There's lots to like about the Xiaomi 12 from its easy-to-handle design to a range of impressive specs. However, there are a few flaws that mean you'll want to consider rivals first.

Compact design; Excellent performance; Solid main camera; Fast wired & wireless charging;

MIUI quirks; Middling battery life; No IP rating; No telephoto lens;

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’. Given that this is a high-price flagship phone, we had hoped for better.

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

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

Compact flagship phones don’t come around very often, with the iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S22 largely running unopposed. The Xiaomi 12 aims to change that. It’s the middle-child of three new flagship handsets from Xiaomi, in a move that more closely aligns the company’s lineup with that of...

Flagship-grade performance, Compact design has wide appeal, Rapid wired and wireless charging, Great size: If you want a sensibly sized flagship phone, the Xiaomi 12 absolutely fits the bill. It takes great photos, charges quickly and delivers rapid performance – all for a sensible price.

MIUI Android skin has many quirks, Lacks a dedicated telephoto camera, No IP rating or expandable storage, Battery Life is far from the king: With merely average battery life and no telephoto lens, this is a step down from the very best flagships, and if you can manage a larger screen, there are...

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 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.