Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro review: The eye of the dog

Xiaomi’s digital series mobile phones are the stage for their home to showcase their leading technology. In addition to the annual new flagship processor that is usually launched every year, the screen and camera will have their own exclusive technology. In 2022, although the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro failed to be the first product of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (preceded by Lenovo’s Motorola), it is still the first to carry Sony IMX707 50MP CMOS, which also allows Xiaobian to focus on this really interesting selling point above. Why? Because Xiaomi has introduced their “CyberFocus” technology in the CyberDog robot dog owner tracking system, bringing more fun face and animal focus functions! So that it is no longer a patent of Sony Xperia mobile phone, in theory, it is more convenient to capture children and little children.

However, as one of the flagships of the year, the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro, what is the overall experience? Can the technologies and functions that Xiaomi can obtain are reasonably presented to users? I will share with you all.

Shape design

Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro inherits the body size of Xiaomi Mi 11, with similar measurements, and still uses a double-sided curved screen with rounded corners, so from the front screen, the two generations of mobile phones are almost the same. This also proves that Xiaomi has found the most suitable size for their mobile phone, and the editor is also very satisfied, because the body width of 69.9mm (that is, 7cm) and the thickness of 8.16mm are just enough to hold tightly with one hand. , the thumb can also be wiped to a certain screen to operate, which is the most comfortable one in Yunyun’s mobile phones recently.

If you want to distinguish between Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro and 11, you need to look at the front camera from the front, which is moved from the upper left corner to the middle, which is also a suitable position for selfies. It is easier to recognize when you turn it over to the back. Although Xiaomi continues to use AG glass to reduce the contamination of fingerprints, the glass surface treatment of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is relatively non-slip, which brings a stronger feel, and is not afraid of the phone falling. With the overall cooperation, the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro has a width that can be tightly held with one hand, making the user feel at ease.

The camera of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is also more recognizable. It is a three-camera array with one large and two small, all of which is 50MP, on the entire color-coated camera module. If you look closely, it feels like a modular design. Each camera has its own dividing line, which is a low-key and neat design.

Compared with Xiaomi Mi 11, the middle frame of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is also different. Although the power button, volume button, USB-C, SIM card slot, and Harman/Kardon tuning speakers on both sides are all there, the middle frame is no longer flat, it seems to avoid the misunderstanding that the phone can stand alone. The editor has the experience of evaluating the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra before, and found that although the SIM card slot of the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is also placed on the bottom of the machine and next to the radio microphone, they did not put the card ejection hole close to it, but replaced it with a the other side. This is the only way to reduce the risk of users being blindsided, and it is not enough to mark it on the protective sticker that must be torn off.

screen

The Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro’s screen looks and feels quite good. The panel is made of Samsung E5 curved AMOLED material that supports the second-generation LTPO technology, with a touch sampling rate of 480Hz and a 2K resolution. The color looks solid and the brightness is natural and comfortable. In terms of specifications, this panel also supports intelligent dynamic adjustment from 1Hz to 120Hz. According to the system display, the minimum update rate can reach 10Hz. Applying Samsung’s previous explanation, the display data sent to the screen is adjusted 10 times per second, which is higher than that of the S22 Ultra. The 48Hz of the power consumption can be further reduced, and I believe it can further reduce power consumption.

In addition, for the Netflix-addicted couch potato, it is a long-awaited discovery that besides the iPhone, there is finally another mobile phone that can support Dolby Vision HDR output! It may be that the number of playing machines of the editor is limited. If you have other mobile phones that can “light up”, please leave a message to share. I am obsessed with Dolby’s display technology because the HDR used on mobile phones is still poor. It can benefit from more careful scene-by-scene adjustment of metadata, and hidden details can still be seen under high contrast. It’s not just about boosting contrast and color.

