The digital series is the first product line of Xiaomi mobile phones. It is the classic models such as Xiaomi 1 and Xiaomi 2 that have today’s MIX, Civi and other series, and even the entire Redmi brand.
It can be said that the digital series is the foundation of Xiaomi’s mobile phone, and it is also one of the largest user groups of Xiaomi’s mobile phones. In terms of positioning, almost every generation of digital series is based on stacking materials, integrating the first hardware and advanced technology.
Unfortunately, the development of mobile phones is no longer just about hardware stacking, but a joint optimization of hardware and software. Xiaomi did not pay attention to this earlier, resulting in a statement that the configuration has never been lost and the experience has never been won. But it also made him realize that the heap configuration is only one aspect, and the most important thing is the experience, that is, the feeling of use.
Xiaomi’s response is relatively fast. This year, the software level has been adjusted one after another, and MIUI 12.5, which can be called a major version update, has been launched, and since Xiaomi Mi 12, the digital series has begun to change. The most direct way to see it is the publicity.
Before the release of the Xiaomi Mi 12 series, the warm-up information rarely mentioned the hardware configuration, and almost all the experience was the main focus. Lei Jun emphasized the dead-end experience many times. This is the first time for the digital series. Innovation and other words, and Xiaomi 12 only uses three words, fast and more stable.
This time Xiaomi brings three models, namely Xiaomi 12X, Xiaomi 12, and Xiaomi 12 Pro, with two body sizes. Among them, Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro have the same core configuration and directly target Apple. For the first time, they use dual size Appearance.
There is a saying among Mi Fans of “even-numbered true flagship”, which means that if the Xiaomi digital series coincides with an even number, it is definitely worth buying. Although it is more sarcastic, Xiaomi’s performance in the past two years seems to be similar to this statement. How does Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro perform? Then look down.
Xiaomi Mi 12 offers three AG glass color schemes of black/blue/purple, as well as the plain-leather version of wild green. This color scheme is in my hand.
mobile phone packaging
front of phone
front of phone
front of phone
The front screen of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro has canceled the four-curved shape, and changed it to a hyperboloid shape with a central hole-digging design, which is basically the same as that of mainstream flagships. , It’s a pity that I didn’t get the chance to take a proactive shot under the screen. Is it a super cup reserved for next year?
At first glance, the front of the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is not much different from the regular flagship. It chose a mature micro-curved screen. For the digital series, Xiaomi seems to have become more cautious, and the parameters are also routinely upgraded.
front of phone
Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro uses a 6.73-inch AMOELD screen with a resolution of 3200×1440, Samsung E5 material, second-generation LPTO, PPI552, full-screen brightness up to 1000nit, peak brightness 1500nit, supports 120Hz refresh rate and ten-finger 480Hz touch sampling rate, and JNCD≈ 0.43 △E≈0.4, front and rear dual ambient light sensors, 10bit color depth, etc.
front of phone
front of phone
Xiaomi said that this screen is the second-generation low-power 2K screen because of four aspects, namely E5 luminous material, second-generation LTPO, and Micro-Lens microprism technology, all of which belong to the hardware level to reduce power consumption, and the focus is on software. Whether the level can play a role, so the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro has a built-in function called intelligent dynamic refresh rate.
This function allows the screen to slide and change speed. If I remember correctly, it should be the first in Android. In short, the refresh rate will change with the screen sliding. For example, the simple sliding operation from top to bottom will cause the screen refresh rate to change With the change of the screen moving speed, it gradually decreases, from 120Hz to 90Hz, then to 60Hz, 30Hz, and finally to 10Hz, which is very power-saving.
However, after testing, it seems that only Xiaomi’s own App supports it at present, and other third-party applications are not supported for the time being. I hope more will be added in the future.
In addition, using the second-generation LTPO technology, Xiaomi has made some screen refresh rate optimizations, such as 1Hz when reading e-books and pictures, 60Hz when typing, and the browsing information flow is quickly increased to 120Hz. Combined with these software adjustments , Xiaomi just called it the second-generation low-power 2K screen.
