The Xiaomi Mi 12 is a new flagship phone from Xiaomi, and it’s designed for folks who like a smaller screen. The “Pro,” “Plus,” “Ultra,” and “Max.” suffixes are often added to the names of high-end phones when they are announced. These terms not only reflect variations in features and specifications but also in scale. Manufacturers attempt to meet the needs of a wider audience by offering a variety of models of the same phone.
Most smartphones today have large displays and high aspect ratios that are challenging to operate with one hand. In most cases, there aren’t many options available for individuals looking for phones that have a small form factor. Apple’s flagship iPhones are currently available in four sizes, with the “Mini” suffix denoting the smaller of the two.
Compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi (Mi) 11, the Xiaomi 12 sports an FHD+ screen of 6.28 inches, a substantial reduction in size. Having a small screen makes the phone more compact and lighter as well. Xiaomi did a good job of making the phone have high-end specs and features even though it was cheap. In addition, the OLED screen has HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. For selfies, there’s an in-display 32-megapixel camera, while at the rear there’s an ultrawide-angle 13-megapixel camera. The phone can record videos in 8K. You can get up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage on this phone. It has Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset on the inside.
This phone even has less battery power than its predecessor. It has a 4500mAh instead of a 4600mAh. Because the Mi 12 has a 67W fast wired charger, a 50W fast wireless charger, and a 10W wireless charger, it can charge faster than before. It also has Quick Charge 4+ and Power Delivery 3.0, which means it can charge quickly and efficiently.
In addition, the new phone has dual SIM support and NFC. It also has an IR blaster, stereo speakers tuned by Harman/Kardon and with Dolby Atmos, an improved cooling process, and a new look called MIUI 13, based on Android 12. Xiaomi also announced a “Pro” version that has a 6.73-inch Quad HD+ 120Hz LTPO screen, three 50MP rear cameras, and a slightly bigger 4600mAh battery that can charge at 120W through a wire.
A cheaper version, called the Xiaomi 12X, has the same 6.28-inch screen but a less powerful processor called the Snapdragon 870. It costs less than the Xiaomi 12X. The bad news is that it doesn’t have wireless charging support.
People in China will get the three phones first. The Xiaomi 12X costs RMB 3,199 ($487), while the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro start at RMB 3,699 ($581) and RMB 4,699 ($738). All three of them are expected to be released outside of China at some point in the future. There is a chance that at least one of the three will be released by Xiaomi’s other phone brands.
