Xiaomi 12T Pro Review – Flagship Smartphone Priced Lower

The Xiaomi 12T Pro was launched by the global brand last October 2022 as a lower-cost flagship smartphone. In this review, we will find out if it is a good choice to opt for a lower-priced flagship smartphone instead of buying a top-of-the-line variant in the market.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Specification

OS:MIUI 13 - Android 12
Processor:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Display: 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED Display
Wireless Connections:5G, Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi, GPS. GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC
Memory:12GB + 256GB
Connectors:USB Type-C, OTG
Cameras:Rear Camera
Main - 200MP, f/1.69
Ultrawide - 8MP, f/2.2
Macro - 2MP, f/2.4

Front Camera
20MP, f/2.24
SIM Card Slots:Dual SIM (Nano-Sim)
Battery:5,000mAh with 120W charging
SRP:12GB + 256GB: Php 37.999

The Unboxing

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The Xiaomi 12T Pro comes in a packaging that has a huge number “12” in the center. You will also see 200MP printed on it on the upper left corner, which is one of the unique selling points of the phone. At the bottom center are the model name, the Harman Kardon logo, and the 5G information.

Opening the box, it comes with a Xiaomi 12T Pro, a clear silicone case, a 120W charging brick, USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, a SIM pin ejector, a quick start guide, safety information, and a warranty card.

The Design

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Upon holding the Xiaomi 12T Pro, you will notice its heft, as it weighs 205g, which is average for a smartphone in this price range.

This year, Xiaomi has downgraded the materials used in the phone. The display now uses Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Gorilla Glass Victus on its previous generation. The 12T Pro’s frame is made of plastic instead of aluminum. Despite these changes, the phone still has a high-quality feel.

The unit we have is a Black variant, and it is also available in Silver and Blue colors. The back plate has a simple design with the Xiaomi logo in the lower left corner and printed in the lower right corner is the place of manufacture and model number.

The rear camera bump has a triple camera setup with dual-LED flash and protrudes significantly from the back of the phone, making it difficult to lay the phone flat on a table. The phone still has an IP rating of IP53 for dust and splash resistance.

Found on the right side of the phone are the volume rocker and power button. On the bottom, you will find the SIM tray (which accommodates two nano SIMs), a Type-C port, a microphone hole, and a speaker grill. On the top, there is an IR blaster, the Harman Kardon logo, and another speaker grill. You will notice that there is no fingerprint sensor, as the phone now uses an under-display fingerprint sensor. Some people may find this a downside, but the sensor still performs fast scans.

The Display and Speaker

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The Xiaomi 12T Pro still has a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, but with an upgraded resolution of 1220 x 2712 pixels, up from 1080 x 2400 pixels on the 11T Pro.

However, it has received a downgrade in some aspects, such as a lower maximum brightness of 900 nits compared to 1000 nits on the 11T Pro.

For the refresh rate settings, you can set it to your preferred refresh rate or leave it on the default, which adjusts the refresh rate based on your usage. The preferred refresh rate can be set to 120Hz or 60Hz. The color display is set to Vivid as a default, but you can change it to Saturated mode, Original Color, or Advance Setting, which allows you to set the color gamut to P3 or sRGB. You can also set the display colors to be adaptive to ambient light.

Overall, the viewing experience is still excellent, with slight sharpness improvements due to its higher resolution. The brightness downgrade is not very noticeable and the display is still easily viewable under the sun.

The speaker carries the Harman Kardon branding, indicating that the company tuned the built-in stereo speakers. It delivers decent sound quality, which is one of the best on the market.

The Performance

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The chipset of the Xiaomi 12T Pro is a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which was the most powerful processor on the market when it was released. With this processor, you can expect excellent performance for any game you play. Our unit comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. Even so, you can only find in the market the 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.

Here are the benchmark scores we obtained for the Xiaomi 12T Pro:

The Xiaomi 12T Pro runs on Xiaomi MIUI 13, which is based on Android 12. The predecessor received some criticism for having too many pre-installed apps and a buggy interface, which Xiaomi has fixed in this generation. There are still some pre-installed apps, but they are easy to uninstall if you’re not interested in using them. We didn’t encounter any issues during our use and found the overall experience to be fast and fluid.

Given the chipset of the Xiaomi 12T Pro, we are not surprised by its performance in the gaming department. It handles high-intensity graphics games with ease. We were able to set Genshin Impact to high graphics and enjoy the game without any issues. You can expect being able to play any games currently on the market or any upcoming games released in the future with this device.

