Xiaomi 12T Review: Exciting, But Not Exceptional

Xiaomi releases dozens of telephones yearly, so it may be arduous to determine the place new releases match within the firm’s lineup. 

The 12T Collection consists of fashions at mid-range and flagship worth factors, but it surely’s pitched as an inexpensive various to the common Xiaomi 12 and 12S Extremely. It’s the cheaper common 12T that’s our focus right here, which has high-end specs but begins at simply £499/€599.  

However how a lot is sacrificed to hit that worth, and are there higher mid-range telephones on the market? The brief reply to these questions will not be a lot, adopted by sure (for most individuals). However let me clarify in additional element. 

Design & Construct

• Premium glass design, however slippery
• Minimalist aesthetic
• Strong biometric unlocking choices

Design has been a key power of Xiaomi telephones for some time now, and that’s no totally different on the 12T. With an all-glass construct, razor-thin bezels and crowd pleasing rear cameras, it may simply be mistaken for a flagship. 

It’s no surprise Xiaomi opted for an equivalent design to the dearer 12T Professional. In reality, the one solution to inform them aside is to search for the small ‘108Mp’ textual content slightly below the primary digicam. Extra on how all 4 of the cellphone’s sensors carry out later. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The digicam module itself protrudes very barely from the again of the system, but it surely doesn’t wobble in any respect when used face-up on a desk. Making use of the silicone case included within the field makes it even much less noticeable, and provides some much-needed grip within the course of.  

With out it, you might discover the cellphone slips out of your pocket and even hand unintentionally. The massive 6.67in show makes this extra seemingly – I wouldn’t really feel protected utilizing the 12T case-free. 

Nonetheless, you may wish to select a case that doesn’t obscure the rear design. The glass on the again of the cellphone has a beautiful matt coating, that means it shimmers within the gentle however nonetheless resists most fingerprint smudges. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The black mannequin I examined resembles a darkish gray at instances, however silver and blue fashions are additionally obtainable in the event you’d want. All three undertake a comparatively minimalist aesthetic, with a small Xiaomi brand the one different characteristic of be aware on the again.

Flipping the cellphone over reveals that enormous show, which is simply interrupted by a small hole-punch notch on the prime. That’s the place you’ll discover a 20Mp selfie digicam which works nicely for face unlock, though it’s not essentially the most safe. I’d advocate utilizing the under-display fingerprint scanner as a substitute, which is mostly dependable and quicker than equal sensors on another telephones. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

One different key design characteristic is twin audio system along with the earpiece – that’s not one thing you see on many handsets lately. There are not any surprises elsewhere, although, with the common quantity and energy controls, USB-C port and SIM card tray. The latter helps twin SIM, however not expandable storage. 

At 202g, the Xiaomi 12T is pretty typical for a contemporary cellphone. Nonetheless, its dimension and weight means it’s a two-handed system just about on a regular basis.

The cellphone has a troublesome, sturdy design, but it surely lacks the IP53 mud and splash resistance of the 12T Professional.

Display & Audio system

• Wonderful OLED show
• 120Hz refresh charge and 480Hz contact sampling
• Above-average stereo audio system

I’ve talked about the show a few instances already, however let’s speak about it in additional element. The Xiaomi 12T is supplied with a 6.67in, 1220×2712 OLED panel – that’s equivalent to the 12T Professional. 

As anticipated, show is likely one of the primary causes to purchase the cellphone. It delivers a wealthy, detailed viewing expertise, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. A 1440p decision or larger would’ve been good to have, but it surely doesn’t really feel such as you’re lacking out in any respect right here.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The 12T and 12T Professional additionally share the identical 120Hz refresh charge and 480Hz contact sampling, too, with the latter a measure of what number of instances the show can register consumer contact enter each second. Mixed, they ship a silky-smooth, fluid expertise that may simply rival flagship Android handsets.

Nonetheless, the default setting permits the refresh charge to mechanically drop to 60Hz when the show is static, to be able to protect battery life. You may manually select 60Hz or 120Hz in the event you want, although. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Xiaomi claims the 12T can hit a most brightness of 900 nits, however I solely recorded 506 nits in testing. Nonetheless, that makes it simple to make use of outdoor, together with in sunny circumstances. 

The cellphone does include a display protector pre-applied, but it surely’s pretty discreet and doesn’t take away from the 12T’s design. As such, I’d advocate leaving it on. 

Audio high quality is usually sacrificed on fashionable telephones, but it surely’s clearly necessary to Xiaomi. The 12T has twin stereo audio system, and neither of them depends on the earpiece. I’m impressed by the crisp, punchy audio they produce, even at excessive volumes. 

