A few weeks ago, Xiaomi held an event in Peru where it presented its smartphone most powerful today. We are talking about the Xiaomi 12 Pro, a smartphone that stands out for having a large high-resolution screen, an excellent camera system and an ultra-fast 120 W charge.
We had the opportunity to test the Xiaomi 12 Pro for a few weeks and in this review you will be able to learn about our experience, as well as the positive and negative points of this mobile device that can be found in three different colors (purple, blue and gray) at a suggested price. of S/ 4,599.
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Presentation and design
Because it’s a premium phone, the Xiaomi 12 Pro doesn’t come in the typical white cardboard box. The packaging has a rather elegant black finish. In addition to the cell phone, we found a 120 W charger, a type C cable, the silicone case, the key for the SIM tray and some manuals.
One of the big draws of the phone is its massive 6.73-inch screen. Despite being a fairly large device (163.6 mm high, 74.6 mm wide x 8.16 mm thick), it feels very light, since it only weighs 204 grams. That is, there will be no problems when handling it with one hand.
At the rear, the Xiaomi 12 Pro stands out in two aspects. First, its matte finish that prevents fingerprints from easily staining the equipment. The second point to highlight is the photographic module that is made up of three lenses: a main, a wide angle and a telephoto lens.
Finally, note that the smartphone does not have a fingerprint reader on the side, it is located below the screen. It also does not have a 3.5 mm jack port for wired headphones, what we do find are Harman Kardon stereo speakers.
Screen
As we already mentioned, this device has an excellent 6.73-inch AMOLED screen that can be adapted to the needs of the user. For example, we can choose WQHD+ resolution (3200 x 1440 pixels) or we can choose Full HD+ resolution (2040 x 1080 pixels) to save battery life.
By default, the update rate of the Xiaomi 12 Pro will come in “default”, that is, it will adapt to what we are doing. In case you want more fluid animations and movements, you can change to the highest (120 Hz), although keep in mind that this will greatly affect the autonomy of the equipment.
You can increase the refresh rate and screen resolution. Photo: Juan José López Cuya / The Republic
A fairly common problem with smartphones, even high-end ones, is that their screen has low brightness, which can have a negative effect when you use them under intense sunlight. Fortunately, this phone does not have this problem, thanks to its 1,500 nits of brightness.
During the trial period, I used the terminal to watch the most popular streaming platforms (Netflix and Disney Plus) and I was quite satisfied with the experience. Although the hole in the screen (where the selfie camera is) can be annoying at first, you end up getting used to it.
Finally, note that this device has a dark mode that can be activated very easily, it can even be programmed to activate automatically at a certain time of day. It also has a ‘reading mode’ that reduces blue light from the screen to reduce eye strain when reading.
The team has a dark mode and a reading mode. Photo: Juan José López Cuya / The Republic
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Security
In addition to the security pattern, the device has two mechanisms that will protect your information. We are talking about the fingerprint sensor, located at the bottom of the screen, and the facial recognition that allows you to unlock your phone using your face. How well do they work?
I have always preferred physical fingerprint sensors, as I find that they recognize the fingerprint much faster. For this reason, I did not have much hope in the optical reader of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. However, I was very surprised to discover that it worked quite well and was very fast.
Facial recognition, meanwhile, allows users to unlock the smartphone with their face, as long as you have your eyes open. In this way, it is prevented that a person can access your phone while you sleep. It is worth noting that it works very well, even in the dark.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a fingerprint sensor on the screen and also facial recognition. Photo: Juan José López Cuya / The Republic
Performance and battery
Being a high-end phone, it was more than evident that the Xiaomi 12 Pro did not present any performance problems during the test period. I tried the most popular applications like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, among others, and I was quite satisfied, I never experienced the classic lags.
As for video games, I tried several titles such as Free Fire, Pokémon GO, Contra Returns, as well as a PlayStation 1 emulator, and everything went well, it is even possible to activate the “Game Turbo” tool to know the amount of FPS at the moment. you play, view CPU and GPU usage, free up RAM, etc.
‘Game Turbo’ tool is useful for video games. Photo: Juan José López Cuya / The Republic
If you want to make a gameplay of your favorite game, the ‘Game Turbo’ function allows you to make a screen recording and include the audio from the microphone. In case you don’t like how your voice sounds, the tool offers the possibility of activating the modifier to add various effects.
Speaking of autonomy, the Xiaomi 12 Pro comes with a 4,600 mAh battery that, in theory, should last up to a day without charging. Unfortunately, the constant use of the device caused me to have to plug it in around 6:00 pm (I started using it at 7:00 am).
Luckily, the wait to have the battery at 100% was not long (around 25 minutes), thanks to its 120 W charger. It is worth noting that this ultra-fast charge is disabled, once you do it, it is recommended leave the equipment and do not use it, as it gets a little hot.
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Photography
Another attraction of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is its photographic system made up of three lenses. A 50 megapixel main sensor, a 50 megapixel ultra wide angle and a 50 megapixel telephoto lens. The front camera, meanwhile, is 32 megapixels and allows quality selfies.
I tested the cameras of the device in two moments. The first occurred in the Plaza de Armas in Lima, during a fairly sunny day. The shots taken with the main lens and the ultra wide angle lens turned out very well, the images stand out for their vivid colors and great sharpness.
If you want to capture distant objects, the telephoto lens will be your best ally; however, I don’t recommend using too much digital zoom, as the higher you go (up to 20X), the image will show more photo noise. For best results, the ideal here is to use a tripod.
I did the second test at the Beyond Van Gogh Lima exhibition. I was quite impressed with the quality of the images, as this place is characterized by low lighting. Both the main lens and the ultra wide angle meet expectations and if you activate the ‘night mode’ the photos are much better.
Finally, note that the Xiaomi 12 Pro has a portrait mode (which blurs the background), a panoramic mode, slow motion, fast motion, clone, dual video to record using two lenses at the same time, among other functions that have been thought of. for content creators.
Triple main camera of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Photo: Juan José López Cuya / La República