The back of the phone
The back of the phone
The back of the phone
The back of the phone
The Mi 12 Pro continues to retain the plain leather material, with a rectangular camera layout on the back, including three cameras and a dual-color temperature flash. The lens module has small details of line segmentation. In fact, the Mi 12 Pro body has many such inadvertent small details. Details, such as the volume keys, have also been specially treated, which invisibly adds to the delicacy of the whole machine.
Then there is the degree of lens bulge, which “sinks” a lot compared to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro. It is a required course for high-end flagships. It tests the assembly and design process. This time, the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro can’t pick out any faults.
The back of the phone
The back of the phone
In fact, it is quite surprising that Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro uses plain leather material. It may be because it is relatively high-end, and the surface texture is delicate and soft to the touch. It is said that it uses environmentally friendly plain leather, with 0 organic solvents added, from environmentally friendly PU, which reduces energy consumption and carbon emissions. .
It is said that the texture of plain leather is indeed better than that of glass, especially in winter when the temperature is lower, the texture of plain leather is not as cool as that of glass.
The top of the fuselage is the speaker, infrared, Harman Kardon logo, microphone
The bottom of the fuselage is the speaker, USB Type-C interface, microphone, SIM card slot
Package comes with 120W charger and protective case
Xiaomi 12 Pro plain leather phone case (sold separately)
Xiaomi 12 Pro plain leather phone case (sold separately)
2. System and Highlights
Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro runs the stable version of MIUI 13 based on Android 12. I really did not expect that the major version of MIUI 13 will be pre-installed at the factory. It can be seen that MIUI has been polished for a long time, and the new version has been able to be installed stably.
In fact, when I opened the phone for the first time, I did not perceive it as MIUI 13. I always thought it was MIUI 12.5, because the UI and icons were basically unchanged. Compared with the drastic improvements of previous generations, MIUI 13 is not radical, but think about MIUI carefully. The performance of the past two years has also been relieved, and Xiaomi’s recent strategy is to take the lead.
Since it is a major version update, try to talk about the new features as much as possible. MIUI 12.5 already has it, and it will not take much space.
The main interface has not changed much, the negative screen has been completely changed, the content is more aggregated, the information is intuitive and clear, the layout looks a lot more comfortable, and there is no text logo below the icon, which looks more simple.
The default font is changed from Xiao Milan Pavilion Pro to the new MiSans, which still supports stepless adjustment, and the size and thickness can be adjusted. The new font seems to be more elliptical, which is in line with the style of MIUI icons.
Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro uses a 2K+120Hz high refresh screen, the default is 2K resolution, the resolution can be automatically switched according to the scene, and the AI master image quality engine also supports it, especially the dynamic picture supplementary frame, which is especially comfortable when watching videos. .
MIUI 13 brings a new sidebar function, supports global display, can be summoned by swiping a specific position, and shows recently opened applications, which is a relatively convenient shortcut. Other mainstream UIs also have similar functions, which are rarely opened by individuals. Use, after all, there is one more line on the side, and sometimes the edge return may touch by mistake.
Widgets are a more expected feature of MIUI 13. Long squares or squares display different content, such as calendars, commemorative photos, etc., which can be placed on the desktop and can be used as shortcuts. It can be said to be beautiful and practical. .
Some notes, to-do items, or shortcuts for health codes and Mijia devices all support adding widgets to the desktop.
MIUI 12 brings privacy functions such as interception nets, flares, and fuzzy positioning. Later, many mainstream ROMs have strengthened privacy protection. MIUI 13 has added an anti-tracking mode. Take the scene as an example, I search the keyboard in the browser during the day, and open a certain device at night. Shopping software, push advertising is a keyboard, thinking about it is very scary.
The anti-tracking mode of MIUI 13 reduces this situation to a certain extent. First of all, it prohibits the application from obtaining the MAC address and prevents tracking through the device MAC address. At the same time, it intelligently identifies and disables various types of trackers embedded in the application, such as reading and writing mobile phone storage sharing. Personal identification, shared SDK tracking, etc. In addition, blank passes, virtual identity IDs, and fuzzy positioning are also aggregated into anti-tracking mode.
3. Performance and Gaming
In terms of core configuration, Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is equipped with a new generation of Snapdragon 8 processor, equipped with LPDDR5 6400Mbps, full-blooded new generation UFS 3.1 flash memory.
