More flagship phones on the horizon: Xiaomi’s 12 Series gets a global launch

Xiaomi announced its flagship 12-series smartphones in China towards the end of December 2021, and has now given the three new handsets – Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12X – a global launch.

The 12 Pro and 12 phones are based on Qualcomm’s top-end 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, while the 12X is powered by the less powerful but more power-efficient 7nm Snapdragon 870 5G mobile platform. The 12-series phones employ what Xiaomi calls a ‘high-performing cooling system’ including a ‘super large’ vapour chamber and multiple layers of graphite.

All three devices have 120Hz AMOLED displays (6.73 inches on the 12 Pro and 6.28 inches on the 12 and 12X), with 12-bit colour support – that’s 68.7 billion colours – available on the two 6.28-inch devices. There are triple rear camera arrays across the board, and Xiaomi is highlighting advances in AI-assisted photography and videography with the 12-series phones.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro also offers class-leading HyperCharge wired battery charging at 120W, along with 50W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging.

Prices start at $999 (8GB/256GB) for the Xiaomi 12 Pro, $749 (8GB/128GB) for the Xiaomi 12, and $649 (8GB/128GB) for the Xiaomi 12X.

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Xiaomi 12 Series specifications

	Xiaomi 12 Pro	Xiaomi 12	Xiaomi 12X
Dimensions	163.6mm x 74.6mm x 8.16mm	152.7mm x 69.9mm x 8.16mm	152.7mm x 69.9mm x 8.16mm
Weight	205g	180g	176g
Display size	6.73-inch AMOLED Dot Display	6.28-inch AMOLED Dot Display	6.28-inch AMOLED Dot Display
Refresh rate	120Hz (LTPO, AdaptiveSync Pro)	120Hz (AdaptiveSync)	120Hz (AdaptiveSync)
Resolution	WQHD+ (3200 x 1440, 20:9, 522ppi)	FHD+ (2400 x 1080, 20:9, 419ppi)	FHD+ (2400 x 1080, 20:9, 419ppi)
Colours	10-bit (1.07 billion colours)	12-bit (68.7 billion colours)	12-bit (68.7 billion colours)
Brightness	HBM 1,000 nits, 1,500 nits peak brightness, 16,000-level adjustment	1,100 nits peak brightness, 16,000-level adjustment	1,100 nits peak brightness, 16,000-level adjustment
Contrast ratio	8,000,000:1	5,000,000:1	5,000,000:1
HDR	Dolby Vision, HDR 10+	Dolby Vision, HDR 10+	Dolby Vision, HDR 10+
Touch sampling rate	Up to 480Hz	Up to 480Hz	Up to 480Hz
Other display features	SGS Eye Care Display Certification, X-axis linear vibration motor, 360° ambient light sensor, Gorilla Glass Victus	Low Blue Light Certification, X-axis linear vibration motor, 360° ambient light sensor, Gorilla Glass Victus	Low Blue Light Certification, X-axis linear vibration motor, 360° ambient light sensor, Gorilla Glass Victus
Mobile platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
OS	MIUI 13 with Android 12	MIUI 13 with Android 12	MIUI 13 with Android 11
RAM	8GB, 12GB (LPDDR5)	8GB, 12GB (LPDDR5)	8GB (LPDDR5)
Storage	256GB (UFS 3.1)	128GB, 256GB (UFS 3.1)	128GB, 256GB (UFS 3.1)
SIMs	Dual SIM, dual 5G standby	Dual SIM, dual 5G standby	Dual SIM, dual 5G standby
Networks	2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G	2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G	2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G
Rear cameras	50MP f/1.9 wide angle, OIS • 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle (115˚ ) • 50MP f/1.9 telephoto (2x optical)	50MP f/1.88 wide angle, OIS • 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle (123°) • 5MP telemacro	50MP f/1.88 wide angle, OIS • 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle (123°) • 5MP telemacro
Rear camera features	8K recording, 4K HDR 10+ recording, Ultra Night Video, One-click AI Cinema, Xiaomi ProFocus (Motion tracking focus/ Motion Capture/Eye tracking focus), Ultra Night Photo, Portrait Night mode	8K recording, 4K HDR 10+ recording, Ultra Night Video, One-click AI Cinema, Xiaomi ProFocus (Motion tracking focus/ Motion Capture/Eye tracking focus), Portrait Night mode, Portrait HDR	Night mode
Front camera	32MP f/2.45 in-display	32MP f/2.45 in-display	32MP f/2.45 in-display
Front camera features	HDR 10+ recording, Selfie Night mode, AI portrait video	HDR 10+ recording, Selfie Night mode, AI portrait video	Selfie Night Mode, AI portrait video, Time-lapse selfie
Audio	quad speakers (Harman Kardon, Dolby Atmos)	dual speakers (Harman Kardon, Dolby Atmos)	dual speakers (Harman Kardon, Dolby Atmos)
Battery capacity	4,600mAh	4,500mAh	4,500mAh
Wired charging	120W	67W	67W
Wireless charging	50W, 10W reverse	50W, 10W reverse
Connectivity	USB-C, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 6E	USB-C, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 6E	USB-C, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6
Colours	Gray, Purple, Blue	Gray, Purple, Blue	Gray, Purple, Blue
SKUs (global)	8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB	8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB	8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB
Prices	from $999	from $749	from $649

