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MagyarXiaomi 12 Lite 5G Smartphone in review - the camera makes all the difference
Xiaomi has given its Lite model a new design that is closer to its Redmi sub-brand than to its own 12 Series. Under the hood, however, not much has changed; Xiaomi is relying on the same chipset and a similar storage configuration as before. The display also has the same size and resolution, although it now comes with a higher refresh rate than before. The battery capacity has been bumped up slightly, and the camera setup gets the most comprehensive update, which, altogether, doesn't represent an improvement across the board from last year's model.
The smartphone has a starting MSRP of around 450 Euros (US$500), although we might expect to see this price drop rather quickly, given past experience.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.6 % | 09/2022 | Xiaomi 12 Lite SD 778G 5G, Adreno 642L | 173 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.55" | 2400x1080 | |
| 82.9 % | 09/2022 | Sony Xperia 10 IV SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 161 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.00" | 2520x1080 | |
| 85.8 % | 09/2022 | Google Pixel 6a Tensor, Mali-G78 MP20 | 178 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.10" | 2400x1080 | |
| 86.4 % | 12/2021 | Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE SD 778G 5G, Adreno 642L | 158 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.55" | 2400x1080 | |
| 86.1 % | 04/2022 | Apple iPhone SE 2022 A15, A15 GPU 5-Core | 144 g | 64 GB SSD | 4.70" | 1334x750 | |
| 83.4 % | 06/2022 | Samsung Galaxy A53 Exynos 1280, Mali-G68 MP4 | 189 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.50" | 2400x1080 |
Case - three possible colors for the Xiaomi 12 Lite
The Xiaomi 12 Lite is available in Black, Lite Green and Lite Pink. Our review unit is Black, which sometimes shimmers slightly blue depending on the lighting.
This Xiaomi smartphone has grown in every direction since last year, especially when it comes to its weight, which is 15 g (0.5 oz) heavier than before. This change can't really be attributed to the battery, which has only grown by 50 mAh; it is the camera, rather, that is the most likely culprit here, as it now sticks out an additional 2.8 mm (0.11") from the case, more than its predecessor's 1.8 mm (0.04"). Despite the plastic back, the smartphone has a good finish that looks high quality and feels great. Gaps are both tight and even throughout the device, and the display-to-surface area ratio (88%) looks great.
The card tray can fit two nanoSIM cards. Additionally, the Xiaomi 12 Lite is protected from damaging amounts of dust and water by an IP53 rating.
Features - goodbye, microSD slot!
The biggest change from the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G is the lack of microSD support. It's easy to get over this missing feature, due to the large storage capacity, although those who need more space will miss having the 256 GB model. Unlike last year's model, Xiaomi also got rid of the 6 GB RAM model, at least officially in Germany. Our review unit is actually outfitted with a bit less RAM than the versions available for sale in the country.
Otherwise, it's business as usual: there's an infrared transmitter for controlling home theaters, cameras etc. and NFC and Bluetooth are both onboard. The USB 2.0 port supports OTG (on-the-go) and PD (power delivery), in order to connect and charge peripherals.
Software - a Xiaomi smartphone with Android 12 and MIUI 13
The Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with Google Android 12 and the Xiaomi's own MIUI 13 user interface. According to various Internet sources, the smartphone will receive two major software upgrades and three years of security patches, but Xiaomi Germany has confirmed to us that there is no update commitment for this model. At the time of this review, the latest patch is from the 1st of August 2022, which is up-to-date.
The MIUI user interface proved to have very restrictive energy management in our test. Apps in the background were often closed or notifications not displayed. As a rule, however, this could be improved in the app settings. So far, we have been spared the usual ads from Xiaomi.
The 12 Lite is anything but reserved when it comes to third-party apps that come installed on the device, but these can all be manually uninstalled.
Communications and GPS - 5G and Wi-Fi 6 for the Xiaomi 12 Lite
For mobile Internet access, the Xiaomi 12 Lite supports all modern communication standards, including Sub-6GHz 5G. The smartphone offered a wide frequency range, so it should be possible to establish a connection in most countries without a problem.
