The Xiaomi 12 series, the flagships from Xiaomi this year, got released in early 2022 in China, but only made their way to the international market last month. This year, we got three models, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi 12, and the Xiaomi 12X.
The three models, however, sit at the higher end of the market, and for this reason, there are now rumours that the Chinese company is planning to release a midrange version of the Xiaomi 12 series, called the Xiaomi 12 Lite.
To hit a lower price point, the Xiaomi 12 Lite will undoubtedly feature less powerful hardware, but there is a key area where the less powerful 12 Lite will have an advantage over its more powerful siblings.
The Xiaomi 12 Lite has surfaced in various databases online detailing its specifications. The information portrayed in the various databases is all consistent, which is a sign that the databases might be housing correct data about the device.
What the Xiaomi 12 Lite has over the other Xiaomi 12 models, is that it will be running Android 12 right out of the box while the others come preinstalled with Android 11. As usual with Xiaomi, all their smartphones are coated with their custom UI, the MIUI but with the Xiaomi 12 Lite running on the latest Android version, there is the possibility of the device holding an advantage in terms of features present in it.
This advantage will last until the other Xiaomi 12 series models get the update to Android 13 later in the year. Releasing a less powerful version of their flagships after a few months seems to be part and parcel of the Chinese company’s policy, as they also did the same last year.
After debuting the Mi 11 Series in 2021, they followed it up a few months later with the release of the Mi 11 Lite which was also cheaper and targeted the midrange category just like the Xiaomi 12 Lite.
The Mi 11 Lite was also followed up by a 5G variant of the device which got the moniker NE and Xiaomi, and dropped the Mi tag for a final long name, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE.
It is yet to be seen whether the Xiaomi 12 Lite will get two versions, one with 5G support and the other a 4G model. There is the likelihood of a 4G version being dropped as more smartphones targeting the midrange market now support 5G, therefore releasing a 4G version might hamper its sales, especially in developed countries with more widespread 5G network coverage.
The Lite versions of the flagships from Xiaomi do not necessarily actively seek high performance as you might expect. On the contrary, they position the device as a lifestyle phone, with a focus on its design and handheld feel.
They however pack respectable camera performance and the Xiaomi 12 Lite is no different going by the leaked specs. The rear camera setup consists of 3 main sensors, a 64MP sensor for the primary sensor, an 8 MP sensor for wide shots, and a final 5 MP sensor for macro. The front camera on the hand consists of a single 16 MP sensor for your video calls and selfie needs.
