Though there are several Xiaomi smartphones possibly coming soon – Mi Note 11 and Mi 11T – the Xiaomi Mi 12 will be the company’s next true flagship phone.
The Mi 12 follows the Xiaomi Mi 11, the brand’s 2020 flagship. The latter, in its turn, also had a premium sibling in the Mi 11 Ultra and a mid-range one in the Mi 11 Lite 5G. While the ‘vanilla’ Mi 11 has got a very good score, there are always things a successor could do better. So, we have listed all the new things we want to see on the Mi 12 below.
First of all, it is worth mentioning that the Xiaomi Mi 12 will probably be the first phone in the world to use an entirely new type of RAM.
Xiaomi Mi 12 release date
Actually, the release date is unknown as of now, at least judging by the Mi 11 series, and the Mi 12 probably won’t be any different. The Mi 11 was first unveiled in December 2020, in a China-only launch. It took until February 2021 for a global re-launch and another month until it went on sale.
That’s a stretched-out timetable that negates lots of the phone’s hype by the time it reaches the global market, so hopefully, Xiaomi won’t repeat it for the Mi 12. We can’t know for sure, though.
As the release date is unknown we can check out its predecessors as an indication of when it might appear. Here’s when they all made their debuts:
- Mi 11 – December 2020 (China), March 2021 (Global)
- Mi 10 – February 2020 (China), March 2020 (Global)
- Xiaomi Mi 9 – March 2019 (China), April 2019 (Global)
- Xiaomi Mi 8 – May 2018 (China), November 2018 (Global)
It seems possible that Xiaomi will continue with this schedule and release the Mi 12 in December 2021 with a global release following a few months later in 2022. In addition, we can be sure that there will be a range of options when the launch arrives, as Xiaomi has talked about its Mi lineup in recent years to include Pro, Lite, SE, T, and Ultra models that all come at different prices points and different specifications. Moreover, it’s already been rumored that the Mi 12 Ultra will arrive in June 2022.
Also, note that as of now Xiaomi doesn’t tend to launch its phones officially in the US, so while we’re expecting a global launch, it’s unlikely that this will include North America.
The specs of the Xiaomi Mi 12
Camera
Some sources inform us about the specs of the upcoming Mi 12. Thereby, Chinese tech site MyDrivers reports that the Mi 12 could come with the world’s first 200MP main camera. And it would be a jump up from the 108MP shooter of the Mi 11. We’ve already seen similar rumors for the Samsung S22 Ultra, although this is in flux as there are counter-rumors that the Korean company has decided not to use the sensor on its next-generation devices. In this case, it is a good opportunity for Xiaomi to make a debut with a 200MP main camera.
But it is important to note that larger amounts of pixels don’t necessarily equate to better images, although the new 1-inch sensor may use 16-in-1 pixel binning technology. So, it means it could achieve some impressive results if the software is up to scratch.
Processor
Another impressive specification for Xiaomi could be that the Mi 12 launches with the brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 processor. Although there’s not a lot of information about this unannounced chipset. Last month on Twitter, Evan Blass shared some information about an upcoming Qualcomm mobile chipset codenamed SM8450. Further, it will feature an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G modem and Adreno 730 GPU.
We expect this processor to arrive by the end of 2021, superseding the current king of the hill the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+.
The processor will use a 4nm manufacturing process and will perhaps improve both performance and energy efficiency. These margins can make a big difference in the fiercely contested area of the market that the Mi 12 will be entering. Although it won’t hold the advantage for long, all the premium handsets will undoubtedly come sporting the new silicon.
New RAM standard
Further, it has been reported that the Xiaomi Mi 12 will also be one of the first phones to feature the new, faster LPDDR5X RAM standard – and thus that the Snapdragon 898 will also support the format. This new RAM type has a max data rate of 8,533 Mbps – a substantial increase from the 6,400 Mbps cap in LPDDR5.
The Mi 12 could feature an LTPO panel. The LTPO panel enables variable refresh rates, although the top will remain 120Hz. There are also rumors that the display could boast a 2K resolution and that one of the cameras will have a telephoto lens with ‘high optical magnification capacity.
Display
This flagship smartphone will use a high-quality screen with under-screen camera technology. Also, this display will support LTPO adaptive refresh rate screen, which can achieve between 1 – 120Hz adaptive refresh rate adjustment.
The processor will use either Samsung or TSMC’s 4nm process. There are reports that this chip may break AnTuTu’s ranking and exceed one million for the first time. Unfortunately, currently, we do not have much information about the display of the new great flagship. However, we will update it when new information arrives.
