Finally, after months of leaks and speculations, Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 12 series, which will be available in three variants, Xiaomi 12, which is the base model, Xiaomi 12 Pro, the enthusiast model and Xiaomi 12X, a more budget-oriented model, a few days ago.
Xiaomi 12
Xiaomi 12 has the smallest screen on a Xiaomi flagship device since the Xiaomi Mi 8, which will be a plus for those who like compact devices. The AMOLED panel, which is made by Samsung, tops out at 6.28 inches and supports Full HD+ resolution with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. There is also an under-display fingerprint scanner.
It is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, therefore performance should not be an issue at all. To prevent the device from picking up scratches, Xiaomi has fitted Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus.
Camera quality is not necessarily an area Xiaomi is renowned for but they have fitted the 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensor, which is also found in other Android flagships released this year. The two auxiliary sensors are a 13MP ultrawide and a 50mm equivalent 5MP tele-macro cam.
When it comes to power, Xiaomi 12 has a 4,500 mAh battery that can support 67W wired fast charging, 50W wireless charging and also 10 W reverse wireless charging.
The colours available for the device are blue, black, pink and a special green vegan leather version.
Xiaomi 12 will come in three memory and storage configurations:. 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256 GB and 12GB/256 GB.
Xiaomi 12 Pro
The Pro version of Xiaomi 12 is larger, topping out at 6.73 inches with a resolution of 1440p (2K resolution) and also uses an LTPO 2.0 backplane. This allows for a variable refresh rate of between 1-120Hz depending on the task at hand in order to conserve battery life much more efficiently.
Similar to the vanilla version, Xiaomi 12 Pro also comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner and Gorilla Glass Victus protection against scratches. The display can reach 1,500 nits of brightness when cranked to the max.
Xiaomi does not hold back on the cameras in the Pro version, three 50MP cameras with a Sony IMX707 sensor are fitted for the rear camera. The second 50MP sensor is a portrait lens, while the third one brings an ultrawide module. The Chinese company mentions that they have a new night mode algorithm that should capture more light in dimly lit areas while keeping noise levels in check.
Xiaomi 12 Pro gets a slightly bigger battery at 4,600mAh, which is split into two cells that charge at 120W via cable and 50W wirelessly.
Just like the base version, Xiaomi 12 Pro also exists in three memory and storage configurations: 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256 GB and 12GB/256GB.
Xiaomi 12X
The third entrant in the Xiaomi 12 series is mostly geared to the budget-oriented crowd, while still retaining some impressive specs. It still has the 6.28 inch, 120Hz AMOLED display of the Xiaomi 12. The triple camera set-up also remains the same, while the 4,500mAh battery and 67W wired charging are also unchanged.
What sets apart the Xiaomi 12X from its more capable brothers is the Snapdragon 870 chipset that is powering it, instead of the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. It also has no wireless charging, as well as reverse wireless charging missing altogether.
Just like the Xiaomi 12, and 12 Pro, Xiaomi 12X also comes in three memory and storage configurations. The devices were made available in China from December 31st, 2021. The international market is expected to get a release date sometime in this new year.
The Xiaomi 12 series will be among the first phones from Xiaomi to receive the new MIUI 13, this year.
Another device the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, is rumoured for a later release this year to complete the Xiaomi 12 series and also become the series’ definitive leader and, overall, the flagship mobile device from Xiaomi.
