Review of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 Months: One of the Best Mid-Range Phones to Buy Right Now

Xiaomi has introduced several quality phone models in the Vietnamese market in the first half of 2023, such as the Xiaomi 13 Series, Redmi Note 12 Series, ... I've had the opportunity to use these phone models for a relatively long time, especially the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. Here are the experiences I've gained while evaluating the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months.

Read more: Good news for Redmi Note 12 Pro users, MIUI 14 update available

What is the experience like using the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months?

Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G stands out as a solid product in today's mid-range segment, handling all the tasks and applications I commonly use smoothly. Specifically, popular apps like Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, etc., run seamlessly on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G without any glitches.

One interesting aspect of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is its use of an AMOLED panel without an in-display fingerprint unlock feature. Instead, this phone is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Perhaps Xiaomi aims to minimize screen damage and keep the product price from skyrocketing too high. Moreover, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor allows Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G to have various interesting gesture shortcuts besides just unlocking the screen.

Specifically, I can set up double-tap on the fingerprint sensor to quickly access apps or features like Screen Capture, flashlight, pull-down notification bar, etc. This reflects Xiaomi's finesse as the company understands some of the challenges users face when using a large-screen phone like Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. People with small hands like mine often have to stretch their fingers when operating the top half of the phone screen.

Regarding the gaming experience on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G over the past 3 months, I have no complaints. Personally, I usually play games that don't require high-end specifications such as Arena of Valor, League of Legends: Speed War. Therefore, I find it difficult to notice any difference in gaming experience on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months compared to when the device was newly launched. I will provide a more detailed description of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G's performance in the section below the article.

What disappoints me about Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is MIUI 14. Specifically, during the initial setup, MIUI 14 suggests installing too many unnecessary apps, so I often have to uninstall them. Not only that, most of the default MIUI 14 apps on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G encounter excessive advertising. Additionally, messaging apps with chat bubbles like Zalo, Messenger, ... also have a bug displaying the number of unread messages on the app icon on the home screen even though I've read them all. I hope that in the near future, Xiaomi will find solutions to address these issues.

If you ask me if I encounter delayed notifications on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G? My answer is yes, and sometimes the phone only vibrates without showing incoming messages (especially when I'm playing games). This is an unpleasant user experience for me as it causes me to miss important messages from new people, friends.

The performance of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months still leaves me satisfied

As mentioned in the experience section above, I'll describe in more detail the performance of Redmi Note 12 Pro after 3 months. Before we begin, let's review the specifications of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G.

• Display: 6.67-inch size, AMOLED panel, Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate.
• Processor: Dimensity 1080.
• RAM: 8 GB.
• Internal storage: 256 GB.
• Rear Camera: 50 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP.
• Front Camera: 16 MP.
• Battery: 5,000 mAh, 67 W fast charging.

Dimensity 1080 is a 5G chip produced by MediaTek on an advanced 6nm process with 8 processing cores combined with ARM Mali-G68 GPU. Moreover, this chip is highly regarded for its stable performance, efficiency, and battery-saving capabilities. That's why it's currently being used in many mid-range phones, including the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. Three months ago, I assessed that the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G had very good performance, so how about now? Let's find out!

- Performance Evaluation of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 Months

To give you an idea of the power of Dimensity 1080 on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G at the current time, I've evaluated the performance of the device using specialized software such as Geekbench 6, 3DMark, AnTuTu Benchmark under specific conditions as follows:

• The device battery must be between 90 - 100% (battery below 90% will affect device performance and results).
• Do not charge the battery while evaluating performance.
• Evaluate 3 times in a row and take the average result after 3 evaluations.

Firstly, in the GeekBench 6 and PCMark software, the results of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months remain very good and competitive with many other products in the same price range. Comparing with the time the device was newly launched, the difference in scores between the two time points is not significant. One noticeable difference I felt after 3 months is that the scoring speed of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is slightly faster, indicating that the device may have been optimized more efficiently.

- GeekBench 6 scores of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months:

• GPU Compute (graphics score): 2,293 points.
• Single-Core/Multi-Core Score: 812 points / 2,193 points.

- PCMark score of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months: 12,331 points.

- GeekBench 6 scores of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G at the time of launch:

• Single-Core/Multi-Core Score: 814 points / 2,200 points.
• GPU Compute (graphics score): 2,402 points.

- PCMark score: 11,170 points.

The next test is 3DMark Wild Life Extreme used to assess the lightweight graphics processing capability of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months. As you can see in the image below, the total score achieved by Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months in this test is 632, with an average frame rate of 3.80 FPS. When comparing this result with the one obtained by Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months of launch (629 points, FPS 3.80), they are almost identical. Even the temperature and battery performance show minimal variation.

For the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, the current result achieved by Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G does not significantly differ from the one at launch. This is evident from the difference between the highest loop score and the lowest loop score for both instances, which are 3 points (634 - 631 = 3) and 2 points (635 - 633 = 2) respectively. However, in the results after 3 months, the battery of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G has depleted by more than 2% compared to the launch (5% versus 3%). This is understandable as the battery has been slightly affected after around 3 months of usage, which I will discuss in detail in the battery review section below the article.

Overall, the performance benchmark results of Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G before and after 3 months show little difference in scores. This indicates the device's high stability when using the Dimensity 1080 chipset. What about gaming experience on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G? Let's find out!

- Gaming experience on Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months

In this section, I continue to use 3 familiar games in the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G performance review: Arena of Valor, League of Legends: Speed War, PUBG Mobile. Additionally, I've replaced Play Together with the game Honkai: Star Rails to add a bit of challenge for Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. I've set the graphics of these games to the highest level allowed by Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G and used the Perfdog software to measure the FPS of each game. I will provide the related results here for reference.

