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Introduction
We will be the first to admit that the ever-expanding Xiaomi phone family has been hard to keep track of. We have it easy with the just announced Xiaomi 12T and the 12T Pro, as it's easy to see how they come to replace the Xiaomi 11T and Xiaomi 11T Pro. The new devices underpin the positioning of the T-series as a sort of "budget flagships" with a clear focus on camera prowess.
The spotlight feature on the 12T Pro is its 200MP main camera. It is based on the Samsung-made ISOCELL HP1 sensor - a powerful piece of camera kit that we only recently saw in action for the first time in our Motorola Edge 30 Ultra review. The HP1 is a 1/1.22" imager with an f/1.69 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). It brings 16-1 pixel binning in various resolutions that go from 12.5MP stills with a 2.56µm pixel pitch to 50MP stills (1.28µm pixels) or natively at 200MP (0.64µm pixels), depending on your needs.
Xiaomi 12T Pro specs at a glance:
- Body: 163.1x75.9x8.6mm, 205g; plastic body, glass back, Gorilla Glass 5 front.
- Display: 6.67" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1220x2712px resolution, 20.01:9 aspect ratio, 446ppi, 1920Hz PWM dimming, 480Hz touch sampling rate.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 12, MIUI 13.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 200 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.22", 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree, 1/4", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.47", 0.8µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 120W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Infrared port; stereo speakers (Dolby Atmos, Harman Kardon).
Beyond the camera, the Xiaomi 12T Pro also offers a high-end 6.67-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display. It's dubbed CrystalRes due to its higher than usual resolution of 1220 x 2712 pixels and an extra crisp 446 ppi. The screen also has Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certification. It's not quite the LTPO panel on some of the Xiaomi 12 and 12S series, but still a great piece of hardware.
And other 12T Pro highlights also include stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon with Dolby Atmos support and a large 5,000 mAh battery with 120W HyperCharge.
But first, let's start with a tour of the Xiaomi 12T Pro retail box.
Unboxing
The Xiaomi 12T Pro ships in a standard two-piece cardboard box. It is quite sturdy, despite not including any plastic, which is great to see. Externally, it's not particularly shiny or flashy, not unlike the phone it carries.
The included accessory package is pretty plentiful by today's standards. First and foremost, the Xiaomi 12T Pro comes with a 120W HyperCharge charger in the box. It has a rated output of 5V@3A, 9V@3A, 11V@6A and 20V@6A. Unfortunately, Xiaomi's HyperCharge technology is still proprietary. Instead of relying on something standard like USB Power Delivery, it uses its own communication between the phone and charger, which is done through a USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable. The cable comes in the box as well; you better hold on to it alongside the charger since it is a proprietary cable with extra pins. You need it to get the fast charging working.
Xiaomi is also kind enough to include a nice transparent TPU case for the 12T Pro inside the box. You can slap it on and start using the phone immediately without worrying about its safety. There is no Type-C to 3.5 jack adaptor in the box, though.
Design
The Xiaomi 12T Pro has a very classic design that borders on boring at times. The overall look is very subdued and serious. The pack panel is curved in a very natural and palm-friendly manner.
The 12T Pro measures 163.1 x 75.9 x 8.6 mm and tips the scale at 205 grams. It feels dense and nicely balanced with a solid grip to it. Not too heavy nor too light.
The back panel has a slightly frosted finish, which helps with fingerprints and other dirt quite well. The finish is also anti-glare, so don't expect the 12T Pro to catch any fancy and playful reflections as you use it. Once again, this design means business.
The same goes for the color selection. You can have the 12T Pro in Black, Silver or Blue. All of these with nicely color-matched camera islands and no additional color accents to speak of.
Speaking of the camera island, it has a very familiar arrangement, shared by many recent Xiaomi devices. We personally like the large rectangular main sensor and the overall shape of the island around it. The subtle separator lines between the two additional camera sensors also look nice and complement the rest of the design, as subtle as it may be.
There is nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy about the front side of the 12T Pro. Honestly, it's as straight-forward as they come - relatively thin bezels around a flat display and a punch hole camera. Just what you want for a boardroom meeting.
Looking at the phone from the side reveals one slight oddity with how the display assembly works. Xiaomi decided not to extend the middle frame of the phone up onto the display assembly to cover its sides. As a result, the 12T Pro sort of has the slightly odd "dual frame" thing going from the side.
Materials and build quality
There are no surprises in the construction department either. The Xiaomi 12T Pro feels solid and very well put together. Everything is nicely packed together.
Xiaomi employed a typical "glass sandwich" construction scheme for the 12T Pro. A solid plastic middle frame holds everything together, and two pieces of glass are glued on either side.
The front is Corning Gorilla Glass 5, while the back is glass as well but of undisclosed make. We'd be the first to admit that Gorilla Glass 5 sounds like a downgrade compared to the Xiaomi 11T Pro, which came out with Victus.
Both devices share the IP53 ingress protection rating. It means you get the extra peace of mind that you can use your device in humid weather, but not much than that.
Even so, it is a very well-constructed device that feels solid in every sense of the word. Plus, there is a red rubber gasket clearly visible on the SIM card tray, so unofficially the Xiaomi 12T Pro could probably survive a short dip in fresh water.
Controls and connectivity
There is nothing particularly odd or out of place in the control scheme and layout of the Xiaomi 12T Pro. The power button and volume rocker are on the right-hand side. Both are well positioned and comfortable to use. That's kind of surprising, given their thinness. Still, Xiaomi did a great job optimizing their feel and travel.
