Review: Xiaomi 12 Pro

Nowadays, we become more attracted to versatile devices that can keep up with multiple facets of our lifestyle. Especially when it comes to smartphones, we’d want to go above and beyond the basics so we advance to a more powerful and competent smartphone to do the job. That said, Xiaomi attempted to Master Every Scene (Xiaomi’s tagline) with the latest release of the Xiaomi 12 Pro that features a pro-grade 50MP triple camera system, WQHD+ dynamic screen display, 120W HyperCharge, and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. Does it truly Master Every Scene with what it brings on the table? Read more to find out.

Design and build

At first glance, you’ll notice that the Xiaomi 12 Pro possesses an understated elegance. What compounded its sleek and premium-looking design is the smooth velvety-matte finish, which also serves to eliminate irksome fingerprint marks. However, extra precaution must be taken since this contributes to a slippery grip, and this smartphone is nowhere near lightweight — quite hefty measuring 205g, with 8.16mm thickness.

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Display and audio

Another thing that greets you is its 6.73-inch WQHD+ 120Hz AMOLED screen display. It goes without saying that this smartphone offers a highly immersive and seamless viewing experience. One can instantly be at awe at the sharpness of the details as they watch their favorite K-drama series on Netflix. What’s more is that it’s packed with 1500 nits, giving you a pleasant and bright display even under the scorching sun of Metro Manila. 

With its Harman Kardon-powered quad-speaker Dolby Atmos audio system, it’s not far-fetched to assume it will deliver superior sound. Upon testing, I’d personally deem it as one of the many wow factors that music lovers will surely come to love. It carries loudness and clarity you’d expect from a flagship smartphone.

Camera

The struggle of avoiding overexposed photos in the face of harsh or bright light continues to rattle us. With the help of the 50MP triple camera setup that incorporates the Sony IMX707 sensor, this becomes less of an issue. The dark and light elements of the photo are well-balanced; hence, the sharpness and details of the photo are retained. In dark scenarios, the quality of the photos presented great detail and did not lack lustre and vibrancy.

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For the same reasons as the above-mentioned, the 32MP selfie camera became easily likeable. You might need to make a few adjustments to appear more natural though.

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Its portrait mode did a fine job highlighting the subject of the photo. I was impressed with its capacity to produce photos that can come close to DSLRs. Although the overall transition of the blur of the background from the subject was seamless, there were just a few details of the subjects that were unnecessarily blurred.

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Performance

The complementing powers of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 480Hz touch sampling rate and 12GB RAM render a remarkable user experience. From minor tasks such as scrolling through Instagram and Facebook to more demanding tasks like bingeing the latest Netflix series and gaming, it offers a very smooth experience that people living in a fast-paced lifestyle will surely be fond of. Not to mention, the large memory of 256GB will give you the freedom to store all your memories and download as many apps as you like. 

Here are the results after running the device through 3D Mark and Geekbench:

• Wild Life: 7128
• Geekbench Score: 1140 (Single-Core Score), 3454 (Multi-Core Score)

At the highest graphic setting of Mobile Legends, I noticed how the temperature of the smartphone increased faster than expected, which leaves us to wonder how it will fare when used for sustained hours of heavy mobile gaming. Fortunately, my experience was seamless and went without frame drops during my brief period of gaming. Needless to say, it will perform exceptionally well during less demanding mobile games. 

Battery

One of the many things that undeniably stands out in this smartphone is it comes with an industry-leading 120W Xiaomi HyperCharge. Although varying from what Xiaomi claims (24 minutes to 100%), it took me less than an hour (about 55 minutes) to reach 100%. It still offers a relatively short charging time, which sort of makes up for its modest battery life of 4600mAh. 

Verdict

The Xiaomi 12 Pro proves to be a worthy opponent in the flagship race. It excels in several facets, with just a few average specs to keep things in balance. From its superb audiovisual experience to its advanced and powerful Snapdragon processor, it has positioned user experience front and center. Suitable for a fast-paced lifestyle is its fast-charge capabilities. And its main camera is a major treat for photography enthusiasts. All these amazing and powerful features make it justifiable for its price of P48,999.