Xiaomi’s latest flagship lineup, the Xiaomi 12 series, were officially announced today, during a global stream by the company that lasted for two and a half hours.
This year, it’s a case of the triplets on announcement day—although only two may end up being sold internationally. Three separate models were part of today’s unveiling: the Xiaomi 12 standard version, the Xiaomi 12 Pro, and the Xiaomi 12X. As per Xiaomi’s tradition, of course, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the company to add more models to the family down the line next year, but for now, these three are what we’ve got.
Although the official unveiling took place today, the new series will be launched for sale starting December 31 in China. It will be released to international markets at a slightly later date, which has not been announced as of yet.
The pricing in international markets is also still unknown, and we only have the pricing in China to go by—although it gives us no more than a ballpark figure, as retail costs don’t automatically translate between currency; each market gets its own pricing.
Xiaomi 12
Although Xiaomi has always targeted the low- to mid-range global market, its flagships are slowly but surely improving their specs from year to year. This year, both higher models are fitted with Qualcomm’s most powerful process yet: the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This makes Xiaomi one of the first companies to launch a device using this SoC, along with Motorola and Realme.
The standard model, the Xiaomi 12, was announced in China with three available variants. The lower variant comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and sells for CNY 3,699, which equates to around USD $580.
The second Xiaomi 12 variant comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, with a slightly higher launch price of CNY 3,999, or USD ~$628
The third choice features 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and will sell for CNY 4,399, or about USD $690.
The screen will be a 6.28-inch Full HD+ AMOLED curved panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, spanning 2400 x 1080 pixels.
The battery will have 4,500 mAh and support up to 67W fast wireless charging, as well as wireless charging of up to 50W. On top of that, there’s also 10W reverse wireless charging, allowing you to charge your wireless earbuds directly on the phone itself.
There is a 50MP primary camera on the back, as well as a 13MP secondary wide-angle lens, and a 5MP macro lens to boot.
As for colors, the devices will be available in three matte colors: black, a light blue, and a pastel pink. There will also be a green vegan leather-backed variant, while the regular colors come with a glass and metal body.
A 4,500mAh battery sits inside this smartphone, and it supports 67W fast wired charging, but 50W fast wireless charging. 10W reverse wireless charging is also part of the package.
This is the largest model in the series, featuring a 6.73-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with a 1440p resolution, protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. The LTPO 2.0 backplane also gives the Pro model a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which slows down to save battery, depending on what’s being displayed on screen. The touch sampling rate is 480Hz, for the record.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is also the only one in the series with an under-display fingerprint scanner, without taking away from any of the vast screen real estate.
The battery is a 4,600 juicer, which supports 120W wired charging, along with 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
The 12 Pro also has three rear cameras, although here, all three of them sports 50 megapixels. The main shooter features a Sony IMX707 sensor with a f/1.9 aperture 7P lens, the second has a f/1.9 aperture 5P lens, and the third is an ultra-wide camera with a f/2.2 aperture 6P lens, and a 115-degree field of view. The selfie camera features 32 megapixels—which is high even for some of the best flagships on the market.
Xiaomi 12X
This is the lowest-priced, lowest-spec model in the series, and may not make it to all global markets—although we don’t have any details on international availability yet. This is also the only variant that didn’t get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, going for the older Snapdragon 870 instead.
The Xiaomi 12X also doesn’t support wireless charging, and its 4,500 mAh battery can be charged with a cable at up to 67W—same as the standard Xiaomi 12 model. The screen size is also identical, at 6.28 inches.
Its camera appears to have the same specs as the Xiaomi 12: a 50MP primary rear camera on the back, a 13MP secondary wide-angle lens, and a 5MP camera for macrophotography.
The Xiaomi 12 series is the first lineup in the company’s brand to be named this simply, without the trademark “Mi” moniker as part of the family name. This new naming system fell into place in July of this year, when the company officially ditched the “Mi” part in an effort to re-establish the main “Xiaomi” brand, and “unify [its] global brand presence and close the perception gap between the brand and its products.”