The Wi-Fi module supports fast Wi-Fi 6 with VHT80. Together with our reference router, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, the 12 Lite achieves mostly stable transfer speeds, although it needs a couple of seconds to get going when receiving data, and then falls a bit short of expectations.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (34.8 - 1875, n=176, last 2 years) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (40.5 - 1810, n=178, last 2 years) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
The Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G establishes a satellite connection very quickly outdoors, but you have to be a bit more patient indoors. The accuracy is also not particularly high when inside.
We compared the Xiaomi smartphone to the Garmin Venu 2 on a short bike tour. The estimated routes were almost the same, but in a direct comparison, the smartwatch was more accurate. Nevertheless, the 12 Lite delivers comparatively good positioning characteristics, even though it only supports single-frequency GPS. Interestingly, this is a step backwards when compared to its predecessor, which supported the full bandwidth.
Telephony and voice quality
The Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G's voice quality was great when held against the ear. The user's voice is very clear and natural, and smaller background noises are reliably suppressed. The smartphone only noticeably starts to reach its limits in loud ambient noise. There is a bit of reverberation through the speaker, but it otherwise does its job well enough.
Features like VoLTE and Wi-Fi calls are supported, and it's also possible to manage SIP accounts.
Cameras - triple cam with Samsung's HM2 sensor
The front camera in the Xiaomi 12 Lite's display has been upgraded to 32 MP but does not use pixel binning, despite the large pixel count. Photos taken with it are heavily post-processed in photo mode. In portrait mode, the background can be blurred out by the user and a beauty mode can also be used to customize the image further. Selfies taken in good lighting leave a good impression and videos can, in best-case scenarios, be recorded in full HD with up to 60 FPS.
The main camera in the back now has a 108 MP sensor (Samsung HM2), which provided high quality images in our test. Despite that, the color of the houses in the background of our panorama shot, which look bluish, isn't quite right. The zoom also remains rather weak, despite the high pixel count; everything above 2x magnification doesn't look great, although a maximum of 10x zoom is possible digitally.
The ultrawide-angle camera doesn't have a particularly high resolution, and the sensor is rather small. This has a clearly negative effect on the depth of field, and the sharpness at the edge of the images also decreases noticeably. The macro lens has gone through a downgrade, and now only has a resolution of 2 MP. Pictures taken with it are very unbalanced and have noticeable distortions.
Videos are recorded in Ultra HD with up to 30 FPS in the best cases; if Full HD is good enough, a higher refresh rate of 60 FPS can be selected as well. The image sensor could definitely be better, but the Qualcomm Spectra 570L-ISP reaches its limits here.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraMain cameraUltra wide angle5x ZoomLow-Light
Under controlled light conditions, the Xiaomi 12 Lite's camera shows some visible color deviations. Dark green, dark brown, blue and cyan tones in particular are unnaturally bright or over-saturated. The white balance, however, is good.
The test chart is characterized by a very sharp and detailed display in the middle, but becomes a bit blurry towards the edges. The bottom line, however, is that the camera performs very respectably.
Accessories and warranty - extensive accessories included
The Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G comes with a transparent silicone protective case, SIM tool, modular 67 W brick, and a USB cable (type A to Type C).
In Germany, the warranty covers 12 months, which doesn't affect the retailer's warranty. Optional insurance or warranty extensions are not available.
Input devices and operation - fingerprint sensor that measures heart rate
The Xiaomi 12 Lite's capacitive touchscreen meets our expectations and proves to be very reliable in our test, with inputs being both quickly and precisely registered. There's a screen protector already applied to the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 screen's surface, which isn't too thick but doesn't have quite the same gliding properties as the glass surface.
System navigation can take place using the on-screen buttons or alternatively through gestures, as usual. A one-handed mode is also available. The optical fingerprint sensor can be used not only for unlocking the phone, but also for taking heart rate measurements, although unfortunately, this feature is somewhat hidden. The measurement takes about 15 seconds and could have been more precise, coming in between 10 and 12 beats faster than the Apple Watch Series 7's sensor in our direct comparison.