As you may count on from a tool this dimension, it’s missing in bass and a real depth of sound. However in comparison with many of the competitors, it is a noticeable step up. For searching social media or listening to voice-based audio, it’s greater than acceptable. 

Specs & Efficiency

• Dimensity 8100 Extremely and 8GB of RAM
• Wonderful efficiency with occasional blips
• Restricted to 256GB of non-expandable storage

Telephone efficiency is closely reliant on the chipset, and it’s one of many primary methods the 12T and 12T Professional differ. Whereas the Professional is supplied with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the common mannequin opts for the Dimensity 8100 Extremely as a substitute. 

This can be a step down from the flagship Dimensity 9000+ discovered within the likes of Asus’ ROG Telephone 6D Final, but it surely’s not far off when it comes to pure efficiency.  

In reality, it really carried out higher then the 6D Final in Geekbench 5 assessments, however worse than most 8+ Gen 1-powered telephones. Sadly, most of the different benchmarks that present a extra correct comparability wouldn’t run on the Xiaomi 12T. 

Whatever the figures, combining the Dimensity 8100 Extremely with 8GB of RAM delivers glorious efficiency.  

The 12T handles all on a regular basis duties with ease, whether or not it’s searching the net, scrolling social media, watching movies or maintaining in contact with family and friends. You may even do two or extra of those on the similar time – multitasking is likely one of the cellphone’s key strengths. 

Nonetheless, it’s on no account excellent. I did discover some hesitation and a few occasional crashes, primarily whereas taking part in video games. However it could be a software program downside, and it’s actually not a motive to not purchase this cellphone. 

I used to be nonetheless capable of play most video games with out subject, though it may well’t rival a devoted gaming cellphone if that’s one thing you’re critical about. 

By way of storage, there are two choices: 128GB or 256GB. I may comfortably match all my apps and some video games on the 256GB mannequin, though there’s no help for growth through microSD. 

Software program & Options

• MIUI 13 over Android 12
• Very totally different design to different Android skins
• Three years’ OS updates, 4 years’ safety patches

The 12T nonetheless runs Android 12 relatively than Android 13, however the expertise could be very totally different right here than on Pixel telephones. Like all Xiaomi telephones, it makes use of the corporate’s customized MIUI 13 pores and skin over Google’s OS, and there’s a particular studying curve in the event you haven’t used Xiaomi telephones earlier than. 

Normally, MIUI is extra vibrant and vibrant than so-called ‘inventory’ Android. The icons are sq. relatively than round, whereas the short settings menu has a very totally different design. You’ll additionally have to swipe down from the top-right to entry the latter; a swipe from the highest left opens the notification shade as a substitute. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

However undoubtedly essentially the most irritating factor about MIUI is the bloatware. Xiaomi pre-installs loads of software program on its telephones, most of which may’t be eliminated. On the 12T, you’ll discover the corporate’s personal apps for safety, file administration, themes, music, video, climate and lots of extra. Having the choice to put in them is okay, however they shouldn’t be compelled on you.  

When you don’t just like the design of MIUI, you may simply swap it out for one more launcher from the Play Retailer. However there’s nothing you are able to do in regards to the bloatware – even in the event you don’t plan to make use of any of those apps. 

By way of software program updates, Xiaomi now commits to a few years of OS updates and 4 years of safety patches. Meaning it’ll get Android 15 (assuming that’s what it’s known as) and help till 2026 – roughly according to most Android cellphone makers lately. 

Cameras & Video

• Wonderful 108Mp primary lens
• 8Mp ultrawide nonetheless very usable
• Nice selfies from 20Mp entrance lens

The Xiaomi 12T Professional’s 200Mp digicam is the headline-maker, however the common mannequin isn’t far behind. Its primary sensor drops right down to 108Mp, however that’s nonetheless the next megapixel depend than most telephones available on the market. 

Smartphone picture high quality is simply as reliant on software program as {hardware}, and I’m happy to report it’s an excellent primary lens. Stills from the primary lens are vibrant, detailed and provide stable dynamic vary, though the picture produced is usually a saturated model of actuality. 

It’s notably adept when there’s a transparent topic in body – St Pancras within the solar was an actual spotlight. A lot of my check pictures mixed pure and synthetic landscapes, and it captured each very nicely. 

Cameras on smartphones typically overexpose the sky, however that wasn’t the case on the 12T. It even dealt with some difficult pictures involving direct daylight with none noticeable impression on high quality. 

My primary grievance is that it’s not essentially the most dependable. I discovered myself taking just a few pictures in some situations earlier than getting a picture I used to be proud of. That is nice when you have time to spare, however the Xiaomi 12T isn’t the most suitable choice if you wish to shortly take a terrific picture. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There’s no devoted depth sensor, so that you’ll be counting on the primary digicam and software program for a portrait-style mode. You may get a beautiful background blur, but it surely struggles so much with edge detection. 