Snapdragon 8 is the latest mobile platform released by Qualcomm. For this new processor, the CPU and GPU performance are the same this time, and the AI engine and ISP will be ignored for the time being.
Let’s first look at the process, based on Samsung’s 4nm. In fact, strictly speaking, 4nm is not an iterative upgrade of 5nm. Personally, I prefer to call it an enhanced version of 5nm. The packaging is not too much, but the development of semiconductor technology is in order Come, there is no hurry, but the Samsung OEM is a little panic, after all, there is a Snapdragon 888 in front, the actual performance is described below.
In terms of CPU architecture, Snapdragon 8 is an 8-core Kryo based on ARM v9 pure 64-bit instruction set. It is the first major version change in ten years. The v8 that has been used for many years has finally come to an end. The new v9 improves security and machine learning. At the same time, it is fully converted to 64-bit to improve operating efficiency.
The CPU still continues the 1+3+4 combination, consisting of a super-core Cortex-X2 with a main frequency of 3GHz, three A710s with a main frequency of 2.5GHz and four A510s with a main frequency of 1.8GHz. In fact, I can’t help but feel nervous when I see it, thinking of the 2.84GHzX1 super core of the Snapdragon 888… According to Qualcomm, the CPU performance of the Snapdragon 8 is increased by 20% and the energy efficiency ratio is increased by 30%, and it is the first platform to support Unreal Engine 5.
In fact, the super-large core and large-core upgrades are expected. Some surprises are that the performance of the four energy-efficient cores A510 also uses a new cluster design, and it is also the most used for opening webpages and swiping videos every day, including daily standby. arrive.
The GPU is also a new architecture design. It is not clearly specified. It should be the Adreno 730. Then it is the first replacement in five years. The core area is increased by 60%, the graphics rendering speed is increased by 30%, and the performance of Vulkan is increased by 60%, focusing on improving the game. .
Let’s not talk about other things, let’s see how the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro with the new generation of Snapdragon 8 runs?
After the actual test, the AnTuTu score of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro was 1020324, breaking through one million running points, of which the CPU reached about 230,000, which is a small improvement compared to Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro, and the GPU score is a leap forward. The score is close to 450,000, which is also the biggest performance upgrade of the new generation of Snapdragon 8.
MEM and UX have also been improved accordingly. The maximum speed of the full-blooded version of LPDDR5 memory has reached 6400Mbps, and it has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate screen. This result is not unexpected.
In terms of storage, Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is equipped with a new generation of UFS 3.1 flash memory. The measured sequential read speed reaches 1941.2MB/s, and the sequential write speed reaches 1256MB/s. It can be seen that the write performance has been greatly improved, compared with the conventional UFS 3.1 flash memory. The model is almost doubled, and the advantage is that installing applications and loading games is faster, and there is a clear perception.
Before the release of Xiaomi Mi 12, Lei Jun said many times that he had obtained the Snapdragon 8 ahead of schedule. After several months of joint tuning, it was mainly about the dead-end experience. The dynamic performance scheduling technology was added, which is different from the conventional frequency reduction. There is indeed something. Millisecond-level scheduling with almost no sense of adjustment.
Dynamic performance scheduling is a technology that analyzes game progress in real time. It distributes chip frequency, scheduling, frame rate, etc. through the interface, behavior, and scene. For example, the MOBA game “Honor of Kings” itself requires high frequency only during team battles. The technology divides the game into five modes, game startup, game lobby, game loading, single-player online, and large-scale team battles, which are completed with different chip frequencies and screen frame rates, to achieve a stable output without heating. In order to control the Snapdragon Long 8, Xiaomi has also made a lot of efforts.
In terms of heat dissipation, Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is equipped with a 2900mm² heat dissipation VC, covering the concentrated heating area, and three layers of super-large graphite sheets, which have better heat dissipation efficiency. Let’s take a look at its game performance.
– “Glory of the King”
Enable the highest image quality (120fps) supported by Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro
game fps
Body temperature
Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro supports the 120-frame mode of “Honor of Kings”, automatically recognizes different scenes, and gives different frame rate displays. For example, the hero selection interface is 60fps, the team battle interface and single-player online are 120fps, and the frame rate display is basically 120fps throughout the whole process. 60fps is the return interface at the end of the game. If not, there is no problem in maintaining 120fps in the whole process, and the average frame rate will be higher.
