We put the Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G 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: 108 MP 1/1.52″ sensor
- Ultra-wide: 8 MP, f/2.2, FOV 120°
- Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G
109
camera
104
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 15 Pro (123)
102
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (125)
92
Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
Best: Huawei Mate 60 Pro+ (123)
83
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 15 Pro (124)
83
Honor Magic5 Pro
Best: Honor Magic5 Pro (116)
71
Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G
Best: Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G (82)
40
Honor Magic6 Pro
Best: Honor Magic6 Pro (85)
66
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (91)
37
Oppo Find X7 Ultra
Best: Oppo Find X7 Ultra (118)
95
Honor Magic6 Pro
Best: Honor Magic6 Pro (121)
90
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 15 Pro (116)
103
Honor Magic6 Pro
Best: Honor Magic6 Pro (119)
80
Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
Best: Huawei Mate 60 Pro+ (119)
110
Oppo Find X6 Pro
Best: Oppo Find X6 Pro (118)
105
Oppo Find X7 Ultra
Best: Oppo Find X7 Ultra (119)
79
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Best: Xiaomi 12S Ultra (86)
107
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 15 Pro (118)
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
Position in Global Ranking
113
th
5. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
154
14. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
147
16. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
146
20. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
144
22. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
141
25. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
140
31. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
137
35. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
135
35. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
135
40. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
133
40. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
46. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
131
46. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
56. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
128
58. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
127
58. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
127
58. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
127
63. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
126
67. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
125
71. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
124
74. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
122
79. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G
121
80. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
120
80. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
80. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
120
87. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
117
87. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
117
87. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
117
93. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
116
96. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)
115
96. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
115
105. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G
113
108. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
112
110. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
111
110. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Exynos)
111
110. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
111
115. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
108
115. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Exynos)
108
120. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
107
123. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
104
124. Motorola Edge 40 Neo
103
125. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G
102
127. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
101
129. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
100
136. Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
92
136. Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
92
139. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G
91
141. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
88
141. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
88
143. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
85
145. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
83
147. Samsung Galaxy A15 LTE
81
148. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
79
149. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
78
152. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13
75
154. Honor Magic5 Lite 5G
74
156. Honor Magic6 Lite (5300 mAh)
70
156. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
70
158. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G
69
161. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
67
162. Motorola Moto G62 5G
66
163. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G
65
165. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12
63
169. Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
61
171. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
60
177. Xiaomi Redmi 10 2022
51
179. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
48
Position in High-End Ranking
14
th
7. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G
121
8. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
120
12. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G
113
15. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
108
16. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
107
17. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
100
23. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
88
23. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
88
25. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
79
Pros
- Accurate target exposure in most conditions in photo, with smooth transitions in video
- Pleasant white balance and color rendering in most conditions
- Accurate color rendering in video in outdoor and indoor conditions
Cons
- Occasionally autofocusing on wrong target, with a shallow depth of field
- Visible noise in low-light conditions in photo and video
- Low level of details in low-light conditions, with visible motion blur
- Occasional ghosting, ringing, and color quantization
- In bokeh, visible depth artifacts, with unnatural blur gradient
- Narrow dynamic range for low-light conditions in video
- Visible sharpness differences between video frames in all conditions
The Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G is the most basic model available in the 12-series. While its rear-camera setup looks just like the others in the series, featuring three modules — primary, ultra-wide, and macro – the 12 Lite 5G’s camera modules actually use different sensors, which mainly account for the differences in image quality.
Overall, the device behaved well in good lighting conditions. Target exposure and color rendering were pleasant in outdoor situations in both photo and video, but image details were quite low. Indoors, and especially in low-light conditions, however, image noise was often visible with some artifacts.
For its price, which is about half of the top-end model in the series, the 12 Lite 5G’s camera performance was quite average overall, even when judging it against other devices in its High-end segment ($400 to $599). The lack of a tele module and a limited ultrawide module, compared with other devices in the segment, hampered the device’s performance.
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 12 Lite 5G Camera Scores
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
111
Honor Magic6 Pro
Honor Magic6 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 12 Lite 5G 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.
Xiaomi 12 Lite – Accurate target exposure with pleasant color rendering.
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.
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.
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.
Zoom
72
Honor Magic6 Pro
Honor Magic6 Pro
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 12 Lite 5G 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.
Video
121
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
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 12 Lite 5G 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.
Xiaomi 12 Lite – Accurate target exposure with pleasant color rendering.
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.
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.
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