Xiaomi 12 Lite Review

Xiaomi 12 Lite is finally here and it’s the newest smartphone in the series. The smartphone features a Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset which is a very decent one despite being out for months already and then there’s the 120Hz refresh rate on the AMOLED panel as well and a 108MP Samsung HM2 sensor which is a sensor that was used by previous flagship smartphones. So what do I think about the smartphone? Check it out in our review below.

Xiaomi 12 Lite Review: Design and Hardware

The Xiaomi 12 Lite is different from its bigger brother, the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro but this one still features a solid flat frame despite having a polycarbonate frame but this one comes with a glass back. Holding it might not be the most ergonomic one because of its flat frame.

The back design resembles the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro. It might not have a curved side but the clean look of the back along with the camera layout of the smartphone does give it a premium and solid vibe. The camera module of the smartphone doesn’t look too thick as well so it doesn’t wobble too much on a flat surface.

The Xiaomi 12 Lite is also pretty light as well and as for the buttons, we can find the power button and also the volume rocker on top of it. The USB-C port below the smartphone supports 67W of charging. But unfortunately for the fans of 3.5mm headphone jack, you can only rely on a dongle or wireless headsets for the smartphone as this one doesn’t have an audio jack.

When it comes to the speaker of the smartphone, the Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with a pretty average quality and honestly, It would do just fine but it doesn’t really excel in this category.

Xiaomi 12 Lite Review: Display

The display of the smartphone is actually one of my favorites. It features a 6.55-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution. There’s a 10-bit display here as well which gives us a lot of colors for the display and then there’s the 120Hz refresh rate on the smartphone for smoother animation and experience.

While the colors are great on the smartphone, there’s no dynamic refresh rate on the smartphone so we have to choose between a 120Hz refresh rate or a 60Hz refresh rate on the smartphone. Unfortunately, we have to choose between the two — a longer battery life with 60Hz or a better and smoother experience on the 120Hz refresh rate.

Overall, the quality of the Xiaomi 12 lite display is still pretty awesome. The colors are great and the screen size is just perfect whether you’re planning on using it for watching videos or playing games.

Xiaomi 12 Lite Review: Battery life

Inside the Xiaomi 12 Lite is a 4300mAh and we tested the smartphone in PC Mark Work 2.0 Battery test and we got a score of 14 hours and 32 minutes. That’s not the longest that we’ve seen on a smartphone with this chipset and battery but it’s still a pretty good one.

Xiaomi 12 Lite Review: Software and performance

For the software of the Xiaomi 12 Lite, the smartphone comes with MIUI 13.0.3 which is based on Android 12. Everything was smooth and I didn’t encounter a single bug when I was using the smartphone. It was smooth and pleasant to the eyes as well thanks to the 120hz refresh rate.

There are some preinstalled applications on the smartphone but most of them are useful as for the storage, the one that we got comes with 128GB of internal storage and so far, it was enough for my media files and games. However, if you feel that the memory isn’t enough for you, there’s no slot for microSD.

When it comes to performance, again, the Xiaomi 12 lite comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G inside along with 8GB of RAM. You can also expand its RAM by 3GB more which is getting from the main storage of the smartphone. Honestly, I love the performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G. Why? Because despite being out in the market for a while, it’s still powerful and it can beat most of the mid-range processors out there in the market. 

The chipset is pretty consistent as well when it comes to 5G and since the chipset is out in the market for a while, a lot of apps and games are already matured and compatible with the Xiaomi 12 Lite. We tried Genshin Impact on the smartphone at lowest settings at 60fps and it was playable however, we noticed that the frames are fluctuating but nonetheless, it was great. Playing it on medium settings would be feasible as well.

Other games would do just fine as well on the Xiaomi 12 Lite including PUBG Mobile, a picky game when it comes to graphics. We were able to have it at smooth graphics settings with up to Extreme (60fps) frame rates.

If you’re curious about the benchmarks, here are the scores that I got from the smartphone:

Xiaomi 12 Lite Review: Camera

For the camera of the Xiaomi 12 Lite, the smartphone comes with a 108MP main camera along with 8MP Ultra wide-angle camera and also a 2MP macro camera. The rear camera of the smartphone does a pretty good job when shooting photos, especially at decent lighting conditions and as for the 32MP selfie camera of the smartphone, it does the job but it’s a little bit soft. Check out some of the shots that we took using the smartphone.

Obviously, we got pretty amazing colors on the Xiaomi 12 Lite and the sharpness of the shots that we got on the smartphone are excellent especially on decent lighting conditions. At night, I’ve noticed that this it’s a little bit darker than expected but it’s still great.

It’s definitely one of the best camera smartphones in its price range. On the selfie camera, I’ve noticed that this one lacks details but still, it’s a pretty good one. The post-processing also helps in producing better dynamic range and better selfies as well.

Xiaomi 12 Lite Review: Verdict

The Xiaomi 12 Lite is a very decent smartphone and a solid one to hold. The design might be simple and generic to some people but it’s solid and it feels premium to hold despite having different materials from the 12 and 12 Pro. The camera is also decent and there’s a decent performance as well.

The price is in a tight spot though as a lot of smartphones compete in the price range but if you want the latest one from Xiaomi that performs well in the battery and camera department then the Xiaomi 12 Lite might be the one for you.