Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 makes a debut with Xiaomi’s Redmi 12 5G

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5G has been out for a while, and it has become more important for smartphone manufacturers to push out budget smartphones with good 5G support out of the box.

There are very few brands capable of competing with Xiaomi when it comes to budget smartphones. 

Xiaomi is trying to keep its foothold in the budget market by launching a good budget 5G smartphone, and it comes with a brand new Qualcomm chip.

The company has just launched Redmi 12 5G in India, equipped with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset.

A global debut is going to follow soon with the Redmi Note 12R and POCO M6 Pro 5G brandings with minor design changes. This phone is unlikely to arrive to the US, however.

Redmi 12 5G spec sheet

Feature	Details
Display	6.79-inch FHD+ LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
Camera	Rear camera: 50MP f/1.8 & 2MP depth sensor Front camera: 8MP f/2.0
Chipset	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
Battery & Charging	5,000 mAh 18W
Storage Variants & RAM Options	4GB/6GB/8GB LPDDR4X memory 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage
Operating System	MIUI 14 (Android 13-based)
Rating	IP53
Colors	Jade Black Pastel Blue Moonstone Silver

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, announced recently, is made with Samsung’s 4nm process, unlike its predecessor, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, which was developed with TSMC’s 6nm process. So, a slight improvement in the efficiency is expected.

The chipset also has better 5G support than its predecessors. 

The new chipset will be paired with 4GB/6GB/8GB of LPDDR4X memory and 128GB/256GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage options in this phone. A microSD slot (up to 1TB) and a hybrid SIM slot are available. 

Regarding the screen, the Redmi 12 5G features a 6.79-inch FHD+ LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate. Corning Gorilla Glass protection is available at the front and back of the device. 

The smartphone also features an 8MP f/2.0 front camera. On the back, there’s a beautifully designed dual-camera module featuring a primary 50MP f/1.8 camera and a 2MP depth sensor.

Redmi 12 sports a giant 5,000 mAh battery with 18W wired charging speed. A 22.5W charger is included in the box, which is a tad unexpected in this day and age.

It has an IP53 rating and a 3.5mm audio jack (another unexpected feature). The device will be powered by MIUI 14, based on Android 13.

Redmi 12 5G pricing and availability 

The Redmi 12 5G starts at 11,999 INR ($145) for the 4GB/128GB model. Other variants are available if you need more RAM and storage. It will cost you 13,499 INR ($165) for the 6GB/128GB variant and 15,499 INR for the 8GB/256GB variant. 

The sale will begin on 4th August across both online and offline platforms in India. Redmi 12 5G is available in three colorways — Jade Black, Pastel Blue, and Moonstone Silver.

The Redmi 12 5G is a solid demonstration of the kind of budget phones we can expect with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 under the hood.

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