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Available in three colours (Gray, Purple, Blue), the 12-series handsets are relatively slim at 8.16mm thick, with the 6.73-inch 12Pro weighing in slightly heavier (205g) than the two 6.28-inch handsets (180g, 176g). The AMOLED displays, which are protected by Corning’s top-end Gorilla Glass Victus, are all rated A+ by DisplayMate, and support both Dolby Vision and HDR 10+. The Xiaomi 12 Pro delivers high resolution (3200 x 1440, 20:9, 521ppi), supports 10-bit colour (1.07 billion colours) and uses Adaptive Sync Pro and LTPO technology to dynamically adjust the refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on the content being displayed, in order to conserve battery life. The 12 and 12X models have lower-resolution 20:9 screens (2400 x 1080, 419ppi) but support 12-bit colour along with 120Hz Adaptive Sync. All three screens have a central hole-punch front camera.

The 12-series phones run Xiaomi’s MIUI 13 on Android 12 (12 Pro, 12) or 11 (12X), with the two Android 12 handsets slated to receive three Android OS updates and four years of security updates. There’s no word on the deal with the Android 11-based 12X model.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro leads the way on camera functionality, with three 50MP cameras at the back — wide angle, ultra-wide angle (115˚) and telephoto (2x optical zoom). The 12 and 12X models have a 50MP main (wide angle) camera, plus a 13MP ultra-wide angle (123˚) and a 5MP ‘telemacro’ camera (telemacro cameras allow you to take close-up photos from further away than conventional macro cameras). Xiaomi says its improved AI algorithms enable intelligent object identification and tracking, eye and face autofocus capabilities (ProFocus), plus photo and video capture under extreme low light (Ultra Night photo/video). Creative videography options are available via Xiaomi’s One-click AI Cinema feature.

Given that gaming will be a focus for these handsets, the audio subsystems are well specified: the 12 Pro has quad speakers (two tweeters and two woofers), while the 12 and 12X have stereo speakers, all with Dolby Atmos support and tuning by Harmon Kardon. If you want to use headphones, you’ll have to do it USB-C or Bluetooth — there’s no 3.5mm audio jack on any of the 12-series phones.

Fast charging is another strong point for the Xiaomi 12 series — particularly for the 12 Pro which, as noted, supports 120W HyperCharge wired charging. That can take the handset’s 4,600mAh battery from zero to 100% in just 18 minutes, Xiaomi says. The other two 12-series handsets have similar battery capacity (4,500mAh) but support 67W wired charging (0-100% in 39 minutes). Xiaomi’s AdaptiveCharge smart charging algorithm, designed to prolong battery lifespan, along with wireless (50W) and reverse wireless (10W) charging, is available on the 12 Pro and 12, but not the 12X.

Wearables 

Xiaomi has also launched three wearable products today: the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro ($199), Xiaomi Watch S1 Active ($199) and Xiaomi Watch S1 ($269). We’ll update this story with more detail on these devices in due course.