Product Reviews
Xiaomi 12 – A strong all-round flagship
The Xiaomi 12 flagship makes a powerful statement by filling out its entire smartphone line in the South African market, writes BONGANI SITHOLE
What is it?
The Xiaomi 12 flagship smartphone is the final step in solidifying Xiaomi’s presence in the South African market.
As with most flagships, the camera is the main focus of this device. The Xiaomi 12 brings to the table a new focusing technology called ProFocus, which applies to photos and videos. An AI tracking algorithm makes it possible to retain sharper focus on subjects, even if they move closer or further away from the handset. The ProFocus feature can be used for motion tracking focus and eye tracking (as seen in the high-end Sony Alpha DSLR camera range).
It features a 50MP main camera, 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 5MP macro sensor. Users can record videos in 8K for maximum sharpness, or in 4K HDR 10+ if they need more colour detail. It also has Portrait Night mode for its main sensor, and night mode for its wide and ultra-wide sensors. The video-specific night mode is limited to 1080p.
The back of the handset is a purplish-blue. The rounded edges on the front and back fit into the midframe, making it comfortable to hold in either portrait or landscape mode. The screen is an expansive 6.28”, 20:9 aspect ratio panel, with a 120Hz AMOLED dot display and 12-bit colour reproduction. The refresh rate is also adjustable, depending on user preference. The touch response feels very natural, thanks to the 480Hz touch sampling rate.
The Xiaomi 12 devices are the first handsets to launch with the company’s new MIUI 13, which features Android 12. MIUI updates are not related to Google’s operating system version, which is great because Xiaomi usually brings some of the latest Android features to their devices this way. Complementing the software, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with a 4nm process enables fast processing and battery-efficient usage, backed by 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. To sweeten the deal, it is 5G-enabled.
The handset is powered by a 4,500mAh battery, which can be turbocharged with 67W wired charging. Out of the box, the phone was at 10% and it took 30 minutes to reach 90%. For wireless charging fans, it supports 50W wireless charging. If you need to charge wireless earphones or even a friend’s device, the Xiaomi 12 supports 10W reverse wireless charging. In other words, the handset itself becomes a wireless charger.
What does it cost?
The device is available from R17,999, which may vary between different outlets.
What are the biggest negatives?
- The speaker quality is a little flat for a flagship device.
- Night mode video recording occasionally shades the frame a bit too blue.
What are the biggest positives?
- Multiple fast-charging options: 67W fast charging and 50W wireless charging.
- MIUI 13 is highly customisable with Android 12.
- 5G support.
