Redmi 12 5G Review – Best 5G Phone In Budget?

The Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G has been launched in India in three variants. The 4 GB + 128 GB variant costs Rs. 11,999, the 6 GB + 128 GB variant costs Rs. 13,499 and lastly, the 8 GB + 256 GB variant costs Rs. 15,499.

You can buy the phone online directly from the official website of Mi and other platforms like Amazon. The phone is available in three different colour options: Jade Black, Moonstone Silver and Pastel Blue.

The Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G packs the following items inside the box:

• Phone
• 22.5W Adaptor
• Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Case
• Documentation

Before we talk in detail about the Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G review, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.79 inches IPS LCD
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
• RAM & ROM: 4GB 128GB, 6GB 128GB, 8GB 256GB
• Software: Android v13
• Rear camera: 50MP + 2MP
• Selfie camera: 8MP
• Battery: 5000 mAh
• Weight: 199 grams
• Dimensions: 168.6 x 76.2 x 8.1 mm

Redmi 12 5G features a design that is almost similar to the 4G variant of the device. Nonetheless, it looks equally stylish and elegant. You get a glass back which comes with a frosted finish.

There is a dual camera setup on the back. Don’t get mistaken with the third lens, it’s actually LED flash. On the other hand, it’s a big phone but feels just right in the hands. The weight distribution is also good and it feels light in hands, weighing just about 199 grams.

You get flat edges with rounded corners that offer a good grip in the hands. The button placement is also very good; it sits right where my thumb was. Talking about that, the right side has the power button which doubles as the fingerprint scanner along with volume rockers.

Check Out: Redmi 12 Review – Best Phone Under 10,000?

The left side has the SIM card slot, while the top has the 3.5mm audio jack and IR blaster. Lastly, the bottom side has the Type-C port, loudspeaker and mic.

Redmi 12 5G features a dual camera setup on the back that captures decent shots in daylight conditions. This includes a 50MP main camera and a 2MP Depth lens. There’s an 8 MP camera on the front to take selfies.

The 50MP main camera takes good shots in proper lighting. The images look sharp and detailed until you zoom in. The colours also looked punchy.

Ultra-wide shots were also decent. The images retained the picture quality and sharpness. Even the colours were well-maintained. Although it has 10x digital zoom, I don’t recommend using it as the quality was just bad.

The low-light shots were just okay. While the images look fine at the start, you will realise that it lacks details and the colours look faded.

Check Out: Realme C53 Review – 108MP Camera Under 10K!

The 8MP front camera takes nice selfies in good lighting conditions. While the overall image looks a bit on the softer side, it still pleases the eye. I liked that the skin tones looked close to natural. Portrait selfies did a decent job.

Redmi 12 5G packs a big 5000mAh battery that offers a solid battery backup. You can easily get about 2 days of battery backup on light usage. I got more than 6 hours of screen on time with it. My usage involved some texting, taking pictures, watching videos and scrolling through Instagram.

Check Out: Samsung Galaxy M34 Review – Massive Battery For All-Day Gaming

A heavy user can also get one full day of battery backup from it. I have to say that the Redmi 12 5G does not disappoint when it comes to battery life.

Redmi 12 5G features 18W fast charging support, although it comes with a 22.5W adaptor in the box. The 18W fast charging takes more than 2 hours to fully charge the phone.

Redmi 12 5G features a big FHD+ 6.79 inches IPS LCD display that delivers a good viewing experience. It comes with a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 550 nits.

I like that it comes with a punch hole cut-out rather than a water drop notch that we usually see at this price point. Moreover, the bezels around the display are thin, except for the chin, which is a bit thick.

Check Out: Realme Narzo 60 Pro Review – Does It Make Any Sense?

Nonetheless, the display offers great details and colours. Texts and Icons appear sharp and crisp. I watched a couple of videos on YouTube and my experience was really good.

Thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate, I enjoyed the smoothness of the screen while scrolling through Instagram reels and playing games.

Redmi 12 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset that delivers good day to day performance. The chipset is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

It also comes with a Memory extension feature that extends the RAM by a further 8GB (on the 8GB variant). This helps in smooth multitasking. Talking about everyday tasks, the phone handles them pretty well.

Although it’s not meant for heavy gaming, you can still do casual gaming on it. But just for the sake of testing, I played BGMI and Asphalt 9 on it. Asphalt 9 was playable at low settings. There were a few frame drops but it was still enjoyable. However, BGMI was not so smooth and did not offer a good experience.

Check Out: Realme 11 Pro Review – Best Looking Phone Under 25K!

The Redmi 12 5G runs on MIUI 14 skin which is based on Android 13. As we all know about MIUI, it comes with a great set of customisation dn personalisation features. You can play around with different wallpapers and themes and even change icon sizes.

Moreover, it comes with additional features like Screen recorder, Floating windows, Memory extension, One-hand mode and much more. At the same time, its loaders with third party apps, including Amazon, Facebook, Moj, Spotify, PhonePe and a few more.