MANILA, PHILIPPINES – For the past week adobo Magazine’s Creative Director Chaz Requiña has been using the Xiaomi 12 Pro as his full-time handset, putting the latest Pro model to the test of keeping up with his rigorous schedule. Currently on- the-go traveling to La Union, San Juan, Requiña is working by the surf and using the Xiaomi 12 Pro as his daily driver for editorial content — and still making the time to capture the fun side of his beachfront remote office.
Out of the box
First of all, the phone build is premium and does not disappoint. It’s well-built and comes with your basic accessories including fast charging USB-C with adapter and transparent phone case.
As an avid Android user, this is definitely the most high performing phone I’ve used in terms of hardware, as its stacked with the latest snapdragon chip and 5G ready, leaving my Samsung Galaxy S21 and Hawuai P30 (2019 models) far behind. But it is also a pricey phone, breaking into the upper PHP 40,000 price range, so my expectations for this premium model are quite high — I’ll really be testing out all my regular apps and also see if there are any work processes I can transfer from laptop to phone (such as Zoom meetings or editing Dropbox and Google docs!).
Let’s talk about the design of the phone: it’s not a flashy attention-grabber but I would say its sleek and handsome; aesthetically it says “I mean business,” especially in my choice color of gray (although it’s also available in blue and purple). I was surprised by how naturally it fit in the palm of my hand, however I do prefer the phone with the case on as it secures my grip. (Worth noting that I have big hands, so for some you may want to invest in a phone case with a back loop or grip.) So far I have been pleasantly surprised to have no scratches or scuffs show up after this week, and I appreciate the metal back which does not collect greasy finger prints — a big peeve of mine with my P30.
Productivity & Creativity
Let’s talk about the OS: Its fresh. Xiaomi does include a few too many apps so I spent time deleting them (I don’t blame them, I just love a clean app selection). But a redeeming quality is their custom Android 12, MIUI 13, which I found very intuitive, smart, and useful — I do have to say that after a week, I prefer the MIUI over both the Huawei and Samsung UI’s.
The screen touch response itself was super smooth as expected with its 120Hz AdaptiveSync refresh rate and up to 480Hz touch sampling rate – this beats my Apple iPad 8th Gen and it is noticeable when switching between devices. When using the phone without the case, I did get some “ghost touches” from my palm on the rounded edges of the screen, especially while I was using it laying down and I hope future software updates will resolve this issue.
The 6.28-inch display screen overall is stunning. As looking at photos, illustrations, and designs is a big part of my job I had to first check the color calibration. My previous premium phones did not color match properly so I rarely approve work visuals on a phone. However, at a resolution of 1080p in 20:9 cinematic aspect ratio (2400 x 1080) with TrueColor display and easy color profile settings, it was quick to match my Apple MacBook Air 2021 laptop screen to a tee! For gamers and entertainment the phone allows you to bump up the specs to WQHD+. Okay, I’m way more excited about this phone now.
For a creative director this is a huge deal, because this means I can possibly comment on photo and video grading or branding and illustrative works without taking out my laptop. While I do keep the brightness levels down in general, I found its maximum brightness (up to 1500 nits) was extremely useful for working outside at the beach at Flotsam & Jetsam or poolside at Awesome Hotel. Seeing your screen under tropical sunlight midday? Double check.
Another important detail is the dual-SIM slot, as working remotely (especially from the beach) you may find yourself switching signals to find the best speeds for your Zoom call in five minutes.
Multitasking between productivity apps was no problem. Because of the phones size I had no trouble editing documents, typing notes, and marking up visuals. I never felt a lag while switching between apps and for the entire week there were no incidents of crashing or delay. One nice UI feature I appreciated the green indicator in the top bar while recording audio or video, which is helpful while switching between document apps from Zoom or Otter during an interview.
Playtime
Got pics? Snapping photos on the go is something we expect from our phones, so with one front facing and three rear cameras, I was determined to know if it could actually produce good photos. Xiaomi really overstuffed itself with shooting modes in its 12 Pro, and honestly I didn’t even have time to try them all!
Well, you certainly get good looking photos with abundant fine detail, even in lighting situations that aren’t ideal. The photos did look digitally pushed to be more vibrant, but for personal use on social media I appreciated the punchiness. I do wish there was an option to make it a bit more natural, and if I had more time, I would have invested in a camera app to help manipulate processing.
Another feature casual cameraphone photographers will love is the Xiaomi ProFocus (Motion tracking focus/Eye tracking focus/Motion Capture) which basically ensures your snaps are sharp and in focus. At night, image capture takes just a couple seconds with quick processing. I found the photos to have impressive detail with minimal grain. For the ultra-wide angle camera I didn’t mind too much the minimal distortion.
For video, stabilization and the tracking is very dependable and the audio recording is clear; if I was into vlogging, I could see this as a serious content creating device.
This is seriously a PRO phone. For quick access, the unlocking with the under display finger print reader was very reliable with multi finger setup. Battery life lasted about five to six hours of screentime which is fair considering I was outdoors and using WiFi. But this is why fast charging at 67W wired and 50W wireless turbo charging are essential, and it really is turbo at under 30min of charge to go from zero to 100 percent.
While plugged into my MacBook Air while I wasn’t near an outlet I was very pleased to see it was having a proper quick charge. I have to admit I was entertained by the charging screen display, which shows you ’.00%’ percentage, making sure you quickly get ever bit of power you really need.
In conclusion I find MIUI’s Android 12 to be a big plus, the stylish business look of the Xiaomi 12 Pro with fingerprint-resistant finish, the lighting-fast charging and constant steady performance — its a very balanced phone that can surely be an extension of your remote working tools for creatives. Xiaomi 12 Pro is one of the best Android phones on the Pro spectrum and may convince me to introducing more of the Xiaomi ecosystem into my work and living space in the near future.
Xiaomi 12 Pro is available through Xiaomi’s official stores on Lazada or Shopee.
