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Review Redmi Note 12 4G | A basic phone with good battery life

The Redmi Note 12 5G line hit the market in the first quarter of 2023 and, in addition to the main versions, which bring the 5G connection, Xiaomi announced a simpler base model, with connectivity from the previous generation, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G.

The cell phone arrived with the proposal of being more accessible to reach a less demanding public or one that still does not have a 5G network signal in its region.

But is it worth buying this cell phone or is it better to opt for the 5G version, or even competitors? I tested the cell phone for the last few days and now I bring my opinion about it to help you decide if it pays off or not.

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Design, build, screen and sound

The Redmi Note 12 4G has a very nice design, with flat sides and back — construction that guarantees a comfortable grip for one-handed use, despite the size not being so small. The frame that groups the set of cameras is not as jumpy as what is seen in other cell phones, so this is a positive point for it.

The finish is simple, all in plastic, as is to be expected in a cell phone in this category. Still, the construction is well done throughout the structure of the device and it gives the impression of having metal on the sides and glass on the back.

The screen is a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with Full HD resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 3 protection — a well-received set on a cell phone of this category. The brightness level is very high and allows you to see everything comfortably even under a very strong sun.

The audio system is simple. While more advanced models in the series bring stereo sound, the Redmi Note 12 4G has only one audio output, which is located at the bottom of the device.

The sound is “bland”, so if you want to listen to songs in good quality, it’s better to connect a headphone — either Bluetooth or wired, since it has a P2 connector. Anyway, the audio “breaks a branch” if you just want to watch movies or series, it’s just not something very elaborate for songs.

Configuration, performance and usability

The Redmi Note 12 4G has a chipset that, on paper, would offer reasonable performance within the mid-range segment. In practice, however, I found it to be a little short of expectations. It has good general navigation if you want to use it for the basics. If you want something more powerful, for games, for example, it is not a good choice.

Generally, games are optimized to run well even on more basic cell phones, but the Redmi Note 12 4G had some small stutters even on simpler titles, such as Subway Surfers. In fps games, like CoD, you can reduce the graphics quality and frame rate a lot to avoid this, but the gameplay is not as good as on other phones.

As for our standard performance test, it didn’t fare too badly. In the AnTuTu app, it reached a mark of over 290,000 points. This is already above other entry-level mid-rangers such as the Realme C55 and Moto G23, which respectively scored 265,000 and 218,000. However, it is inferior to the Galaxy A23 and A14, which scored around 361 thousand each.

As for usability, I highlight the presence of the infrared sensor, which allows you to use the cell phone as a remote control for compatible devices, such as TVs and air conditioners, for example. To do this, just use the Mi Remote app, which is already pre-installed on the device.

The interface is already updated to the latest version available for both MIUI 14 and Android 13.

cameras

rear cameras

The Redmi Note 12 4G has a triple set of rear cameras, with a 50 MP main sensor, aided by an 8 MP ultrawide and a 2 MP macro.

The main lens and the ultrawide take very average or even lower photographs, so the set is not very suitable if you want more elaborate images. In short, they’ll handle a few occasional records, but nothing much more.

Even with good lighting conditions, it is clear that the texture level is very low, especially in scenes with a lot of vegetation. The dynamic-range is very weak, and this leaves the images with little definition. In this photo below, for example, the sky looks quite artificial, as if the AI ​​in the camera did all the work in the adjustment.

In places with a lot of shade, the image loses even more definition and you can barely notice some details — however simple they may be — at some points in the photograph, such as the leaves or trunk of a tree.

The third rear sensor is a macro. I already have my reservations about using this type of component on a cell phone, and the Redmi Note 12 4G only confirms my thesis. The camera’s low resolution greatly compromises image definition, requiring a lot of patience — or using a stabilizer — to capture an image that is not “shaky”.

It would be more useful to make a hybrid ultrawide macro camera and take advantage of the third sensor to employ a depth camera or, even more useful, a telephoto for better zoomed images.