As with most smartphones, there’s additionally a software-based ‘Night time’ mode. It does protect some particulars which might in any other case have been misplaced, however low-light pictures are brightened and sharped so much by default. 

I used to be involved that dropping all the best way right down to an 8Mp ultra-wide lens would make me reluctant to make use of it. Photographs aren’t fairly as clear or crisp as the primary digicam, however they’re nonetheless greater than usable. For a lot of panorama pictures, having that 120° field-of-view was an actual plus. 

Even the 2Mp macro lens isn’t ineffective, however I doubt you’ll be utilizing it regularly. 

On the entrance, Xiaomi has managed to cram a 20Mp lens right into a tiny hole-punch. It’s actually paid off, with selfies from the 12T among the many finest you’ll discover on any smartphone.  

My face was constantly detailed and well-lit, however you can nonetheless clearly make out parts of the background. Simply be sure to flip off the wonder mode first – it’s enabled by default. 

The Xiaomi 12T helps video at as much as 4K at 30fps, whereas OIS on the primary lens helps preserve every part regular.  

That is additionally the place you may have some enjoyable, with choices for tremendous slo-mo video (as much as 960fps), twin video (from the back and front digicam concurrently) and a devoted vlog mode. Good luck discovering all these options, although – the digicam app is extra complicated than it must be. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Battery Life & Charging

• 5,000mAh capability
• Sub-par battery life
• Tremendous-fast 120W wired charging

The Xiaomi 12T is supplied with a big 5,000mAh battery – the identical as you’ll discover on the 12T Professional.  

That implies it may well comfortably final a full day, even with the excessive refresh charge show. With the brightness set to a reasonably typical 200 nits, my results of 10 hours and 47 minutes on PCMark’s battery check is roughly what you’d count on from a premium Android cellphone. 

Nonetheless, that doesn’t fairly align with my expertise. Possibly I’ve been spoiled by the 6,000mAh capability on the most recent ROG Telephones, however I discovered battery life to be underwhelming. Even set to 60Hz, it solely nearly made it by means of a full day on a single cost. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

This did embrace utilizing cell information and GPS at comparatively excessive brightness, however these are all to be anticipated when out and about. Because the night approached, I discovered myself dialling down these settings to verify it wouldn’t run out of energy. 

The scenario wasn’t a lot worse at larger refresh charges, however I used to be nonetheless anticipating higher, 

But when battery life is compromised barely, charging is something however. By way of the 120Hz charger included within the field, you may count on a full cost in below half an hour. When you simply want a fast top-up, I recorded 65% from off in simply quarter-hour. 

Pricing & Availability

The Xiaomi 12T’s affordability is likely one of the huge issues in its favour. You’ll wrestle to search out higher specs for its £499/€599 beginning worth, whereas even stepping as much as the mannequin I examined with 256GB of storage will solely value you £549/€599. 

However in the event you purchase the entry-level mannequin between now and 24 October, you will get it for simply £399 within the UK. That’s unbelievable worth for cash, and places it in direct competitors with most of the finest mid-range telephones you should buy. 

For pure energy and digicam prowess, you received’t discover something that may beat the 12T at this worth level. However the likes of the Pixel 6a and OnePlus Nord 2T nonetheless present a extra well-rounded expertise for on a regular basis utilization. 

Like all Xiaomi telephones, it’s not obtainable within the US. 

Verdict

The 12T is a protected launch in comparison with the 12T Professional, but it surely nonetheless excels in additional methods than one.  

Efficiency from Dimensity 8100 Extremely is excellent, regardless of the occasional app crash or stutter. Every thing appears to be like nice on the 6.67in OLED show, particularly when mixed with a 120Hz refresh charge and 480Hz contact sampling. 

That 108Mp primary digicam is one other spotlight, however all 4 lenses on the 12T maintain their very own. With a slick, premium design and fast 120W charging, there’s so much to love right here. 

However in change for these charging speeds, you’ll should deal with underwhelming battery life. Xiaomi’s MIUI pores and skin over Android 12 additionally leaves so much to be desired. 

When you can look past these inconveniences, the Xiaomi 12T is a wonderful cellphone – particularly for the value. However for the common client, another mid-range cellphone will go well with you higher.

Specs

• 6.67in, 1220×2712 OLED
• 120Hz refresh charge, 480Hz contact sampling
• MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Extremely chipset
• 8GB RAM
• 128/256GB non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage
• 5,000mAh battery
• 120W wired charging
• 108Mp f/1.7 primary digicam
• 8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide digicam
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro digicam
• 20Mp f/2.2 entrance digicam
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Gorilla Glass 5
• 63.1mm x 75.9mm x 8.6 mm
• 202g