The ISOCELL HPX is nothing more than a slightly improved HP3 exclusively for Xiaomi by the way
Xiaomi has been teasing the Redmi Note 12 series for a while now and those teasers led to a special event that occurred yesterday, October 27th. Xiaomi formally introduces the Redmi Note 12 series with a design similar to that of the Realme 9 Pro+ and the Redmi Note 11T series. We’ve gone full circle.
Redmi Note 12
Starting with the base Redmi Note 12, all of these phones carry AMOLED screens by the way. The Redmi Note 12, it’s a 6.67-in. display with 120Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 colour gamut, and 1200 nits of peak brightness.
In terms of its chipset, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 is available, the second phone to equip it since the iQoo Z6 Lite. Despite the name, its performance is actually better than the Snapdragon 480, 680, and older Snapdragon 662 chipsets combined. Its performance output should be similar to the MediaTek Dimensity 810. Unlike the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 and 480+, this chipset is based on a 6nm process so it should be power efficient. This compliments well with the 5000mAh battery and 33W fast charging the phone is equipped with.
There are only two cameras this time. Thankfully too, because we don’t really need more cameras if they barely serve a purpose. There is a 48MP module along with a 2MP depth sensor. Even that should be removed too but we guess this also affects aesthetics and perceived value. In front is a surprisingly low resolution 8MP camera. This makes the Redmi Note 12 more in line with budget phones than a mainstream one. It does use a punch-hole which makes it more premium. We can’t wait for the rebranding chaos these phones will go through.
The phone can only record up until 1080p@30fps by the way. This has been the case since the Redmi Note 5 AI and it plagues later models.
If you’re asking, the fingerprint scanner is embedded with the power button. Cost cutting measures we know. It has 5G services, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2, an IR Blaster, and NFC. It comes in Midnight Black, Porcelain White, and Light Blue (unofficial, translated).
We’re going to wait until the phone is official in the Philippines. In China, the phone starts at CNY 1199 (~Php 9.6K) for the 4/128 version. The phone has trims all the way to 8/256 which costs CNY 1,699 (~Php 13.6K)
SPECS:
- 6.67in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) GOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 colour gamut, 1200nits peak brightness
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 (6nm)
- CAMERAS:
- 48MP (main), 0.8µm
- 2MP (depth), f/2.4
- FRONT: 8MP, f/2.0
- MIUI 13 based on Android 12
- 5000mAh, 33W fast charging
- 5G services, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
- 3.5mm jack, IR Blaster, Dual Nano-SIM slot, Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, USB-C
- Midnight Black, Porcelain White, Light Blue
- PRICE:
- 4/128: CNY 1,199 (~Php 9.6K)
- 6/128: CNY 1,299 (~Php 10.4K)
- 8/128: CNY 1,499 (~Php 12K)
- 8/256: CNY 1,699 (~Php 13.6K)
Source: Xiaomi (in Chinese)
Redmi Note 12 Pro
This phone looks similar if not identical to the Redmi Note 11T series. This means it also looks similar to many Realme handsets, especially the Realme 9 series. The difference in design between this and the Redmi Note 11T series is subtle. What is obvious is what’s inside it.
This phone boosts a few things, most notably its use of the 50MP Sony IMX766 with OIS and the new MediaTek Dimensity 1080, a revamped version of the 1050. This makes it seem like a lost sibling to the Realme 9 Pro+ which also uses the same camera system. It even shares a similar design and screen type.
The phone uses a 6.67-in. OLED screen with a dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz (30-120Hz, depending on the activity) similar to the Redmi Note 12. It uses a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset which we have discussed in a separate article. It comes with 6, 8, or 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and either 128 or 256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage. Both of these are expandable.
There are three cameras. As we mentioned, the main camera is a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor. Alongside it are the well-known 8MP ultrawide and 2MP depth sensors. No macro at least. It’s not really that useful anyway. The punch-hole houses the 16MP selfie camera. The chipset thankfully supports 4K video at 120fps, something that’s not usually seen in phones in its price range.
It has the same 5000mAh capacity but with a faster 67W charging speed. Charged through USB-C, it allows for quick transfer of files too. It has 5G services, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC in some regions. Let’s not forget the IR Blaster on top of it and the 3.5mm jack. It has an in-display fingerprint scanner.
SPECS:
- 6.67in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, DCI-P3 colour gamut
- MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (6nm)
- CAMERAS:
- 50MP (main), f/1.88, 1/1.56″, 1.2µm, Sony IMX766, OIS
- 8MP (ultrawide), f/2.2, 119°
- 2MP (macro), f/2.4
- FRONT: 16MP
- 4K@120fps video (rear), 1080p@30/60fps (front)
- MIUI 13 based on Android 12
- 5000mAh, 67W fast charging, Power Delivery
- 5G services, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
- USB-C, 3.5mm jack, IR Blaster, In-display fingerprint scanner
- Midnight Black, Porcelain White, Light Blue, Pink
- PRICE:
- 6/128: CNY 1,699 (~Php 13.6K)
- 8/128: CNY 1,799 (~Php 14.4K)
- 8/256: CNY 1,999 (~Php 16K)
- 12/256: CNY 2,199 (~Php 17.6K)
Xiaomi Philippines will definitely make an announcement for this one too, for the official pricing!
Source: Xiaomi (in Chinese)
Redmi Note 12 Pro+
This is actually the main star of the show, and the reveal poster actually makes it look like an iPhone. Knowing Xiaomi, this may be the point. Its main highlights include the 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HPX main camera and 210W fast charging, stupidly fast, also stupidly proprietary. This camera can take 8K@30fps video which is unheard of in this price range. Like the Sony IMX766, this camera also has OIS
Aside from that, the phone is identical to the Pro. In China, the phone also has a limited-time YIBO edition coming with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. It is the green and black tone with a “RACING” label. It is priced at CNY 2,199 (~Php 17.6K). There’s also the Discovery Edition, no relation with the Discovery Channel, nor was there a partnership to begin with. This also comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. This is priced at CNY 2,399 (~Php 19.2K). This one has a grey colour with gold accents.
SPECS:
- 6.67in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, DCI-P3 colour gamut
- MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (6nm)
- CAMERAS:
- 200MP (main), f/1.65, 1/1.14″, 2.24µm,
- 8MP (ultrawide), f/2.2, 119°
- 2MP (macro), f/2.4
- FRONT: 16MP
- 4K@120fps video (rear), 1080p@30/60fps (front)
- MIUI 13 based on Android 12
- 5000mAh, 67W fast charging, Power Delivery
- 5G services, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
- USB-C, 3.5mm jack, IR Blaster, In-display fingerprint scanner
- Midnight Black, Porcelain White, Light Blue, Pink
- PRICE:
- 6/128: CNY 1,699 (~Php 13.6K)
- 8/128: CNY 1,799 (~Php 14.4K)
- 8/256: CNY 1,999 (~Php 16K)
- 12/256: CNY 2,199 (~Php 17.6K)
Source: Xiaomi (in Chinese)
Xiaomi Philippines, we’re waiting. The Yobi and Discovery versions are less likely to be released here.
Oh, stay tuned for the rebrands as well.
Psst. We heard Realme is already in the process of baking their new Realme 10 series. We’ll let you know more.
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