We put the Xiaomi 12 through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging, and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 4500 mAh
- 67W charger (included)
- 6.28-inch, 1080 x 2400, 120 Hz, OLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm)
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 128 GB + 8 GB
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Xiaomi 12
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
Pros
- Very fast wired charging, reaching 80% in only 27 minutes, 21 seconds
- Excellent wireless charging, reaching 80% in only 34 minutes, 55 seconds
- Excellent adapter efficiency
- Strong wireless charge efficiency
Cons
- Low autonomy, with less than 2 days in a moderate use
- Struggles when streaming music and video, calling, and playing games
- Weak performance when using GPS navigation
- High discharge currents, especially when streaming music
- Very high residual power drain when the device is fully charged and still on the wireless stand
Xiaomi 12’s battery experience really stands out when it comes to charging, thanks to its 67W charger. That strong charging experience extends to wireless as well. With a massive 120W wireless stand charger, this device provides among the best wireless charging experiences found in our database.
Despite an excellent charging experience to power up its decent-sized 4500 mAh battery, the Xiaomi 12’s autonomy falls short. Whether the settings are default or calibrated, the device struggles to reach an above-average autonomy, mainly because of its demanding specs, which require a lot of power. Battery efficiency also wavered, with high discharge currents overall.
Compared with the devices from the same premium price range, the Xiaomi 12 battery shows decent on-the-go performance, but overall, the autonomy and the efficiency remain below the average, when compared with the entire database.
Test Summary
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Battery | Charger | Wireless | Display | Processor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xiaomi 12 | 4500mAh | 67W (included) |
50W | OLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
Realme GT 2 Pro | 5000mAh | 65W (included) |
- | LTPO 1440 x 3216 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon) | 3700mAh | 25W (not included) |
15W | AMOLED 1080 x 2340 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
Autonomy
Xiaomi 12
195
Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Stationary, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
Battery Life (moderate)
Battery Life (moderate)
Home/Office
Xiaomi 12
221
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
On the go
Xiaomi 12
195
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Calibrated
Xiaomi 12
198
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Charging
Xiaomi 12
218
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
Full charge
Xiaomi 12
224
Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.
The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
The time to full charge chart breaks down the necessary time to reach 80%, 100% and full charge.
Quick boost
Xiaomi 12
212
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.
Efficiency
Xiaomi 12
154
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge up
Xiaomi 12
205
The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Discharge
Xiaomi 12
194
The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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