The Xiaomi 12 (2022) features a 50 MP Sony IMX766 main camera with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and has no mechanical shutter — the image counter stored in each RAW DNG file records total electronic captures. Drop a Pro mode DNG file to read it instantly.
Check Image Counter →The Xiaomi 12 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and features a 50 MP Sony IMX766 main sensor (1/1.56″, f/1.88, OIS, dual-pixel PDAF), a 13 MP ultrawide (f/2.4, 123°), and a 5 MP macro (f/2.4). The 6.28-inch AMOLED display runs at up to 120 Hz. The Xiaomi 12 represents Xiaomi’s last flagship generation before the Leica partnership debuted on the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Like all modern flagship smartphones, the Xiaomi 12 uses CMOS electronic readout only. There is no mechanical focal-plane shutter. Every photo increments the persistent electronic image counter embedded in Pro mode DNG files.
| Model | Release | Main Sensor | Shutter Type | RAW Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi 12 | 2022 | 50 MP IMX766 (f/1.88, 1/1.56″, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Pro mode) |
| Xiaomi 12 Pro | 2022 | 50 MP IMX707 (f/1.9, 1/1.28″, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Pro mode) |
| Xiaomi 13 | 2023 | 50 MP IMX800 (f/1.8, OIS, Leica) | Electronic only | DNG (Pro mode) |
| Sony A6700 | 2023 | 26 MP APS-C BSI CMOS | Mechanical + Electronic | ARW |
DCIM/Camera..dng file to your computer.exiftool -ImageNumber yourfile.dng to extract the counter from the command line.The image counter is a useful indicator of photography intensity, but carries no mechanical wear significance. These are the meaningful factors to evaluate for a used Xiaomi 12:
| What to Check | How |
|---|---|
| Battery health | Settings → Battery → Battery health (MIUI/HyperOS). Aim for >80% capacity. 4,500 mAh degrades faster with repeated 67W fast charging |
| Display condition | Inspect the 6.28-inch AMOLED for burn-in, dead pixels, or corner delamination under a solid white screen |
| Main camera OIS | Test the IMX766 in low light or video; OIS mechanisms can wear on heavily-used devices — check for stabilisation failure in video mode |
| Ultrawide camera | Verify the 13 MP ultrawide produces sharp corners and accurate colours in outdoor light |
| Image counter | High count (>30,000) suggests intensive camera use — useful context, not a failure indicator |
The Xiaomi 12 uses the Sony IMX766 sensor — the same sensor found in the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s ultrawide and in many other flagship phones of its generation including the OPPO Find X5 Pro. On the Xiaomi 12, the IMX766 acts as the primary shooter at 50 MP with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS.
The image counter is stored in the DNG EXIF metadata under the ImageNumber field. This persistent hardware counter increments with every capture in Pro mode and cannot be reset by a factory reset or software update.
The Xiaomi 12 (2022) was the last major Xiaomi flagship before the Leica partnership that launched with the Xiaomi 13 Pro in late 2022. It represents Xiaomi’s own colour science and imaging tuning, without third-party lens brand involvement. DNG files from the Xiaomi 12 open natively in Lightroom, Capture One, darktable, and other RAW editors.
No. All Xiaomi 12 cameras use CMOS electronic readout. There is no focal-plane shutter mechanism and no rated mechanical lifespan. The image counter in the Pro mode DNG file tracks electronic captures only.
Switch to Pro mode in the Camera app, then tap the file format selector to enable RAW or RAW+JPEG. The DNG files are saved to DCIM/Camera. Standard shooting modes do not produce DNG files.
No. The image counter is stored in persistent hardware memory and cannot be reset by a factory reset, ROM flash, or any user action. This makes it a reliable indicator of total capture history.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro uses a triple 50 MP camera system with the larger Sony IMX707 sensor (1/1.28″) as the main, a 4,600 mAh battery, and 120 W HyperCharge. The standard Xiaomi 12 uses the IMX766 (1/1.56″) main, a smaller 13 MP ultrawide, and 67 W charging. Both produce DNG files and the image counter works identically in shuttercount.app.
A casual user accumulates roughly 5,000–12,000 captures per year; an active photographer may exceed 25,000 per year. There is no wear threshold — a high count indicates intensive use, not hardware failure risk. Battery health is the more meaningful used-device indicator.