Not so long ago, Xiaomi began selling its new 12-series smartphones in the T lineup in Russia. The devices were named Xiaomi 12T and Xiaomi 12T Pro.
Their positioning is as follows: pre-top devices with chips of flagship models, but in a simpler version (design, materials).
Of course, the 12T Pro stands out here due to the fact that it uses a 200 MP main camera. I was very interested to see what it is, how well it shoots, and in general - whether it is worth introducing such multi-pixel cameras into smartphones. Looking ahead, I will say that it is very worth it! But not everything is so clear.
The internal content of Xiaomi 12T Pro is more than attractive:
- Snapdragon 8+ Gen1
- 12 GB RAM
- 5000 mAh
- 120Hz AMOLED screen with Dolby Vision support
As for the price, to my surprise, it is the most reasonable for the Russian market - from 51,000 rubles.
If we are talking about the Xiaomi 12T model, then it is not much different from the older “brother”: the Qualcomm SoC was replaced with a MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Ultra chip, the RAM was reduced (8 GB), the main camera “threw off” half of the megapixels (108 MP), Harman Kardon stereo speakers were replaced with conventional two speakers. There are other little things that I will talk about in this material.
The price for Xiaomi 12T is no less adequate and starts at 41,000 rubles.
Specifications
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163 x 76 x 8.6mm | 163.2 x 75 x 9.1mm |
| The weight | 202 grams | 225 grams |
| Screen | 6.67 inch AMOLED DotDisplay 2712×1220 dots, 120Hz 480Hz touch rate Corning Gorilla Glass 5 HDR10+ | 6.67 inch AMOLED DotDisplay 2712×1220 dots, 120Hz 480Hz touch rate Corning Gorilla Glass 5 HDR10+ Dolby Vision |
| CPU | Dimensity 8100-Ultra 5nm Mali-G610 MC6 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4nm Adreno 730 |
| Memory | 8GB + 128GB 8GB + 256GB LPDDR5 + UFS 3.1 | 8GB + 128GB 12GB + 256GB LPDDR5 + UFS 3.1 |
| cameras | 108 MP main (matrix 1/1.67″), f/1.7, OIS 8 MP wide, f/2.2 2 MP macro, f/2.4 20 MP selfie, f/2.24 | 200 MP main (matrix 1/1.22″), f/1.69, OIS 8 MP wide, f/2.2 2 MP macro, f/2.4 20 MP selfie, f/2.24 |
| Battery | 5000mah 120w power adapter | 5000mah 120w power adapter |
| Speakers | Stereo (Dolby Atmos) | Stereo (Harman Kardon) |
| Protection | IP53 | IP53 |
| IR port | There is | There is |
| WiFi | Version 6 2×2 MIMO | Version 6 2×2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| NFC | There is | There is |
| 5G | n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n66/n77/n78 | n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n66/n77/n78/n75 |
| 4G | B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/ 12/13/17/18/19/ 20/26/28/32/66 | B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/ 12/13/17/18/19/ 20/25/26/28/32/66 |
| satellite positioning | GPS (L1+L5), A-GPS, GLONASS (G1), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS (L1+L5), A-GPS, GLONASS (G1), GALILEO (E1+E5a), NavIC (L5) |
| Colors | Blue, silver and black | Blue, silver and black |
| Price | ~ 41,000 rubles ~ 46,000 rubles | ~ 51,000 rubles ~ 58,000 rubles |
Contents of delivery
- Smartphone (12T packed in paper, 12T Pro in a plastic bag)
- USB cable
- Power adapter (120W is in different places and in different font)
- Silicone Case
- Instruction
- Warranty card
Appearance
The design of new products can be called calm. There are no fanciful elements, screens, "waterfalls" and other tinsel. Let's put it this way: work tools with decent looks.
The front sides are flat (thank you, Xiaomi, made us feel better), the back parts are slightly sloping - we also approve of this. The material covering the screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 5, the back covers are some kind of glass, no details. But the side faces are made of plastic. This is to the question of why the flagship models have metal and more advanced versions of Corning.
Both devices are sold in three colors: black, blue and silver. Naturally, they didn’t give me all the colors, but the 12T is in blue, and the 12T Pro is in black.
There are no purely tactile differences. The gadget in black is matte, and the gadget in blue is semi-glossy, playing a little in the light. The frames are made in the same way.
How easy is it to distinguish the devices? I think that according to the design of the camera block. In Xiaomi 12T Pro, the lens extends quite impressively, and the rest of the modules are lower on the “step”. Xiaomi 12T has a flat block, all lenses are on the same level.