Xiaomi has given the under-screen optical fingerprint reader one more way to play, that is, it can be used for heart rate detection. Although this function is already common in smart watches and bracelets, it is still a welcome gadget. When making good use of existing hardware, it also allows everyone to have an additional set of reference data.

camera

One of the highlights of the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is the 50MP “three main camera” camera combination. In terms of specifications, the wide-angle camera is a 1/1.28” Sony IMX707 50MP CMOS, with f/1.9, 7P lens, and supports 2.44μm pixel 4-in-1 technology. More importantly, it introduces the CyberFocus tracking focus mentioned at the beginning. Both the ultra-wide-angle and 48mm-equivalent 2x portrait cameras will use Samsung’s JN1 50MP sensor, so this time users can shoot in 50MP high-resolution mode at all focal lengths without being messed up.

Eric Chan / Engadget

In view of the actual shooting, the editor invited my master, the super active cat “Pippi”, to make a cameo appearance. The impression in the past is that only Sony Xperia mobile phones have the focus tracking technology for designated subjects such as human eyes and animals, which can greatly improve the success rate of focusing during capture. But this time, even Xiaomi has a similar function. For friends with children and little furry children at home, it is more convenient to keep the cute moment. The accuracy of identifying the subject is no problem, the viewfinder can have a tracking frame instantly, and you can double-tap to lock the tracking, even if you leave the range for a while, you can capture it again when you come back.

Eric Chan / Engadget

It’s a pity that the shooting speed of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro can’t keep up with the changes. When you really want to capture cute dynamic pictures, you can only get “excited to blur” images. Without the cooperation of high-speed continuous shooting, it is a waste. Although it is still not regarded as a kind of embellishment, there is always a sense of difference between obtaining its form and not having its own spirit.

Eric Chan / Engadget

However, Xiaomi is confident in the camera this time, not only in the focusing system, but also in the night camera part. The editor took a test shot in a set of imitation night cherry scenes specially set up by the official. There is no clue in the single shot scene, it is a landscape photo with more accurate exposure. However, when there is a model sister as the main body, under the challenge of a backlit portrait, the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro can suddenly produce a good night scene portrait photo that is bright enough and the main body of the character is well highlighted.

Eric Chan / Engadget

Eric Chan / Engadget

Specifications and performance

The specifications of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro are not unexpectedly the combination that the flagship will have in 2022. In addition to Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, it is equipped with up to 12GB LPDDR 5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage chip, and the system can borrow 3GB of virtual memory. I believe it will be more helpful when playing high-demand games. In view of the enthusiasm of the S888 last year, Xiaomi also used a larger 2,900mm² VC liquid-cooling plate this time. After the actual use of games, photography, etc., I don’t think the body of the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro has any signs of heating up; only When I was shooting the kitten in front of the screen while working with the high demands of the screen recording, I felt a slight warmth in the upper half of the phone. It seems that this year’s chips are relatively cool, and the cooling scheme is also successful and effective.

However, in addition to the common core specifications, Xiaomi has also caught up with the trend of self-developed chips. It has applied its own surging P1 fast charging chip on the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro, and used a new single-cell 4,600mAh battery, especially for the highest support The 120W wired fast charging function comes from the 120W, which reduces the heat generated during charging. It’s a pity that I don’t have a 120W charger with a compatible plug (the test machine comes with two European pins, and Hong Kong has three British pins), but fortunately I just got a GaN charger with a 100W output. When simultaneously charging the previous generation Mi 11 at low power, both phones will enter the ultra-fast charging mode. The Mi 11 continues to perform at high temperature like the S888 mobile phone, while the Mi 12 Pro did not heat up particularly for the entire period of time. practicality.

Summarize

The significance of Xiaomi’s digital series of mobile phones to the brand is that most of them are platforms for firepower display, allowing the market to see the superb specifications they will have in the coming year. So for the editor, I have not been optimistic about their products for a long time, because after all, it is just a pile of materials. However, this time on the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro, it finally has a little more freshness in the user experience, and it also substantially solves some of the defects of the previous generation.

Of course, the Mi 12 Pro is not a perfect phone, and since 2022 has just begun, it is difficult for us to arbitrarily call it the phone of the year. However, based on this evaluation experience, the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is a flagship model worthy of everyone’s consideration, because there are satisfying elements in terms of grip and user experience. It is a remarkable work.