We put the Xiaomi 12T Pro through our rigorous DXOMARK Camera test suite to measure its performance in photo, video, and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article breaks down how the device fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases and is intended to highlight the most important results of our testing with an extract of the captured data.
Overview
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 200MP 1/1.22-inch sensor, f/1.7 aperture lens, PDAF, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 8MP 1/4.0-inch sensor, f/2.2 aperture lens
- Macro: 2MP, f/2.4 aperture lens
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Xiaomi 12T Pro
Use cases & Conditions
Use case scores indicate the product performance in specific situations. They are not included in the overall score calculations.
Outdoor
Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux)
Indoor
Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux)
Lowlight
Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux)
Friends & Family
Portrait and group photo & videos
Pros
- Good exposure and nice color
- Good detail in bright light and under indoor conditions
- Decent detail and good exposure in flash shots
- Good detail in close range tele zoom shots in bright light and indoors
- Good exposure and wide dynamic range in video
- Very good texture/noise trade-off in video, even in low light
- Effective video stabilization
Cons
- Limited dynamic range
- Artifacts, including ghosting, halo and hue shift
- Underexposure in night shots
- More limited dynamic range in preview than in capture
- Lack of detail in ultra-wide shots
- Abrupt exposure changes in video, especially when face is detected
- Video white balance overshoots when panning
- Autofocus failures and pumping in video, especially in low light
- Inconsistent sharpness with camera motion in video mode, especially in low light and indoors
With a DXOMARK Camera score of 129, the Xiaomi 12T Pro offers a decent performance for a device in its class, but it cannot quite keep up with the best because of a slightly limited dynamic range in photo mode and very noticeable exposure and white balance adaptations in videos. When using the zoom function, images lack detail at ultra-wide and long-range tele zoom settings.
This said, still images show high levels of details, pleasant colors and a good exposure in all light conditions. Overall, the device is even better for video than for stills, achieving a better Video score than the Xiaomi flagships 12 Pro and 12S Ultra. Strong points for video include good exposure down to low light levels, a wide dynamic range, good detail, and well-controlled noise.
It also interesting to note that it has similar zoom performances to the 12 Pro but without a tele camera module.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Camera tests: DXOMARK’s Camera evaluations take place in laboratories and in real-world situations using a wide variety of subjects. The scores rely on objective tests for which the results are calculated directly by measurement software on our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests in which a sophisticated set of metrics allow a panel of image experts to compare aspects of image quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo, Zoom, and Video quality are scored separately and then combined into an Overall score for comparison among the cameras in different devices. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores are available here. The following section gathers key elements of DXOMARK’s exhaustive tests and analyses. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us on how to receive a full report.
Photo
Xiaomi 12T Pro
169
For scoring and analysis, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2,600 test images both in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photo protocol is designed to take into account the main use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portraits, family, and landscape photography. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements on images of charts captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Exposure
Xiaomi 12T Pro
130
Exposure is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The main attribute evaluated is the brightness of the main subject through various use cases such as landscape, portrait, or still life. Other factors evaluated are the contrast and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera's ability to provide the same rendering when shooting several images of the same scene.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro produces good exposure in most test conditions. However, the dynamic range is slightly limited, leading to highlight clipping in scenes with strong contrast.
Color
Xiaomi 12T Pro
130
Color is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The image quality attributes analyzed are skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability. For color and skin tone rendering, we penalize unnatural colors but we respect a manufacturer's choice of color signature.
The 12T Pro’s images mostly show nice colors and accurate white balance. Low-light images with warm light sources have a warm cast, which remains well within acceptable limits.
Autofocus
Xiaomi 12T Pro
125
Autofocus tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus repeatability, shooting time delay, and depth of field. Shooting delay is the difference between the time the user presses the capture button and the time the image is actually taken. It includes focusing speed and the capability of the device to capture images at the right time, what is called 'zero shutter lag' capability. Even if a shallow depth of field can be pleasant for a single subject portrait or close-up shot, it can also be a problem in some specific conditions such as group portraits; Both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all the real-life images taken, from infinity to close-up objects and in low light to outdoor conditions.
Texture
Xiaomi 12T Pro
124
Texture tests analyze the level of details and the texture of subjects in the images taken in the lab as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, particular attention is paid to the level of details in the bright and dark areas of the image. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken in various lighting conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary DXOMARK chart (DMC) and the Dead Leaves chart.
Level of detail is high, similar or even sometimes better than the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
Noise
Xiaomi 12T Pro
117
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure on real-life images as well as images of charts taken in the lab. For natural images, particular attention is paid to the noise on faces, landscapes, but also on dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Noise on moving objects is also evaluated on natural images. Objective measurements are performed on images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart and the standardized measurement such as Visual Noise derived from ISO 15739.
