Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G review

Design and ergonomics

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G adopts a slightly different design than its 5G sibling. While the latter has oval shapes and a curved back, the former has a more blocky style with sharp edges and a flat frame. In fact, the device looks and feels like last year's Xiaomi 12 Lite, which had the same design language. Even the camera island on the back is similar. And despite its low price, the device is IP53-certified against dust and splashes.

Aside from the front glass, the whole chassis is made of plastic. The back panel has a frosted finish (we have the Ice Blue color for review), it doesn't attract fingerprints so easily and as we already mentioned, it's completely flat. The frosted finish is nice to the touch, but it isn't fooling anyone; it's not glass.

The camera piece has rounded corners and sharp edges and houses all three cameras along with the LED flash. It's really simple, and it doesn't stick out as much. However, it causes the phone to wobble when placed on a flat surface.

The sides are also flat and made of plastic. Interestingly, the audio jack is placed on the top side next to the IR blaster, while the bottom is home to the USB-C connector and the loudspeaker grille. This leaves the SIM + microSD card tray on the left and the power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader and the volume rocker on the right.

The power button is easy to reach with your thumb but the volume rocker requires some stretching.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G

The front panel is business as usual - we've got a fairly small centered cutout for the selfie camera, thin side bezels and a rather thick bottom lip. Not that we've expected thin bezels all-around, given the price tag. And even though the front glass isn't curved, it sticks out from the frame just a little and it's not sharp to the touch. It definitely feels nice.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G

For a budget-friendly 6.67-inch device, the Redmi Note 12 4G is quite lightweight and thin. The profile measures just under 8mm (7.9mm to be exact) and tips the scale at 183.5 grams. We also liked the overall build and we didn't find any unwanted gaps or ridges. The flat design may be appealing to some but we believe it might not be everyone's cup of tea. You will need to hold it to know if you can handle the big dimensions and sharp edges.