Redmi Note 12 series gets three new members in Malaysia, priced from RM999

If you were wondering, no you’re not having deja vu, Xiaomi really is having another round of product launches for the Redmi Note 12 series of smartphones. They had just only launched the first three members of the Redmi Note 12 lineup in Malaysia last month, but this time around Xiaomi are bringing in the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, Redmi Note 12 4G and the Redmi Note 12S to our shores too.

Redmi Note 12 series Malaysia pricing and availability

The three new devices in the Redmi Note 12 series will be available from 12 May onwards on the official Xiaomi store on Lazada and Shopee as well as from their retail outlets and authorised Xiaomi stores nationwide. Early birds will also be able to get a free Redmi Buds 4 Lite worth RM139 while stocks last.

• Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – RM1,299
• Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – RM1,099
• Redmi Note 12S, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – RM999

For reference, here’s how much the three other models in the Redmi Note 12 family cost:

• Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – RM1,599
• Redmi Note 12 5G, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – RM1,099
• Redmi Note 12 4G, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage – RM799
• Redmi Note 12 4G, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage – RM699

Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G specs

Like a straight-to-DVD sequel of an action movie, the star of the show in round two of the Redmi Note 12 series isn’t as striking as the main star from the first launch, but it’s still decent in its own right. In fact, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G actually shares a lot in common with the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G from before.

This means that it has the same 6.67-inch, FHD+ Flow AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 900nits and Dolby Vision support, as well as a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 over it for scratch resistance. Similarly, under the hood of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 system-on-chip, mated to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage with Android 12 out of the box. It also packs stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Where the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G differs from the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G however is in the camera department, with a 50MP main camera compared to the 200MP shooter on the Pro+ model. That gets flanked by an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro lens with a 16MP front facing camera rounding it off. The battery charging speed is also different, with its 5,000mAh battery supporting just 67W fast charging compared to the Pro+’s 120W fast charging.

Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G specs

If you thought having a ‘Pro 5G’ and a ‘Pro+ 5G’ in the same lineup was confusing, wait till you hear about the Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G. This device is a bit of an oddity as it seems to be an upgraded version of the Redmi Note 10 Pro from before, with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor under the hood, mated to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Perhaps the most telling sign though is that it comes with Android 11 out of the box, with MIUI 13 skinned over it.

Elsewhere, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G has a 6.67-inch, FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1,100 nits and support for Dolby Vision as well as a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 over it for scratch resistance. Keeping its lights on meanwhile is a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging.

On the back, there’s a quad rear camera setup housing a main 108MP camera flanked by an 8MP ultrawide camera and two 2MP shooters for macro and depth with a 16MP front camera too. You’ll also find dual speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Redmi Note 12S specs

Lastly, we have the Redmi Note 12S. The ‘S’ here could mean small, as unlike the rest of the lineup the Redmi Note 12S has a smaller 6.43-inch, FHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,000nits as well as a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for scratch resistance.

Powering the Redmi Note 12S is the MediaTek Helio G96, with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. It comes with Android 13 out of the box running MIUI 14 which means that, of the three new Redmi Note 12 series devices in this second round of launches, each one of them somehow runs a different version of Android.

In the camera department meanwhile, the Redmi Note 12S has a triple rear camera setup with a main 108MP camera flanked by an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro lens as well as a 16MP front camera. Keeping the lights on is a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. You’ll also find dual speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and an IR blaster too.