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Xiaomi 12T Pro Camera test results

OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

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
129
camera
130
photo
102

117

109

119

86

116

106

114

92

115

74

81

70
bokeh
70

80

71
preview
71

91

101
zoom
71

116

89

117

134
video
95

115

102

117

91

117

113

115

111

118

82

86

111

117

Use cases & Conditions

Use case scores indicate the product performance in specific situations. They are not included in the overall score calculations.

BEST 165

Outdoor

Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux)

BEST 151

Indoor

Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux)

BEST 122

Lowlight

Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux)

BEST 142

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Camera Scores vs Premium
This graph compares DXOMARK photo, zoom and video scores between the tested device and references. Average and maximum scores of the price segment are also indicated. Average and maximum scores for each price segment are computed based on the DXOMARK database of devices tested.

Photo

130

Xiaomi 12T Pro

152

Huawei Mate 50 Pro
About DXOMARK Camera Photo tests

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Photo scores
The photo tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture, and noise in various light conditions. Autofocus performances and the presence of artifacts on all images captured in controlled lab conditions and in real-life images are also evaluated. All these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of the images captured with the tested device and can help to understand the camera's main strengths and weaknesses.

Exposure

102

Xiaomi 12T Pro

117

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

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.

 Xiaomi 12T Pro – good face exposure but highlight clipping in the sky
Oppo Find X5 Pro – good face exposure and highlight retention
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) – slight underexposure on faces but still acceptable, good highlight retention

Color

109

Xiaomi 12T Pro

119

Google Pixel 7 Pro

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.

 Xiaomi 12T Pro – good handling of mixed light scene
Oppo Find X5 Pro – good handling of mixed light scene
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) – orange cast

Autofocus

86

Xiaomi 12T Pro

116

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

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.

Autofocus irregularity and speed: 1000Lux Δ0EV Daylight Handheld
This graph illustrates focus accuracy and speed and also zero shutter lag capability by showing the edge acutance versus the shooting time measured on the AFHDR setup on a series of pictures. All pictures were taken at 1000Lux with Daylight illuminant, 500ms after the defocus. The edge acutance is measured on the four edges of the Dead Leaves chart, and the shooting time is measured on the LED Universal Timer.

Texture

106

Xiaomi 12T Pro

114

Oppo Find X5

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.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score vs lux levels for tripod and handheld conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with the level of lux, for two holding conditions. DMC detail preservation score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and details rendering on a selection of crops of our DXOMARK chart.

Level of detail is high, similar or even sometimes better than the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score vs lux levels for tripod and handheld conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with the level of lux, for two holding conditions. DMC detail preservation score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and details rendering on a selection of crops of our DXOMARK chart.

Noise

92

Xiaomi 12T Pro

115

Honor Magic4 Ultimate

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.

Visual noise evolution with illuminance levels in handheld condition
This graph shows the evolution of visual noise metric with the level of lux in handheld condition. The visual noise metric is the mean of visual noise measurement on all patches of the Dead Leaves chart in the AFHDR setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.

Image noise is well under control in most conditions, but shadow noise in high-contrast scenes is creeping in.

Xiaomi 12T Pro - noise
Xiaomi 12T Pro - shadow noise in HDR scenes
Oppo Find X5 Pro - noise
Oppo Find X5 Pro - shadow noise well under control
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) - noise
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) - shadow noise well under control

Artifacts

74

Xiaomi 12T Pro

81

Google Pixel 6

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.

Main photo artifacts penalties

Bokeh

70

Xiaomi 12T Pro

80

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro – Some depth artifacts are visible, but the palettes on the sides are detected.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra – A lot of depth artifacts, palettes on the side are not detected as objects at the same distance as the face.

Preview

71

Xiaomi 12T Pro

91

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro – (1000lux D65 EV4) – highlight clipping on preview
Xiaomi 12T Pro – (1000lux D65 EV4) – good highlight retention in capture

Zoom

101

Xiaomi 12T Pro

151

Honor Magic4 Ultimate
About DXOMARK Camera Zoom tests

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Zoom Scores
This graph illustrates the relative scores for the different zoom ranges evaluated. The abscissa is expressed in 35mm equivalent focal length. Zooming-in scores are displayed on the right and Zooming-out scores on the left.

Wide

89

Xiaomi 12T Pro

117

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro – ultra-wide – slight underexposure, lack of detail
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) – ultra-wide – good exposure, better detail
OppoFind X5 Pro – ultra-wide – lack of detail

Tele

71

Xiaomi 12T Pro

116

Honor Magic4 Ultimate

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.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality. Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.
DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality. Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.
DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality. Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.
DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality. Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.

Video

134

Xiaomi 12T Pro

149

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
About DXOMARK Camera Video tests

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Video scores
Video tests analyze the same image quality attributes as for still images, such as exposure, color, texture, or noise, in addition to temporal aspects such as speed, and smoothness and stability of exposure, white balance, and autofocus transitions.

Exposure

95

Xiaomi 12T Pro

115

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro – exposure stepping as the door opens and face is detected but accurate exposure adaptation

Oppo Find X5 Pro – hardly any change of face exposure while face is in the frame

The Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) –  small but smooth exposure adaptation

Color

102

Xiaomi 12T Pro

117

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro – white balance stepping while panning across the wall, nice colors in the living room

Oppo Find X5 Pro –  yellow cast on green wall but smooth adaptation, nice colors in the living room

Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) – slight yellow cast on green wall but smooth adaptation, nice colors in the living room

Texture

113

Xiaomi 12T Pro

115

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

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.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation video score vs lux levels
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation video score with the level of lux in video. DMC detail preservation score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and details rendering on a selection of crops of our DXOMARK chart.

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:

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation video score vs lux levels
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation video score with the level of lux in video. DMC detail preservation score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and details rendering on a selection of crops of our DXOMARK chart.

Noise

111

Xiaomi 12T Pro

118

Samsung Galaxy A23 5G

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.

Spatial visual noise evolution with the illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Temporal visual noise evolution with the illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with the level of lux. Temporal visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup.

Xiaomi 12T Pro – very good texture/noise trade-off in low light

Oppo Find X5 Pro –  slight lack of detail, shadow noise

Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) –  less detail, more noise than the 12T Pro

This is also true compared to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, as shown below.

Xiaomi 12T Pro - Frame from lab video taken under D65 700Lux
Xiaomi 12T Pro - Level of noise is well managed
Xiaomi 12 Pro - Frame from lab video taken under D65 700Lux
Xiaomi 12 Pro - Strong noise is visible

Stabilization

111

Xiaomi 12T Pro

117

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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.

Xiaomi 12T Pro –  good stabilization of walking and running, some sharpness differences between frames when running

Oppo Find X5 Pro –  effective stabilization

Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) – effective stabilization, some frame shifts

Artifacts

82

Xiaomi 12T Pro

86

Xiaomi 12S Ultra

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.

Main video artifacts penalties

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