Redmi 12C: In the cutthroat world of budget smartphones, enters Xiaomi Redmi 12C that certainly has all the basics you could ask for if you are new to smartphones or simply looking for something that won’t put a dent in your pocket.
This budget-friendly smartphone skimps on some features while making sure it offers the most important ones for those who need an affordable option.
Design and Build
The Redmi 12C is equipped with a unique textured plastic back cover that offers great grip, and is excellent at hiding fingerprints and smudges.
The pattern is purely decorative, lending visual interest to an otherwise unremarkable design, and you can get it in various color options including Ocean Blue, Mint Green, and Graphite Black.
Measuring 168.76 x 76.41 x 8.77mm and tipping the scales at around 192g, the phone has some heft to it, but it’s not unwieldy by any means.
The presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack and a dedicated microSD card slot (up to 1TB expansion) is a clear indication Redmi knows what the budget segment wants — a versatile device more than clothed with premium materials.
Display Experience
The front of the device is mostly dominated by a 6.71 inch HD+ display with a waterdrop notch for the selfie camera.
Apologies to the spec men, who are more likely to look down on the 1650 × 720 resolution than to look up to it, but color rendition is fine and screen brightness is at a level that makes the phone useable indoors.
With the 20:9 aspect ratio, content consumption is a pleasant viewing experience but visibility for outdoors under bright conditions still has it’s challenges.
Performance Capabilities
Running the MediaTek Helio G85 chip with different RAM options to choose (3/4/6GB, depending on the market), the Redmi 12C can smoothly manage simple tasks.
The octa-core processor can handle basic tasks like messaging, social media and video streaming quite seamlessly, but you may encounter some slight stutter while gaming or running multiple apps simultaneously.
MIUI 13 over Android 12 Xiaomi’s feature-rich UI is reaching the budget segment parties.
The software comes with some good touches like Second Space for privacy and different optimization tools, but the many pre-installed apps could be an initial turn-off for some users.
Camera System
A main camera that comes up short in one regard, however. The main camera is a 50MP module as is common while the low level support is provided by a very basic one. Using in a proper lighting conditions, the primary camera clicks quite impressive shots with decent color reproduction given the price segment.
The camera app includes several shooting modes, portrait among them, which does okay subject separation despite the limitations of the hardware.
As expected, low-light output is quite terrible with noise, noise, noise and no detail. For selfies, you can trust the 5MP camera for your basic needs in good light conditions, but it will struggle a bit when it gets difficult.
Battery Performance
The 5,000mAh of power on the 12C means it has excellent battery life, and it must be said it takes a solid battery to keep the large, and potentially power hungry, screen running.
With moderate use, you can get a full day, and into a second, on a single charge.
This is helped by the power-efficient processor, and both the processor and the lower-resolution display come together to ensure battery is never a concern, but bear in mind that 10W charging means refills take much longer than mid-range rivals.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Outstanding battery life that lasts well over a day
Rugged textured design provide excellent grip Analog port cover for protection from dust, dirt and water.
Expandable storage up to 1TB
The main camera does an okay job in good light
3.5mm headphone jack and stand-alone slot for microSD card
Great value for an affordable price point
Cons:
Not that fast to perform comprehensive processing.
HD+ screen not as sharp as some rivals
It takes them significantly more time to reach a full throttle when being refueled at slow charge rates
Limited low-light camera capabilities
Single speaker audio out (rudimentary)
The MIUI comes with a lot of bloatware
Redmi 12C: The Verdict
The Redmi 12C delivers well on its mission of offering a decent to good smartphone experience at an affordable price.
With priority given to functional features such as long-lasting battery, large storage capacity and great photo-taking experience in all environs, Xiaomi has committed to reverse this trend of iterations becoming less attractive across the industry.
It’s not going to be enough for those demanding gaming performance or a luxurious build, but the 12C embodies a lot of sensible compromise, and, importantly, helps bring smartphone technology within reach of more cost conscious consumers in more parts of the world.