The left side of the phone is entirely empty with no controls.
The top of the phone houses one of the two speakers from the 12T Pro's stereo setup. It is interesting to note that despite having two dedicated speakers in our testing, the 12T Pro appears to also be using its earpiece for multimedia output. Perhaps Dolby or Harman Kardon has a hand in that decision for the sake of its Atmos tuning, but we'll inspect that more closely in the audio test section of this review.
The secondary noise-canceling microphone and an IR blaster are on the phone's top side, which is all quite common.
The bottom of the 12T Pro houses the other dedicated speaker and the main microphone. The dual nano-SIM card slot is also here.
The Type-C port can do up to 120W of charging using Xiaomi HyperCHarge tech. Beyond that, it is a bit disappointing in its capabilities since it is just wired for USB 2.0 data transfer speeds and lacks anything fancy like video output. It can do audio out and supports USB Host mode for attaching accessories like a mouse and/or keyboard.
Speaking of the Type-C port, this is as good a place as any to note that the Xiaomi 12T Pro lacks a 3.5mm audio jack, expandable storage and a notification LED. However, that last one is hardly surprising on a modern phone.
The 12T Pro has an optical under-display fingerprint reader. It is very fast and reliable. We have absolutely no complaints about it.
While we are discussing the front of the device, we should mention that it has a proper hardware proximity sensor nestled in a small area on the top bezel above the display, to the right of the selfie camera. Next to it is an stk3bcx light sensor, and Xiaomi claims there is a second one on the back too. The 12T Pro also has a lsm6dso accelerometer+gyroscope combo on board and a qmc630x magnetometer. There is no barometer here, unlike on the Xiaomi 11T Pro
In terms of wireless connectivity, the Xiaomi 12T Pro supports SA/NSA 5G on both of its SIM slots. There is also Bluetooth 5.2 on board as well as Wi-Fi 6 (ax). Our 12T Pro review unit has NFC as well, but that feature is market-dependent.
Gorgeous 120Hz 6.67-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display
The display is definitely one of the Xiaomi 12T Pro's highlights. This is a seriously good panel, no matter how you view it (even literally).
The 6.67-inch AMOLED display comes with an extra crisp 1220 x 2712 pixel resolution. That's a 20:9 aspect ratio like on the 11T, but the resolution is higher than your average FHD+ screens, and it works out to an excellent 446 ppi, which makes it look very sharp in person.
It's worth noting that the panel uses 1920Hz frequency PWM dimming, which is unusually high for an OLED, and might be a boon for someone who is bothered by the relatively low usual OLED dimming frequency of 500-800Hz.
The touch sampling rate is 480Hz, which is competitive, too.
Xiaomi advertises 500 nits of typical brightness and 900 nits of max auto brightness in high brightness mode. We confirmed and even exceeded both of these figures in our own testing. The 12T Pro screen gets really bright and is perfectly usable outdoors.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 982 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 954 | :1 | |
| 0 | 913 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 896 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 860 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 830 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 824 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 818 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 805 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 792 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 780 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 746 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 736 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 663 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 513 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 510 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 509 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 507 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 500 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 498 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 497 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 494 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 470 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 466 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 465 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 465 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 427 | ∞ | |
This particular panel is great for prolonged use, thanks to its SGS Low Visual Fatigue Certification. It also has an adaptive reading mode, which detects prolonged reading sessions and reduces the amount of blue light coming from the display.
The panel is also amazing in terms of colors. To start off, it is 12-bit, which allows it to display over 68 billion colors. On top of that, it is certified for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
Xiaomi has quite a few color modes available in its settings menu, which can get a bit confusing. On the plus side, adjustments are available both for a custom white point and the individual RGB color channels, so you can tweak and tune the color profile if you choose to.
Color settings
By default, the 12T Pro arrives with the Vivid mode enabled out of the box. It targets the DCI-P3 color space and hits the nail right on the head. The default color profile is a bit on the cold side, but you can easily tweak that with the custom white point adjustment and get basically perfect color calibration. Good enough even for color-sensitive work.
Original color mode basically does the same that vivid mode does but targets the sRGB color space and does so nearly perfectly too. Alternatively, if color accuracy is not a top priority for you, then Saturated mode can simply deliver punchy "OLED-y" colors that pop and jump out at you.
The advanced settings menu goes in-depth and includes a way to force all apps and the system UI to render in DCI-P3 or sRGB. We aren't exactly sure why anyone would want to do that, but if you are the type of person to fuss about your color profile, then there is practically every option we can think of available here.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro delivers big time in the HDR playback department. We already mentioned that its display is certified for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. In terms of software and HDR decoding support, the phone has all of the bases covered and supports HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
HDR support • Widevine • Netflix playback capabilities
There is also the highest possible Widevine L1 DRM on board, allowing streaming services like Netflix to offer FullHD resolution to saturate the resolution of the 12T Pro's panel.
The 12T Pro has a 120Hz refresh rate display and a very smart and well-optimized system to manage its refresh rate dynamically. When we say dynamically, we still mean in fairly coarse steps. Being a "budget flagship" or "flagship killer," the 12T Pro lacks the advanced LTPO tech of some higher-end Xiaomi phones. Instead, the 12T Pro can run its display at 120Hz, 90Hz, 60Hz, and even 30Hz.
Refresh rate options
In terms of settings, you can set the 12T Pro to refresh at a fixed 120Hz, fixed 60Hz or leave its default automatic switching behavior. The latter is excellent in practice. For the phone UI and most apps, the system uses 120Hz while the user is interacting with the display or there is motion on screen, and then once it sees a static image for a couple of seconds, it drops the refresh rate down to 60Hz to save power.
