Xiaomi Redmi 12 in Nepal: A solid low-budget entry-level smartphone with a stylish design

Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi has launched a new budget smartphone in Nepal, the Redmi 12. The phone has a beautiful design with three colour options. This phone, which was launched about a month ago, has finally made its way to Nepal.

Let us see what the budget option from Xiaomi offers regarding specifications.

Design and Display

The Redmi 12 has a simple yet elegant design. This phone has a glass back, which is rarely found on budget smartphones. The back is flat with curved edges and a flat plastic frame. The overall feel of the phone is good. On the back, it has a triple camera setup which is very similar to the POCO F5 launched a couple of months ago in Nepal.

The phone is quite thin, measuring 8.17mm in thickness, and features a glass front with a hole-punch camera cutout design. The bezels on the sides and top are relatively thin, while the chin is slightly thicker.

The Redmi 12 features a 6.79″ FHD+ DotDisplay with a resolution of 2460×1080 and a pixel density of 396 ppi. The display offers a contrast ratio of 1500:1 and a colour gamut of 70% NTSC. With a brightness of up to 550 nits (HBM), the screen provides excellent visibility. The AdaptiveSync display allows for smooth transitions between refresh rates of 36Hz, 48Hz, 60Hz, and 90Hz. Additionally, it supports Reading Mode 3.0 and holds the SGS Low Blue Light Certification.

Performance and Storage

The Redmi 12 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G88 chipset, built on a 12nm manufacturing process. It features an octa-core CPU consisting of 2 x Arm Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2GHz and 6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. The GPU is an Arm Mali-G52. The phone runs on MIUI 14, which is based on Android 13.

The Redmi 12 is available in two RAM options of 6GB and 8GB which are paired with 128GB and 256GB of storage respectively. The 8GB RAM has a memory extension feature allowing the phone to use the storage to increase the RAM by 8GB making a total of 16GB RAM.

Camera

The phone is equipped with a triple camera setup on the rear. It includes a 50MP main camera with an aperture of f/1.8, an 8MP ultra-wide camera offering a 120° field of view with an aperture of f/2.2, and a 2MP macro camera with an aperture of f/2.4. The rear camera allows for video recording at 1080P (1920×1080) at 30fps and 720P (1280×720) at 30fps.

For selfies, the Redmi 12 features an 8MP front camera with an aperture of f/2.1. The front camera also supports video recording at 1080P (1920×1080) at 30fps and 720P (1280×720) at 30fps.

Battery and Others

The Redmi 12 is equipped with a 5000mAh (typical) battery, providing ample power for extended usage and supporting 18W fast charging.

In terms of connectivity, the phone supports Wi-Fi on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless communication with other devices. The Redmi 12 offers a dual SIM configuration with a hybrid slot, allowing users to choose between a second SIM or a MicroSD card for expandable storage of up to 1TB. In addition to its impressive features, the Redmi 12 also boasts an IP53 rating for dust and splash resistance, providing added durability and protection against everyday elements.

For a versatile audio experience, the Redmi 12 is equipped with both a 3.5mm headphone jack and a powerful loudspeaker.

For security, it offers a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for convenient and secure unlocking. Additionally, it supports AI face unlock as an alternative unlocking method. The sensors include an accelerometer and an E-compass.

The Redmi 12 is available in three colours; Sky Blue, Polar Silver and Midnight Black.

The price of the Redmi 12 in Nepal is Rs 17,999 for the 6/128GB options and Rs 20,999 for the 8/256GB option.