Xiaomi unveils new Redmi Note 12 Pro phones: More capable than ever

Xiaomi today announced two new members to the Redmi Note series, its long-running lineup of capable and affordable Android phones. With intriguing new cameras and design encompassing features nowhere to be seen on most mid-range phones, the spic-and-span Redmi Note 12 Pro and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ are definitely noteworthy additions to Xiaomi’s 2023 portfolio.

Price and release date

We don’t have any price or release date information just yet, but from our past experience with the Redmi Note lineup, it should be priced extremely aggressively, delivering excellent value to the mid-range segment. However, just like previous phones of the series, it most certainly won’t be available in the US, but multiple other regions across the globe are definitely a go.

Design & display

With a sleek metal design and flat frame that is as trendy as it gets, both the Redmi Note 12 Pro and the Pro+ definitely look the part for 2023. Available in three classic colors (Polar White, Sky Blue, and Midnight Black), those two devices are IP53 splash-resistant and boast Gorilla Glass 5 at the front.

Redmi Note 12 Pro

Either new Redmi Note phone has a fingerprint scanner embedded right into the side-positioned wake button, so it should be very fast and unlock the phone extremely fast when you place your thumb on it. There’s also photo-based face unlock, which shouldn’t be as secure as a traditional fingerprint. Oh, and we get both an IR blaster and a 3.5mm audio jack on both phones, two signature features of Xiaomi’s mid-rangers that fans of the lineup will undoubtedly cherish.

Hardware and performance

Powering both phones is one and the same chipset, a 6nm octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset with a 2.6GHz clock speed. However, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a bit more impressive in this regard, as it’s outfitted with a dedicated thermal cooling solution, utilizing a large 3,000mm² heat dissipation are that should do a good job keping the phone running at top gear for longer periods of time. Completing the main hardware aspects of Xiaomi’s latest are also up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM as well as up to 256GB of UFS2.2 storage, non-expandable.

Camera

While both phones utilize triple-camera systems, there’s a very big difference in the camera department. In particular, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ comes with an impressive 200MP camera, similar to the one that landed on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It is powered by a large 1/1.4-inch sensor with 0.56um pixels, and utilizies two types of pixel binning depending on the lighting scenarios, either 4-in-1 or 16-in-1 depedning on the situation.

Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 12 Pro comes with a slightly less impressive 50MP F1.88 camera with a 1/1.56″ sensor that utilizes quad-binning. The rest of the camera loadout is similar on both phones: we get an 8MP ultra-wide F2.2 camera as well as a 2MP macro shooter. Both new Redmi Note phones will snap selfies with a 16MP F2.45 front-facing snapper. 

Battery and charging

While both device score the same 5,000mAh battery, there’s a big difference in how fast each phone charges up. While the Redmi Note 12 Pro is outfitted with a 67W charging solution (decent by all means), it’s the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ that steals the show with its super-fast 120W wired charging, which should be enough to juice up the device in just 19 minutes.

The best part? Xiaomi won’t force you to buy a charger separately; each phone comes with its respective charger in the box!