Redmi Note 12 4G Review: Stylish 4G smartphone packed with features

Redmi Note 12 4G Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.7/5

Xiaomi has once again unveiled a range of Redmi Note devices this year, following their release last year. Interestingly, different versions have been made available for various markets. Four of the models have been launched in India, including the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Note 12 Pro, Note 12, and the Note 12 4G. Typically, the standard Note model is the most budget-friendly option; however, Xiaomi has gone a step further by introducing a 4G variant of Note 12, further reducing its price.

One might be wondering why the brand has come up with a 4G device in this reign of 5G, surely Xiaomi must have its reasons. Redmi Note 12 4G, though a 4G device has a lot going for it on paper. It is powered by Snapdragon 685 chipset, runs Android 13 OS, packs a 5000mAh battery, and features a triple camera setup as well. But, will this 4G smartphone be able to make its mark in this competitive 5G era? Let’s find out.

Redmi Note 12 4G Review: Design

Xiaomi, like every other smartphone brand, has been making efforts to bring not only affordable but also stylish-looking smartphones that flaunt one’s personality when held in hand. The same has been done with the recently launched Redmi Note 12 4G. The Redmi Note 12 4G special Sunrise Gold variant that I have been loaned for review looks appealing when I unboxed it.

In contrast to its 5G counterpart’s oval shape and curved back, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G features a more angular style with sharp edges and a flat frame. The device’s overall appearance is reminiscent of the Xiaomi 12 Lite released last year, sharing the same design language. Additionally, the tactile sensation of the two devices is quite similar.

The smartphone has a plastic frame, along with a polycarbonate body but the device doesn’t look inferior or cheap at all. In, the fact the Redmi Note 12 4G has a matte finish at the back with sunrise gold reflecting hues of orange and yellow that make the phone look bright and vibrant. The best part is that the back panel doesn’t catch any dust or smudges even after one holds it for a long time.

The back panel has Redmi branding at the bottom, while the top left corner houses a small rectangular camera module with triple camera lenses and an LED flash. The camera module has the same color as the back panel but it slightly protrudes when kept on a flat surface.

The right edge consists of a volume rocker and power button while the left edge has a SIM tray. The top edge has a 3.5mm headphone jack along with an IR Blaster while the bottom edge houses a USB Type-C port and speaker grille. The front has an AMOLED display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Despite its affordability, the device is IP53-certified, making it resistant to both dust and splashes.

Not only is the Redmi Note 12 4G attractive but it is sleek and lightweight as well. As soon as I took the device in hand, it felt comfortable to hold and very light in hand. It weighs 183.5 grams and is 7.9mm thick.

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Redmi Note 12 4G Review: Display

The Redmi Note 12 4G sports a large 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with an FHD+ resolution of 2400×1080 pixels. The display is good for content consumption as the visuals are vivid, lifelike, and rich. The blacks are sharp and the viewing angles are decent as well. The design of the panel is contemporary with a small punch hole in the center for the selfie lens. The display has bezels on all 4 sides, but they are particularly sizeable at the chin.

It has a 120Hz refresh rate that gives a good scrolling as well as a gaming experience. The device lacks smart refresh rate control, offering only two modes – 60Hz and 120Hz. In our testing, we found that most apps and system menus make use of the full 120Hz refresh rate. However, when viewing videos using the native Gallery app or a dedicated video app like YouTube, the refresh rate drops to 60Hz as expected.

While Redmi claims 1200 nits of peak brightness we couldn’t verify that claim it does offer decent visibility in direct sunlight while the 240Hz touch sampling rate also feels slow at times. The default color mode of the device displays somewhat inaccurate colors, with whites and grays appearing slightly blueish. However, the Standard color preset provides better color accuracy.

Redmi Note 12 4G Review: Camera

The Redmi Note 12 4G features a triple camera setup at the back. It includes a 50MP main camera along with an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP macro camera. For selfies and video calls, there is a 13MP camera at the front.

In good natural light, the main 50MP camera clicks decent photographs. The pictures are rich, full of colors, bright, and totally Instagram-worthy. They are full of details and there is hardly any distortion even around the edges. On zooming in as well, details are as it is and the quality of the image did not deteriorate.

I didn’t get much of a chance to use the ultrawide lens, but whatever shots I randomly clicked with it came out to be ok. Coming to the 2MP macro lens, it takes shots that lack details. The focus on the object in the frame is accurate but the surroundings blur out and the overall quality doesn’t look too good. Use this lens only if you specifically want some close-up shots.

The 13MP selfie camera is above average and takes decent shots as well. The skin tone looked natural and the focus is kept on the subject in the frame with the background being secondary. Details are not lost when a picture is zoomed in. All in all, you can get social media-worthy selfies using this camera.

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Redmi Note 12 4G Review: Performance

The Redmi Note 12 4G is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 chipset based on 6nm fabrication. It is the first device to have this chipset and the SoC does make the smartphone run fast and smoothly. The smartphone is lag-free even when switching between apps and the apps run seamlessly in the background due to 6GB RAM. 128GB UFS 2.2 storage provides ample space for storing whatever you need. Gaming is smooth when playing games with lower graphics but high frame rates, but the device does start heating up when heavy games like FreeFire are played for long durations. Here are the results of the benchmark tests-

In terms of software, Redmi Note 12 4G runs MIUI 14 based on the latest Android 13 OS. The smartphone is promised to get 2 Android updates and 3 security patches. The device comes with bloatware as applications like Amazon, Snapchat, Spotify, Linkedin, Amazon Prime, and Moj come preinstalled. Bloatware is something that smartphone brands should start avoiding as it gets annoying at times.

The sound quality when listening to music is decent and calling is ok as well.

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Redmi Note 12 4G Review: Battery

Like most recently launched smartphones, the Redmi Note 12 4G also packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood. With light to moderate usage including browsing the web, taking phone calls, watching videos, listening to music, and social media surfing, and reading novels, the battery easily lasted for an entire day. However, if you are a gamer, who is fond of long gaming sessions that too with heavy games like BGMI or COD, then the battery would need to be charged earlier than a day.

It comes with a 33W fast charging adapter bundled inside the box that charges the device from 0 to 100% in about 63 minutes.

Redmi Note 12 4G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

Redmi Note 12 4G is a device that comes with a fast chipset, AMOLED display, stylish and compact design, and a 5000mAh battery. The device does lag behind in terms of charging speed, and camera setup but then you can’t get all for a device that costs just 15,000. With Redmi Note 12, the brand has tried to bring something powerful yet affordable for those users who still want to stick to their 4G networks. So, if you want to buy a powerful and budgeted 4G smartphone, then Redmi Note 12 4G can be your choice.