Take a look at the game settings images and gameplay video below first!

• Arena of Valor

• League of Legends: Speed War

• PUBG Mobile

• Honkai: Star Rails

Overall, with PUBG Mobile, Arena of Valor, or League of Legends: Speed War, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G can deliver smooth, stable gameplay, maintaining FPS consistently as configured. Additionally, even during extended gaming sessions, the device only warms up mildly. Particularly, League of Legends: Speed War has been fully optimized on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G to reach 120 FPS. This enhances the gaming experience significantly but results in faster battery drain.

However, with Honkai: Star Rail, the occurrence of lagging and continuous FPS drops is noticeable when I set the graphics configuration to the highest level. This indicates that Honkai: Star Rail is somewhat demanding for the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G if you aim for the best settings. Therefore, for the smoothest experience with Honkai: Star Rail, I suggest setting the graphics to medium level.

Does the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G encounter any issues with its battery after 3 months?

Before starting the battery test for the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, I want to emphasize that the results below are for reference only. Because after a long period of phone usage, each person will have different tasks, settings, and usage conditions, so the battery status of the device may differ from the initial state. To provide you with a more comprehensive overview of the battery life of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G after 3 months, I will conduct a battery test (following the standards of The Gioi Di Dong) under specific conditions as follows:

• Experience 4 rotating tasks including: Playing Arena of Valor (with graphics settings as shown below), watching YouTube, browsing Facebook, and using Google Chrome.

• Each task lasts for 1 hour.
• Screen brightness at 100%, refresh rate at 120 Hz.
• External speaker on with 50% volume.
• WiFi and social media notifications enabled.
• Battery saver, adaptive brightness, GPS, and Bluetooth turned off.
• Test conducted from 100% to 0% battery.

Below are the results I obtained:

Thus, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G currently achieves 8 hours 37 minutes after the rigorous test above. Compared to the launch time of 8 hours 59 minutes, the difference is almost negligible. As mentioned earlier, the battery life of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is not as long as initially because I have been using the device for over 3 months with a variety of tasks.

Moreover, based on the battery consumption statistics of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, my usage time is even longer. I often use applications such as texting, calling, watching YouTube, playing games (very little), reading stories on Google Chrome, and mainly playing Liên Quân Mobile. Therefore, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G can provide usage time from 8 am to around 6 pm before needing to charge, and there are even longer days when I'm too busy to hold the phone.

After 3 months of usage with various light and heavy tasks, different charging patterns, the battery life of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G only degrades slightly, indicating its excellent power optimization capability. Moreover, if you eliminate the conditions of the above test, I believe the usage time of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G will be even longer.

Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G design remains contemporary

From the early days of its release, I noted that the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G boasts a beautiful and standout design compared to many other products in the mid-range segment. This is because the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G features a youthful design with a square frame and a glossy glass back.

The frame of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is designed square, but Xiaomi has delicately smoothed the edges and corners, making the device feel extremely comfortable to hold. However, the back of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is very prone to fingerprints and sweat marks due to its glossy finish, so regular wiping is necessary to maintain cleanliness and reduce smudges. To mitigate this issue, it's advisable to use the complimentary case included in the box. Apart from improving hygiene, it also helps prevent annoying scratches when using a device with a glass back.

I particularly like the design of the rear camera module on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. The surrounding frame of the lenses is color-matched with the back panel, creating a seamless integration for the overall design of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G.

Turning to the front, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G features a punch-hole display with a selfie camera placed right in the middle. Notably, the bezels surrounding the screen of this phone are impressively thin and evenly crafted. As a result, the front of this phone looks very appealing.

In terms of display quality, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is equipped with an AMOLED screen, measuring 6.67 inches with a Full HD+ resolution (1,080 x 2,400 pixels) and a 120 Hz refresh rate. During usage, I found the screen of this phone to offer good detail, vibrant colors, and high brightness.

The 50 MP camera of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G delivers highly detailed photos

Before delving into the details of the photo quality from the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, let me quickly outline the camera specifications of this phone for easy reference.

• Main Camera: 50 MP resolution, f/1.8 aperture, OIS support.
• Ultra-wide Camera: 8 MP resolution, 119-degree field of view.
• Macro Camera: 2 MP resolution.
• Front Camera: 16 MP resolution.

In my evaluation, the camera of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G performs well, ensuring high-detail photos with true-to-life colors without being overly vibrant compared to some other products in the same range. However, the standout feature that I appreciate most about the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is its extremely fast autofocus capability. This makes it difficult for me to miss out on any humorous or interesting moments around.

When capturing people in well-lit conditions, photos taken from the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G camera still leave me satisfied with the colors and contrast. That's in regular mode; when I activate HDR and AI, the subjects appear very smooth, fresh, and visually appealing.

However, with the background blur mode on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, it appears somewhat stiff. The reason is that the background behind the subject is not naturally blurred, making the overall portrait look somewhat like a composite image.

The selfie camera on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G performs well, delivering photos with realistic details and balanced colors. When beauty effects are turned off, the images appear more lifelike, capturing nearly all skin imperfections.

Meanwhile, in the natural beauty mode, the front camera system of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G will blur out the imperfections on the subject's face.

Conclusion

After using the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G for 3 months, I still believe it's a worthwhile mid-range phone to buy right now. The device not only boasts a beautiful design, strong performance, and well-optimized battery life, but the camera also impresses compared to many competitors in the same segment.

What's your opinion on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G? Leave your comments below! Thank you for reading our article.

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