Xiaomi 12T review

Value When Reviewed

From €599

Greatest Costs Right now: Xiaomi 12T

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

The 12T Sequence contains fashions at mid-range and flagship worth factors, but it surely’s pitched as an inexpensive different 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 quick reply to these questions just isn’t 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 energy 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 attention-grabbing rear cameras, it might simply be mistaken for a flagship. 

It’s no marvel Xiaomi opted for an an identical design to the costlier 12T Professional. The truth is, the one method to inform them aside is to search for the small ‘108Mp’ textual content just under the primary digital camera. Extra on how all 4 of the telephone’s sensors carry out later. 

The digital camera module itself protrudes very barely from the again of the machine, 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 telephone slips out of your pocket and even hand unintentionally. The massive 6.67in show makes this extra possible – I wouldn’t really feel secure utilizing the 12T case-free. 

Nonetheless, you may need to select a case that doesn’t obscure the rear design. The glass on the again of the telephone has a gorgeous matt coating, that means it shimmers within the mild 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 accessible if you happen to’d choose. All three undertake a comparatively minimalist aesthetic, with a small Xiaomi brand the one different characteristic of observe on the again.

Flipping the telephone over reveals that giant show, which is barely interrupted by a small hole-punch notch on the high. That’s the place you’ll discover a 20Mp selfie digital camera which works nicely for face unlock, though it’s not essentially the most safe. I’d suggest utilizing the under-display fingerprint scanner as an alternative, 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 telephone. Nonetheless, its measurement and weight means it’s a two-handed machine just about on a regular basis.

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

Display & Audio system

• Glorious 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 provided with a 6.67in, 1220×2712 OLED panel – that’s an identical to the 12T Professional. 

As anticipated, show is among the most important causes to purchase the telephone. It delivers a wealthy, detailed viewing expertise, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. A 1440p decision or greater 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

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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 person 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, as a way to protect battery life. You may manually select 60Hz or 120Hz if you happen to choose, 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 straightforward to make use of outside, together with in sunny situations. 

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

Audio high quality is usually sacrificed on trendy telephones, but it surely’s clearly vital 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 measurement, it’s missing in bass and a real depth of sound. However in comparison with a lot of the competitors, it is a noticeable step up. For looking social media or listening to voice-based audio, it’s greater than acceptable. 

Specs & Efficiency

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

Cellphone efficiency is closely reliant on the chipset, and it’s one of many most important methods the 12T and 12T Professional differ. Whereas the Professional is provided with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the common mannequin opts for the Dimensity 8100 Extremely as an alternative. 

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

The truth is, it truly carried out higher then the 6D Final in Geekbench 5 checks, 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 looking 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 among the telephone’s key strengths. 

Nonetheless, it’s under no circumstances good. I did discover some hesitation and a few occasional crashes, primarily whereas enjoying video games. However it might be a software program downside, and it’s definitely not a cause to not purchase this telephone. 

I used to be nonetheless in a position to play most video games with out difficulty, though it may possibly’t rival a devoted gaming telephone if that’s one thing you’re critical about. 

When it comes to storage, there are two choices: 128GB or 256GB. I might comfortably match all my apps and some video games on the 256GB mannequin, though there’s no assist for enlargement 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 if you happen to haven’t used Xiaomi telephones earlier than. 

On the whole, 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 must swipe down from the top-right to entry the latter; a swipe from the highest left opens the notification shade as an alternative. 

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 ok, however they shouldn’t be compelled on you.  

When you don’t just like the design of MIUI, you possibly can 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 if you happen to don’t plan to make use of any of those apps. 

When it comes to software program updates, Xiaomi now commits to a few years of OS updates and 4 years of safety patches. Which means it’ll get Android 15 (assuming that’s what it’s referred to as) and assist till 2026 – roughly in step with most Android telephone makers lately. 

Cameras & Video

• Glorious 108Mp most important lens
• 8Mp ultrawide nonetheless very usable
• Nice selfies from 20Mp entrance lens

The Xiaomi 12T Professional’s 200Mp digital camera is the headline-maker, however the common mannequin isn’t far behind. Its most important sensor drops right down to 108Mp, however that’s nonetheless a better 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 most important lens. Stills from the primary lens are vibrant, detailed and supply 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. Lots of my take a look at 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 affect on high quality. 

My most important grievance is that it’s not essentially the most dependable. I discovered myself taking just a few pictures in some eventualities earlier than getting a picture I used to be pleased with. That is fantastic if in case you have time to spare, however the Xiaomi 12T isn’t the best choice if you wish to rapidly take an incredible picture. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

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

As with most smartphones, there’s additionally a software-based ‘Evening’ mode. It does protect some particulars which might in any other case have been misplaced, however low-light pictures are brightened and sharped loads 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. Pictures aren’t fairly as clear or crisp as the primary digital camera, 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 frequently. 

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

My face was constantly detailed and well-lit, however you could possibly nonetheless clearly make out components 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 thing regular.  

That is additionally the place you possibly can have some enjoyable, with choices for tremendous slo-mo video (as much as 960fps), twin video (from the back and front digital camera concurrently) and a devoted vlog mode. Good luck discovering all these options, although – the digital camera 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 provided with a big 5,000mAh battery – the identical as you’ll discover on the 12T Professional.  

That implies it may possibly 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 take a look at is roughly what you’d count on from a premium Android telephone. 

Nonetheless, that doesn’t fairly align with my expertise. Perhaps 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 way 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 greater 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 possibly can count on a full cost in underneath 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 among the huge issues in its favour. You’ll battle to seek 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 price you £549/€599. 

However if you happen to purchase the entry-level mannequin between now and 24 October, you may get it for simply £399 in the UK. That’s unbelievable worth for cash, and places it in direct competitors with most of the greatest mid-range telephones you should purchase. 

For pure energy and digital camera prowess, you gained’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 accessible within the US. 

Verdict

The 12T is a secure 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. The whole lot appears nice on the 6.67in OLED show, particularly when mixed with a 120Hz refresh charge and 480Hz contact sampling. 

That 108Mp most important digital camera 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 loads to love right here. 

However in change for these charging speeds, you’ll must take care of underwhelming battery life. Xiaomi’s MIUI pores and skin over Android 12 additionally leaves loads to be desired. 

When you can look past these inconveniences, the Xiaomi 12T is a superb telephone – particularly for the worth. However for the common client, another mid-range telephone will swimsuit 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 most important digital camera
• 8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro digital camera
• 20Mp f/2.2 entrance digital camera
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Gorilla Glass 5
• 63.1mm x 75.9mm x 8.6 mm
• 202g