With the official release of the Redmi Note 12 Series here in the Philippines, it’s about time to rank them into our highly-coveted smartphone tier-list
We ranked all smartphones released in the country as soon as they were launched. There’s the rookie Redmi Note 12, the stalwart Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, and the maxed-out Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G. Who’s the Super Sulit, Maganda na and Sakto Lang? It could be overpriced. You’ll only know once you read this. Link through their respective pages are embedded within each device’s name below.
Starting with the Redmi Note 12, at PHP8,999— what more can you ask for? AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, and a relatively large 6.67-inch screen with slim bezels that can go as high as 1200 nits peak brightness, meaning that you can use it outdoors even around a very sunny day (a rarity since most phones around this price point can’t even manage to reach 600 nits peak), you can’t get better than that at this price point.
Add the super elegant glass back and a design that rivals last year’s Xiaomi 12 Lite. The Ice Blue colorway we got is one of the best color options in a smartphone so far— and you can’t even suspect that it is an 8k pesos device.
Quality of life features are there: the classic 50MP camera, the 3.5mm headphone jack, the microSD slot, and the overclocked Snapdragon 680 (now Snapdragon 685) ensure you can open multiple apps and even play demanding games with little to no hiccups.
True enough, the Redmi Note 12 is a bonafide-worthy addition to our 2023 10K Smartphone Tier List, and it will sit comfortably beside Tecno Spark 10 Pro and ZTE Blade V40 Design in the Super Sulit tier.
Moving on with the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, which can get overlooked by the youngest and oldest sibling (metaphorically speaking), it is safe to say that this charmer did its homework.
Since then, you can get a flagship-grade 50 MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor on a mid-range. The answer is plenty. But what makes the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G stand out is the apparent update from Snapdragon 685 to a much more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 1080 5G chipset, the go-to processor for gamers on a budget.
Source: Times Now
Add in the 6.67-inch, 120Hz display with ultra-slim bezels, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support, and you’re in for a treat whenever you’re watching YouTube videos, Netflix content or playing the best games this phone can handle with ease.
Source: Trusted Reviews
The selfie camera gets a slight bump regarding megapixels, from 13 MP (Redmi Note 12 vanilla) to 16 MP (this), stereo speakers setup, and a much faster 67W charging speed. You have a competent daily driver on your hands.
The same glass back flagship look goodness is here, and a 5,000mAh battery capacity is present as with other models, but we can’t help but rank this a shy below the coveted Super Sulit designation because of two things: one is the price point.
For around PHP16,000, you can have the Poco X5 Pro 5G, which has a more powerful Snapdragon 778G 5G processor we all know and love with a 108 MP camera (more is better on paper, but it still depends on you) and almost the same specs as this.
If you want to shell out a little less cash, ZTE’s Blade V41 Vita is also a fair enough choice. Sure, the Dimensity 810 core isn’t as powerful as what Redmi is offering to us, but if you want a welcome change of pace or want to own a smartphone from a brand that recently made its comeback on the Philippine shores, then this is also a great pick.
Add in a little more and you’ll get one of the best mid-rangers of the year so far, Samsung’s Galaxy A34. Packing in the tried-and-tested Samsung looks that are adored worldwide with the same chipset as the Redmi— what you’re saying here is topnotch quality software updates, an even better camera quality, and of course…. You can submerge it in liquid, which will stay scuff-free, unlike the two Super Sulit picks, which only have IP5X certification.
While the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G can’t join with the prestigious Super Sulit club right now, ranking Maganda Na is just fine. Who knows, maybe it can dethrone some phone in the list in due time, and the tier list can change frequently if there’s phones with better value and specs arrive at our tier list party.
But for now, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, priced at PHP16,999, will have to stay in the Maganda Na section. Better than staying in limbo like an attention-deprived middle child, though.
And here we are finally, at the piece-de-resistance of the Redmi Note 12 Series, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G.
Aside from its almost identical specifications to the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, we don’t see many stand-out features that guarantee this a spot at the Super Sulit turf. Instead, we will go down a notch and place it as a Maganda Na.
Centering this as a camera-centric device, our expectations were high, like its vast 200MP camera sensor. But the results are in, and its inconsistent blurring let us down, almost non-existent OIS function, and photo quality. The similar Maganda Na member vivo V27 5G trumps the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5 G camera chops for PHP 3,000 more.
For almost the same added price as the vivo V27 5G, you’ll get the excellent Samsung Galaxy A54 5G with far better superior specs in all aspects minus the 120W charging the Pro+ has. Still, we are in a position where setting speed alone cannot justify the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G’s significant shortcomings.
And not to mention, it is IP67 rated as well, which means water and dust resistance. The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G is still stuck at IP53.
Remember that being in Maganda Na is still a high enough spot on our tier list. This model doesn’t offer anything new for PHP21,999, which is surprising since the Note Series from Redmi rarely crosses over the 20k mark, but here we are.
Again, these rankings now can change anytime and our opinions as well. In the meantime, the Redmi Note 12 truly deserves its Super Sulit ranking, while the Note 12 Pro 5G and Note 12 Pro+ 5G can sit comfortably within the Maganda Na lounge.
And until then, we will let you know once there is new progress regarding these three Redmi Note 12 devices and the rest of the phones under their respective rankings and see if they will stay, climb up, or drag down on their spots. Stay tuned.
