When USB-IF announced plans to add a Power Delivery profile for 240W charging, we thought it was something for the future. The standard way of doing things might really be something for the future, but today it gets us almost to that point with the new Redmi Note 12 Explorer.
This phone is based on the Redmi Note 12 Pro + (which also debuts today), but increases the charging speed from 120W to 210W. The battery capacity decreases, from 5,000mAh to 4,300mAh, as Xiaomi had to build a battery with very strict requirements.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Explorer sets a new benchmark for fast charging: 210 W
With that in mind, a full 0-100% charge with the Explorer takes just 9 minutes. Within 5 minutes the phone is already at 66%. For comparison, the regular Redmi Note 12 Pro + needs 19 minutes to fully charge (keep in mind it is filling up a 16% larger battery).
By the way, this is Xiaomi proprietary technology rather than Power Delivery. The upcoming USB-PD standard prescribes 50 V at 5 A (with some safety margin) for 240 W. Xiaomi instead keeps the voltage low – at 20V, which is quite common these days – and splits the electricity into three channels from 20V at 3.5A each (so 70W, but each channel is designed to handle up to 100W to ensure stable and safe operation).
Plus, the charger that pushes out that impressive 210W is surprisingly small thanks to the power of GaN technology – it measures 67.3 x 64.3 x 30mm. Unlike other super fast chargers, this one promises to deliver all of its 210W even in countries with 110V mains. The supplied 1m (3.3ft) cable has an E-mark chip to make sure it gets safely used with supported chargers only (the charger will refuse to do 210W without the E mark). For other devices the charger can output a standard 65W using USB-PD.
Now that you have heard all about the amazing charger and battery, all that remains is to talk about the price of the Redmi Note 12 Explorer (it is really identical to the 12 Pro + in all other respects).
The Explorer will be available from October 31 at a price of 2,400 CNY for an 8/256 GB unit (pre-orders open today). It’s just above the price of a Pro + with the same memory, CNY 2,200. If you’re curious, CNY 2,400 converts to $ 330 / € 330, but we’re not sure if Explorer will be available outside of China.
A quick summary of the Redmi Note 12 Pro + / 12 Explorer specifications. They include a 200MP main camera (1 / 1.4 “ISOCELL HPX sensor, f / 1.7 lens with OIS), which is paired with an 8MP (119 °) ultra wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro camera The phones are powered by Dimensity 1080 (a refurbished 920) and have 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED displays (10-bit panels, Dolby Vision support).
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