Automatic refresh rate in the UI and most apps
The auto refresh rate mode is also smart enough to detect when there is a video playing on screen or a video playback app like YouTube has been launched and drop its refresh rate down appropriately to 60Hz to save power.
We couldn't detect any use case where the display would go as low as 30Hz, but that might be due to the limitations of our way of observing the current refresh rate.
60Hz during video playback
As for games, we tried a few titles we know can render at above 60fps, and all of these managed to trigger and run at 120Hz automatically for smoother gameplay.
Gaming at 120Hz in auto mode
Overall, the system works nearly flawlessly, and we see no real reason not to just leave the 12T Pro in auto-refresh rate mode all of the time.
Battery life
The Xiaomi 12T Pro has a 5,000 mAh battery on board. On par with its Xiaomi 11T Pro predecessor. Both phones manage pretty similar battery endurance numbers in our testing. The 13T Pro has a notable boost in both its call and offline video playback tests.
Ninety-one hours is a solid battery endurance rating overall. Still, it could be a bit better on a 5,000 mAh battery.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage patterns check out our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.
Charging speed
The Xiaomi 12T Pro can charge at up to 120W using its proprietary Xiaomi HyperCharge tech. As we already mentioned, you get both the wall adapter and cable required to do HyoerCharge in the retail box and should hold on and keep track of both since both are proprietary.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12T Pro
100% - Xiaomi 12 Pro (120W)
100% - Xiaomi 11T Pro
100% - OnePlus Nord 2T
99% - OnePlus 10 Pro
98% - Poco F4
92% - Xiaomi 12
87% - Xiaomi 12 Lite
84% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
78% - Poco X4 Pro 5G
75% - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
73% - Samsung Galaxy S22
63% - vivo V25 Pro
57% - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
51% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
51% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
50% - Google Pixel 6 Pro
48% - Google Pixel 6 (65W)
48% - Nothing phone (1)
48% - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
45%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Xiaomi 12 Pro (120W)
0:21h - Xiaomi 11T Pro
0:21h - Xiaomi 12T Pro (Boost)
0:23h - Xiaomi 12T Pro
0:29h - OnePlus 10 Pro
0:32h - OnePlus Nord 2T
0:32h - Poco F4
0:38h - Xiaomi 12
0:46h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
0:48h - Poco X4 Pro 5G
0:49h - Xiaomi 12 Lite
0:50h - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
0:50h - Samsung Galaxy S22
1:03h - vivo V25 Pro
1:07h - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
1:15h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
1:18h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1:21h - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
1:24h - Nothing phone (1)
1:31h - Google Pixel 6 (65W)
1:50h - Google Pixel 6 Pro
1:52h
The Xiaomi 12T is a very fast-charging device. In the default charging mode, we got it from 0% battery all the way up to 100% in just under thirty minutes. The phone didn't heat up to uncomfortable levels in the process, either. Setting the 12T Pro to its maximum Boost charging mode resulted in a full charge time of just 23 minutes.
It is worth mentioning, however, that despite having the same battery capacity, its predecessor - the Xiaomi 11T Pro - managed to charge a bit quicker than the 12T Pro.
Speakers
The Xiaomi 12T Pro has two dedicated speakers at its disposal - one firing up and the other firing down. On top of that, the earpiece also outputs sound and contributes to the stereo setup. The earpiece isn't assisting just one channel from the stereo setup, but both. That's an interesting decision, but one that works surprisingly well in practice.
Xiaomi worked together with Dolby on the audio of the 12T Pro. There are settings for Dolby Atmos available as well as a full-featured equalizer. There is also a Harman Kardon partnership in place for the speakers on the 12T Pro.
Dolby Atmos settings and equalizer
The 12T Pro gets quite loud. Its frequency response is nice and tight, with good mids for clear vocals. By the way, we tested audio quality both with and without Dolby Atmos enabled and having it on produced better results.
Overall audio quality is great. The only complaint we have is that both speakers are pretty easy to cover while holding the phone in landscape.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
MIUI 12 over Android 12
The Xiaomi 12T Pro runs on Android 12 but with a newer, improved MIUI 13 on top. The new MIUI 13 promises under-the-hood improvements such as better RAM management, CPU utilization and more effective storage use.
Overall, looks haven't changed, and previous MIUI users will feel right at home.
The split between a notification shade and Control Center is enabled by default this time, and that's probably a good thing. We found it to be quite convenient, and it's a way to educate users about MIUI's unique approach to the UI. And in case you are not a fan, you can always revert back to the standard notification shade with quick toggles in one place.
Home screen, notification shade, Control center
The home screen, recent apps and the general settings menu are business as usual. The app drawer is also enabled by default, and we like that Xiaomi has placed the search bar at the bottom of the screen for easier reach. There are custom and preset app categories for faster navigation.
Unlike the standard recent apps menu, the MIUI task switcher lists the apps vertically and provides several useful shortcuts. That's where you can open up apps in floating windows. However, you can have only one floating app open at a time. In case you want a faster shortcut to apps that support free-form windows, just enable the Sidebar.
Recent apps, app drawer
Notably, the Sidebar is different depending on the scenario. In games, the Sidebar provides a couple of gaming-related features, while in video apps, the Sidebar becomes a Video toolbox. It lets you launch video apps in pop-up windows, Screenshot, Record screen, Cast, and Play Video with the screen off, including on YouTube without a Premium subscription. The only caveat is that the apps where you want the feature enabled need to be whitelisted in advance.
