Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S vs Note 12

Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.43-inch Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S (with MediaTek Helio G96) that was released on March 6, 2023, against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 685. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
  • 28% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (359K versus 280K)
  • Stereo speakers
  • 35% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 593 and 439 points
Reasons to consider the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12
  • Water-resistant body (IP53 classification)
  • Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
  • More energy-efficient CPU – Snapdragon 685

Review

Evaluation of Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S and Note 12 crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately identify the smartphone that best meets your particular needs.
Adjust priorities
Feature
Priority (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery Life:
Connectivity:
The higher the priority, the more it will affect the final NanoReview score.

Value for money

You can enter your local prices of these phones (in USD or other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
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Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type AMOLED AMOLED
Size 6.43 inches 6.67 inches
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels 1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
PPI 409 ppi 395 ppi
Refresh rate 90 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max rated brightness 1000 nits 1200 nits
HDR support No No
Screen protection Tempered glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Screen-to-body ratio 84.5% 85.3%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display tests
RGB color space - 100%
PWM - 484 Hz
Response time - 5 ms
Contrast - ∞ Infinity
Peak brightness test (auto)
Sources: NotebookCheck [3]

Design and build

Height 159.87 mm (6.29 inches) 165.66 mm (6.52 inches)
Width 73.87 mm (2.91 inches) 75.96 mm (2.99 inches)
Thickness 8.09 mm (0.32 inches) 7.85 mm (0.31 inches)
Weight 176 g (6.21 oz) 183.5 g (6.47 oz)
Waterproof No IP53
Rear material Plastic Plastic
Frame material Plastic Plastic
Colors Black, Blue, Green Gray, Blue, Green
Fingerprint scanner Yes, in home button Yes, in home button
Screen-to-body ratio
85.3%

Performance

Tests of Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S and Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 in the benchmarks
SoC
Chipset MediaTek Helio G96 Qualcomm Snapdragon 685
Max clock 2050 MHz 2800 MHz
CPU cores 8 (2 + 6) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55
- 2 cores at 2.05 GHz: Cortex-A76
- 4 cores at 1.9 GHz: Cortex-A53
- 4 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A73
Lithography process 12 nanometers 6 nanometers
Graphics Mali-G57 MC2 Adreno 610
GPU clock 950 MHz 950 MHz
FLOPS ~243 GFLOPS ~243 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
359508
280686
CPU 99308 92945
GPU 84660 41184
Memory 73579 64187
UX 105407 82704
Total score 359508 280686
3DMark Wild Life Performance
Max surface temperature - 40.9 °C
Stability - 99%
Graphics test - 3 FPS
Graphics score - 641
Web score - 8790
Video editing - 4805
Photo editing - 15354
Data manipulation - 7147
Writing score - 10774
Sources: 3DMark [3]

Memory

RAM
RAM size 6, 8 GB 4, 6, 8 GB
Memory type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory clock 2133 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage size 64, 128, 256 GB 64, 128 GB
Storage type UFS 2.2 UFS 2.2
Memory card MicroSD MicroSD
Memory card max size Up to 1024 GB Up to 1024 GB

Software

Operating system Android 13 Android 13
ROM MIUI 14 MIUI 14
OS size 20 GB 21 GB

Battery

Capacity 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Max charge power 33 W 33 W
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging No No
Reverse charging No No
Fast charging Yes (55% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 30 min)
Full charging time 1:12 hr 1:11 hr
Battery life tests
Web browsing - 09:40 hr
Watching video - 22:36 hr
Gaming - 05:50 hr
Standby - 101 hr
General battery life

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones
Main camera
Matrix 108 megapixels 50 megapixels
Image resolution 12032 x 9024 8192 x 6144
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K video recording No No
4K video recording No No
1080p video recording Up to 30FPS Up to 30FPS
Slow motion 120 FPS (720p) 120 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens 118° 120°
Lenses 3 (108 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP) 3 (50 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP)
Wide (main) lens - 108 MP
- Aperture: f/1.9
- Pixel size: 0.7 micron
- Sensor: 1/1.52", Samsung S5KHM2 (ISOCELL CMOS)
- Phase autofocus
- 50 MP
- Aperture: f/1.8
- Sensor: 1/2.76" (CMOS)
- Phase autofocus
Ultra-wide lens - 8 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2
- Sensor: 1/4.0"
- 8 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2
- Sensor: 1/4"
Macro lens - 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
Selfie camera
Megapixels 16 megapixels 13 megapixels
Image resolution 4920 x 3264 4128 x 3096
Aperture f/2.4 f/2.5
Pixel size 1 microns -
Sensor size 1/3.06" 1/3.0"
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.2 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Galileo GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port Yes Yes
Network
Number of SIM* 2 2
Type of SIM card Nano Nano
Multi SIM mode Standby Standby
eSIM support* No No
Hybrid slot No No
5G support No No

Sound

Speakers Stereo Mono
Headphone audio jack Yes Yes
FM radio No -
Speakers test
Max loudness

Other

Category Mid-range Mid-range
Announced March 2023 March 2023
Release date April 2023 March 2023
Sensors - Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
Bundled charger Yes, 33 W Yes, 33 W
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

If the performance, gaming, and sound are more important to you, then choose the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S. But if the display and design are more of a priority – go for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?
26 (57.8%)
19 (42.2%)
Total votes: 45

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