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During our testing, the thermal performance of the 12T Pro remained good even under high-intensity processor load. The device remained warm to the touch, and its performance didn’t drop during a long gaming session. It is a capable smartphone in this regard.

The Camera

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One of the major upgrades for the Xiaomi 12T Pro is its camera. Its rear camera still has a triple camera sensor, but the main camera is now 200 megapixels with OIS. This is a significant improvement from its 11T Pro sibling, which only has a 108-megapixel main camera. The other two rear cameras remain the same, with an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera which was changed by the tele macro that can be found on the 11T Pro.

When taking pictures with the rear main camera, it defaults to 12.58 megapixels. However, when you switch to the Ultra HD mode of the camera, it will use 50 megapixels. You can also toggle it to fully utilize the 200 megapixels. When using the 200 megapixels, the image size is around 50 MB per picture, which is quite large. However, the details are excellent and you can still crop or digitally zoom the image taken and get a great result. It’s best to use the 200 megapixels in a fully lit environment, as the default 12.58 megapixels are better at processing low-light environments.

The default 12.58 megapixels produce great images, even in low light conditions. In a well-lit environment, the camera can capture vivid colors with good detail. The large aperture is impressive at low-light photography, making dark areas pop without introducing too much graininess.

The ultrawide camera produces disappointing results compared to the main shooter. You can notice the lower resolution and the colors are significantly different from the main shooter. The macro camera is also not very useful, as it produces low-resolution images. It is disappointing that the tele macro camera found on the 11T Pro has changed to a lower-megapixel macro camera.

The selfie camera on the Xiaomi 12T Pro is now a 20-megapixel camera, up from the 16-megapixel camera on the 11T Pro. It produces natural-looking results with excellent detail.

Besides this, the video capabilities have received a downgrade compared to its predecessor. It can now only shoot at 8k@24fps, down from 8k@30fps on the 11T Pro. The slow-mo feature has also been downgraded, with the 12T Pro only able to shoot at 1080p@240fps, compared to 1080p@960fps on the 11T Pro.

The Battery

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Common for smartphones, the Xiaomi 12T Pro still uses a 5,000mAh battery size. On the default refresh rate setting, it was able to last a full day of use for us, including web browsing, social media scrolling, taking pictures, and playing games while using 5G mobile data. In our battery benchmark test, it lasted 11 hours and 17 minutes on a 50% brightness, which is below average compared to other smartphones.

Even if it doesn’t last a full day, the included 120W charger allows the phone to recharge quickly, going from 0% to 100% in just 36 minutes. Though, with this, it doesn’t have wireless charging to save some costs.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Verdict

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The Xiaomi 12T Pro has received some significant upgrades from its predecessor, but also some downgrades in build quality. However, the trade-offs made by Xiaomi make sense in my opinion, as the camera now has OIS and a whopping 200 megapixels for excellent photography capabilities. The smartphone also uses a powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and has great speakers. It’s also good to see that Xiaomi has addressed the problems with MIUI on the previous model, although there are still some pre-installed apps that can be easily uninstalled. Lastly, the fast charging ability of 120W allows the device to reach 100% charge in just 36 minutes, saving you time.

Overall, despite the trade-offs with its predecessor, the Xiaomi 12T Pro is a standout in the market, especially for those looking for an affordable flagship smartphone in its price range. The Xiaomi 12T Pro is priced at P37,999 and is available on Lazada and Shopee.

8.9 Total Score
Xiaomi 12T Pro

The Xiaomi 12T Pro has received some significant upgrades from its predecessor, but also some downgrades in build quality. However, the trade-offs made by Xiaomi make sense in my opinion, as the camera now has OIS and a whopping 200 megapixels for excellent photography capabilities. The smartphone also uses a powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and has great speakers. It's also good to see that Xiaomi has addressed the problems with MIUI on the previous model, although there are still some pre-installed apps that can be easily uninstalled. Lastly, the fast charging ability of 120W allows the device to reach 100% charge in just 36 minutes, saving you time. Overall, despite the trade-offs with its predecessor, the Xiaomi 12T Pro is a standout in the market, especially for those looking for an affordable flagship smartphone in its price range.

Design
8.5
Performance
9.5
Display
9
Camera
9
Software
8.5
Battery Life
8.5
Price
9
PROS
  • Minimal Design
  • Uses the best processor in the market
  • Great stereo speakers
  • Solid camera
  • Speedy 120W Fast Charger
CONS
  • Downgrade build quality
  • Battery life should last longer
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