Sidebar and Video toolbox
Customization is, as always, a big part of MIUI. The system lets you choose the style of the Always-on display or the theme of the UI. Aside from the ones pre-installed on the device, there's a themes store that gives you a wide selection. The themes themselves change not only the general appearance but also ringtones and system icons.
Themes and Always-on display
Moving on to privacy and security, MIUI comes with a pre-installed system Security app. Aside from the additional malware protection layer it provides, the app holds many of the app settings and privacy features in one place. It can manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, define the battery behavior of selected apps, and apply restrictions only to certain apps.
Xiaomi Security app
Speaking of security, the fingerprint reader is fast and reliable. We had no issues even when outside on a bright sunny day. There's extended functionality for the fingerprint reader, allowing you to open up an app or initiate action as soon as you unlock the device - just keep your finger on the scanner when it unlocks. It's a lot like OnePlus' OxygenOS/Oppo's ColorOS/Realme's Realme UI feature, but this one doesn't allow customization. We didn't find a way to add shortcut apps, so you are stuck with the Search and QR Code scanner.
Fingerprint reader options
All in all, MIUI 13 changed a little over the 12th iteration, but it's just as snappy and customizable as ever. Xiaomi has paid special attention to the haptics on this unit, and we found the motor to be crisp, strong and accurate. There's even haptic feedback intensity adjustment if you find it obtrusive or not strong enough.
Synthetic benchmarks
The Xiaomi 12T Pro is based on Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. It has an Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) CPU setup and an Adreno 730 GPU, plus a Snapdragon X65 5G modem system and a 7th generation Qualcomm AI Engine, all made on the excellent TSMC 4nm node.
The 12T Pro can be had with either 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB or 256GB of UFS3.1 storage, or in a 12GB RAM and 256GB storage top configuration. Our review unit has 256GB of storage and 8GB of Physical, plus 3GB of virtual memory.
Kicking things off with some CPU runs and GeekBench, we can see that the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 inside the 12T Pro performs exactly as expected. That goes for both single and multi-core loads.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
4300 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
4265 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
4081 - iQOO 9T
4059 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
3947 - Xiaomi 12T
3756 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
3682 - Samsung Galaxy S22
3682 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
3658 - Xiaomi 12
3652 - vivo X80 Pro
3505 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
3448 - OnePlus 10 Pro
3447 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
3433 - OnePlus 10T
3401 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
3189 - Xiaomi 12X
3168 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
3049 - Nothing Phone (1)
3024 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
2943 - Google Pixel 6
2899 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
2831 - OnePlus Nord 2T
2790 - vivo V25 Pro
2521 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
2225 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
1891 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
1662
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1324 - iQOO 9T
1276 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
1276 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
1251 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
1238 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
1233 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
1207 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
1196 - Xiaomi 12
1187 - vivo X80 Pro
1184 - Samsung Galaxy S22
1171 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
1169 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
1096 - OnePlus 10T
1043 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
1042 - Google Pixel 6
1030 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
1002 - OnePlus 10 Pro
975 - Xiaomi 12X
943 - Xiaomi 12T
925 - vivo V25 Pro
858 - Nothing Phone (1)
820 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
785 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
743 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
736 - OnePlus Nord 2T
491 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
376
AnTuTu and its more compound set of tests, including graphical ones, also paints a flattering overall picture of the Xiaomi 12T Pro, placing it high up the performance chart where it belongs.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
1074722 - iQOO 9T
1045901 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1039412 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
1032185 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
1012896 - vivo X80 Pro
1002570 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
985226 - Xiaomi 12
985115 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
962636 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
941895 - OnePlus 10 Pro
886248 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
884923 - Samsung Galaxy S22
881428 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
835038 - OnePlus 10T
786238 - Xiaomi 12T
780204 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
719815 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
719696 - vivo V25 Pro
704090 - Xiaomi 12X
690298 - Google Pixel 6
676831 - OnePlus Nord 2T
604467 - Nothing Phone (1)
592789 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
528905 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
437872 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
379313 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
244526
Graphical tests are also solid through and through in terms of results, especially after considering that the Xiaomi 12T has a higher than usual 1220 x 2712 pixel resolution, which has detrimental effects on onscreen test results if you compare it to FHD+ phones.
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- iQOO 9T
65 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
65 - OnePlus 10T
60 - Xiaomi 12
59 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
59 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
57 - Samsung Galaxy S22
53 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
50 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
48 - Google Pixel 6
46 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
46 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
38 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
38 - OnePlus 10 Pro
37 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
36 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
35 - vivo X80 Pro
34 - vivo V25 Pro
33 - Xiaomi 12X
32 - OnePlus Nord 2T
31 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
28 - Nothing Phone (1)
23 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
19 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
4.6
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
46 - iQOO 9T
46 - OnePlus 10T
46 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
45 - OnePlus 10 Pro
43 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
43 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
43 - Xiaomi 12
41 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
41 - vivo X80 Pro
41 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
40 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
39 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
35 - Samsung Galaxy S22
31 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
31 - Google Pixel 6
30 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
29 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
24 - Xiaomi 12X
22 - OnePlus Nord 2T
22 - vivo V25 Pro
21 - Nothing Phone (1)
15 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
13 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
10 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
3.1
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- iQOO 9T
67 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
62 - OnePlus 10T
60 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
60 - Xiaomi 12
59 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
58 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
56 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
55 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
45 - Samsung Galaxy S22
44 - Google Pixel 6
43 - OnePlus 10 Pro
41 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
39 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
38 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
37 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
36 - Xiaomi 12X
35 - vivo X80 Pro
34 - OnePlus Nord 2T
29 - vivo V25 Pro
28 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
26 - Nothing Phone (1)
23 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
19 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
4.8
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- iQOO 9T
52 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
51 - OnePlus 10T
51 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
50 - OnePlus 10 Pro
48 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
47 - Xiaomi 12
45 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
45 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
45 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
44 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
43 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
42 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
38 - vivo X80 Pro
37 - Google Pixel 6
30 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
30 - Samsung Galaxy S22
29 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
25 - Xiaomi 12X
24 - OnePlus Nord 2T
20 - vivo V25 Pro
19 - Nothing Phone (1)
16 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
15 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
10 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
3.1
It is also worth noting that all of these tests were done with the 12T Pro in auto-refresh rate mode. As we go further down the list of benchmarks with reduced difficulty, we can clearly see the 12T Pro pushing past the 60fps mark on and off screen, indicating once again that the auto-refresh rate mode is working correctly and as intended.
