Two hundred megapixels – that’s how far smartphone cameras have come. Back when we started, “this phone has a camera” was enough to make jaws drop. These days it’s not just about raw resolution, image processing has come a long way (especially with the advent of computer photography) thanks to the increasingly powerful mobile chipsets.
A few weeks ago, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra got the thumbs up from fans, now it has competition – the Xiaomi 12T Pro, which uses the same 200MP ISOCELL HP1 sensor. Same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 too. They have several similarities, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Xiaomi’s latest partnership with Leica doesn’t extend to the 12T Pro. As you can read in our review (and see in our video review), the main camera is really impressive for a €750 phone. If it wasn’t clear, the 12T Pro isn’t a challenger to the 12S Ultra or even the 12S Pro, it’s more of a “budget flagship”.
The budget was enough to cover the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset (8/128 GB base configuration), a 6.67” 120Hz AMOLED display (1,220 x 2,712 px, it’s a 12-bit panel to boot) and a 5,000 mAh battery with 120 W fast charging (0-100% in 19 minutes). Really the only things that make this not-a-flagship are the lack of a telephoto camera and the medium ultra-wide (8MP 1/4” sensor). A little more protection wouldn’t have hurt either, but then again it’s €750.
To compare it with Moto Edge 30 Ultra, Xiaomi has a sharper screen (Moto has a 6.67” 1,080 x 2,400 px screen, 10-bit), but with a lower brightness and refresh rate (if you can tell the difference between 120Hz and 144Hz is another matter). Motorola has a 12 MP 2x telephoto camera, but its usefulness is questionable, the benefit of a 50 MP ultra-wide-angle camera (1/2.76” sensor) and a 60 MP selfie camera is not. The Edge 30 Ultra also has a smaller battery (4,610mAh) but with fast wireless charging (50W, 125W wireless). You can see a more detailed spec comparison here.
There’s no shortage of SD 8+ Gen 1 phones, but getting down to €750 is a challenge. Motorola charges €900 for an Edge 30 Ultra (8/128GB).
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra • OnePlus 10T • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
A OnePlus 10T can be yours for €730 with the same chipset (and memory), but the main 50 MP camera sounds less impressive. And it has an FHD+ screen like the Motorola (at 120Hz), the extra bit of sharpness is nice to have. And it’s not like the 10T offers wireless charging or an IP68 rating.
The Realme GT2 Explorer Master could have been an interesting alternative if you could find one outside of China. And the Xiaomi 12T Ultra itself isn’t widely available, so let’s look at the Red Magic 7S Pro instead – a 12/256GB device will cost you €780.
It’s a gaming phone rather than a camera phone, so it has an active cooling fan built in, as well as shoulder triggers. Still, if you’re looking for a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 phone with a 120Hz AMOLED display, this is one of the cheaper versions.
Are you interested in buying Xiaomi 12T Pro or not? Vote below or use this side.
The Xiaomi 12T should not be overlooked – this €600 phone uses a Dimensity 8100-Ultra chipset and has a 108MP main camera. That said, you get (basically) the same 6.67” 12-bit 120Hz AMOLED display (1,220 x 2,712 px resolution), the same 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging and (unfortunately) the same 8MP ultra-wide camera and no telephoto.
For a more detailed look, we also have a review of the 12T (video review also). Note that both the 12T and 12T Pro will receive 3 OS updates and 4 years of security patches.
Is it worth saving €150 and getting the smaller camera? And the Dimensity 8100 is a nice chip, but more of a mid-range option. And what about the competition?
Speaking of the Realme GT Neo 3 priced at €600 (currently discounted to €500) for the 80W model (and this is also with 256GB of storage). You can get the 150W model for €100 more, but it comes with a smaller battery (4,500 mAh vs. 5,000 mAh). There isn’t much focus on the camera here (50 MP main, 1/1.56″, 8 MP ultra wide) and the 6.7″ FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED screen doesn’t offer any clear advantage.
OnePlus 10R and vanilla vivo X80 are not available in Europe and Oppo is asking €800 for a Reno8 Pro. So never mind the chipset, let’s focus on the camera instead.
Realme GT Neo 3 • Motorola Moto G200 5G
The Motorola Moto G200 has a 108MP main sensor (and a 13MP ultra-wide camera) plus an MSRP of €450 (but is currently down to €350). It mixes things up with a 144Hz LCD and a Snapdragon 888+ plus a decent 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging.
So what will it be – do you want the Xiaomi 12T or would you rather go for the Pro? Or neither? Cast your vote below or (if that doesn’t work) over at this side.