Display - 120 Hz AMOLED in this Xiaomi smartphone
The Xiaomi 12 Lite's AMOLED display is very similar to its predecessor's, with a diagonal screen size of 6.55", although it now has a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. A 60 Hz-only mode can also be chosen in the settings; if the higher refresh rate is chosen, the system modulates the refresh rate between 60 and 120 Hz on its own.
The brightness level is comparable to that of the 11 Lite 5G NE, although maximum brightness is a bit higher at up to 917 cd/m2, with an even distribution of bright and dark spots (APL18). Those who prefer to regulate the brightness themselves have up to 490 cd/m2 available. This Xiaomi smartphone supports all current HDR standards (HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and DolbyVision), which is great.
Xiaomi uses a particularly eye-friendly DC dimming process for the display, with a frequency of 1,920 Hz. Our oscilloscope only detected a bit of flickering in the refresh rate, with a constant 120 Hz over the entire brightness spectrum. We were also not able to observe any temporal dithering, which we measured by looking at the display with a microscope and using a 240 FPS slow-motion video (dark grey and at full brightness).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 757 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.94
ΔE Greyscale 2.5 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
98.8% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.22
| Xiaomi 12 Lite AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.6" | Sony Xperia 10 IV OLED, 2520x1080, 6" | Google Pixel 6a AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.1" | Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.6" | Apple iPhone SE 2022 IPS, 1334x750, 4.7" | Samsung Galaxy A53 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 15% | 15% | 23% | -9% | -8% | |
| Brightness middle | 757 | 572 -24% | 758 0% | 797 5% | 662 -13% | 718 -5% |
| Brightness | 773 | 580 -25% | 767 -1% | 800 3% | 647 -16% | 730 -6% |
| Brightness Distribution | 97 | 96 -1% | 93 -4% | 97 0% | 92 -5% | 92 -5% |
| Black Level * | 0.4 | |||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.3 | 0.9 31% | 0.9 31% | 0.9 31% | 1.44 -11% | 1.62 -25% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 3.4 | 1.2 65% | 2.5 26% | 2 41% | 4.74 -39% | 4.21 -24% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.5 | 1.4 44% | 1.6 36% | 1.1 56% | 1.7 32% | 2 20% |
| Gamma | 2.22 99% | 2.29 96% | 2.2 100% | 2.26 97% | 2.179 101% | 2.156 102% |
| CCT | 6403 102% | 6614 98% | 6599 98% | 6397 102% | 6746 96% | 6545 99% |
| Contrast | 1655 |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 119.7 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 119.7 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 119.7 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17204 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurements at a fixed zoom level and using different brightness settings
We examined the accuracy of the colors with a photo spectrometer and the analysis software CalMAN. At factory settings, the Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G displays somewhat cooler colors but does use the larger DCI-P3 color space. The most natural imaging performance was achieved when the Original color scheme is selected in the settings, but the smartphone then only makes use of the smaller sRGB color space, which it then covers almost completely.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.15 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.5745 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.5735 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 3 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.1 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.08 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.5245 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.5545 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 2 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.1 ms). | ||
The Xiaomi 12 Lite's screen remains quite easy to view in most light situations outdoors, and the environmental light sensor reacts quickly and appropriately to changing light conditions. Only on really bright days did we wish we had a little extra brightness from the screen.
This Xiaomi smartphone's viewing angles were quite good, and only showed a slight turquoise tint at flat viewing angles, which is hardly noticeable in everyday use.
Performance - the Xiaomi 12 Lite treads water
In terms of performance, the Xiaomi 12 Lite continues to rely on the Snapdragon 778G 5G, which came with 6 GB of LPDDR4x RAM in our test model. The inclusion of a more modern chip was probably prevented by the fact that there was just no adequate successor in this section of the mid-range chip market this year, with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 taking a bit too long to arrive.
As one might expect, this Xiaomi smartphone delivers identical performance to its predecessor in the benchmarks, which is still more than competitive in this price range. Only Apple and Google are using high-end chips in this segment of the market.
