The Chinese giant Xiaomi wants to win once morest Apple and its iPhone 13 Pro Max, Samsung and its Galaxy S22 Ultraor even Oppo and its Find X 5 Pro. But to box in the heavyweight category, it is necessary to have beyond ambition, arguments. On paper, the Xiaomi 12 Pro seems a perfect challenger once morest the juggernauts of competition. But is it worth it? To find out, “20 Minutes” tested it for several weeks. Verdict!
Screen and sound border on perfection
There is no doubt that Xiaomi, renowned for its well-equipped smartphones at a tight price, also wants to play in the big leagues. Its Xiaomi 12 Pro bears witness to this, which has an exciting technical sheet.
Once in hand, we are instantly seduced by the quality of the impressive 6.73-inch screen of this 5G smartphone. WQHD + (3200 x 1440 pixels), it is also adaptive. This specificity allows it to adapt the refresh of its display from 60 Hz to 120 Hz: the more dynamic the video content, the more the display frequency increases. Consequence: increased fluidity, which is important for video games.
Very bright, offering vibrant colors, the screen of the Xiaomi 12 Pro doubles as support for four speakers. Just that… After the eyes, it’s the ears that are spellbound. The audio reproduction offered is gaining in scope. But we are also surprised by the quality of the bass developed, as good as it can be with a smartphone… As a result, we gladly do without headphones or Bluetooth earphones to watch our favorite TV series. . Dolby Atmos compatibility is assured.
50 million pixels and some shortcomings
But it is obviously on the photo and the video that we expected the new flagship of the Chinese firm. Aligning a trio of 50-megapixel* rear sensors, the Xiaomi 12 Pro doesn’t set the bar as high as one might imagine. Many predicted that its main sensor would be 108 megapixels.
Remains a hitch ready for most situations. If it lacks agility in ultra wide-angle (with photos sometimes suffering from a lack of detail), as well as in Portrait mode (with sometimes random clipping), Xiaomi’s latest toy nevertheless satisfies most of the expectations.
It stands out especially in low light, or even with its relevant 2x optical zoom, although it does not (and for good reason) come close to the incredible 10x optical zoom of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. For their part, the selfies delivered in 32 megapixels are precise with an infinity of details in the hair, the hairs of the beard… For the video, the 12 Pro films up to 4K at 60 images per second and in 8K at 24 images / second. The quality is therefore really there, even if the Xiaomi 12 Pro does not do better than its direct competitors.
Less than 30 minutes to refuel
The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen processor. This power monster seems a bit greedy, however. Despite its 4600 mAh battery, the 12 Pro does not pass the course of the day of use (ten hours of use, at most). Consolation: it is compatible with 120 Watts wired charging and comes with the charger to this. Result: it takes barely 30 minutes to fully charge the smartphone, which distinguishes it from all. With its 80 watt charger, the Oppo Find X5 Pro fills up in 35 minutes.
A good alternative
In the ring, the flagship from Xiaomi has nothing to be ashamed of, even if the devil is sometimes in the details. The smartphone does not have an IP protection index once morest dust and water. And while its screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus which guarantees its resistance, its satin matte back is easily scratched as we found, when we had placed the smartphone in a trouser pocket with… a simple key.
Sold for 1,099 euros (12 GB + 256 GB), the Xiaomi 12 Pro is therefore an alternative to the larger ones. The competitor will undoubtedly be able to do well with potential one-off and aggressive commercial offers, such as during the French Days until May 9, during which it is possible to offer it on sale for 949 euros.
* 50 megapixel wide angle (f/1.9); 50 megapixel ultra wide angle (f/1.9); 50 megapixel telephoto lens, with 2x optical zoom.
