Xiaomi kicked the year 2023 off by adding a new smartphone to one of its most popular series– the Redmi Note series. For years, Xiaomi made sure that all Redmi Notes were budget beats with price tags in the vicinity of Rs. 10,000 (more or less) and specs that could challenge even some higher-priced devices.

All that changed last year when Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, which touched the Rs. 20,000 mark. While the tech world was still trying to make peace with this pricing (considering how the Redmi Note series had the image of a budget-friendly smartphone series), Xiaomi pushed the pricing envelope even further with the launch of the latest Redmi Note.

The brand has recently launched the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ in India, and the phone comes with a starting price of Rs. 29,999, the highest ever for a Redmi Note. All these extra bucks do bring some spec and feature muscle to the table. For instance, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ features a massive 200-Megapixel camera. Not 48, 64, or 108 but 200 megapixels! This 200-megapixel camera is the biggest USP of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, the Sun around which all other features revolve.

200 MP shooter, but 12.5 MP snaps!

But even though the 200-megapixel main sensor on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is the most talked about feature of the phone, the phone does not capture pictures in 200 megapixels by default! Take a snap on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, and you will find yourself with a 12.5-megapixel snap.

This is actually not that new in the smartphone world. Ever since cameras on smartphones started coming with big and bigger numbers, it has become a pretty common sight to see cameras take pictures in lower resolution instead of the massively advertised massive resolution by default.

This means if a smartphone comes with a 64-megapixel sensor, it might not take pictures in 64-megapixel resolution photos by default but take a 16-MP snap instead. This is mainly because these bigger resolution photos are also big, which takes up a lot of storage space and is more strenuous to process. Phone companies claim to use a technology called pixel binning to combine multiple pixels into a single one, resulting in a lower resolution (and hence lighter in MB size terms) but still rich in detail photograph.

This is what happens with the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ as well. While it brings along a 200-megapixel sensor, the phone takes a 12.5-megapixel shot by default – a shot that has more detail than a normal 12.5-megapixel snap but is still not really a 200-MP photograph. Now, this does not mean that one cannot take a 200-megapixel shot with the phone. Like other smartphones with high-resolution cameras, you can also tweak some settings on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ to take not just 200-megapixel snaps but also 50-megapixel pictures, which are much more detailed than the default 12.5-megapixel shots and not as heavy in size as 200-megapixel ones.

Unlocking the 200 MP and 50 MP snap modes on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+

Taking the 200 and 50-megapixel shots on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a pretty easy task as well, one which can be done by following a few simple steps. So here are a few simple steps you can follow if you wish to take a 50 or 200-megapixel shot with a Redmi Note 12 Pro+:

Step 1: Get that camera going

The good thing about this process is that one does not have to look into other apps or go to the Settings app and look through a number of options in order to take a higher-resolution shot. This can be particularly annoying when you are in the middle of taking photographs and need to switch the resolution and have to head to another app in order to do so. You can do it all through the camera app of the phone itself, which is also the very first step of this How To. Open the Camera app on the phone, simple.

Step 2: Look for More

After launching the Camera app, you need to swipe through the modes present right above the big white shutter button on the camera interface. You will find the “More” option at the end of this horizontal list. Tap on it.

Step 3: Go for Ultra HD

When you tap on More, a number of new options will take over your phone’s screen. No need to get overwhelmed by this. All you now have to do is look for an option called Ultra HD and select that from this menu.

Step 4: Stay with 50, or go for 200

Once you select Ultra HD, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ will now take pictures in 50-megapixel resolution. You will see a message saying “50 MP Ultra HD is on” near the top of the display. Go ahead and hit the shutter button right now if you wish to have 50 MP shots.

But if you want the full 200-megapixel force of the sensor, tap on the icon reading “200 MP” icon on top of your camera’s viewfinder in the Ultra HD mode. The moment you do this, you will see the “200 MP” icon turn yellow, and a message will also appear saying “200 MP Ultra HD is on.”

The phone will start taking pictures in 200 megapixels. To exit this mode and return to the normal mode, swipe back or hit the back button or tap the small “x” next to the Ultra HD icon below the viewfinder! That’s it.

Making it easier to shoot 200 MP/ 50 MP shots on the Redmi Note Pro+ 5G

If you are someone who takes higher resolution pictures often and would not like to go through the routine above every time you want to snap a high-res image, then there’s a trick that might save you some time. It makes shooting 50 and 200-MP pictures easier and makes the option kind of permanent, thanks to an option in MIUI 13. All you need to do is follow these quick steps:

Step 1: More again

This way also involves going to the More option present above the big white shutter button on your camera’s interface. But we can assure you will not have to do this again and again.

Step 2: Edit that camera UI

Unlike the last time, when we selected Ultra HD, this time, we had to pick the option Edit from the More menu. This will open up a list of all the features present right on our camera’s interface and then those that can be added to it. Yes, you can actually change your camera’s interface in MIUI.

Step 3: Drag Ultra HD right into the camera UI

Amongst all these options that can be added to your camera UI, you will find Ultra HD. Just tap, hold and drag it to the Start Screen side and drop it there. Hit the tick at the top corner, and Voila! You will now find the Ultra HD option on your camera interface right up front. No need to look around for More!