The Xiaomi 12 Lite uses the Adreno 642L integrated on the Snapdragon chip for graphics acceleration, which is in the upper mid-range. There are no surprises here either, and the GPU delivers significantly more power than those used in the Galaxy A53 (ARM Mali-G68 MP4) or Xperia 10 IV (Adreno 619).
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7: T-Rex Onscreen | 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
GFXBench 3.0: on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
GFXBench 3.1: on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
GFXBench: on screen Car Chase Onscreen | 1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Unlimited Score | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Score | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Offscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Onscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Offscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
The Xiaomi 12 Lite performs very well in terms of browser performance, and only bows out to competitors with newer or stronger chips in our comparison, even outperforming the Pixel 6a in WebXPRT 4.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 (Chrome 99) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=159, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (Chrome 96) | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite (Chrome 105) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Firefox 1ß4-2-ß) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (58.8 - 86.8, n=11) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 (Chrome 101) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 (Chome 99) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15.2 - 569, n=146, last 2 years) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (Chrome 96) | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite (Chrome 105) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (52.5 - 61.5, n=9) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 (Chome 101) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 (Chrome 99) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (Chrome 96) | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite (Chrome 105) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (93 - 131, n=10) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 (Chrome 101) | |
| WebXPRT 4 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 267, n=151, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite (Chrome 105) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (64 - 74, n=4) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 (Chrome 99) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 98997, n=195, last 2 years) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (Chrome 96) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (23915 - 31915, n=11) | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite (Chrome 105) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 (Chrome 101) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 (Chrome 101) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=158, last 2 years) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (1323 - 1893, n=11) | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite (Chrome 105) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (Chrome 96) | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 (Chrome 99) | |
* ... smaller is better
The UFS 2.2 storage delivers high data transfer rates, although it is significantly slower than in the predecessor, particularly when writing sequentially.
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | Sony Xperia 10 IV | Google Pixel 6a | Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | Samsung Galaxy A53 | Average 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -14% | 28% | 9% | -6% | -7% | 93% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 943.11 | 521.1 -45% | 1312.64 39% | 944 0% | 510.1 -46% | 724 ? -23% | 1815 ? 92% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 486.78 | 497.61 2% | 712.94 46% | 679 39% | 486.7 0% | 522 ? 7% | 1405 ? 189% |
| Random Read 4KB | 196.37 | 192.5 -2% | 219.53 12% | 208.7 6% | 229.9 17% | 190.5 ? -3% | 272 ? 39% |
| Random Write 4KB | 199.91 | 177.83 -11% | 225.61 13% | 178.8 -11% | 210.8 5% | 183.9 ? -8% | 301 ? 51% |
Gaming - 60 FPS gaming only possible with reduced graphics settings
The Adreno 642L provides good gaming performance that is perfectly adequate for most games. When analyzed with GameBench, PUBG Mobile achieves a stable 40 FPS in the HD setting. If you want greater graphical detail, the HDR setting still has serviceable performance, although the most texture-rich graphical setting, Ultra HD, is out of the question. Things are different with League of Legends, which still delivers a smooth 60 frames per second even with the best possible settings, although it cannot utilize the optional 90 or 120 FPS.
Aside from these limitations, the Xiaomi 12 Lite provides no cause for criticism, and performs well with its responsive touchscreen and stereo speakers.
Emissions - Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos
Temperature
The Xiaomi 12 Lite's surface temperatures are nice and low when idle and never become uncomfortable, even when under constant load. The phone only gets a bit warm on the front.
The phone didn't display any evident weaknesses in our stress test either, and was able to provide consistent performance.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.2 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.7 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.9 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | |
| Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE | |
| Sony Xperia 10 IV | |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 | |
| Apple iPhone SE 2022 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
Speakers
The Xiaomi's two speakers deliver decent quality sound, as long as they don't have to play too loudly. Aside from that the highs are very present, which gives the sound a shallow character, and the lows are too weak.
Wired headphones can be connected to the USB-C port, which would however require an adapter. Wireless Bluetooth is available with all common audio codecs (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, LHDC V1-4).
