Xiaomi 12 review: A compact flagship-class phone, missing some key features

A handset with Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and up to 256GB of internal storage in frame that's designed for smaller hands and pockets is something of a rarity, but that's what you get with the 6.28-inch Xiaomi 12. This handset has a few other cutting-edge specifications, including a 120Hz screen refresh rate and 67W fast charging. 

In the UK, the Xiaomi 12 costs £749 (inc. VAT) with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while £849 buys my 8GB/256GB review configuration. Xiaomi phones are not officially available in the US, although you'll find plenty of unlocked models online. These UK prices convert to around $980 and $1,110 at the time of writing.

If you want something similar but more expansive, look to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which is both bigger (6.73in.) and costlier (from £1,049). 

Xiaomi 12

4 / 5

Very good

pros and cons

Pros

• Compact dimensions
• 120Hz AMOLED screen
• Top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC
• Nice macro camera
• Fast 67W charging

Cons

• Disappointing battery life
• No IP rating
• Too much bloatware
• No MicroSD storage expansion

$980 at Xiaomi (UK)

The Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro are clearly from the same design stable, with identical button positioning on the long edges and at the top. There are slight differences at the bottom: on the Xiaomi 12 the speaker grille is on the left and the SIM caddy on the right, while on the 12 Pro these elements are the other way around. But the distinctive speaker grille design itself is identical across both phones. 

The camera lozenge is another common design component, although it's smaller on the Xiaomi 12 than on the 12 Pro. The lozenge sits proud of the rest of the backplate, and its corner positioning means that there's a lot of rock and roll on the desktop when the screen is prodded. This is not unusual, but it is annoying unless you use a bumper case. 

There are three options for the back of the phone, and Xiaomi avoids fanciful naming simply calling them Blue, Grey and Purple. All three colours are available in each of the two configurations (8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB). My review handset was Purple -- a misnomer really, as the shade is more of a pale lavender. 

The backplate is Gorilla Glass 5 and has a matte, slightly tactile finish which means it isn't particularly slippery in the hand. The front is protected by top-of-the-range Gorilla Glass Victus.    

As with the larger Xiaomi 12 Pro, there's no IP rating for dust and water resistance. Decisions on which flagship-class handset to buy can hang on such details, and it's odd that Xiaomi doesn't feel it needs to compete on this front.  

The Xiaomi 12 measures 152.7mm tall by 69.9mm wide and is 8.16mm thick. It weighs 180g. That's still a little large for me to reach across one-handed, but is much more manageable than many handsets. 

The downside of a smaller overall size is, obviously, a smaller screen. Minimal bezels and a screen-to-body ratio of 89.3% suggest that Xiaomi couldn't have improved on the 6.28-inch panel on offer here, and its FHD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080, 419ppi) delivers plenty of sharpness. In comparison, the 6.73-inch Xiaomi 12 Pro offers a higher WQHD+ resolution (3,200 x 1,440, 522ppi).  

Being used to a larger screen, I found almost every activity, from browsing social feeds and web pages to reading e-books and editing documents, much more of a challenge than on my regular phone. I'll even use my regular handset for occasional TV catchup, which I found impossible here. The screen is punctured by a circular punch hole for the 32MP f/2.45 front camera, centrally located as on the Xiaomi 12 Pro. On the Xiaomi 12's smaller screen I found this a little distracting, and a corner location might have been better. 

The screen's credentials are impressive. It's an AMOLED panel with a 120Hz maximum refresh rate and dynamic refresh rate adjustment to help conserve battery life, with peak brightness of 1,100 nits and Dolby Vision plus HDR 10+ support. The 480Hz touch sampling rate is welcome and, as with the 12 Pro, there is a reading mode that can be used to mute colours, although it doesn't allow you to switch to monochrome. 

Sound quality is good, but not great. The two speakers output audio from the top and bottom edges of the phone. Top volume level is acceptable, but bass tones are lacking – something that becomes more noticeable at higher volumes. There's no 3.5mm audio jack, so headphone users will need to  

The Xiaomi 12 runs on Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with 8GB of RAM. Geekbench 5 reported a suitably impressive set of CPU scores, averaging 1266 (single core) and 3491 (multi core). This is consistent with other Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 handsets I've benchmarked, and even betters some with 12GB of RAM such as the Realme GT 2 Pro (1210 and 3239), OnePlus 10 Pro (1007 and 3485) and its Xiaomi 12 Pro stablemate (1231 and 3459). 

My review handset had 256GB of storage, of which 27GB was already used out of the box, leaving 229GB free for personal use. There is no MicroSD card slot, so it will be important to specify the right amount of internal storage -- 128GB or 256GB -- at purchase time.  

