Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G hands-on review

Camera

The Redmi 12 5G has a dual camera system on the back consisting of a 50MP f1.8 main camera and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a single fixed focus 8MP f2.0 camera.

The camera app is pretty straightforward. The different modes are arranged at the bottom and can be swiped through. Also at the bottom is a zoom button but instead of offering easy zoom toggles it opens up a wheel that you then have to manually slide through. At the top lie additional options but you don't have to stretch your thumb to reach them; a simple swipe down anywhere on the viewfinder opens the menu.

Camera app

One weirdness with the camera app is that HDR is disabled by default and it will turn itself off even if you enable the HDR Auto mode (those are the only two options). We tried giving the phone the benefit of the doubt by enabling HDR Auto for all our samples but it quickly got tiring. We doubt most users are going to bother, which means they simply won't benefit from the HDR feature.

Before going into the samples, it's worth mentioning that the phone has a fair bit of shutter delay. This isn't a concern if you are a slow shooter and take your time with each shot but if you are in a hurry then the phone won't be able to keep up with you. Needless to say, there isn't a burst capture mode.

The Redmi 12 5G camera has decent image quality. Colors are often quite pleasing and natural, with good white balance and saturation. Dynamic range can be weak, with highlights occasionally getting blown out. Noise in shadows was also an issue. The level of detail is adequate.

Main camera

The phone lacks telephoto cameras and the digital zoom isn't great but results up to 2x are quite usable. Unfortunately, you can't do much about the lack of an ultrawide camera.

The 50MP mode simply upscales the 12MP images and lacks fine detail beyond what you'd find in the 12MP version.

Video recording on the phone was disappointing. Even at 1080p 30fps, which is the highest supported recording resolution and frame rate, there is no stabilization of any kind, so the footage captured while moving is often unusable unless you have a gimbal or are capable of floating.

Verdict

The Redmi 12 5G impresses with its combination of premium fit and finish, large display, decent performance, and a sizable battery, all at an affordable price. The camera performance is passable and certainly acceptable for the price but it's the software experience that leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, we think the Redmi 12 5G is worth considering for those shopping on a tight budget for an undemanding user.