Redmi Note 12 Pro vs Galaxy A54: screen and battery or camera and performance? | Comparative

It’s time for the duel between two of the big bets for the title of best value for money in 2023. We have the Galaxy A54 facing the Redmi Note 12 Pro. Which will deliver the most balanced set for a fair price? That’s what we’re going to find out with this TechSmart comparison.

• design and connectivity
• multimedia and software
• Performance
• Battery
• cameras
• Price
• Conclusion

Redmi Note 12 Pro

Samsung Galaxy A54

We start with the design and right away we see two different devices, not only in appearance, but also in dimensions. The Galaxy A54 is the more compact of the two, but Xiaomi’s is thinner and lighter. Both have plastic housing with glass back with Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

And speaking of protection, the Korean model comes with IP67 certification, which guarantees greater resistance against water and dust than its IP53-certified rival. This means that the Redmi Note 12 Pro can only withstand splashes or light rain, while its rival can fall into water.

The front is similar to a hole for the selfie camera in a centralized position, but the Redmi Note 12 Pro makes better use of its screen with slightly thinner edges. At the rear we have a jump block that brings together the trio of cameras in the Chinese model. In the Galaxy, we only have the sensors individually for a cleaner and minimalist look.

Samsung adopted a biometric reader integrated into the screen itself, while Xiaomi incorporated the sensor into the power button. As it is always active, you will only need to touch your finger for the unlocking to happen quickly.

Both have 5G connectivity, sixth generation Wi-Fi and NFC. The Galaxy brings the most current version of Bluetooth technology, while the Redmi bets on an infrared emitter to be used as a remote control to control electronics.

We’ll give each a starting point.

Screen

The Redmi Note 12 Pro has the larger screen of the two at 6.67 inches versus 6.4 inches. Both bet on AMOLED panel with Full HD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy wins in terms of brightness, being the better of the two for outdoor use, especially on sunny days.

There is HDR10+ support on both, with the advantage of Redmi also being compatible with Dolby Vision for a more complete experience with streaming services. In addition, it is capable of reproducing a greater number of different tones, despite the Galaxy delivering a better native color calibration.

We draw on screen.

Sound

We have stereo sound on both with similar power, although Redmi comes with a third sound output at the top of the device. At least that helps generate a more three-dimensional and immersive effect with the help of Dolby Atmos.

In both we have a well balanced sound between bass, medium and treble. This shows that both Samsung and Xiaomi care about improving the sound of their intermediaries. But perhaps a point that leaves some disappointed with the Galaxy A54 is the fact that it does not have a standard headphone jack, unlike its rival.

Thus, we give Redmi a point in sound.

Software

Which has better software? Samsung and Xiaomi like to customize their interfaces to the extreme to offer a much richer experience than what we have by default on Android. The Galaxy takes advantage of coming with Android 13 and will receive several updates from the little robot, as well as having five years of guaranteed security updates.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro comes with Android 12 and will have shorter support from Xiaomi, not to mention that the Chinese giant takes longer to release updates and does not bring monthly security packages frequently to its cell phones.

Thus, we give Samsung a point in software.

In performance, we have a beautiful duel between the two: the Galaxy comes equipped with Exynos 1380 and the Redmi brings the Dimensity 1080. Which is more powerful? The Korean model comes with a more advanced processor and a more powerful GPU, which ensured better performance in our speed test.

In addition, MIUI suffers from poor optimization and ends up reloading applications open in the background. This makes the Galaxy A54 the most suitable for those who use many apps at the same time. It also gets higher numbers in benchmarks and tends to deliver superior fluidity in more demanding games.

Point for the Galaxy in performance.

We have the same battery size in the two rivals in our comparison. In theory, this should indicate the same autonomy, but as we have a difference in screen, processor and some software optimizations, we can expect unexpected results.

And that’s exactly what happened. The Redmi Note 12 Pro has the biggest screen and comes with hardware with an older manufacturing process, which should indicate higher power consumption. Even so, it outperforms the Galaxy A54 in battery life with almost 4 hours more of moderate use.

The most disappointing part of Samsung’s midrange is its recharge time. It comes with only a 15W charger, while the rival brings a much more powerful 67W solution that takes half the time to fully fill the battery. Not to mention that it recovers 70% in just 30 minutes of charge.

We give victory to Redmi in battery.

The photographic set of the two is similar. We have a main camera with a 50 MP sensor with a slightly larger focal aperture in the Galaxy. There is an ultra-wide and macro camera, both with higher resolution sensors in the Korean model. Does this mean that Samsung’s intermediary makes better photos?

We can say that we have a good dispute between the two. The Galaxy gets it right more in sharpness and HDR, while the Redmi captures better colors and contrast. The A54 will please those who enjoy saturated photos more, but for those who prefer to edit their own images, they will prefer what is recorded by Redmi.

None excites with the zoom that is only digital and loses a lot of quality if it goes beyond 2x. The ultra-wide of the Galaxy records photos a little sharper and suffers less in dark places. Night mode is more efficient on the Samsung model, while the macro camera does just the basics on both.

Point for the Galaxy A54 in photos.

Photos captured with the Redmi Note 12 Pro

The Galaxy has a front camera with twice the resolution and records clearer selfies, not just because it has more pixels, but because the Redmi Note 12 Pro records photos at 4 MP and then upscales to 16 MP, which results in smoothed photos.

Samsung’s intermediate stands out with selfies with many details recorded, colors close to reality and wide dynamic range even with the background blur activated. Night selfies come out smoothed, but still superior to the rival in sharpness.

One more point for the A54 in camera.

Photos captured with the Galaxy A54

Both record 4K video at 30 fps with the rear camera. The Galaxy takes advantage of also filming in this resolution with the front, which will be a differential for those who intend to use the cell phone for vlogs. Both have efficient stabilization that handles shake well and snappy focus to capture sharply from any distance.

Xiaomi’s intermediary captures clean and good quality sound, but the Galaxy records more details of what happens around it and also results in clearer voices.

We closed the camera with one more point for the Galaxy.

The Galaxy A54 hit the domestic market in March 2023 for R$2,899 and can currently be found for around R$2,000. The Redmi Note 12 Pro arrived a month later for BRL 3,399 if you intend to buy it officially from Xiaomi, but it can also be found in domestic retail in an imported version for a price slightly above the Korean rival.

With that, Samsung’s intermediary is the one that delivers the best value for money and takes the last point.

The Galaxy A54 proved to be the best choice between Samsung and Xiaomi intermediaries. It is a compact and complete cell phone with protection against water, it has a screen with superior brightness, a system with greater support for updates, more agile performance, better cameras and is cheaper.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro is also a great mid-range phone and will win over those who care about thin edges, it insists on having a screen with Dolby Vision to enjoy all the series and movies from streaming services, enjoy more immersive sound and input for headphones, as well as a battery that lasts longer and recharges much faster.

RESULT

Samsung Galaxy A54: 8 POINTS

• More compact and IP67 certified
• Superior brightness and better color calibration
• Most current system and support with superior longevity
• superior performance
• best photo set
• best selfies
• Shoot in 4K with the front view and better sound capture
• Best value for money

Redmi Note 12 Pro: 4 POINTS

• Thinner edges and full connectivity
• Support Dolby Vision and reproduce more colors
• More immersive sound and headphone jack
• Longer battery life and shorter charging time

• The Samsung Galaxy A54 is available from Kabum for BRL 1,949 and on Amazon for BRL 2,099. The cost-benefit is average and this is the best model in this price range.
• The Redmi Note 12 Pro is available on Amazon for BRL 2,159. The cost-benefit is average but this is the best model in this price range.