Whichever configuration is selected the Xiaomi 12 supports two 5G SIMs. Biometric authentication is via a fingerprint sensor under the screen, which I found to be accurate and efficient. 

The camera setup is different from the larger Xiaomi 12 Pro, which has three 50MP cameras -- wide angle, ultra-wide angle (115°) and telephoto (2x optical zoom). The Xiaomi 12 also has three cameras, but only one – the main 50MP f/1.88 wide-angle unit – matches this resolution. This is accompanied by 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle (123°) camera and 5MP f/2.4 telemacro (3cm-7cm) cameras. 

The 50MP telephoto camera on the larger Pro model was rewarding to use, but that's replaced by the 5MP telemacro camera on the Xiaomi 12. The macro mode is fun, and autofocus means you can get quite close-in to a subject, although a steady hand is needed to get crisp photos. 

It's annoying that macro shooting isn't on the main camera menu, or the 'more' menu along with panorama, slowmo, dual video (which uses front and back cameras at the same time) and other shooting choices. Instead, for some reason, it's in the settings menu along with burst, timer, gridlines and similar options.  

In general I found photos were of good quality with plenty of detail. Full 50MP shots have to be selected in the camera options, but the default pixel-binned 12MP images are good enough for many uses, such as sharing on social media feeds.  

Those keen on video may be drawn by the 8K shooting, but this is only possible at 24fps. You'll need to drop down to 4K for 30fps and 60fps video shooting. I had no issues with the front camera, whose selfies were fine.  

The Xiaomi 12 runs on Android 12, with Xiaomi's MIUI 13 overlay on top. This provides a lot of apps over and above the Android staples, some of which duplicate Android functions. There's a 'More apps' folder with some apps already installed, plus links to download a range of games and a list of 'Today's recommendations'. It feels like bloatware on steroids. 

The Xiaomi 12 is powered by a 4500mAh battery, which kept it going for 10 hours and 34 minutes under the PCMark for Android Work 3.0 battery life test. That's a little more than the 10 hours and 9 minutes for the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which has a 4,600mAh battery. 

Under my YouTube video streaming test, the Xiaomi 12 lost 44% from a full charge over a three-hour period, suggesting battery life of just under 7 hours. The 12 Pro lost 40% under the same test (~8h battery life). 

These results are disappointing, but the saving grace is the provided 67W charger. Using this I started charging with the battery at 9%. It rose to 32% after five minutes, 50% after 10 minutes, 63% after 15 minutes, 76% after 20 minutes, 86% after 25 minutes, 93% after 30 minutes and 100% after 35 minutes. Here are these figures graphed, with the 120W charging of the Xiaomi 12 Pro for comparison: 

The Xiaomi 12 also supports 50W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging. 

Xiaomi 12

$980 at Xiaomi (UK)

Conclusions

Like the larger Xiaomi 12 Pro, the 6.28-inch Xiaomi 12 both pleases and disappoints. Its compact dimensions will be a real plus point for many people. The cameras are good, and the macro mode is fun to use, although it's a shame it is so hidden away in the menu system. The top-end chipset, 120Hz screen refresh rate and fast charging are also very welcome.  

However, there's no IP rating for dust and water resistance, battery life is below par and there is a lot of bloatware. If you're looking for a smaller-format flagship-class phone, the Google Pixel 6 is worth considering, among others (see below). 

Xiaomi 12 Series specifications

Alternatives to consider

Screen sizes of flagship phones regularly exceed 6.5 inches, but not everyone has the hands or pockets to handle such behemoths. Here are three leading contenders with more manageable screens measuring 6.4in. (Google Pixel 6) and 6.1in. (Samsung Galaxy S22, Apple iPhone 13).

Google Pixel 6

$599 at Google

Samsung Galaxy S22

$799.99 at Samsung

Apple iPhone 13

$799 at Apple

RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT

More flagship phones on the horizon: Xiaomi's 12 Series gets a global launch

Xiaomi 12 Pro review: Top-notch screen and chipset, but battery life disappoints

Canalys: Global smartphone sales shrank by double digits in Q1 2022

The best budget phones: Flagship features for under $450

The best Android phones: Better than the iPhone?

Read more reviews

• Garmin Vivosmart 5 review: Comfortable, capable, and cheap
• Huawei MateBook 16 review: Powerful and well priced, but the webcam is a problem
• Shark ION Robot Vacuum AV751 review: Great suction for a cheap vac
• X-Chair X-Tech Executive Chair review: Ergonomic dreams that'll cost you
• Razer DeathAdder V2 review: A gaming mouse workhorse for serious gamers