Image noise is well under control in most conditions, but shadow noise in high-contrast scenes is creeping in.
Artifacts
Xiaomi 12T Pro
82
The artifacts evaluation looks at lens shading, chromatic aberrations, geometrical distortion, edges ringing, halos, ghosting, quantization, unexpected color hue shifts, among others type of possible unnatural effects on photos. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction on the score. The main artifacts observed and corresponding point loss are listed below.
Bokeh
Xiaomi 12T Pro
85
Bokeh is tested in one dedicated mode, usually portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all the images captured in the lab and in natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to one taken with a DLSR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes paid attention to are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and the shape of the bokeh blur spotlights. Portrait image quality attributes (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro shows good performances in bokeh, with surprisingly better depth estimation and segmentation than the 12S Ultra.
Preview
Xiaomi 12T Pro
93
Preview tests analyze the image quality of the camera app's preview of the image, with particular attention paid to the difference between the capture and the preview, especially regarding dynamic range and the application of the bokeh effect. Also evaluated is the smoothness of the exposure, color and focus adaptation when zooming from the minimal to the maximal zoom factor available. The preview frame rate is measured using the LED Universal Timer.
The preview image on the phone’s display is overall similar to the actual capture. However, dynamic range is more limited, which can result in larger clipped areas.
Zoom
Xiaomi 12T Pro
164
DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 400 test images in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor, and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings and pinch zoom at various zoom factors from ultra wide to very long-range zoom. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting the images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements of chart mages captured in the lab under different conditions from 20 to 1000 lux and color temperatures from 2300K to 6500K.
Wide
Xiaomi 12T Pro
122
These tests analyze the performance of the ultra-wide camera at several focal lengths from 12 mm to 20 mm. All image quality attributes are evaluated, with particular attention paid to such artifacts as chromatic aberrations, lens softness, and distortion. Pictures below are an extract of tested scenes.
The Xiaomi 12TPro ultra-wide camera provides a wide field of view with well-controlled distortion. However, images lack detail, and color casts are often noticeable.
Tele
Xiaomi 12T Pro
120
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 40 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
Interestingly, the Xiaomi 12T Pro does not feature a dedicated tele lens and seems to use the extremely high pixel count of its image sensor for digital zooming. The results are overall similar to those obtained by the Xiaomi 12 Pro with its tele camera module, and even sometimes better in some conditions.
Video
Xiaomi 12T Pro
159
DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2.5 hours of video in controlled lab environments and in natural low-light, indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The evaluation consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken in various conditions and running objective measurements on videos of charts recorded in the lab under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Exposure
Xiaomi 12T Pro
116
Exposure tests evaluate the brightness of the main subject and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Stability and temporal adaption of the exposure are also analyzed.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro does well for video exposure, with good face exposure and a fairly wide dynamic range, especially in bright conditions. During exposure transitions, the camera prioritizes face exposure, which means faces are consistently well-exposed. However, it can also result in some abrupt changes of exposure when several faces are detected in the frame.
Color
Xiaomi 12T Pro
120
Image-quality color analysis looks at color rendering, skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, stability of the white balance and its adaption when light is changing.
Color is fairly accurate, and white balance is fairly neutral in video mode. However, white balance can overshoot when the scene changes, particularly when panning.
Texture
Xiaomi 12T Pro
118
Texture tests analyze the level of details and texture of the real-life videos as well as the videos of charts recorded in the lab. Natural videos recordings are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the level of details in the bright and areas as well as in the dark. Objective measurements are performed of images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The charts used are the DXOMARK chart (DMC) and Dead Leaves chart.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro produces excellent video detail across all light conditions, better than the reference devices used in our tests.
It is even better performing than the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in indoor and low-light conditions as shown in the graph below:
Noise
Xiaomi 12T Pro
120
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real-life video recording as well as videos of charts taken in the lab. Natural videos are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the noise in the dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on the videos of charts recorded in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the DXOMARK visual noise chart.
Video noise is well controlled across all light conditions.
This is also true compared to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, as shown below.
Stabilization
Xiaomi 12T Pro
119
Stabilization evaluation tests the ability of the device to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any others means. The evaluation looks at residual motion, smoothness, jello artifacts and residual motion blur on walk-and-run use cases in various lighting conditions. The video below is an extract from one of the tested scenes.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro’s stabilization system works well in most situations, but sharpness differences between frames can be noticeable when running while recording.
Artifacts
Xiaomi 12T Pro
86
Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab as well as frame-rate measurements using the LED Universal Timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as aliasing, quantization, blocking, and hue shift, among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and corresponding point loss are listed below.
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