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- iQOO 9T
87 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
78 - Xiaomi 12
75 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
73 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
70 - Samsung Galaxy S22
69 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
65 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
63 - OnePlus 10T
60 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
58 - Google Pixel 6
57 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
56 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
51 - OnePlus 10 Pro
48 - Xiaomi 12X
47 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
46 - vivo X80 Pro
44 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
44 - vivo V25 Pro
42 - OnePlus Nord 2T
40 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
39 - Nothing Phone (1)
33 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
29 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
22 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
19 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
6.8
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
104 - iQOO 9T
103 - OnePlus 10T
103 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
100 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
98 - OnePlus 10 Pro
97 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
96 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
95 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
94 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
93 - vivo X80 Pro
90 - Xiaomi 12
84 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
80 - Samsung Galaxy S22
74 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
70 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
70 - Google Pixel 6
66 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
57 - Xiaomi 12X
55 - OnePlus Nord 2T
50 - vivo V25 Pro
48 - Nothing Phone (1)
37 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
33 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
25 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
23 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
8
In fact, given an easy enough load to work with, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and its Adreno 730 GPU even have enough power to push up against the 120fps mark, effectively saturating the 120Hz refresh rate on the phone's display.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- iQOO 9T
119 - Xiaomi 12
117 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
116 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
114 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
111 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
105 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
99 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
98
97
97
91
90
89
86
82
70
67
65
60
58
56
50
38
35
12
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 10T
183 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
182 - iQOO 9T
182 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
179 - OnePlus 10 Pro
175 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
168 - Xiaomi 12
164 - vivo X80 Pro
164 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
163 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
162 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
160 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
132 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
121 - Google Pixel 6
117 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
114 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
110 - Samsung Galaxy S22
108 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
103 - Xiaomi 12X
89 - OnePlus Nord 2T
80 - vivo V25 Pro
70 - Nothing Phone (1)
65 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
54 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
43 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
38 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
15
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 10T
274 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
268 - iQOO 9T
267 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
262 - OnePlus 10 Pro
261 - Motorola Edge 30 Pro
251 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
249 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
249 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
244 - Xiaomi 12
236 - vivo X80 Pro
226 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
216 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
187 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
178 - Samsung Galaxy S22
173 - Google Pixel 6
159 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
154 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
133 - Xiaomi 12X
127 - OnePlus Nord 2T
127 - vivo V25 Pro
98 - Nothing Phone (1)
93 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
78 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
64 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
60 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
21
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Motorola Edge 30 Pro
142 - Xiaomi 12T Pro
121 - Xiaomi 12
121 - iQOO 9T
120 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
120 - Sony Xperia 5 IV
120 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
118 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
117 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
116 - Samsung Galaxy S22
116 - OnePlus 10 Pro
116 - vivo X80 Pro
113 - Xiaomi 12X
106 - Google Pixel 6 Pro
100 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 average
100 - vivo V25 Pro
96 - Google Pixel 6
90 - Nothing Phone (1)
84 - Xiaomi 12 Lite
68 - OnePlus Nord 2T
60 - OnePlus 10T
60 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
57 - Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
55 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
18
In real life, the Xiaomi 12T Pro runs incredibly smoothly with no slowdowns or hiccups. The UI and apps work smoothly, especially with the 120Hz refresh rate, and the phone has more than enough performance to chew through anything you throw at it. That's perfectly expected with a "full fat" Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 on board.
While some corners were cut here and there on the 12T Pro, Xiaomi didn't skip anything in the performance department. What you are getting is nothing short of top-notch 2022 performance.
The usual 2+1 cameras on the back, but one of them is 200MP
The Xiaomi 12T Pro is equipped with a triple-camera system on its back, and it's a spec sheet that impresses and disappoints at the same time. The headliner is the 200MP primary camera, the big number making big promises. But then there's the unremarkable 8MP ultrawide, joined by an even less exciting 2MP macro unit. Let's unpack.
The main camera uses the Samsung HP1 sensor - a Tetra2pixel (that would be Tetra-to-the-power-of-two) design that's meant to bin its tiny 0.64µm pixels 16-to-1, resulting into combined 2.56µm pixels. It's one of the larger sensors overall in the industry, too, with an optical format of 1/1.22". It's certainly an upgrade over the 108MP (1/1.52", 0.7µm) unit of last year's model. The 12T non-Pro, meanwhile, comes with a different 108MP imager (1/1.67", 0.64µm).
