After Xiaomi and Redmi split, the cost-effective features that originally belonged to Xiaomi were transferred to Redmi. At the same time, the image of the Xiaomi brand has become blurred, and there seems to be no more memorable features other than the annual impact of high-end mobile phones.
As a high-end flagship, the Xiaomi 12 Pro has a powerful configuration, but it does not have any exclusive selling points worth remembering. In addition to the starting price of 2999 RMB, the Redmi K50 Pro is also impressive with its Dimensity 9000 processor, 2K AMOLED screen, and 120W fast charging. Faced with this kind of problem, many netizens also joked that “Xiaomi’s orthodoxy is in Redmi”, so is this really the case? Today, I will make a comprehensive comparison of these two products, and friends who are interested can look down with me.
Appearance: Whether the money is in place can be seen at a glance
For mobile phones, as a product that is inseparable from us every day, whether it looks good or not still greatly affects our mood. For cost-effective models, this is also the easiest place to save costs. For the specific appearance introduction of the two products, interested friends can check the previous comprehensive evaluation of QUCOX. Here we mainly take a look at the differences between the details of the two phones.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a thickness of 8.16mm (glass version) and a weight of 205g. The thickness of the Redmi K50 Pro is 8.48mm and the weight is 201g. Judging from the data, the difference between the two should be small, but you can feel the obvious difference in the feel of the two mobile phones in your hand. Since the Redmi K50 Pro does not use a curved screen design, the curvature of the back cover is relatively small, which makes it feel much thicker in the hand.
Xiaomi 12 Pro feels more rounded thanks to the curved screen
The back cover of the Redmi K50 Pro is relatively flat
In addition, the combination of metal middle frame + AG frosted glass also makes Xiaomi 12 Pro feel very round and smooth. In contrast, the plastic middle frame of the Redmi K50 Pro has a more obvious sense of cheapness, while the plastic bracket between the screen and the middle frame makes the transition not smooth enough, and the sense of splitting is more obvious.
The plastic bracket of the Redmi K50 Pro makes the transition between the screen and the middle frame not smooth enough
The transition between the screen and the middle frame of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is very smooth
Apart from these two obvious differences, the Redmi K50 Pro uses a combination of side fingerprint + straight screen, while Xiaomi 12 Pro uses an under-screen fingerprint + curved screen. The former is suitable for playing games but is not so “advanced” in appearance, while the latter is more beautiful, but the recognition rate of under-screen fingerprints is not as good as that of side fingerprints in some scenarios.
The Redmi K50 Pro features a side fingerprint design
The Xiaomi 12 Pro uses an off-screen fingerprint design
The functions of stereo dual speakers and infrared modules are not missing from both phones. The former can provide a good experience in entertainment scenarios such as watching movies and playing games, and the latter is very practical when you need to temporarily remote control some household appliances.
Stereo speakers and IR module for Redmi K50 Pro
Stereo speakers and IR module for Xiaomi 12 Pro
On the whole, Xiaomi 12 Pro as a flagship looks dull, but compared with Redmi K50 Pro, you can clearly feel the sense of quality brought by advanced craftsmanship. As for who looks better, it depends on personal preference.
Performance: Flagship chip, “fairy” fights
For these two mobile phones, I believe that many friends are most concerned about the performance gap between them. After all, the Dimensity 9000 has already given everyone high expectations before the release of the mass-produced model. Then let me pass the test to see whether the Snapdragon 8 and the Dimensity 9000 are stronger or weaker. Before the test, we left both phones for half an hour, turned on the performance mode, and ensured that the phone’s power was above 80%.
The first is the benchmark test, Xiaomi 12 Pro AnTuTu score is 956782 points, Geekbench single-core score is 1196 points, multi-core score is 3602 points. The AnTuTu score of the Redmi K50 Pro is 957539, the Geekbench single-core score is 1301, and the multi-core score is 4494. In the benchmark test, the Redmi K50 Pro has a certain degree of advantage over the Xiaomi 12 Pro.
Xiaomi 12 Pro benchmark results
Redmi K50 Pro benchmark results
In the game test, we still chose “Genshin Impact”, which puts a lot of pressure on the performance of the mobile phone, as the test item. Tested for half an hour under the setting of very high image quality + 60 frames, the results are as follows:
Xiaomi 12 Pro “Genshin Impact” frame rate
Redmi K50 Pro “Genshin Impact” frame rate
On the average frame rate, Xiaomi 12 Pro is 48.8 frames, and Redmi K50 Pro is 54.8 frames. Specifically, the Redmi K50 Pro can basically maintain at about 60 frames in the first 18 minutes (the stutter for about 10 minutes is caused by transmission), and there is a slight stutter in the middle, but it is not obvious and basically does not affect the game. After 18 minutes, the game began to experience frame rate fluctuations, and the frame rate briefly dropped to around 40 fps. After one minute and then returning to 60 frames, you can clearly feel the frame rate drop in the game. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is less stable in frame rate and has relatively more freezes.
Finally, let’s take a look at the heat of the phone. After 30 minutes of testing, the average temperature of the Xiaomi 12 Pro was 40.4°C, and the average temperature of the Redmi K50 Pro was 42.9°C.