In terms of temperature, the most obvious heat of the body is the processor position on the lens side, but the temperature is acceptable, the highest temperature is 44.8, and the average temperature is 40.9.
– “Original God”
Enable the highest image quality (60fps) supported by Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro
game fps
Body temperature
Running “Genshin Impact” is obviously difficult, but there is no problem with stabilizing more than 50fps. The GPU of the Snapdragon 8 has improved significantly. In the past, the Snapdragon 888 model could only maintain 60fps for about 10 minutes, and then started to lock the frame, while the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro This did not happen, the maximum temperature of the fuselage was 47.6 and the average temperature was 41.7.
——”Peace Elite”
Enable the highest image quality (60fps) supported by Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro
game fps
Body temperature
“Peace Elite” currently only supports 60 frames of image quality (it is expected to support 90 frames in the future). For this mainstream game, the manufacturer will optimize it separately. The measured frame rate is very stable, almost a straight line, almost no heat, the highest Temperature 38.4, average temperature 35.9.
4. Video and photography
In terms of imaging, the Mi 12 Pro has a 50-megapixel wide-angle + 50-megapixel portrait + 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle triple camera at the rear, of which the main camera is the first IMX707 CMOS, 1/1.28” outsole, supports OIS optical image stabilization, 4in1 rear The single pixel reaches 2.44 microns, and the light input is increased by 49%, so the photosensitive ability is further improved. At the same time, with Xiaomi’s self-developed Ye Xiao 2.0 night scene algorithm, it realizes super night scene at all focal lengths.
In addition, Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro took two years to redesign the image structure. For the first time, it was equipped with Xiaomi Image Brain, which has built-in four modules: intent recognition unit, acceleration engine, computing unit, and ecological engine. The camera speed increased by 53%, and the night shooting speed increased by 40%. The speed of continuous photography has been increased by 209%, and what you take is what you get.
1. Daytime proofs
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-50 for the main camera)
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-50 for the main camera)
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-50 for the main camera)
High-rise buildings (ultra wide-angle lens defaults to 12 million pixels f/2.2 ISO-50)
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-50 for the main camera)
High-rise buildings (main camera 2X crop f/1.9 ISO-50)
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-50 for the main camera)
Main camera macro (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-50 for main camera)
The Mi 12 Pro is equipped with three 50-megapixel lenses on the rear. The main camera is the first Sony IMX707 sensor. The overall exposure performance of the machine is quite good. The backlight environment still clearly restores the details. The color reproduction should have AI smearing, but it is not special. Obviously, the sky is bluer, the transition is natural, the post-processing is very transparent, the dynamic range of the ultra-wide-angle lens is larger, and the details of the roadside signs are also in place.
The machine is not equipped with a periscope lens, so it only supports up to 20X digital zoom. I don’t know what Xiaomi has considered in this regard. The previous generation is still retained, but it was removed by the Mi 12 Pro, but 20X zoom is enough.
2. Night proofs
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-1460 for the main camera)
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-2695 for the main camera)
Street light (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-1459 for main camera)
High-rise buildings (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-2350 for the main camera)
Roadside trees (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-3750 for the main camera)
Street sign (default 12MP f/1.9 ISO-690 for the main camera)
The night scene of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is no longer a silly bright mind, but suppresses the highlights, and tries to restore the details in the dark parts instead of directly brightening. Zhang building logo, many mobile phone night scenes are overexposed to orange, and Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro restores the real red.
For night scenes where the light is not particularly sufficient, the Mi 12 Pro will automatically turn on the night scene mode. Compared with the previous generation, the imaging speed this time is a qualitative change. relation. In this regard, I asked Xiaomi whether the Xiaomi imaging brain was decentralized, and the answer was that only the Xiaomi 12 series is currently exclusive, which is a pity.
5. Battery life and charging
Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is equipped with a 4600mAh battery. Note that it is a single battery, not dual cells. It also supports 100W fast charging, which is larger than the 4500mAh battery composed of dual cells. What is the power consumption of the new generation of Snapdragon 8? What about Xiaomi’s so-called second-generation low-power 2K screen? Let’s take a look at the measured data. It is customary to use the AnTuTu stress test function to perform super power consumption tests.
