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Forget the name: the Xiaomi 12 Pro is really the direct successor to last year’s Xiaomi Mi 11. A re-shuffle in Xiaomi’s flagship line-up has introduced the smaller Xiaomi 12, now giving the Chinese company a pair of high-end phones in different sizes to directly rival Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and S22+ – with a 12 Ultra rumoured to arrive later this year to take on Samsung’s own Ultra handset.
Being pitted directly against the S22+ (not to mention the likes of the Oppo Find X5 Pro and OnePlus 10 Pro, see page 4) gives the Xiaomi 12 Pro a lot to live up to. For the most part the hardware here is clearly up to the task, matching its rivals in most of the places it counts, though the battery life lets the side down.
Software issues hinder the experience further, with both bugs and awkward interfaces, and the result is a phone that impresses a lot but still feels like it’s lagging behind the pack.
DESIGN
If there’s a design philosophy to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, it seems to be ‘attractive but conservative’. In a year where Oppo is further exploring moulded glass camera modules, OnePlus shifted to a wrap-around design and Samsung offered two separate designs within the same S22 series, Xiaomi has played it safe.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.