Another positive development is that the lens here is stabilized, something which wasn't available on the 11T Pro. This camera has a field of view of 85 degrees according to Xiaomi specs, which translates to an equivalent focal length of 23-24mm (EXIF data claims 23mm).
We've already seen this sensor once - on the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, but these two cameras are not exactly identical. The Motorola's camera lens had a focal length of 6.88mm (as per EXIF) as opposed to 7.01mm on the Xiaomi. The aperture on the Xiaomi is listed at f/1.7, as opposed to the f/1.9 on the Moto. All of this indicates that the HP1 can come packaged in different camera modules.
The ultrawide is the same between both 12Ts. It's based on the 8MP Samsung S5K4H7 ISOCELL Slim 1/4" sensor with a 1.12µm pixel pitch. The lens has a fixed focus, an f/2.2 aperture, and a field of view that should be 120 degrees.
The macro camera relies on a 2MP GalaxyCore GC02 sensor behind an f/2.4 lens. The focus is fixed at about 4cm away. We wish Xiaomi had used the 5MP unit from the previous generation, but that's not the case.
For selfies, we have the 20MP Sony IMX596 sensor, which should be a Quad Bayer design. The internet doesn't reveal much about it, but Xiaomi says it has a 1/3.47" optical format and a 0.8µm pixel size. The fixed-focus lens has an f/2.2 aperture. For what it's worth, that's the same selfie setup as on the Mix Fold 2.
The familiar Xiaomi camera app has its quirks, but it's nothing outside the norm regarding basic use. Changing modes works with side swipes (on the black bezel, not the viewfinder itself), and you can also tap on the modes you can see to switch to those directly. Up and down swipes don't work for switching between the front and rear cameras; only the toggle next to the shutter release does that.
You can add, remove, and rearrange modes in the main rolodex by going to the More tab and navigating to the edit button, and you can access that from the settings menu as well. The unused modes will still be in that More tab, but you can switch to a (less intuitive) pull-out pane that's summoned from a line next to the shutter release.
The hamburger menu at the far end is where you'll find additional options, including the Macro mode (and burying it makes sense with a basic 2MP cam like this one), plus the icon to access the settings. Next to that hamburger menu, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, an AI toggle, and a shortcut to Google Lens.
On the near end, you have a magic wand with beauty effects and filters, as well as the camera zoom switches.
There's a nicely capable Pro mode, where you can tweak the shooting parameters yourself. You can use the primary and the ultrawide here, but not the macro. You get to pick one of 4 white balance presets or dial in the light temperature with a slider, there's a manual focusing slider and shutter speed (1/4000s to 30s/0.8s for main/ultrawide) and ISO control (50 to 6400/1600 for main/ultrawide). A tiny live histogram is available, and a toggle for zebras can be found in the hamburger menu.
Night mode is available for the main and ultrawide cameras. There is an Auto Night mode toggle pre-enabled in the advanced Settings, too.
Camera UI
Daylight image quality
Daylight photos from the 12T Pro's main camera have a rather characteristic Xiaomi look, meaning they're very expressive and easily likable. You can count on vibrant color reproduction, with saturation verging on too much but still not quite there. You'd be getting nicely high contrast and wide dynamic range, though the particularly challenging overcast conditions we had during our review time did test that more or less to the limit.
The amount of captured detail in the default 12.5MP resolution is very good, and it's rendered with a measured amount of sharpening, so it looks decently natural. Noise is minimal to non-existent.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x)
The AI toggle will give you just that if you'd like an extra boost in contrast and color saturation. It's particularly effective in scenes with blue skies and greenery, which tend to get overly colorful.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), AI on
You have a couple more resolution options, and the intermediate 50MP one is the more interesting one. We're looking at a genuine increase in detail over the standard 12.5MP photos, albeit at the expense of some extra noise and a small, almost imperceptible, drop in dynamic range - a very sensible trade-off. The file sizes aren't negligible at 13-30MB, but the improved definition makes up for it.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP
That can't really be said about the nominal 200MP mode, where the quite significant file sizes (45-85MB) don't come with any meaningful increase in detail - objects just appear a lot larger and more heavily sharpened.
In summary: 50MP - good, 200MP - don't bother.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 200MP
The solid results at the 50MP resolution had us expecting good 2x zoom shots, and for the most part, that is indeed the case. The level of detail is comparable to a conventional dedicated 12MP 2x zoom camera, and only in particularly contrasty lighting and very intricate textures can you find the sharpening disagreeable. We'd say that the lack of a standalone 2x zoom camera (which is realistically the most you can expect on a non-flagship) on the 12T Pro is not really a con.
Daylight samples, main camera (2x)
The ultrawide camera's modest specs set pretty low expectations, which works well in its favor. The 8MP resolution provides just an adequate amount of detail, while the slight softness that creeps in at the extreme edges is nowhere near the worst we've seen. Taking a step back, we can offer some praise for the dynamic range, while the colors are a bit warmer and more saturated than on the main camera, but still pretty pleasing. Not an amazing performance, but not a disappointing one either.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Low-light image quality
As we've come to expect from Xiaomis, the 12T Pro has an Auto Night mode toggle in the camera settings, which comes pre-enabled. As a result, the phone's low-light photos have Night mode processing applied by default when the phone deems it appropriate (which in our experience, was essentially every time). That would generally get you the same results as in the dedicated Night mode, though you may wish to switch to Night mode manually if you don't want to be at the phone's mercy for your low-light shots.