The devices are easy to handle, although they are about 75 mm wide.
Oleophobic coating of excellent quality, prints almost do not appear on the surface of the glass.
The back side needs to be cleaned periodically.
In summary: as I said earlier, the devices are made in a calm design, the ergonomics are good, the materials are not premium, but of high quality.
Elements
It’s worth starting with the fact that the arrangement of elements on the Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro cases is exactly the same.
On the front :
- Small selfie camera. Doesn't distract at all.
- Speaker. The volume is high, the stock is present. Purely subjective on the 12T Pro, the timbre is more pleasant, with deeper low frequencies.
- Light sensor and proximity.
Bottom :
- Slot for two SIM cards.
- Main microphone.
- USB Type-C.
- Main speaker.
Right :
- Power button. Thin, with minimal travel, medium stiffness. On the Xiaomi 12T Pro, it is pressed with greater tactile feedback.
- Volume control. One solid key. The parameters are similar to the power button.
Top :
- IR transmitter
- The second microphone for noise reduction during a call, stereo sound recording.
- Second speaker. Forms stereo together with the main speaker.
From the reverse side:
- Main camera.
- Wide angle camera.
- macro camera.
- Flash. Two LEDs of different glow temperature.
Displays
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6.67 inch AMOLED DotDisplay 2712×1220 dots, 120Hz 480Hz touch rate Corning Gorilla Glass 5 HDR10+ | 6.67 inch AMOLED DotDisplay 2712×1220 dots, 120Hz 480Hz touch rate Corning Gorilla Glass 5 HDR10+ Dolby Vision |
In fact, all the parameters are in front of your eyes. Everything is clear and understandable.
Separately, it should be said that PWM is here at 1920 Hz. Checking the ripple factor:
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Ripple factor. Within the range from 10% to 100% of the brightness of the matrix | 4% - 18% And unevenly. For example, with a matrix brightness of 50%, the CP can be 10%. With NM 100% - CP 18%. | 4% - 15% |
In general, in simple words, the PWM is small, it is quite possible to use devices at any matrix brightness.
Measuring brightness:
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | Auto - 760 nits Manual - 740 nits HDR - 1400 nits | Auto - 790 nits Manual - 730 nits HDR - 1400 nits |
Something like that. Essentially, there is no difference. The main thing is that the peak brightness is equally high.
The HDR Test program tells us that:
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| HDR10 | Supports | Supports |
| HDR Dolby Vision | Do not support | Supports |
| HDR HLG | Supports | Supports |
I did not measure color spaces. Here only a professional will understand the essence and meaning of all these triangles. Well, by eye, no one will ever distinguish even 90% DCI-P3 from 100% DCI-P3.
AOD mode is present on both models. Full-fledged, that is, it glows constantly or on schedule. In some models, it lights up only for a while.
Total: the average user will not notice a big difference, but if you are chasing a “topchik”, then Xiaomi 12T Pro will be more interesting.
Working hours
In this case, I again reduced all the necessary data to a table for easy reading:
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity, mAh | 5000 | 5000 |
| Power adapter, W | 120 | 120 |
| Video playback time at maximum brightness (~750 nits), hours | thirty | 25 |
| Operating time in games at maximum brightness, hours | 17 | 6.5 |
| Average glow time at automatic brightness, hours | 7-8 | 4.5-5.5 |
| Android PC Mark test, watch | 7.5 | 7 |
| Charging time from 0% to 100%, in minutes | ~20 | ~20 |
| Wireless charger | Missing | Missing |
Separately, it should be said that Xiaomi 12T Pro consumes energy as if not in itself. The difference in heavy tests is almost double compared to Xiaomi 12T. After all the benchmarks, the 12T Pro battery showed 20%, and the 12T battery showed 40%.
By the way, I found this comment on the official website: "After 800 charge cycles, the battery capacity will be 80%." Considering that the 12T Pro is discharged quickly and will need to be charged twice a day, in about a year the manufacturer “promises” us 80% of the battery charge. Here's a 120W power adapter for you.
I think the problem is that gadgets have one battery, and not two, as is usually the case for similar devices with fast charging.
The Xiaomi 12T is generally indifferent to the type of load. It discharges equally slowly.
