Xiaomi has made life more complicated for anyone who wants a new high-end 5G phone for their summer vacation. The new 12 Pro, which has just arrived on the Portuguese market, is not only the best smartphone ever created by the Chinese brand, but also a candidate for the right choice of its chipset.
Normal the design Sober, excellent presentation and hardware Which guarantees high performance, the 12 Pro outperforms – and in some areas even outperforms – models such as the Samsung Galaxy S22, Oppo Find X5, OnePlus 10 Pro or Huawei Mate 40 Pro.
Thus, if it is already difficult to choose between any of these top models, each of which has its drawbacks and advantages, the arrival of the new Xiaomi on the market makes the choice even more difficult. But there are good reasons to choose the latest access to the domestic market. And at least one…
The top picture… and a defect
Although all the high-end phones nowadays have very good screen quality, the Xiaomi 12 Pro stands out with its great picture on a 6.73-inch screen as soon as you turn it on. But unfortunately, the default settings are not set below the maximum – to save battery power.
Although the AMOLED display is capable of a refresh rate of 120 Hz, with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels (WQHD +) and a density of 521 pixels per inch, which is very high, the factory setting is Full HD + (2400 x 1080 pixels, 391 pixels per inch). ) . It’s not bad for everyday use, but if you can have more… By comparison: this maximum resolution is higher than that achieved by the Samsung model.
What is the problem then? Enable maximum resolution in settings, and while you can (and should) use the active option, as the phone changes refresh (Hz) and brightness depending on video needs and ambient conditions, battery life is clearly reduced.
And by the way, it’s best to mention it right away: the charging time used is really the biggest issue with this phone. Despite the 4600mAh battery, it’s easy to spend your working day using Stress To think that the battery may not reach until the night.
However, two factors help (a lot) offset this problem: ultra-fast charging is made possible by the 120W charger included with the phone – so fast that it takes the battery from 0 to 100% in 18 minutes – and the ability to wirelessly charge. Here, too, Xiaomi does better with its 50W chargers, although the 12 Pro is compatible with any charger that uses the Qi protocol, it takes longer to reach full charge.
In addition, the 12 Pro can still work by itself as a wireless charger for another device because it has a reverse charging function.
In any case, it is worth noting that, in comparison, in terms of autonomy and charging speed, this proposal from Xiaomi is superior to Huawei Mate 40 Pro. And while the Oppo Find X5, with its 5,000mAh battery, can offer a slightly longer range, it doesn’t charge as fast – and in the real world, the longest available charging time isn’t all that great. According to most user surveys, the shortest possible battery charging time is one of the most valuable factors.
enviable performance
That the 8th generation Qualcomm Snapdragon SM8450 processor (which integrates on the chip 1x 3.0 GHz Cortex-X2 + 3x 2.5 GHz Cortex-A710 + 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) is able to perform as best as you can expect, even with bookmark Published by specialized magazines.
What the 12 Pro showed, in the real world, was able – in the 8GB RAM version – to quickly solve all the problems we put to it. From video processing to the most complex of games, there weren’t any tasks that the device seemed to struggle with.
The same thing happened with the camera. The main lens for the rear camera is a very powerful 50MP sensor made by Sony (by the way, the same that Huawei uses in the P50 Pro model, which critics praised so much). In short: the images obtained with this system are excellent.
As for video capture, there are important criticisms to be made: the Xiaomi 12 Pro does not record video in HDR (although it does take photos with this greater dynamic range of lighting and color), unlike the aforementioned Oppo and Huawei models.
In terms of video, the 12 Pro 4K records at 60fps and there is an 8k option at 24fps (Cinema Refresh).
Finally, usage details: The phone is unlocked with a fingerprint sensor under the screen that simply works. It’s nothing new, to the contrary, but it’s nice to see it’s more and more common. Only the brand that has fruit has not yet noticed …
With a list price of €1050 (only Oppo is offering €50 cheaper at the moment), the Xiaomi 12 Pro is undoubtedly one of the best smartphones to consider in its class. The biggest Achilles heel is really autonomy, but that’s a problem nowadays that almost any 5G phone has. Ultra-fast loading is an asset to consider, which we don’t find in the competition. A winning bid in a market that already seemed saturated with good options.