buttons and the power button on the right side. They are easily accessible with one hand too.
At the top, you’ll find a 3.5mm audio jack together with a loudspeaker. At the bottom, there’s the USB-C port, another loudspeaker, and the dual-sim card tray.
Overall, it’s not bad and feels nice in your hand. It’s relatively slim and lightweight too, giving it a premium feel.
Display, Biometrics, and Multimedia
Flip it over, and you’ll be greeted by a large 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The colors are great since they’re not too saturated like most phones in the segment. If you do find the colors a bit flat for your liking. To do this, go to settings, Color Scheme then choose saturated for more enhanced colors. You can even customize the color gamut yourself if you know what you’re doing. It’s also bright making it easy to use under the sun.
With the 120Hz refresh rate, swiping through the menu feels nice with no lag whatsoever. The same can be said when watching videos on YouTube or Netflix and playing games. Together with the loudspeakers, you can have a nice viewing session with friends or even by yourself. The viewing angles are okay too with no loss in screen quality even if the phone is tilted.
Speaking of the loudspeakers, they are quite good with clear mids, and more importantly loud too. However, I would still recommend using the 3.5mm audio jack for a better listening experience.
The fingerprint scanner is found on the power button, and it reads accurately and fast. But I would still prefer using an under-screen lock since it is more convenient.
Camera
If you like taking photos, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G has a nice set of cameras. The triple rear camera is highlighted by a 50MP main, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro. Even more surprising is that the camera can record at a maximum of 4K, and there is even a 1080P@120FPS option for those who want to record slow-mo scenes.
The camera is great, especially in well-lit environments. However, I’m not fond of the automatic AI enhancement which automatically sharpens and saturates the image. With AI enhancement turned off, the colors are great and not too saturated, making them look a lot more natural. Needless to say, the photos are sharp too, but the quality does go down when you start zooming in.
Indoors, the photos end up nice too, provided there is adequate lighting. At night, though the photos are not that great since you’ll end up with grain and noise. Even with AI enhancement or night mode, the photos end up looking heavily filtered and losing the details.
Like the photos, they’re great in the day and in well-lit locations but do become a bit grainy when the lighting isn’t the best. There doesn’t appear to be image stabilization either, so you do get shaky videos when you’re walking while recording.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset with 8GB of RAM. With memory extension on, you also get an additional 3GB extended RAM. Our review unit also comes with only 128GB of storage.
To some that might be enough, but we find it a bit lacking especially since this phone does not come with expandable storage. Remember, this phone is capable of shooting 4K video, and that alone will take up space. Not to mention you will add apps to the mix too. With that in mind, we recommend getting the more expensive 256GB variant to give you more space for apps, photos, and videos.
The MediaTek Dimensity 1080 and 8GB RAM is enough for the Note 12 Pro 5G. I didn’t experience any lag or framerate drops when using it for everyday duties or watching videos. It’s relatively quick too, and users will have a smooth experience all throughout.
It can also run most games like Genshin Impact and Blue Archive without any issues at the same time, making it great all around. However, you do have to adjust the game settings according to make them run more smoothly. Gamers will have a good time with the Note 12 Pro 5G since it has a 120Hz refresh rate display and good speakers.
To give you a better idea of how the phone performs, check out the benchmarks here.
OS, Apps, and UI
The Note 12 Pro 5G runs on MIUI 14, which is based on Android 13. The MIUI also comes with a lot of pre-installed applications and bloatware, which I ended up deleting either way. Once you do get everything setup, MIUI 14 is nice to use, and it feels refined compared to its predecessors.
There are a lot of skin customization options as well, making it easy to personalize the phone to your liking. With the new look though, MIUI is great to use. The only downside is you have to clean up the phone first.
Connectivity and Battery Life
For connectivity, the Note 12 Pro 5G comes with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and even a dual-nano sim slot. As mentioned earlier though, there is no microSD card slot.
Powering the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is a 5000mAh battery, which is average at best. If you do end up gaming throughout the day, it does drain relatively fast. This is also the case if you keep the 120Hz display turned on all the time, which I did. But there is a 67W turbocharging should you need to juice up.
On our proprietary video loop test where we play a 1080p video on loop, with airplane mode on, 50% brightness, and volume down to 0, the Note 12 Pro 5G lasted 11 hours and 25 minutes.
Conclusion
Overall, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is a great device. I personally enjoyed using it, and given its price point, it’s great for what it has to offer. The design is great and you can play most games with the Dimensity 1080, albeit with the settings tweaked. There’s also 5G connectivity. At the same time, you have a nice camera too which can even record at 4K. The only downside is the lack of space with the 128GB variant.
At the price of only PHP 16,999 you can’t go wrong with the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. But here’s the thing, there’s nothing about it that particularly stands out apart from the 4K video and the Dimensity 1080. It’s average to good at most in all segments, and so are other phones.
Given how competitive the segment is, would you consider the Note as your next phone? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
What we liked:
- Beautiful, minimalist design
- Smooth interface and performance
- Camera with 4K video
What we didn’t like:
- No micro-SD card slot
- Battery life is average
- Lots of bloatware and unnecessary apps
Specs:
6.67-inch FHD+ Flow AMOLED @ 2400 x 1800 pixels
120Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
IP53 Splash-proof tested
MediaTek Dimensity 1080
6GB, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
128GB, 256GB storage
Triple-rear camera:
• 50MP IMX766 OIS wide f/1.88
• 8MP ultra-wide f/2.2
• 2MP macro f/2.4
16MP front camera f/2.45
MIUI 14 (Android 12)
5000mAh battery (67W turbocharging)
5G, 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi
Dolby Atmos
Side fingerprint sensor
AI Face Unlock
162.9 x 76 x 7.9 mm (dimensions)
187 grams (weight)
Midnight Black, Polar White, Sky Blue
after they released redmi 11 series, di na sila nakabawi. the last time na nirelease nila ang best phone to price ratio ay ang redmi note 10 pro and that’s it.
I love redmi phones. I am currently using note 11. Looking forward to 12 pro and more of redmi’s.,