Two new Xiaomi smartphones officially arrive on the market from today, they are Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro, and it is precisely the second model, the top of the range, which I talk about in this review.
It is a high-end product but not very high, that of the semi-top that is increasingly being populated with interesting proposals. The list price is 849 Euros, but with several launch offers it is possible to take it home at an advantageous price and have in hand a concrete, reliable and powerful smartphone, with a few less sciccheria than the higher range flagships. Let’s see it.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION QUALITY
The dimensions of the Xiaomi 12T Pro are quite generous (163.1mm x 75.9mm x 8.6mm). The overall appearance is in line with the “T” series of previous years, the smartphone in fact comes with a sinuous and rounded design on all edges. The surfaces are regular and, thanks to a thickness of 8.6 mm, it appears almost massive. Under the fingertips emerges a good build quality, although it lacks a certification of resistance to water and dust and the edge is in polycarbonate, not aluminum.
It is a pleasant smartphone to hold in your hand but inevitably large, on the other hand we are right in that category of products that aims to the hard, favoring for example an abundant battery compared to small size and weight (205 grams). On the upper side I point out the presence of the IR port, while the ignition and volume rocker are on the right side.
Both the protective glass and the back cover are made with Gorilla Glass 5, while in the package you will find a transparent TPU cover and a pre-applied film. Removing it you will appreciate a more than good oleophobic treatment.
DISPLAY
The display is a 6.67-inch AMOLED with 2712 x 1220 pixel resolution and refresh rate up to 120 Hz. It is not an LTPO panel but the refresh rate is still managed dynamically in steps between 30, 60, 90, 120 Hz). There is no shortage of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support.
It is a good display, well calibrated with factory declarations of a Delta E of 0.38 and JNDC of 0.28 points. Unfortunately, it lacks a bit of inspiration on the luminance that does not reach 1000 nits, a little bit compared to direct competitors, including Xiaomi 12X and 12 that can do a little better. The result is a not so incisive HDR and good but not great outdoor readability.
You will be very happy to know that the proximity sensor is physical, as we have already experienced with Poco M5; that Xiaomi has ushered in a new course, abandoning the problematic virtual proximity sensor? We can not be sure but at least Xiaomi 12T Pro works great without the slightest problem, well so.
SOFTWARE
On board the Xiaomi 12T Pro we find the MIUI 13 Global based on Android 12 and security patches updated in August 2022. I remind you that usually Xiaomi provides 2 years of Android updates for these high-end smartphones and 3 of support regarding security patches.
As always there is no shortage of possibilities for the user on the UX of Xiaomi, in this case for another the pair Android 12 with MIUI 13 is already I had already liked with Xiaomi 12S Ultra and here it is confirmed effective, beyond some small minor bug that sometimes pops up.
Xiaomi focuses a lot on the features of interaction with the smartphone that allow you to sew on a personalized experience of use, so we find “touch assistant” that enables retractable navigation keys, the “sidebar” from which to launch applications that open in the window, we can choose between separate notification center or combined with quick toggles and activate many other gestures that correspond to as many functions. From the first configuration you will find pre-installed some apps, games, social mainly and other unsolicited utilities, fortunately everything can be uninstalled effortlessly.
All in all the MIUI I do not mind at all, during the summer I used xiaomi 12S Ultra for a long time and on that occasion I was able to experience the interaction in the long run, finding myself well. Here, perhaps the animations are a bit ‘too abundant and here and there, for example in the selection of backgrounds or in the “beauty mode for video calls” the oriental origin shines through, but it is part of a package very accurate graphically and with the latest version even faster and leaner than in the past.