Battery life
In terms of battery capacity, it seems like the new Mi 12 will come with a 120W fast charging and possibly a 100W wireless charging. The Ultra is set to be even more impressive, and probably, it will be the first mass-production phone to feature Xiaomi’s 200W wired HyperCharge tech. To clarify, that’s supposedly enough to fully charge a 4,000mAh battery in just 8 minutes with wired charging, or 15 minutes wireless. We can conclude that the new flagship’s specifications are really impressive and we can’t wait to see it in real life.
However, there has also been some information offered up regarding the Mi 12’s possible display and charging abilities. It seems an LTPO panel will be utilized that offers adaptive refresh rate technology ranging from 1 to 120 Hz.
What we would like to see on Mi 12?
This wish list of features for the Xiaomi Mi 12 is created on the Mi 11 series (including the Ultra) as well as other Xiaomi phones, and what the company’s competitors are doing.
Changes in prices = Lower prices
When it burst onto the Western phone markets, Xiaomi made a name for itself with its ‘flagship killer’ phones that had similar specs to top offerings from Samsung and OnePlus (itself the original flagship killer), but with much lower prices.
With the Mi 11, that’s no longer the case – the vanilla phone and Ultra model both match rivals in terms of prices. The Mi 11 wasn’t too expensive as such, but the competitive edge that put Xiaomi ahead has gone.
We’d like to see the Mi 12 undercut its contemporaries, so it can put itself ahead of them in a more palpable way. If there’s another Ultra model, we’d like to see that much more affordable, as the Mi 11 Ultra arguably wasn’t worth its cost.
A cleaner user interface
MIUI, the Android fork Xiaomi uses on its phones, has some really great features and some absolutely horrible ones. The company needs to sort it out.
MIUI indeed presents loads of customization options, more so than some other Android forks, and the interface has solid security.
But on the other hand, MIUI comes with loads of bloatware, has an annoying security scan pop-up every time you install an app, and is really, really buggy. These issues need fixing before we can wholeheartedly love Xiaomi phones.
New photography modes
We’re listing something here that we almost definitely will see – but this is a list of what we want to see, and Xiaomi’s new camera modes are often a treat to play with.
Xiaomi often brings new modes that rivals don’t have for photography and videography in the camera app. There are loads of effects-heavy video modes called Movie Effects, automatic color editing for photography (more in-depth than just filters), and the sky editing mode that lets you completely change the skyline and weather effects for photos.
We’re already excited to see what the Mi 12 brings, as the fun modes will likely make using the camera a treat.
Better battery capacity
The Xiaomi Mi 11 series came with a consistent problem, in that the phones just didn’t have very good battery lives.
While each phone had a huge battery, it doesn’t seem like the software or features were optimized very well, causing the power to drain quickly. In particular, the Mi 11 Ultra had an overheating problem which caused the charge to plummet.
Clearly, bigger isn’t better in this case. We’d like Xiaomi to roll out more battery optimizations that save the phones from dying so quickly.
Improved fingerprint scanner
Not all Xiaomi phones have in-screen fingerprint scanners. But the ones that do often mess up this feature a little bit.
Some in-screen scanners can be temperamental, meaning your finger sometimes gets rejected even if it should work. This can sometimes be a software issue, other times just an issue with the sensor being too small.
Xiaomi needs to figure out a fix for these fingerprint sensors because they’re pretty annoying to use otherwise.
How much will the Mi 12 cost?
Perhaps, after reading the specifications and predictions about the upcoming flagship, the next important point to clarify is the price.
Sadly, again, there is no official information about the price for the Mi 12, as it is still a while before we expect it to be launched. So, once more, we can take a look at the predecessors.
- Xiaomi Mi 11 – £749/€749 (around $910)
- Mi 10 – £799/€799 (around $1,095)
- Xiaomi Mi 9 – £499/€449 (around $685)
- Mi 8 – £459/€459 (around $630)
Over time the range has risen in price. The main jump was between the Xiaomi Mi 9 and the Xiaomi Mi 10, with the Xiaomi Mi 11 staying around the same price point. The Xiaomi Mi 12 Ultra is also going to follow from the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, which cost £1,199/€1,199. We hope that Xiaomi can keep the price tag the same when the new model arrives.
The Bottom Line
So, it is time, to sum up, the above-mentioned specifications and features. However, there is a lack of information currently, but we cannot fail to mention that a super flagship is going to come soon. First of all, it features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 898, and its 4nm manufacturing process is said to improve both performance and energy efficiency. In addition, the Mi 12 could come with the world’s first 200 MP main camera. And it would be a jump up from the 108MP shooter in the Mi 11. At the same time, it seems like the new Mi 12 will come with 120W fast charging and possibly 100W wireless charging. It will also feature Xiaomi’s 200W wired HyperCharge tech. And it is enough to fully charge a 4,000mAh battery in just 8 minutes with wired charging, or 15 minutes wireless. There is no need to wait a couple of hours to fully charge the smartphone anymore. Cool, right?
In the end, we are always happy to know about your thoughts and expectations.