Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

Priced just below $150, the Xiaomi Redmi 12C has established its place in the highly competitive budget Android mobile market. After using the phone for a week, we have gained a fresh perspective on it. Although the Redmi C series is a well-known product line that caters to budget-conscious consumers, the 12C offers a unique experience. Xiaomi has launched a new product that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also worth exploring. Join us as we delve into the Xiaomi Redmi 12C review to discover its features and if it deserves your attention.

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review

Design

If you’re working with a budget Android smartphone, you can’t expect it to have a sleek design. The Xiaomi Redmi 12C is no exception. The only design feature we find appealing is the raised ridges on the back. They’re sweatproof and fingerprint-free, making the phone more comfortable to hold.

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

Aside from that, the edges, buttons, and speaker holes are well-crafted. The buttons are responsive, and there’s even a 3.5mm headphone jack. Overall, the Redmi 12C has a decent appearance, is durable, and is suitable for users such as students, parents, or ordinary workers. It’s a reasonable choice.

Although we are satisfied with the Xiaomi Redmi 12C, one aspect that leaves us somewhat disappointed is its Micro-USB port. Considering the price range, most of the other Android brands are equipped with a Type-C port, while this phone has an outdated Micro-USB port. We find it no longer useful, and this might be the reason we don’t fancy this mobile much.

However, we are delighted with the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor on the back. We have always admired Xiaomi phones’ fingerprint sensors, and this one is no exception. It is incredibly quick and responsive, even on low-cost devices. Moreover, the fingerprint sensor’s placement on the Xiaomi Redmi 12C is also logical as we never unintentionally touched the camera.

Due to its predominantly plastic construction, the device has a remarkably lightweight profile, tipping the scales at a mere 192 grams. Moreover, the curved contour at the rear end confers an exceptionally comfortable grip, which is likely to appeal to a wide range of users.

Display

The Xiaomi Redmi 12C is a budget Android mobile phone that comes equipped with an IPS LCD screen that has HD+ resolution. While the screen may not be the most visible, it can still adequately cater to your entertainment needs such as web browsing and watching movies. However, if you tilt the device at an angle, the screen becomes quite dark, making it difficult to view the content.

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

It’s important to note that this screen lacks a high refresh rate and only reaches a maximum brightness of 500 nits, which makes it challenging to use outdoors. Nevertheless, the wide 6.71-inch screen size provides a broader viewing angle and more space to enjoy your favorite entertainment content or display additional information.

Xiaomi Redmi 12C specifications

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile
  • Display: 6.71-inch (1650 x 720 pixels) HD+ display
  • CPU: Octa Core MediaTek Helio G85 12nm processor (Dual 2GHz Cortex-A75 + Hexa 2GHz 6x Cortex-A55 CPUs)
  • GPU: up to 1000MHz ARM Mali-G52 2EEMC2 GPU
  • RAM/ROM: 4GB LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage, 4GB / 6GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage, expandable memory up to 512GB with microSD
  • OS: Android 12 with MIUI 13
  • Features: Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD)
  • Rear camera: 50MP rear primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture
  • Front camera: 5MP front camera
  • Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS + GLONASS, micro USB port
  • Battery: 5000mAh (typical) battery with 10W charging
  • Dimensions: 168.76 × 76.41 × 8.77 mm
  • Weight: 192g

Performance

Our Xiaomi Redmi 12C review unit comes equipped with 4GB of RAM and a MediaTek Helio G85 chip (12nm), which is sufficient to fulfill basic tasks such as browsing the web, using social media apps, and watching movies. However, if the device is loaded with too many applications running in the background or performing heavy tasks, it may experience lags.

When it comes to performance scores, the device achieved a score of 200,731 points on Antutu v9, while Geekbench 6 resulted in a single-core score of 403 points and a multi-core score of 1,138 points. Generally, these scores are deemed acceptable for a device priced at around $150.

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile
Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

On the Redmi 12C, we exclusively evaluated a single game, which goes by the name of PUBG Mobile. Our testing involved configuring the settings to “Smooth” with “extremely high graphics” that produced a steady 40 frames per second. Despite encountering a minor amount of lag, we deemed the overall gameplay experience to be satisfactory and playable.

Camera

Let’s continue our Xiaomi Redmi 12C review with its camera performance. Given the affordability of a budget phone like the Redmi 12C, one should not expect outstanding performance from its camera. Nevertheless, we managed to take some photos using the device, which we present below:

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

Under sufficiently bright lighting conditions, the camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 12C is capable of capturing images with some degree of detail. While the colors may lack vibrancy, the overall picture quality remains impressive.

Although the Xiaomi Redmi 12C offers a 50MP shooting mode, we found that it does not yield significant improvements over the default mode.

The Xiaomi Redmi 12C’s selfie camera does not exceed temporary standards and lacks any remarkable features. Its portrait mode can capture basic subjects with minimal details, although the background remains unimpressively unblurred.

In low-light conditions, the device’s shooting capabilities remain unaltered. When faced with numerous ambient light sources, the overall image quality remains satisfactory, with decent details. However, the device struggles to handle low-light environments effectively.

Battery life

The Xiaomi Redmi 12C boasts a 5,000 mAh battery, allowing for comfortable full-day use without the device having to handle any heavy tasks. However, the 10W charging capacity of the device poses a challenge as it takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours to complete the charging process.

Xiaomi Redmi 12C Review: Best Budget Android Mobile

Final line

Despite its price point of around $150, the Xiaomi Redmi 12C is still a worthwhile device to consider purchasing due to its impressive features. It boasts a comfortable grip, a sizable screen for enhanced user experience, and a long-lasting battery that can easily last an entire day.

In summary, the Xiaomi Redmi 12C excels in areas such as its large screen, sturdy design, reliable performance for basic usage, and extended battery life. However, it falls short in certain aspects such as the outdated micro USB charging port, and a screen that could benefit from a sharper resolution or improved performance. Nevertheless, if these drawbacks can be overlooked, the Redmi 12C remains a standout choice in its price range.

To obtain 5G network assistance for less than $200, you may need to make certain concessions. However, there is an alternative to consider – the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G (Hands-On) – a recently released cost-effective 5G smartphone that emphasizes high performance, equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 700 7nm processor and 6GB of RAM.

Price and availability

Xiaomi Redmi 12C unlocked smartphone can be purchased on Amazon.com for $141 with Fast Car Charger Bundle and will only work with T-Mobile and Mint networks in the US market.

About Ankeet Solanki

Thanks for reading! If my article helped you, I would be happy if you visit Techtoyreviews again and follow it on Social media. This article contains partner "affiliate" links. Clicking on it will take you to the provider and if you make a purchase, Techtoyreviews will receive a small amount of support.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *