We’re dealing with something of an epidemic of four-star phones right now, and following a quick look at their specs, it looks like this Xiaomi 12 Lite review might be another example. From the OnePlus Nord CE 2 and Oppo Find X5 Lite to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G and many other good (but not great) Android phones, it’s clear that when everything is good enough, nothing really stands out.
So what is Xiaomi doing to give its 12 Lite an edge? Well, for starters, it covers the basics: a sleek design available in vibrant colors; Fluid AMOLED display; very fast charging and an in-display fingerprint scanner. It has it all, but so do most of the other best smartphones out there.
What’s interesting is the Xiaomi 12 Lite’s front camera: not only is there a selfie light to make the most of your beautiful face, but there’s also autofocus for selfies with more natural depth, and Xiaomi it also has eye tracking and intelligent software included to improve selfies.
However, the 12 Lite arrives with one of the smallest batteries we’ve seen in a phone in 2022, not to mention Xiaomi’s infamous UI and bloatware. So the question arises: can this featherweight from the Asian giant outperform the rest of the competition? Follow us to find out.
What is the price of the Xiaomi 12 Lite
As of now, the global launch of Xiaomi 12 Lite has been announced, but neither the specific regions nor the dates when it will arrive have been confirmed. However, one thing we do know is that the phone is available in three colors and with three memory capacities.
The starting price of the 12 Lite is €399 (around MXN 8,200) for the version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. There is another version for €449 (regarding 9205 MXN) with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage for those who usually do everything on their phone.
What is the design of the Xiaomi 12 Lite
With a simple yet elegant design, the Xiaomi 12 Lite is a slim piece with curved corners and flat sides, front and back. Many phones share a similar style – the iPhone 13, Honor X8 and Oppo Reno 4 Z 5G – but the frosted finish of the 12 Lite adds a richness to the touch.
With plastic sides, a Gorilla Glass display and a glass back, the 12 Lite doesn’t look like a high-end phone, but it doesn’t look cheap either. The flat sides are easy to grip, the frosted back feels nice (although a bit slippery) and the phone is light (173g) and thin (7.3mm) – that’s just 1g more lightweight and 1mm thinner than an iPhone 13. Coincidence? Hmmm, we don’t think so.
There is a harbor USB-C at the bottom, as well as a speaker and a SIM slot, and all the buttons are on the right side (when facing the screen).
Xiaomi is adept at putting rich, slick, and eye-catching displays on its affordable phones, and the Xiaomi 12 Lite carries on the tradition with flying colors. The screen is large enough to comfortably slide your fingers and watch movies or series, but at 6.55 inchesit is not exactly big, far from it.
With screen technology AMOLED combined with credentials you wouldn’t always expect for the price (HDR10+ and Dolby Vision), this phone lets you view content dynamically and fluidly.
camera and camera
Xiaomi’s 12 Lite will delight selfie lovers with its high-end front camera. With 32-megapixel resolution and an f/2.45 lens, the secret weapons for selfies are autofocus (something most front cameras don’t have) and two LED lights subtly hidden within the screen frame. .
The main three-camera setup of the Xiaomi 12 Lite consists of a 108 MP main camera with f/1.9 lens, an 8 MP ultra wide-angle camera with f/2.2 lens and a field of view of 120º, and a macro camera 2. MP.
The Xiaomi 12 Lite’s main camera is the same crisp 108MP camera that Xiaomi packed into the excellent Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro in 2021. Obviously the results are very similar, with plenty of detail but unprocessed processing. bit rude. The camera is relatively quick to turn on and take pictures, and quick to start, and Xiaomi incorporates many shooting modes.
When shooting in auto mode, photos are reduced from 108 MP to 12 MP. By lowering the resolution, Xiaomi boosts contrast and saturation to ensure your photos are Instagram-ready, but you lose object detail and shadows in the process.
What’s under the hood?
The Xiaomi 12 Lite sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, which is one of those processors that’s powerful enough for most, but relatively power efficient.
Able to navigate daily tasks without a hitch, the only times we noticed the phone had to catch its breath was when we turned it on: it took a minute for all our apps to appear on screen . However, once turned on, the 12 Lite handled multiple apps and games without a hitch.
performer Android 12 with MIUI 13 plus, app support is excellent, although Xiaomi’s interface is cumbersome. Many won’t care, especially if you’re coming from an iPhone, as MIUI is the most similar Android overlay to iOS. Although – on the other hand – it will disappoint Android purists, as the heavy user interfaces can be problematic.
The batteries
With its 4,300 mAh battery, Xiaomi’s 12 Lite makes us nervous: it’s one of the smallest capacity batteries we’ve seen in an Android phone for a long time.
As for battery life, despite its size, performance wasn’t as bad as we’d hoped.
In our battery test, the phone was 80% drained following a respectable 14 hours of screen time.
Unboxing: The box
In true Xiaomi style, this 12 Lite includes an IR blaster on top, to launch the Mi Remote app and control your TV or other compatible IR device. Finally, on the back, there’s a stepped camera frame with three raised lenses.
Unlike Apple, Samsung and Sony, Xiaomi includes everything needed to charge it in the box, which is useful given that the 12 Lite phone supports the brand’s proprietary 67W fast charging. There’s also a soft plastic case to protect it from bumps and a pre-installed screen protector.
Conclusion
In the end, we’re very happy with the size, feel, and finish of the 12 Lite. From the color-matched back and frame, to its relatively anti-fingerprint finish, to its perfect size for little hands, and its slim weight… Not to mention that wonderfully soft feel when you hold it in your hand.