Stress test is a built-in function of AnTuTu Review. It tests the stability of device performance by performing high-load operations. It requires a lot of calculations by the CPU, so the power consumption is larger than that of video and daily use.
In the super power consumption test, Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro lasted for 140 minutes, which is more power consumption than the regular Snapdragon 888 flagship, and the actual frequency is basically maintained at full load, so it is understandable that the power consumption is faster, but it can be basically speculated that the Snapdragon 8 The power consumption is somewhat unsatisfactory.
Let’s look at the battery life estimate, because this result is obtained when the CPU is always fully loaded, considering our daily use and screen time, so this data needs to be converted into a multiple, and it is concluded that the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro has about 5 hours of battery life.
However, the standby battery life is really good. When I first got it, it was not charged, and it was about 73% of the power. It was not charged during the period. I have experienced running points, charging, and occasionally taking screenshots, downloading games or software, and nearly two days. 20% battery.
As shown in the figure, the screen that consumes the most power is still the screen, and the screen-on time is nearly 2 hours. This standby battery life is really unexpected, and it is much improved compared to the past.
In terms of charging, Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro supports 120W wired fast charging, with two modes of fast constant temperature to choose from, which can charge to 100% in as fast as 18 minutes, and supports 50W wireless fast charging, which can be charged to 100% in 42 minutes.
At this point, the question arises, how can a single cell achieve 120W fast charging? The answer is Surging P1. Xiaomi has another self-developed chip for fast charging. The project was established more than a year in advance, and it cost 100 million R&D investment. The complexity of the startup and protection circuit is 9 times that of the previous one. Watt fast charge.
The reason for the huge cost is that it is not expected to be equipped with the Mi 12 Pro alone to solve the battery problem. It may be a stepping stone for the subsequent breakthrough of 120W fast charging. Other than that, in terms of charging, Xiaomi is definitely in the lead.
After the actual test, the Mi 12 Pro fast mode took 19 minutes to go from 1% to 100%, which is not much different from the official data. Among them, 21% of the battery was charged in 3 minutes, and 58% of the battery was charged in 9 minutes. time to complete charging.
6. Summary
Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is its third-generation high-end flagship, which continues the digital series stacking, but it is also a change. Almost all configurations of the fuselage are for service experience, such as the second-generation low-power 2K screen, intelligent dynamic refresh rate, Dynamic performance scheduling and Xiaomi’s imaging brain are the same, and should be the case, bringing together a flagship with an experience close to full marks.
The digital series is different from other product lines. Xiaomi mobile phones have multiple series such as Note, MIX, Play, CC, and Civi. Although some product lines have been cut, the digital series is undoubtedly the most special among them, because it has existed since its inception. It has been more than ten years, and many rice noodles have feelings for it, so when the performance is unsatisfactory, although there is a voice of complaining, it has more or less the meaning of hating iron.
The overall performance of Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is more like a flagship mobile phone built under the supervision of Mi Fans. It is a bit too much to say that the encouragement is too much, but it is not far from it. It is not perfect, the high frequency is still a little hot, and the image still needs to be optimized and needs time to polish.
The transformation of this series is inevitable for Xiaomi to take the high-end road. It is true that the hardware is stacked, but the software coordination and tuning must be required, and the digital series itself does not need so many first-launch technologies, and stability is the number of users. What the huge series is after, Xiaomi is obviously aware of this and is improving and making up for it, and this process may not be completed in a year or two.
Through the Xiaomi Mi 12 series, I realized the reason why Xiaomi can accumulate so many users. This is a brand that can listen to users’ voices, and the key is that Xiaomi can listen and reflect. The original intention of technology products is to serve people. When a company attaches great importance to user feedback, it does not say that it can be invincible, but it will definitely last for a long time.
However, for Xiaomi, the digital series must pursue a balance. It can not only configure the stacking material, launch new technologies, but also cooperate with software adjustment to give full play to the experience. The more extreme exploration is handed over to the MIX series. Although it is a bit harsh, it can realize the coolest company in Mi Fan’s heart, realize the endless life that Lei Jun said, and also maintain love and go to the mountains and seas together.
