PhoneSentral Tech in Simplicity
Xiaomi this week revealed their latest Xiaomi 12 series model which comprises of the budget friendly Xiaomi 12X, the standard or should I say base Xiaomi 12, and the bigger and better Xiaomi 12 Pro.
Like most smartphone models, the Xiaomi 12 series smartphones look similar with slight differences in terms of hardware and capabilities.
Xiaomi 12X highlights
Let’s me start with the budget friendly 12X. This smartphone has the lowest end processor among the three with just Snapdragon 870.
It has a Samsung-made 6.28-inch AMOLED panel that has FHD+ resolution, and a screen that refreshes at up to 120Hz.
The screen is made from Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, and there’s an under-display fingerprint scanner for biometrics.
In the camera section, a triple camera set up comprising of a 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensor forms the main camera with a 13MP ultrawide camera and 5MP tele-macro camera completing the set-up. The selfie camera up front uses a 32MP lens.
The new smartphone will be pre-loaded with MIUI 13, which is Xiaomi’s version of Android.
There’s also a 4,500mAh battery with 67W charging but this battery doesn’t support wireless charge or reverse wireless charge.
Xiaomi 12 highlights
The standard Xiaomi 12 smartphone on the other hand has all of the Xiaomi 12X specifications, but gets the latest Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen1.
Aside from that, the smartphone also gets the same camera set-up, same display, and same battery. It also ships with the latest MIUI 13.
In addition to the different processor, the Xiaomi 12 also improves on battery sharing capabilities as it can do wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.
Xiaomi 12 Pro highlights
The Pro variant of the Xiaomi 12 is like an entirely different smartphone as it not only ups the screen size to 6.73-inch with 1440p resolution, but also brings a better camera system to the rear.
Firstly, the screen uses a LTPO 2.0 backplane. This means it allows for variable refresh rates of 1-120Hz depending on the task at hand.
And then, the camera system of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is also elevated to feature three 50MP cameras.
The main camera comes with OIS and is a Sony IMX707 sensor, while the other two cameras feature telephoto and ultrawide lenses.
Not only that, the camera system also comes with Xiaomi’s very own CyberFocus, which is the company’s self-developed fast auto-focus tech which can keep a lock on subjects’ faces and other background elements.
In addition to that, the camera system reduces noise and also improves photography in low light.
In terms of battery, the Xiaomi 12 Pro comes with a slightly bigger 4,600 mAh battery that charges at 120W via cable and up to 50W wirelessly.
To protect the battery, the company also features its own Surge P1 charging chip that will manage power.
You can watch the promotional launch video of the series below.
Xiaomi 12 series price and availability
All three variants will be available in China from 31 December 2021.
The Xiaomi 12 and 12 pro will be available in Black, Green, Blue and pink, while the budget friendly 12X will not have any green options.
The series will have different sets of pricing which will be based on the memory and model as seen below.
There is no word of when it will officially be available globally or via Xiaomi Malaysia, but I believe Xiaomi will not limit this series to just China.
Buying Xiaomi 12 series
With that in mind, there’s no harm checking out local and international shopping sites if you are keen to get your hands on the Xiaomi 12 series first because last time I checked, bookings or pre-orders for the 12 series have already started though unofficial channels.
