Xiaomi is betting that people might be interested in smaller high-end phones, but polls last week again showed that larger devices are more popular. The Mi 12 Pro stands out with a healthy lead over alternative options.
Some questioned whether it would be enough of an upgrade for the Mi 11 Pro, others were drawn to the idea of a “Mi 12 Ultra” (we’ve seen signs that it actually exists). Ultimately, most people fall into two camps – those who like MIUI and those who don’t.
Xiaomi is known for offering great value for money when it comes to hardware, and the 12 Pro is no exception. What’s causing the divide, however, is the software – maybe the new MIUI 13 will change people’s minds. The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has to prove itself too, as its predecessor (888) was known for running hot. But that’s what we’ll be testing when we get our review unit.
Mi 12 series brings new chipset and new MIUI
Interestingly, we didn’t see a lot of complaints about charging — the 12 Pro jumped to 120W while shrinking the battery to 4,600 mAh (from 67W, 5,000 mAh on the Mi 11 Pro). Usually, we see more comments on how fast charging affects battery life. Has this concern gone like the OLED display’s burn-in concern?
As for the vanilla Mi 12, it’s doing pretty well in the polls, but it might need a rave review before people start using it. That 6.28-inch display isn’t as big as Xiaomi had hoped. In fact, some reviewers complained that it was so small that they didn’t want to pay the Pro premium for a bigger screen. But this is Xiaomi we’re talking about, and in a few months, there will be six new 12-series phones with various screens and chipsets.
Speaking of chipsets, the trusty Snapdragon 870 is present in the Mi 12X, which is basically a vanilla 12 model but with an older chipset. The 870 (the revamped 865) still has a solid reputation, and the option to save some cash without losing too much performance has attracted some. There were times when it was slow and steady to win races, but the mode didn’t excite fans.