Also unsurprisingly, the Night mode action doesn't require a whole lot of time, and whether it's the Auto Night mode kicking in or you're activating it manually, you'd be looking at something like a second per photo, perhaps a fraction longer on the ultrawide.
With that preamble behind us, let's just say that the low-light photos from the 12T Pro's main camera are excellent. The Night mode 'intensity' is rather conservative, so we're getting natural-looking exposures without dramatic shadow brightening. Still, the darker areas are well developed, while highlights aren't blown out either - the dynamic range is great. Colors don't suffer from any noticeable desaturation, and white balance is generally accurate, though certain odd combinations of lights could skew things slightly one way or another. The detail is very good, too, albeit with some noticeably liberal sharpening.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), Auto Night mode
You'd need to look carefully at side-by-side comparisons between the photos above and ones taken in the dedicated Night mode to spot the differences. They can be observed in darker scenes and in the shadows in general, with the full-on Nigh mode samples having that extra bit of shadow development - nothing too dramatic, but worth the switch to Night mode if you're in a particularly dark environment.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), dedicated Night mode
You'd think that all this is courtesy of some Night mode magic, but disabling the Auto Night mode toggle for shooting in Photo mode, reveals that the camera isn't half bad, to begin with. In fact, in more balanced lighting, you'd get overall better images this way - there's finer detail, and it's rendered in a more organic way than in Night mode. Sure, the tonal extremes might not be quite as well preserved, but the 'inherent' dynamic range of the camera is still impressive.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), Auto Night mode disabled
All of the above holds true at the 2x zoom level. For a phone that's missing a telephoto camera, the 12T Pro sure takes some nice 2x zoom shots.
Again, you'd want to avoid Night mode in better-lit scenarios to get the absolute best detail the camera can produce, while Night mode in either of its implementations will get you improved dynamic range in more contrasty scenes at the expense of slightly broader strokes when examined at 1:1.
Low-light samples, main camera (2x), Auto Night mode
Low-light samples, main camera (2x), dedicated Night mode
Low-light samples, main camera (2x), Auto Night mode disabled
On the ultrawide, you'd want all the Night mode help you can get, and the phone is happy to deliver some automatically. The Auto shots are decently well exposed and have good dynamic range, particularly for an unassuming camera like this. Colors are saturated, and street lights were handled well. Detail is acceptable.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x), Auto Night mode
It's on the ultrawide where we observed the biggest gap between the Auto Night mode, and the Night-Night mode. If you make an effort to switch modes instead of relying on the software, you will get a further improvement in dynamic range - a nice lift in the shadows and lower midtones and a gentle toning down of the highlights.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x), dedicated Night mode
With no Night mode assistance, things aren't looking as great. Most of the time, you'd get dark, underexposed images that are soft and noisy. Stay away, we reckon.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x), Auto Night mode disabled
Once you're done with the real-world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Xiaomi 12T Pro stacks up against the competition.
Xiaomi 12T Pro against the OnePlus 10 Pro and the Galaxy S21 FE in our Photo compare tool
Closeups
With no AF capability on the ultrawide, the 'macro' mode is handled by a dedicated 2MP shooter. The results are predictably meh, with not a lot of detail and limited dynamic range. Xiaomi does have a 5MP 'tele macro' unit that it's fitted on the 11T Pro, and that's a vastly superior performer - so we're seeing a downgrade on the close-up shooting capabilities this year.
'Macro' samples
Portrait mode
The 12T Pro's Portrait mode switches to a zoomed-in view from the main camera, to the tune of that 2x zoom level you can get in Photo mode. Normally, we'd be worried about the image quality from such an approach, but the solid zoom results from earlier on had us more hopeful; plus, the perspective given by the 2x zoom is a lot more flattering than the native 23-24-ish mm equivalent.
In the end, image quality turned out alright. Sharpness and detail on the subject are good in bright daylight, though they do drop in dimmer indoor conditions. The subject detection is excellent in simpler scenes and okay in more complex situations with things in the foreground - that is to say, not bad in comparison to other efforts. The default blur level can be a bit much for indoor scenes, where you know the background is close enough that it can't be that blurry, but it's just right for more distant backdrops. It's adjustable in the gallery post-shot anyway, so you can fine-tune it after the fact.
Portrait mode samples
Selfies
Selfies on the Xiaomi 12T Pro are captured at the nominal 20MP resolution of the sensor, and, coming out of a Quad Bayer sensor, there's not 20MP of detail in them. That said, they do have a little edge in definition over the results from apparently the same camera in the 12T. Skin tones are likable, and the otherwise somewhat muted colors are accurate. Exposure is on point, and dynamic range is respectable for a selfie camera - backlit scenes are a non-issue.
Selfie samples
That last bit changes a little in selfie Portrait mode, where the HDR processing takes second stage to the subject detection and blur calculations, but the subject remains equally well exposed. We saw no blunders in the subject detection - in fact, it was among the more foolproof selfie portrait experiences we've had.
Selfie samples, Portrait mode
Video recording
The Xiaomi 12T Pro can record video up to 8K in resolution at 24fps, a downgrade from the 8K@30fps mode we had on the 11T Pro.
The other available resolutions include 4K at up to 60fps with its main camera. It can do 4K60 at 2x zoom, too, while the ultrawide is capped at 1080p30.
The default codec is h.264, but you can choose to use h.265, which is also the only option for 8K encoding. Audio is recorded in stereo at 96kbps.
Stabilization is available in all resolutions and frame rates and is always on - there's no toggle to disable it if you're supporting the phone otherwise.
