Redmi Note 12 Pro: In today’s crowded smartphone market, finding a device that offers the perfect balance of features, performance, and price isn’t easy. However, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G manages to tick all these boxes and then some. With its premium design, powerful camera setup, and smooth performance, this phone feels like a flagship but at a mid-range price.
Camera That Redefines Expectations
The standout feature of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is undoubtedly its 108-megapixel Samsung HM2 sensor. Just a couple of years ago, such a camera was reserved for phones costing two or three times more. Xiaomi has smartly optimized this sensor to deliver impressive results.
Thanks to 9-in-1 pixel binning technology, the camera typically captures 12MP images by combining data from nine physical pixels into one. This technique improves low-light performance, reduces noise, and enhances dynamic range, making photos clearer and more vibrant. If you want to shoot in full 108MP mode, the level of detail is remarkable you can crop photos heavily without losing quality, perfect for social media sharing or even small prints.
The camera app is user-friendly, offering a clean interface with easy access to modes. The Pro mode allows manual control over ISO, shutter speed, and focus, which is great for photography enthusiasts looking to experiment. Night mode brightens dark scenes naturally, avoiding the over-processed look common in budget phones. Even the 2MP macro lens, often overlooked in this segment, delivers decent close-ups thanks to autofocus.
Premium Design and Build
Picking up the Note 12 Pro 5G, you immediately notice it’s not a “budget” phone in feel or build. The back panel is made of Gorilla Glass 5, giving it a premium look and reasonable resistance to fingerprints. The frame uses plastic designed to look like metal, keeping the phone light at just 187 grams without compromising durability.
Available in Onyx Black, Polar White, and Sky Blue, the phone features subtle gradient finishes that catch the light attractively without being too flashy.
The 6.67-inch AMOLED display dominates the front with slim bezels and a centered punch-hole selfie camera that blends seamlessly into the design. One pleasant surprise is the inclusion of stereo speakers the earpiece doubles as a second speaker, providing true stereo sound for movies and gaming. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor, integrated into the power button, is fast and reliable, positioned well for both right and left-handed users.
Display Quality That Punches Above Its Weight
The AMOLED panel shines with a peak brightness of 1200 nits, ensuring good visibility even in direct sunlight. The 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through apps and playing games buttery smooth. Colors are vibrant by default, but you can switch to sRGB mode for more accurate color reproduction if you prefer.
With a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, text is sharp and images look crisp. HDR10 support enhances compatible streaming content on Netflix and YouTube, delivering better contrast and richer colors. The 360Hz touch sampling rate adds responsiveness during gaming, though the Snapdragon 732G chipset limits how many games can fully utilize the 120fps refresh rate.
Performance That Handles Real Life
The Snapdragon 732G processor may not top synthetic benchmarks, but it’s well-optimized for everyday tasks. Apps open quickly, multitasking between 6 to 8 apps is smooth, and casual gaming runs well on medium settings. You can choose between 6GB and 8GB RAM variants, offering enough headroom for most users. Storage starts at 128GB using UFS 2.2 technology, which provides decent read/write speeds for apps and photos.
Thermal management is surprisingly good; even during extended gaming or camera use, the phone heats up only moderately and never becomes uncomfortable to hold. The large 5000mAh battery easily lasts a full day with heavy use, typically offering 8 to 10 hours of screen-on time. When it’s time to recharge, the included 67W fast charger can juice the phone from zero to 100% in about 45 minutes a remarkable speed for a device in this price range.
Software Experience: Feature-Rich and Smooth
The Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G runs MIUI 14 based on Android 13, offering a rich feature set with plenty of customization options. From changing icon packs and animations to applying themes, users can personalize their experience. While some pre-installed apps (bloatware) remain, most can be uninstalled. Xiaomi has also cut down on the intrusive ads that used to be common in MIUI, restricting them mainly to certain Xiaomi apps.
Useful features like floating windows for multitasking and robust privacy controls enhance daily use. The camera app integrates smoothly with the MIUI gallery, allowing quick photo edits and easy sharing. Xiaomi promises monthly security updates for the first year and at least two major Android version upgrades, ensuring the phone stays secure and up-to-date.
Pricing and Value for Money
Starting at ₹23,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model and ₹25,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G aggressively undercuts many competitors offering similar specifications. Phones with a 108MP camera from other brands typically come at a significantly higher price.
What adds even more value is the inclusion of a fast charger, a protective case, and a pre-applied screen protector in the boxextras that many manufacturers have started to skip these days.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a smartphone that offers flagship-level camera performance, a premium design, a crisp and smooth display, and reliable day-to-day performance all without breaking the bank the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G should be on your shortlist. It’s a true mid-range powerhouse that challenges the notion that you need to spend a fortune to get great photography and solid overall experience.
