The REDMI Note 12 5G is the 5G model of the base REDMI Note 12 lineup. Xiaomi announced it on January 5, 2023, at the series launch in India. The global rollout followed in March 2023. In Germany, it launched at €299.90 with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. There is also a separate 4G phone, the REDMI Note 12, with a Snapdragon 685 chip.
Design and display
The 6.67-inch AMOLED display has a 2400 x 1080 resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Xiaomi rates it at 1,200 nits peak brightness and 700 nits in high brightness mode. The body measures 165.88 x 76.21 x 7.98 mm and weighs 189 g.
The frame and the back are plastic, and the back has a matte finish. An IP53 rating covers dust and water splashes. The global colors are Onyx Gray, Ice Blue and Forest Green. In India, Xiaomi used the names Matte Black, Mystique Blue and Frosted Green.
Other features include a side fingerprint reader, NFC in some markets, an IR blaster and a headphone jack. Audio comes from a single speaker. Wireless connections are Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Performance
Inside is the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, a 6 nm chip with Cortex-A78 cores at up to 2.0 GHz. It pairs with an Adreno 619 GPU, LPDDR4X memory and UFS 2.2 storage. Memory options are 4/128 GB, 6/128 GB and 8/256 GB. The hybrid SIM slot also takes a microSD card of up to 1 TB.
Compared with the 4G REDMI Note 12, the main differences are the chip and 5G support. The 5G model supports two 5G SIM cards at the same time.
Cameras
The rear setup has a 48 MP main camera with an f/1.8 lens. An 8 MP ultrawide camera with a 118° view and a 2 MP macro camera join it. Xiaomi lists no optical stabilization. Rear video tops out at 1080p at 30 fps. The 13 MP front camera also records 1080p video at 30 fps.
Battery and charging
The 5,000 mAh battery supports 33 W wired charging, and the charger comes in the box. There is no wireless charging. The phone uses a USB-C port at USB 2.0 speed.
Software and updates
The phone shipped with MIUI 14 based on Android 12. Notebookcheck reports Android 14 as its last major update, so it gets two OS upgrades. The 4G REDMI Note 12 launched with Android 13 instead. Xiaomi’s security update list shows support for the Note 12 5G ending on March 23, 2026.
Should you buy the REDMI Note 12 5G?
The phone suits buyers who want 5G, a 120 Hz AMOLED screen and a large battery for little money. The headphone jack, IR blaster and microSD support add practical value. On the other hand, it has a single speaker, Wi-Fi 5 and no optical stabilization. Security updates have already ended, which is a serious drawback today. Buyers who need long software support should look at a newer model.
