Xiaomi better? Test of the new Chinese flagship. The price may hurt you [TOPtech]

ON THE PLUS: UNIQUE DESIGN

Xiaomi 12 Pro definitely catches the eye. Both the almost frameless screen and the backs of the device covered with frosted glass make a great impression. The matte finish not only gives the device elegance, but also solves the problem of the appearance of dirt or greasy fingerprints on the housing, which is the bane of most smartphones with a glossy housing.

The front and back panels of the smartphone are connected with each other by a solid aluminum frame, which additionally strengthens the structure. Xiaomi 12 Pro, despite its solid dimensions, fits well in the hand, although there is no question of efficient one-hand operation here.

Xiaomi 12 Pro was equipped with a set of four stereo speakers that positively surprised me with their sound. I will not say a bad word about the fingerprint reader hidden under the screen – it works quickly and without problems.

If I had to stick to something, it would be to the protruding island with the cameras section. However, this is a fairly universal problem that can be observed in most smartphones available on the market.

ON THE MINUS: NO IP68 STANDARD

A device of this class should be expected to have some standard of water resistance. Unfortunately, in this field, Xiaomi engineers failed. 12 Pro has an IP53 certificate, but it only guarantees that the smartphone will not refuse to obey us in the rain.

Any prolonged contact with water carries a risk. The Xiaomi flagship does not meet the most popular waterproof standard – IP68. This is a step back, because last year’s Xiaomi 11 Ultra had the IP68 certificate.

ON THE PLUS: GREAT AMOLED SCREEN

Xiaomi 12 Pro is equipped with an AMOLED display with a diagonal of 6.73 inches and WQHD + resolution. The screen has the LTPO 2.0 adaptive refresh technology in the range from 1 to 120 Hz, which translates into very smooth operation of the device. The front panel of the smartphone is additionally covered with Gorilla Glass Victus.

As befits an organic AMOLED matrix, the quality of the displayed image is amazing. The screen offers wide viewing angles, high contrast, deep blacks, brilliant colors and a maximum brightness of up to 1000 nits.

ON THE PLUS: EFFICIENCY

The heart of Xiaomi 12 Pro is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen. 1 processor, which is one of the fastest mobile chips on the market. We also have 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of memory for user data.

In the AnTuTu 9 test, the Xiaomi smartphone scored almost a million points, which puts it practically on a par with the record-breaking Realme GT2 Pro. On the other hand, in Geekbench 5, the Chinese smartphone scored 1237 points in the single core test and 3707 points in the multi-core test. These results clearly show that we are dealing here with one of the most efficient units on the market.

During everyday use, the Xiaomi 12 Pro works great. Android 12 with the system MIU13 overlay works quickly and very smoothly. I was also unable to find an application that would prove to be any challenge for the Xiaomi flagship.

ON THE MINUS: PROBLEMS WITH HEAT DISSIPATION

Exactly, there’s a little spoonful of tar in this barrel of honey. The new Xiaomi flagship has problems with heat dissipation. When playing the most resource-hungry titles, the housing of the device gets very hot, and its temperature can exceed 45 degrees C.

This, in turn, can lead to throttling, i.e. a temporary reduction in processor performance. This does not mean, however, that the Xiaomi 12 Pro is not good at playing games. Most titles run very smoothly. However, overheating of the housing can cause some discomfort and it is worth keeping this in mind.

ON THE PLUS: CAMERA WITH GREAT NIGHT MODE

Xiaomi 12 Pro is equipped with a main camera with three lenses, and each of the eyelets has a 50 megapixel matrix. We have a Sony IMX707 main lens with optical image stabilization, an ultra-wide angle lens and a telephoto lens with double optical magnification. However, the macro mesh was missing.

There is nothing to detail about the daytime photos. It is good and even very good. The frames are detailed and the colors are attractive, both in the case of the main and ultra cameras. Pictures taken with a telephoto lens made with a double optical zoom are also presented appropriately.

The full range of photographic possibilities, however, Xiaomi 12 Pro shows at night. Here, the main camera definitely spreads its wings. The frames are very sharp, well-lit, and at the same time rich in detail. At the moment, the Xiaomi flagship undoubtedly has one of the best night modes on the market.

ON THE MINUS: BATTERY EFFICIENCY

The battery with a capacity of 4600 mAh in a smartphone with a 6.5-inch 120 Hz screen and a very powerful processor is not enough. The battery will allow us to work a maximum of one day on a single charge, which is a far from ideal result.

ON THE PLUS: FAST CHARGING

The negative impressions related to the battery are somewhat blurred by the fast charging technology with a power of up to 120 W. In the box with the device we find a charger, thanks to which the Xiaomi 12 Pro can be charged from 0 to 100 percent in just 20-25 minutes. And we should also mention the possibility of wireless charging of the device with a power of 50 W.

SUMMARY

Xiaomi 12 Pro is a very good smartphone that has one of the most powerful processors on the market, an AMOLED screen close to the ideal and a professional camera with an excellent night mode. I would consider the Xiaomi flagship as a complete device, if it were not for the lack of water resistance, an average battery and problems with heating the housing.

The price is also disappointing. Xiaomi wishes almost PLN 5,200 for its flagship. Today, for the same amount, we can buy even the excellent Samsung Galaxy S22 +, and the Realme G2T Pro, competing with the Xiaomi smartphone, costs PLN 1.500 less.

However, if you are supporters of the slogan “Xiaomi better”, then wait with the purchase of this device for 1-2 more. I am almost convinced that the price of Xiaomi 12 Pro will drop by at least several hundred zlotys before the holidays.