Xiaomi 12 Lite audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.4% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 22% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 43% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 49% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A53 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 8.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 51% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 41% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 69% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life - 4,300 mAh in the Xiaomi 12 Lite
Power consumption
The Xiaomi 12 Lite's power consumption is rather frugal, similar to its predecessor. Measurements taken with medium display brightness (150 cd/m²) in particular show clear advantages over the Galaxy A53 while under load, even though the Xiaomi smartphone's chip is more powerful.
The fast charging technology has received a nice boost, and the smartphone can now be charged at 67 W. A full charge only takes 54 minutes, and the 50 percent mark is already reached after 16 minutes, with 85 percent being reached within 29 minutes.
| Off / Standby |   0.12 / 0.23 Watt |
| Idle |  0.83 / 1.78 / 1.81 Watt |
| Load |
3.83 / 6.6 Watt |
    
| |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite 4300 mAh | Sony Xperia 10 IV 5000 mAh | Google Pixel 6a 4410 mAh | Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE 4250 mAh | Apple iPhone SE 2022 2018 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A53 5000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 18% | -6% | -1% | -9% | -6% | -21% | -17% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.83 | 0.68 18% | 0.68 18% | 0.78 6% | 0.6 28% | 0.9 -8% | 1.106 ? -33% | 0.906 ? -9% |
| Idle Average * | 1.78 | 1.69 5% | 1.56 12% | 1.97 -11% | 0.9 49% | 1.3 27% | 2.07 ? -16% | 1.441 ? 19% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.81 | 1.73 4% | 1.58 13% | 1.99 -10% | 1.5 17% | 1.6 12% | 2.32 ? -28% | 1.605 ? 11% |
| Load Average * | 3.83 | 2.54 34% | 5.37 -40% | 3.23 16% | 6.5 -70% | 5.7 -49% | 4.17 ? -9% | 6.34 ? -66% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.6 | 4.61 30% | 8.74 -32% | 7.08 -7% | 11 -67% | 7.3 -11% | 7.81 ? -18% | 9.35 ? -42% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery life
The Xiaomi 12 Lite's battery life is no better than that of its predecessor, and it is even quite a bit shorter, especially when playing videos; in fact, the phone brings up the rear in the comparison field. Despite that, it offers good endurance and more than enough battery power to easily get through the day.
| Xiaomi 12 Lite 4300 mAh | Sony Xperia 10 IV 5000 mAh | Google Pixel 6a 4410 mAh | Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE 4250 mAh | Apple iPhone SE 2022 2018 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A53 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 85% | 27% | 7% | -3% | 25% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1566 | 3760 140% | 1878 20% | 1648 5% | 2049 31% | 2431 55% |
| H.264 | 876 | 1578 80% | 1318 50% | 1215 39% | 797 -9% | 1146 31% |
| WiFi v1.3 | 712 | 1168 64% | 768 8% | 705 -1% | 769 8% | 886 24% |
| Load | 279 | 429 54% | 360 29% | 233 -16% | 164 -41% | 246 -12% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Small upgrade with limitations
With the 12 Lite, Xiaomi has once again made a good mid-range smartphone that stands out from its predecessors, particularly in visual terms. The greater weight and less slim build of the device no longer provide the wow-factor we got as a first impression of the 11 Lite 5G and 11 Lite 5G NE, although the phone is still comparatively light.
The Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G wants to win us over with its 108 MP camera above all else, despite losing some of its predecessors' features.
The high-resolution 108 MP camera sensor is definitely a highlight of this phone. Additionally, the 120 Hz display has a somewhat higher refresh rate, and charging speeds have improved even further. Unfortunately, Xiaomi got rid of several features: the positioning system now only works via single-frequency GPS, which was very noticeable in our indoor test, while the microSD slot has been removed.
Strong competitors in this category include the Samsung Galaxy A53 and the Sony Xperia 10 IV, both of which benefit from well-defined software update schedules from their manufacturers.
Price and availability
The Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G can be found in the manufacturer's Online-Shop itself. Cheaper alternatives exist at notebooksbilliger.de in Germany and on Amazon, where it is available with a longer warranty. The phone can be found in the US for around US$499.99.
Xiaomi 12 Lite
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09/20/2022 v7 (old)
Daniel Schmidt