Xiaomi is no stranger to launching multiple variants of its smartphone models for different price brackets and regions, and its latest budget-friendly handset is evidence of that – known as the Redmi 12, the phone was recently announced for global markets, and is competitively-priced for folks after an affordable Android phone.
While it does come with a very appealing price tag, there are some caveats with regards to the overall hardware package – this is a budget phone, after all. What can you expect from the latest Redmi phone though? Let’s take a look.
Design and Display
In terms of external hardware styling, there’s nothing remarkable about the Redmi 12. While it might look like a ton of other Android phones out there, the design does have that current Xiaomi design element to it. The chassis is made out of plastic, which is unsurprising given the affordable price tag. The phone features flat sides, and your usual array of hardware buttons on the right-hand side, with charging and speaker ports located on the bottom. The phone also comes with biometrics via a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
On the front you’ll find a 6.79-inch LCD display, which features an FHD resolution in addition to a 90hz refresh rate. It’s a nice to see 90Hz refresh rate displays make their way to more and more budget phones, and it’s a much-welcome addition to the Redmi 12’s spec sheet. This entire set-up comes with IP53 certification for a bit of added splash resistance.
Internals and Software
The phone is powered by MediaTek’s Helio G88 chipset, so there’s no Dimensity action going on here. The G88 is joined by either 4GB or up to 8GB of RAM (depending on regional availability) and a choice of 128 or 256GB of internal storage, with expansion for micro SD storage. It’s a very common hardware setup, something that’s been seen before on other handsets both from Redmi and other brands.
The phone runs on Android, although it is layered with Xiaomi’s proprietary MIUI software platform, which means that the device will come with a set of pre-installed apps both from Xiaomi and third parties. One big caveat however is that the phone will come with 4G connectivity, so users after 5G might want to look elsewhere.
Cameras and Battery
In terms of photography hardware, the Redmi 12 packs a 50MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro lens. The front of the phone comes with a hole punch cutout that houses an 8MP camera for video calls and selfies. Inside the Redmi 12 is a 5,000 mAh battery, although users might have to do a bit of waiting since the phone only comes with 18W charging speeds.
The phone is expected to be priced at around €199 for European markets, and we can probably expect similar pricing once it becomes available in the UK.