Xiaomi 12 Pro body back temperature
Redmi K50 Pro body back temperature
Overall, Xiaomi 12 Pro’s performance is slightly conservative in order to control the heat. The more “open” performance of the Redmi K50 Pro is accompanied by more obvious heat. This also shows from the side that the impact of manufacturer’s tuning on performance is becoming more and more important.
Image: One-sided crushing of the true flagship
Regarding the image part, in fact, you should be able to guess the result before the test starts. In recent years, the main selling point of flagship models is a better image experience, while cost-effective models do not have much room to play in this regard due to cost constraints. The configuration also verified this. The same three-camera combination, Xiaomi 12 Pro uses a full 50MP configuration of IMX707 main camera + ultra-wide-angle + 2x telephoto. The Redmi K50 Pro uses a combination of 100MP Samsung HM2 main camera + 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens + 2MP macro lens.
In the real shot proofs, the gap between the two is also very obvious. First look at the main camera. In front of IMX707, the advantage of HM2 high pixel is not obvious. In terms of color, the Redmi K50 Pro is obviously reddish, and the Xiaomi 12 Pro is more realistic. In terms of details, the smearing of the Redmi K50 Pro makes the picture lose a lot of details, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro has no problem in this regard.
Main camera sample (Left: Xiaomi 12 Pro, Right: Redmi K50 Pro)
If the main camera can be regarded as a small gap, then the ultra-wide-angle lens is unilaterally crushed by the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The low pixel count and smearing make the trees of the Redmi K50 Pro almost blurred. In contrast, the Xiaomi 12 Pro can clearly see the texture of the branches. In terms of color, the Redmi K50 Pro inherits the problem of reddishness on the main camera, while the color of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a bit dull.
Ultra wide-angle proofs (Left: Xiaomi 12 Pro, Right: Redmi K50 Pro)
At the same time, thanks to the independent telephoto lens, in the 2x mode, Xiaomi 12 Pro can also provide a higher resolution film. The Redmi K50 Pro can only use the main camera to crop, and the effect is relatively poor.
Telephoto proofs (Left: Xiaomi 12 Pro, Right: Redmi K50 Pro)
In terms of night scenes, Xiaomi 12 Pro has stronger HDR. For example, the branches in the background are vaguely visible in the Xiaomi 12 Pro sample. In the Redmi K50 Pro, it is almost integrated with the black background. Without smearing, Xiaomi 12 Pro retains more details in the shadows, and the photo looks more pure.
Night scene proofs (Left: Xiaomi 12 Pro, Right: Redmi K50 Pro)
As one of the main directions of flagship models in recent years, imaging is also one of the functions that can clearly reflect the positioning difference between Xiaomi 12 Pro and Redmi K50 Pro. Compared with the camera performance of the Redmi K50 Pro, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s proofs have reached the average level of mainstream flagship phones.
Battery Life: Redmi ushered in the final counter-kill
Finally, let’s take a look at the battery life and fast charging performance of the two mobile phones. In terms of parameters, both phones are equipped with Xiaomi’s 120W fast charging technology. In terms of battery capacity, Xiaomi 12 Pro is 4600mAh, and Redmi K50 Pro is 5000mAh.
First let’s take a look at the fast charging performance. After draining both phones to the point of automatic shutdown, we used the original charger to charge them, and timed when the phones could be turned on. During the test, the fast charging acceleration function of the two mobile phones was turned on. The test results are as follows:
It can be seen that in the case of a larger battery, the Redmi K50 Pro is still the first to complete the charge with a two-minute advantage, which is somewhat unexpected. At the same time, the body temperature of the Redmi K50 Pro is also slightly lower than that of the Xiaomi 12 Pro in terms of touch.
In the battery life test, Xiaomi 12 Pro’s performance is also weaker than Redmi K50 Pro due to its smaller battery. We tested both phones using the 5-hour battery life test model. After 5 hours, the remaining power of Xiaomi 12 Pro was 46%, and that of Redmi K50 Pro was 53%.
Xiaomi 12 Pro battery life test results
Redmi K50 Pro battery life test results
Overall, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s battery life is quite satisfactory. The Redmi K50 Pro can provide a larger battery with little change in the weight and thickness of the body, which is undoubtedly the performance of the first echelon in the current market.
Conclusion:
The comparison is carried out here, and we can easily draw a conclusion. The Redmi K50 Pro is just a mid-range model with performance comparable to flagship phones, while the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s balanced performance without shortcomings is more in line with what a “true flagship” should look like. But such an obvious conclusion is actually like nonsense. What we should really discuss is the different demographics these two smartphones are aimed at.
Flagship phones have long been hampered by the idea of being “all-rounder.” Because this is a flagship phone, it should have a thin and light appearance, powerful performance, excellent shooting ability, long battery life, etc. But for many users, they don’t actually need such a “comprehensive and powerful” product. And the Redmi K50 Pro is just a response to this question. Through the compromise of image and appearance, it provides flagship-level powerful performance and battery life at the price of 2999 RMB. For those users whose main needs are performance, finally no longer have to be forced to pay more for features they don’t need. It is hoped that more companies can follow this trend and meet the different personalized needs of users.
Check the Xiaomi 12 Pro price:
- Check price on AliExpress
- Check latest price on Amazon UK
- Check price on Amazon Germany
Check the Redmi K50 Pro price:
- Check price on AliExpress