Connection
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/ n28/n38/n40/n41/n66/ n77/n78 NSA+SA | n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/ n38/n40/n41/n66/ n77/n78/n75 NSA+SA |
| 4G | B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/ 13/ 17/18/19/20/ 26/28/32/66 | B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/ 13/17 /18/19/20/25/ 26/28/32/66 |
| 3G | B1/2/4/5/6/8/19 | B1/2/4/5/6/8/19 |
| 2G | 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 2.4GHz / 5GHz 2×2 MIMO | Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 2.4GHz / 5GHz 2×2 MIMO, 8X8 Sounding for MU-MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Satellite connection | GPS: L1+L5 Galileo: E1+E5a GLONASS: G1 Beidou NavIC: L5 QZSS L1+L5 | GPS: L1+L5 Galileo: E1+E5a GLONASS: G1 Beidou NavIC: L5 |
| VoLTE and VoWi-Fi | There is | There is |
| eSIM | Not | There is |
| Call recording | There is | There is |
In my opinion, the devices behave the same way. No connection problems. It is strange that the younger version of Bluetooth has 5.3, while the older version has 5.2.
Both devices can record phone calls. The voices are saved: both yours and the interlocutor. True, during a call, for some reason, you need to swipe to the right to get to the screen with the call recording button. Unintuitive and uncomfortable.
Memory, processor and performance
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 8GB + 128GB 8GB + 256GB LPDDR5 + UFS 3.1 | 8GB + 128GB 12GB + 256GB LPDDR5 + UFS 3.1 |
As you can see, the Xiaomi 12T Pro smartphone can be bought with a decent amount of RAM. I only had the 8 GB version on hand. Below is a RAM speed test table:
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed 8 GB RAM, MB/s | 8500 | 8600 |
We draw the following conclusion: Xiaomi used, in fact, the same RAM for different devices; the speed is extremely low for such gadgets. I am sure that 12 GB of RAM will have a speed no higher. Weird.
Built-in memory for 12T Pro could be more than 256 GB. After all, a 200 MP camera is used here, and the video can be saved as 8K.
| XIAOMI 12T (256 GB) | XIAOMI 12T PRO (128 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in memory speed, read/write, MB/s | 1079 / 663 | 1540 / 390 |
Built-in memory of smartphones is fast. Xiaomi 12T has a higher write speed, while Xiaomi 12T Pro has a higher read speed. It's hard to say which is better. Logically, reading is better. But it depends on the experience of using the phone.
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Dimensity 8100-Ultra 5nm Mali-G610 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4nm Adreno 730 |
This is my first time encountering the Dimensity 8100-Ultra processor. As far as I understand, the SoC was made to order specifically for Xiaomi 12T under the Dimensity 5G program: when the processor manufacturer collaborates with the smartphone manufacturer in order to develop the optimal chip installed in a particular gadget. This is done mainly for the correct operation of cameras, image processing, and so on.
The chipset is built on a 5 nm process technology, has 8 cores (4 × 2.85 GHz ARM Cortex-A78, 4 × 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A55), Mali-G610 is responsible for the graphics.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro processor is a classic. Here 4 nm process technology, 8 cores (1 x Cortex-X2 3200 MHz, 3 x Cortex-A710 2800 MHz, 4 x Cortex-A510 2000 MHz) and Adreno 730 graphics. smartphone in 2022: Asus Rog Phone 6, Huawei Mate 50 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip/Fold 4, vivo X Fold+ and so on.
Pivot table:
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Antutu test, points | 841 450 | 1 040 186 |
| Geekbench test | 778 Single 3251 Multi 3170 Compute | 753 Single 3349 Multi 4673 Compute |
| Throttling | Not | Yes, unstable and quite strong |
| Housing heating, in degrees Celsius | up to 40 | Up to 45 |
In my opinion, in short, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is an analogue of Snapdragon 888, only with even higher performance. What I mean is: rushing through, throttling, heating up like a stove, but giving the result without compromise.
The Dimensity 8100-Ultra processor is just an amazing discovery for me. Almost does not heat up, the performance is quite high, there is no throttling.
cameras
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| cameras | 108 MP main (matrix 1/1.67″), f/1.7, OIS 8 MP wide, f/2.2 2 MP macro, f/2.4 20 MP selfie, f/2.24 | 200 MP main (matrix 1/1.22″), f/1.69, OIS 8 MP wide, f/2.2 2 MP macro, f/2.4 20 MP selfie, f/2.24 |
Since we have a review-comparison of two smartphones, and not a review of the photo part of these gadgets, in this paragraph I will not touch on the cameras in great detail.