Frontal camera

The 13 MP front camera has already pleased me more than the rear set – considering it to be an intermediate model, of course. With the right lighting conditions, the image is well defined and manages to deliver a good result. However, the white pops a lot if you don’t position yourself well in relation to the sun.

Portrait mode manages to create a good background blur effect, but the cropping is not as accurate. In the example below, you can see that the camera “cut” my ear because I had headphones on. On the other side, it is possible to see the cut area of ​​the bottom furthest from the body.

Video recording

The Redmi Note 12 4G shoots at a maximum resolution of 1080p at 30fps, both on the rear camera and the front camera. Thus, there is not much versatility when it comes to recording videos.

I found the resolution reasonable, as it is a more basic intermediate model. The microphone manages to capture the voice of the interlocutor well and does not work much in noise reduction.

The level of stability is quite low. So, if you’re going to shoot videos with a lot of movement, you’ll probably notice that the recording is a little shaky.

battery and charging

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G has a 5,000 mAh battery that offers good autonomy in general. In our standard test, the result was quite satisfactory: after running several apps — such as social networks, games and messengers — and alternating with a few hours of screen on and off, consumption was only 23%. In this scenario, it is estimated that it reaches 26 hours of battery on a charge.

That makes it among the best phones we’ve tested this year. Better than him, only the Redmi Note 12 5G, which consumed 22%, and the Doogee V30T, which only spent 16%, but has a battery of 10,800 mAh.

It does not have a very fast charge and therefore takes just over 1 hour to go from 0 to 100%. It’s not bad, since it’s within the average for common cell phones that don’t focus on fast charging.

direct competitors

The main competitors of the Redmi Note 12 4G are the Galaxy A24 and the Moto G23. The three models have a limited connection to 4G, so they are more suitable for those who live in a region that has not yet benefited from the new generation network.

The chipset is different in each model, but they are almost equivalent in practice. While Redmi has a Snapdragon 685, Samsung has the Helio G99, and Motorola has the Helio G85. The combination of memory and storage is the same: 4 GB + 128 GB on all three devices.

As for photography, the three smartphones have a 50 MP main sensor aided by an ultrawide camera and a macro camera. The difference is that the ultrawide of the Xiaomi model has more resolution, with 8 MP against 5 MP of the other two. For selfies, however, Redmi and Samsung have a 13MP sensor, while Motorola has 16MP.

In practice, however, the post-processing work makes a difference and, in this regard, Samsung cell phones, in general, tend to do better — as seen in many brand reviews, despite the fact that the A24 has not yet gone through our tests. hands.

Finally, the most important thing is the price range and they are all in the range of R$ 1,200 to R$ 1,400 – as long as you consider the import price of the Redmi, since the official value of the model in the country exceeds the house of BRL 2,000.

Redmi Note 12 4G: good battery, but performance leaves something to be desired

The Redmi Note 12 4G is a cell phone that, unfortunately, deviates from the rule of cost-effectiveness for which Xiaomi has become known around the world. Not that the cell phone is expensive — quite the contrary, it is even affordable, but the performance is not as expected.

It manages to run day-to-day tasks well and won’t let a less demanding user down. However, it can have a little trouble running games and even suffer a little in the simplest titles.

The cameras are also not very pleasing, but you can’t expect much from an “intermediate entry” cell phone. He is capable of taking the occasional record, but not the most elaborate photographs.

The battery, on the other hand, is its main strength and it performed very well in our tests, with an expectation of lasting more than a day.

Still, though, putting it side-by-side with competitors, it might not make as much sense. Motorola and Samsung already have alternatives — also launched earlier this year — that better justify the price for anyone looking to pay something in the region of R$ 1,200.

🛒 See Redmi Note 12 4G offers at Magazine Luiza

🛒 See Redmi Note 12 4G deals on Amazon

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