Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G review

Presentation and specifications

Just like last year, Xiaomi has come through the door with a slew of Redmi Notes this year and there seem to be versions for different markets as well. Four of them are available globally – the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Note 12 Pro, Note 12 and Note 12 4G. Normally, the vanilla Note would be the most affordable of the bunch, but Xiaomi has gone one step further with a proper 4G variant of the Note 12, bringing the price down even further.

And we think that makes perfect sense. 5G network capabilities may be great and all, but provide little to no additional value for the vast majority of the user base. After all, streaming high-quality videos and music and sending media via messaging apps can be done on the existing 4G network, which is already quite fast in most parts of the world, especially in Europe. , where the phone sells for $200. So if you’re looking for something simple that works, the 4G version of the Redmi Note 12 is a good place to start your search.

Compared to the 5G option, 4G has no apparent disadvantage. It’s basically the same phone with a different main camera, chipset and memory configuration. Naturally, since it costs €100 less, memory configurations start at 4GB/64GB but to our surprise the main camera should in theory be better (newer 50MP sensor vs 48MP on the 5G iteration ). The microSD card slot is dedicated, and although without 5G connectivity, the Snapdragon 685 SoC appears to be considerably more powerful than the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 just by looking at the clock speeds. Both SoCs are fairly new, so it remains to be seen which will come out on top.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G specs at a glance:

• Body: 165.7 x 76.0 x 7.9mm, 184g; Gorilla Glass 3 front, plastic back and frame; IP53, dust and splash proof.
• Display: 6.67″ AMOLED, 120Hz, 450 nits (typ), 700 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 685 (6nm): Octa-core (4×2.8 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A53); Adreno 610.
• Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
• Operating System/Software: Android 13, MIUI 14.
• Rear camera:Wide (main): 50MP, f/1.8, 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4″, 1.12µm; Macro: 2MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.0″.
• Video capture:Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 33W wired.
• Various : Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; 3.5mm jack socket.

The best part is that the Redmi Note 12 4G retains the 120Hz OLED display, which is a bargain for the sub-$200 category. It promises high peak brightness, and it’s pretty big too – 6.67″, protected by Gorilla Glass 3 sheet. The large 5,000mAh battery supports 33W fast charging, and interestingly enough, the handset works on the latest Android 13 with MIUI 14 on the box as opposed to the 5G model, which just Android 12 + MIUI 13. Probably because this phone was originally announced in China in October last year.

In any case, with the constant increase in smartphone prices over the past year, many will probably turn to recent versions of more economical smartphones and the Redmi Note 12 4G seems to be an excellent choice for 2023. Let’s see what is the lowest this year. -end that the Redmi phone reserves for us. Probably more than you think.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G unboxing

The handset comes in a standard retail box containing the usual items such as user manuals, the appropriate USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer and, of course, the brick of 33W load.

There’s also a transparent silicone case, so it doesn’t hide the pretty color paint job.