Frankly, I expected pure marketing from 200 MP. But after testing Xiaomi 12T Pro came to the conclusion that such devices can do without zoom lenses. At least without 2X-3X magnification.
The bottom line is that even with a more or less adequate lighting level of 200 MP, the frame can be “cropped” so that you end up with an 8 MP - 12 MP shot with a decent approximation.
It’s clear that you can’t deceive physics: under insufficient lighting conditions, artifacts and noise will still come out, which will reduce the magnification when cropping the image. As practice has shown, with Xiaomi 12T Pro, such a frame is obtained only in the dark.
When comparing pictures of Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro, I decided this: if you do not use the original resolution of the modules, then the photos almost do not differ from each other. Therefore, it is necessary to take shots exclusively at 108 MP and 200 MP. That's when the difference is visible. And the funny thing is that not always in favor of 12T Pro! I don’t know how it happened, but some shots at 12T turned out clearer and sharper. There is a suspicion that software and AI in these devices work differently. Pay attention to the inscriptions: 12T frames are often easy to read, and some letters merge on 12T Pro shots. I think that artificial intelligence in 12T turned out to be “smarter”.
When shooting in the dark, it is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of who shoots better. But, as a rule, Xiaomi 12T Pro shots are a little more detailed and there is more information in the light areas.
Top left - image in low original quality, top right - 5X digital zoom, bottom left - 10X digital zoom, bottom right - 100% zoom 200 MP image.
If you are interested, I will separately review the Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro camera modules.
Other cameras of these devices are identical and frankly weak. You can understand - they saved money, and why compete with flagship devices. Throw in 12T Pro and 200 MP, and a zoom lens, and a cool "wide" - what would be the point of taking Xiaomi 12S / 12S Ultra / 12 Pro?
Video is better shot by Xiaomi 12T Pro. Here you have 8K, and 4K at 60 fps, and a wider dynamic range. He shoots as if on a film camera with digitization. Well, HDR is a little more interesting.
Front cameras can write FullHD HDR 30 fps and regular FullHD video at 60 fps. I liked the quality. I wanted to write, they say, for 4K, buy a flagship, but it turned out that neither 12S Ultra nor 12 Pro can write 4K selfies.
Bottom line: at the moment, I can't say that the 12T Pro with 200MP shoots better than the 12T with a 108MP camera. Somewhere one apparatus breaks ahead, somewhere another. I think it's about the algorithms. No wonder MediaTek made the 8100-Ultra processor specifically for Xiaomi 12T. Or maybe the manufacturer did not highlight Xiaomi 12T Pro much: if it is much cooler, then why take Xiaomi 12, 12X, 12 Pro, 12T and so on.
About sound
The press release says that Xiaomi 12T has stereo speakers with Dolby settings. But in the materials about Xiaomi 12T Pro it is said that the speakers are developed under the strict guidance of Harman Kardon. If someone is not in the know, then there is no JBL or HK in the Russian Federation.
Purely by ear, the 12T speakers play more interesting: a little more bass, the sound is open. In terms of volume, parity with 12T Pro. Here's Harman Kardon for you!
Both devices support all possible modern Bluetooth audio codecs: aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS +, aptXHD, LDAC, LHDC, and AAC with SBC.
Impression
Xiaomi marketers and developers should be given their due: they know how to make smartphones so that you still make a choice in favor of this or that device.
| XIAOMI 12T | XIAOMI 12T PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| pros | + Excellent processor: high performance, no throttling, low heat + Excellent main camera, better than 12T Pro in some moments + Fast internal memory + Excellent battery life + Call recording + Best price | + Powerful processor: unrealistic performance + Curious 200 MP main camera + Shooting video in 8K, 4K at 60 fps + Excellent screen matrix: very high peak brightness, almost no PWM + Phone recording + Adequate cost |
| Minuses | I have no particular complaints! | - Throttle processor - The case heats up to 45 degrees Celsius - Not always predictable photos at 200 MP - Average autonomy (compared to 12T) |
It seems to me that the choice should be approached something like this: if you need a top-end smartphone from a technical point of view, then look towards Xiaomi 12T Pro. If you don't need 1 million points in Antutu, you are quite happy with the 108 MP camera, and autonomy is not in last place, then Xiaomi 12T is your candidate.
Prices for new items, surprisingly, are extremely pleasant for the Russian market. Let me remind you: 12T - from 41,000 rubles, 12T Pro - from 51,000 rubles.
I'm waiting for you in the comments: which smartphone seemed more interesting to you and why?
0 Comments