Flagship-grade performance; Compact design has wide appeal; Rapid wired and wireless charging;

MIUI Android skin has many quirks; Lacks a dedicated telephoto camera; No IP rating or expandable storage;

But in most other areas this looks, feels and performs like a truly top-tier handset. So if you can live without those things – and without water resistance – then the Xiaomi 12 is a great, relatively affordable option – though one that doesn’t necessarily have rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S22 or...

Good battery life, Lots of power, Strong main and macro cameras

No telephoto camera, No IP rating, Can get sharper screens for the money

Xiaomi has come up trumps with the 12 Lite. A comfortable lightweight design is accompanied by great performance, battery life and surprisingly good cameras. It’s a great all-rounder and makes you wonder why you’d need to spend more on a phone?

Lightweight construction, Impressive cameras, Great performance, Long battery life and quick recharging

Palm rejection could be better, MIUI is a mixed bag

The Xiaomi 12 is an attractive flagship phone that’s a little rough around the edges. While its small form, attractive design and fast charging ensure it plays well in the big leagues, its cameras, display and software experience are only ‘okay’.

Feels great in the hand, Charges quickly, Some fun camera modes

Gets hot when gaming, No zoom camera, Irritating software issues

Xiaomi is back with its first Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flagship, and it’s a potent rival to the Galaxy S22 – although drawbacks remain

Well priced, Astonishing display, Great performance

Still no IP rating, Still no telephoto camera, Still no microSD expansion

The Xiaomi 12 is a very good smartphone with powerful equipment and performance. The performance of the smaller 6.28-inch Xiaomi 12 is just as good as that of the Xiaomi 12 Pro top model, since both use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 .

compact size, high-quality workmanship, accurate GPS, good main and wide-angle lens, very bright AMOLED panel with 120 Hz, long battery life, fast charging, very good SoC performance ….

… but significant throttling, no IP certification, storage cannot be expanded

The 50MP Xiaomi 12 is our compromise-free, compact choice...

I bought this as a present for my brother. He’s over the moon and couldn’t relieve what I paid for it !

I really like the Xiaomi phones I've had so far and found them to be great value for money. Cheaper than the more popular brands but better in my opinion. And whilst I do love this phone, I find it to be practically the same to my previous Xiaomi 9 phone. Differences feel only aesthetic.