Xiaomi 12 Series Debut in China As 2022’s First Flagship

On 28 December, Xiaomi officially released its 12 series in China with three models: Xiaomi 12, 12 Pro, and 12X. The Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro feature significant upgrades, most notably the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Meanwhile, the 12X houses a different chipset despite having similar spec sheets with the vanilla model. The Xiaomi 12X is essentially the budget-friendly version of the Xiaomi 12 featuring the Snapdragon 870 SoC.

Keep on reading if you’re interested to know more about the recently released Xiaomi smartphones.

Xiaomi 12 Series: What Do They Bring to the Table?

The Xiaomi 12 series has several welcomed design changes, the most notable of which are the centred punch-hole selfie cameras. Also, the back panels include camera islands in the top-left corner with a simpler rectangular design and separated lenses.

And as previously mentioned, the 12 and 12 Pro packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC that supersedes the SD888+. This upgrade gives the two a considerable performance boost over the Snapdragon 888-powered Mi 11!

Additionally, Xiaomi also introduced the new MIUI 13 together with the 12 series debut. MIUI 13 includes a three-step authentication procedure for increased privacy and tighter connectivity across Xiaomi devices. It will be available for a wide range of devices starting in Q1 2022.

Xiaomi 12

The Xiaomi 12 is a rather compact flagship, especially compared with its contemporaries. It weighs 180g and is 69.9mm wide, which is thinner than the iPhone 13 and the Samsung Galaxy S21.

The phone boasts a 6.28” 2400×1080 AMOLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, 12-bit colour support and 1100 peak nits. Xiaomi also comes with a Gorilla Glass Victus for added protection.

Furthermore, Xiaomi seems to be taking cooling a little more seriously with the Xiaomi 12. The phone has a substantially bigger cooling plate to dissipate heat generated by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.

The flagship also packs a 4500mAh battery that supports 67W wired, 50W wireless and 10W reverse charging. Xiaomi even contested that it can take less than 40 minutes to fully charge it via cable!

Moreover, the vanilla model prides itself in its 50MP Sony IMX766 main camera with OIS. Together with its13MP ultra-wide shooter with a 123° FOV, a macro sensor and a 32MP front-facing camera, you have a pretty decent camera phone!

Xiaomi 12 Pro

Since Xiaomi didn’t announce a Xiaomi 12 Ultra, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is the de facto ultimate model for now. Although it has a smaller screen than its predecessor, it’s still significantly larger than the standard 12 model.

It features a 6.73” 3200×1440 AMOLED display, a 120Hz variable refresh rate, 10-bit colour support, and 1500 peak nits. And similar to the vanilla model, it also packs an in-display fingerprint sensor and the Gorilla Glass Victus.

The backside contains three 50MP sensors, with each utilising the Sony IMX707, as well as an ultra-wide and telephoto lens. Meanwhile, the front panel comprising of a 32MP shooter. 

Additionally, the phone is powered by a 4600mAh battery with 120W wired, 50W wireless and 10W reverse charging.

Xiaomi 12X

The Xiaomi 12X is a surprise addition to the Xiaomi 12 lineup. It has a 6.28” AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4500mAh battery with 67W charging support, a 50MP main camera and a 32MP front-facing camera.

As mentioned before, the only difference between the 12X and the 12 is its chipset. Instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Xiaomi 12X runs the Snapdragon 870 SoC.

Xiaomi 12 Series Price and Availability

The Xiaomi 12 series is currently only available in China, but we expect the global market release in Q1 2022. The lineup comes in black, blue, and purple, but the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro are also available in green vegan leather.

The standard 12 model has a starting price of 3,699 yuan (~RM2,427) for the 8GB+128GB model. Meanwhile, the 8GB+256GB and the 12GB+256GB variant costs 3,999 yuan (~RM2,624) and 4,399 yuan (~RM2,886) respectively.

For the Xiaomi 12 Pro, the range-topping model that comes with 12GB+256GB costs 5,399 yuan (~RM3,543). The 8GB+256GB and 8GB+128GB model costs 4,999 yuan (~RM3,280) and 4,699 yuan (~RM3,083) respectively. 

Lastly, the 12X starts at 3,199 yuan (~RM2,099) with 8GB+128GB, then jumps to 3,499 yuan (~RM2,296) for the 8GB+256GB model. The highest the 12X can go is 3,799 yuan (~RM2,493) for the 12GB+256GB variant.

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