8K footage (131Mbps bit rate) isn't terrible, in fact. While per-pixel quality isn't quite up to the standard that the sheer 7680x4320px resolution would want you to believe, it does offer some detail benefits over 4K, which is rarely the case with smartphone 8K. Contrast and dynamic range are praiseworthy, and the lively colors from photos can be seen in the captured videos as well.
The vastly more sensible 4K resolution maintains the excellent global properties of 8K, while delivering solid pixel-level detail as 4K goes, especially at 30fps (50-63Mbps). The 60fps mode (same bit rate) produces slightly softer results.
At 2x zoom, 4K30 isn't looking great - it's too soft.
The ultrawide has a distinctly warmer color rendition - not bad in isolation, but not as accurate as the main camera's. It's producing a more contrasty look, too, with particularly deep shadows. Detail is good for a 1080p ultrawide clip, but that's not a very high bar to clear.
Stabilization is excellent on the Xiaomi 12T Pro's main camera. It irons out walking shake proficiently, there's no focus hunting, and pans have no abrupt transitions.
The ultrawide exhibited some faint wobbling in the middle of the frame when walking, which we've seen happen in detail-rich scenes like ours, but it's the worst. There's nothing to complain about if you're just standing in one place.
In low light, the main camera of the 12T Pro captures excellent video - we'd say it's about as good as the 12S Ultra. Sharpness and detail are great, colors are pleasingly vivid, and dynamic range is respectable, too.
That's not so on the ultrawide, naturally, whose footage is dark, soft, and noisy.
Here's a glimpse of how the Xiaomi 12T Pro compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Xiaomi 12T Pro against the OnePlus 10 Pro and the Galaxy S21 FE in our Video compare tool
Alternatives
The Xiaomi 12T Pro comes in three storage variants, 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB, and 12GB+256GB, with MSRP starting from EUR 749. That places it comfortably shy of the psychological EUR 1000 mark, proving its place as a "flagship killer". Still, it's far from alone in this price segment. That said, getting a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 at this price is hard to match.
Left: Xiaomi 12T Pro • Right: Xiaomi 12T
The OnePlus 10 Pro is one phone that can come close with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. And that's just one point on its lengthy spec sheet. It also includes a 6.7-inch, 120Hz LTPO2, HDR10+ AMOLED display, a premium build with a metal frame and Gorilla Glass front and back, and IP68 ingress protection. Also, stereo speakers, a large 5,000 mAh battery with fast wired and wireless charging and a potent camera setup with a 48MP main, 8MP telephoto and 50MP ultrawide snapper.
Google's top-tier flagship offer also fits the bill. The soon-to-be-replaced Pixel 6 Pro is rocking Google's custom Tensor chipset, a 6.7-inch, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+ AMOLED display, and is also made from a combination of aluminum and Gorilla Glass with an IP68 rating. Google's computational photography prowess requires no introduction, and the Pixel 6 Pro is rocking some serious camera hardware as well with a 50MP main, 48MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide snappers.
OnePlus 10 Pro • Google Pixel 6 Pro • Oppo Reno8 Pro
The Oppo Reno8 Pro also deserves mention in this price bracket. It uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max instead of a Qualcomm offer. Just like the other phones mentioned - an aluminum and glass sandwich construction, but one without a formal ingress protection rating. You also get stereo speakers and a big and gorgeous 6.7-inch, 120Hz, HDR10+ AMOLED display.
Our verdict
In a world of ever-increasing flagship prices, product lines like the Xiaomi "T" series are truly a great sight to behold. They prove that the "flagship killer" concept is alive and well and arguably now better than ever in its value proposition.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro is an incredibly well-rounded device. It has many bells and whistles to entice prospective buyers and hits particularly hard in a few key areas. The 6.67-inch, 120Hz, 12-bit CrystalRes AMOLED display is nothing short of gorgeous in person. It delivers great brightness and contrast, perfect colors with lots of customizability and even has HD10+ and Dolby Vision certification to take full advantage of that 12-bit color depth. The excellent stereo speaker setup, with Harman Kardon, tuning and Dolby Atmos tech and equalizers, completes the awesome multimedia experience on the Xiaomi 12T Pro.
Xiaomi also left no room for compromise in the performance department, where the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is powering the show - Qualcomm's latest and greatest. Thanks to it, the Xiaomi 12T Pro chewed through every task we threw at it, including several AAA games, happily rendering past 60fps when available.
The 5,000 mAh battery offers solid battery life and is also extremely quick to charge, thanks to Xiaomi's regretfully proprietary but unquestionably awesome 120W HyperCharge tech. And we can't forget to mention the all-around excellent camera setup on the 12T Pro, which performs masterfully both in good and low-light conditions.
Honestly, it's hard to find any serious omissions or faults with the Xiaomi 12T Pro. A proper ingress protection rating would have been great, and so would wireless charging. The same goes for a telephoto camera and perhaps some expandable storage. At that point, however, we would be daydreaming about a "perfect phone," and there is no such thing out there, particularly not without affecting its price point substantially. We are definitely giving the Xiaomi 12T Pro a hearty recommendation.
Pros
- Classic design. Solid and well put together.
- Flagship grade 120Hz OLED with 12-bit color depth and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
- Very fast charging.
- Excellent stereo audio output with Dolby Atmos support and Harman Kardon tuning.
- Android 12, feature-rich MIUI 13.
- Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 on a budget.
- Solid camera performance in all photo&video scenarios.
Cons
- IP53 ingress protection is basic.
- Surprisingly comes with a few downgrades compared to 11T Pro.
- Battery life is solid but could be a bit better.
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