Xiaomi 12 Lite Hands-On

After our review of the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro, we thought once the Xiaomi 12 Lite is revealed, we will see something very similar in terms of design. But, as it turns out, it’s far from it.

The first time we unboxed the Xiaomi 12 Lite, I was actually surprised to see that it didn’t looked anything like the Xiaomi 12 series. Call me a bit disappointed. In hindsight, I’d say the Xiaomi 12 Lite resembles the look and feel of the Redmi Note 11 Pro series. Probably because the squarish look and flat edges instead of a more tapered edge and rounded corners.

They made it lighter (173g) and thinner (7.29mm) though and due to it’s smaller footprint, the device has that comfortable in-hand grip. Much like the Xiaomi 12, it feels good on the palm of my hands.

Powering the Xiaomi 12 Lite is a Snapdragon 788G (Qualcomm Kryo 670 2.4GHz CPU, Adreno 642L GPU) which is a very capable mid-ranger chipset that also comes with an integrated 5G modem. This is pared with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. Our review unit came with a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Despite being a mid-ranger, the Xiaomi 12 Lite performs like a top-notch smartphone. The device is snappy and responsive, apps load fast and over-all experience is just buttery smooth. It scored 508,352 points in Antutu Benchmark.

For security, it’s got an in-display fingerprint sensor and facial recognition — both of which worked well and fast.

The Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with Android 12–based MIUI 13 right out of the box. It’s the familiar MIUI interface we’re already used to. Looks simple and user-friendly yet highly customizable, with a lot of features to boot.

Xiaomi also popularized this Memory Extension feature where you can set the phone to allocate more RAM to the system by partitioning some parts of the internal storage as virtual memory. The phones get more RAM in return and should improve the overall user experience. In this case, our review unit comes with 6GB of RAM and 2GB Memory extension.

Aside from the usual Google apps, MIUI 13 also has a few pre-installed apps of its own — Mi Community, Mi Remote, Mi Video, Mi Browser, Notes, ShareMe, Compass, and Scanner.

There were a few other pre-loaded apps here — like Amazon Shopping, Facebook, Tiktok, WPS Office, Spotify and Booking.com — but you can remove some of them if you’re not using them anyway.

The Xiaomi 12 Lite has a large display and at 6.55 inches, it is actually bigger than that of the Xiaomi 12 at 6.28-inch and sits just below the 6.73-inch of the Xiaomi 12 Pro.

Even with just a full HD+ resolution, the screen is bright and crisp — great for watching movies and playing games, thanks to that 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.

The triple camera setup of the Xiaomo 12 Lite is kind of familiar as we’ve seen an almost identical one with the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G. It could be the same but we can’t be 100% sure. But, we know it’s already too crowded in there.

The main camera is a 108MP Samsung HM2 and f/1.88 aperture. The second camera is an 8MP ultrawide angle with f/2.2 aperture and 120-degree field-of-view. The 3rd is a 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture.

Here are some sample shots taken with the rear cameras:

The main camera can also record 4k videos at 30fps and slow motion captire of 1080p @ 120fps or 720p @ 960 fps.

The front-facing camera has a 32MP sensor and f/2.45 aperture and has a wide-enough field-of-view for group selfies.

The phones comes with a rather paltry 4,300mAh battery but you’d be surprised that it can still hold on its own.

In our PCMark Battery Test, the device lasted 15 hours and 12 minutes which is already impressive. And, I certainly notice that on my day to day use of the Xiaomi 12 Lite. On moderate use, I am able to last close to 2 days on a full charge. The 67-watt turbo charging capability is also fast with just under 45 minutes to get the phone from fully drained to fully charged.

The rest of the connectivity options are all here — dual-SIM 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and GPS. There’s the IR blaster too which is one of my favorite features as I can use it as a remote control for any appliances with an IR receiver.

I had this initial feeling that they repackaged the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ and redesigned it a bit then called it the Xiaomi 12 Lite. It’s just a hunch but it’s kinda hard to shake that feeling.

I’m actually a bit torn with the Xiaomi 12 Lite. At first glance, it seems like a Redmi phone. On the other hand, the design and build is quite good. I can say the same with performance and battery life. The cameras too, although again, Redmi?

Xiaomi 12 Lite comes in three storage variants. Recommended retail prices are USD399PHP 23,416INR 33,815EUR 380CNY 2,904 for 6GB+128GB, USD 449PHP 26,350INR 38,053EUR 428CNY 3,268 for 8GB+128GB, and USD 499PHP 29,284INR 42,290EUR 475CNY 3,632 for 8GB+256GB. It’s available in Lite Green, Lite Pink and Black.

Is it a good phone? Definitely? For it’s price, it’s actually a well-rounded mid-ranger phone. Is it better than the Redmi Note 11 Pro+? That’s still up for debate.

Xiaomi 12 Lite specs:
6.55” Full HD+ AMOLED DotDisplay (2400 x 1080 pixels)
120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate
Dolby Vision, HDR10+ support
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
6GB, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
128GB, 256GB UFS 2.2 storage
108MP Samsung HM2 sensor main camera, f/1.88, 1/1.52” sensor size
8MP f/2.2, 120° ultra-wide angle camera, 1/4.0” sensor size
2MP f/2.4 macro camera, 1/5.0” sensor size
32MP f/2.45 selfie camera, 1/2.8” sensor
Dual SIM, dual 5G
WiFi 6
NFC
Bluetooth 5.2
MIUI 13 with Android 12
4,300mAh Li-Ion battery, 67W turbo charging
Xiaomi AdaptiveCharge
173 grams (weight)
159.30mm x 73.70mm x 7.29mm (dimension)
Lite Green, Lite Pink and Black (colors)

Xiaomi 12 Lite comes in three storage variants. Recommended retail prices are USD399PHP 23,416INR 33,815EUR 380CNY 2,904 for 6GB+128GB, USD 449PHP 26,350INR 38,053EUR 428CNY 3,268 for 8GB+128GB, and USD 499PHP 29,284INR 42,290EUR 475CNY 3,632 for 8GB+256GB, with pre-orders starting today via Xiaomi authorized online channels.