• The Xiaomi 12T Pro sets the bar very high when it comes to photo quality with a 200-megapixel main sensor.
  • On the verge of excellence, this terminal launched at 799 euros but at the price already falling however makes some concessions, such as the absence of telephoto, or an ultra wide-angle sensor too modest.
  • But with its 120-watt load, it has a strong argument by refueling in twenty-five minutes.

Not always easy to navigate the plethora of smartphones on the market. And there is now not a week without its share of novelties. In their frantic quest for market share, Chinese manufacturers such as Oppo, Honor or Xiaomi are also fighting with technical arguments to seduce. With its 12T Pro, a 5G Wifi 6 smartphone, it is precisely Xiaomi that highlights a 200-megapixel sensor, as well as a 120-watt charge to make the difference. Is this smartphone as powerful as it advertises? 20 Minutes checked it.

Case (almost) in toc and apps galore

In gray, black or blue, the Xiaomi 12T Pro is not distinguished by its design. Quite common (although elegant) with its thick rectangular rear photo block, the smartphone of the Chinese manufacturer does not renew the genre. Its plastic shell even has the defect of perfectly catching fingerprints and scratching easily. Tip: do not store the terminal in a pocket with a key or coins, you may regret it! At IP53 standard only, it is dust and rain resistant. Recall that currently, the IP68 standard is the best, guaranteeing the possibility of immersion of the devices.

Once configured, we see that the manufacturer has not hesitated to impose certain unsolicited applications. O.K. for Tik Tok, Facebook, Snapchat, Netflix or Spotify that one may need. But the "apps" Amazon, Booking or Agoda store (to book flights) give the impression of wanting to force through. Housekeeping done, we can without delay enjoy the excellent 6.67-inch Amoled screen of the smartphone.

Ready for Fortnite Mobile

Dolby Vision and HDR10 + (and 120 Hz, non-adaptive), offering striking contrasts and beautiful brightness, the embedded panel may delight fans of mobile videos, but also gaming.



At the maneuver, the Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 processor supports even the most greedy games. Fortnite Mobile lovers, to your screens! The Harman Kardon stereo speakers on board the smartphone do a very good job (as much as smartphone speakers can). But obviously, it is on the side of the photo * and the 200 megapixel sensor of the Xiaomi 12T Pro that we want to look more closely.

200 megapixels in the viewfinder

Our numerous tests reveal images of excellent quality, especially when it is sunny. Using the so-called pixel-binning process (which, here, brings together 16 pixels of the sensor to become one) to gain brightness and detail, the smartphone takes photos in 12.5 megapixels by default. However, it is possible to opt for 50 or even 200 megapixels (at the risk of generating very large files). But the result is there, blatant, with extremely detailed shots. It is possible to zoom in considerably to make cropping, but also to print them with an extremely convincing result. Note, however, that Motorola and its Edge 30 Ultra had preceded Xiaomi by a short head in the field of 200-megapixel smartphones...

It is not clear why Xiaomi has skipped an optical zoom: only a digital zoom x10 can be operated. Ditto for the ultra-wide-angle sensor on board: why not go beyond the 8 megapixels offered? This can result in photos with sometimes disparate results in software processing. For its part, the 2-megapixel macro sensor is figurative (but it is a constant on smartphones that are equipped with it!). It will be able to reassure buyers, anxious to have a versatile terminal, failing to offer really efficient results.

If the 12T Pro is bluffing for the general quality of its images, extremely sharp and textures well respected, it also has its limits ... and some shortcomings.



And as usual with the manufacturer, the colors of the shots are a little too saturated. In this spring when the trees reveal their foliage, some photos we took draw slightly on the fluorescent green ... Self-portraits are made in 20 megapixels. The clipping of the subject for the now famous bokeh effect (with artistic blur on the back) is overall good. And Xiaomi offers a complete range of filters to apply: Harvest, Flowering, Rhodium, Budding, B & W ... There are so many that we have given up counting it! On the video side, the terminal films up to 4K at 30 frames / second, and even up to 8K at 24 frames / second. Not sure that 8K still interests many people...

120 watts, who says better?

Remains among the arguments of Xiaomi, the load of 120 Watts of its 12T Pro. With its imposing (and heavy: 180 grams!) charging block provided, the smartphone fills up with full energy in about twenty-five minutes. Who can top that? So, if the 5,000 mAh battery of the 12T Pro runs out as expected after a good day of use, we know that we can quickly leave in the evening until late, without risk of running out of energy, and this, the time of a simple charge on the mains. However, wireless charging is not offered.



Launched at 799 euros, which remained quite expensive, the price of the Xiaomi 12T Pro has already begun its classic price drop. We have already spotted it at 649 euros, new, at Boulanger in 256 GB. And refurbished offers are starting to flourish: 539 euros at Rakuten, for example, or even 519 euros at rebuy.fr, still in 256 GB. Despite its concessions, it is at this price a high-end smartphone that you can now adopt ... at the price of a mid-range!


* Rear: Front: 200 megapixels (23mm equivalent; f/1.7, with optical stabilization); 8 megapixels ultra wide-angle (120°; 11 mm; f.2.2); 2 megapixel macro (f/2.4). Rear: 20 megapixels (f/2.2).

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