Xiaomi 12 series presented: new design and new 50 megapixel sensor
from Jacob Kluge 
on December 29, 2021, 11:53 am | Write a comment
The Mi 11 series is followed by the new Xiaomi 12 series, which was officially presented on December 28th. Here you will find all relevant information about the new flagships.
The Xiaomi 12 series now consists of three devices, namely the Xiaomi 12, the 12 Pro and the 12X, all of which should convince with a new 50 megapixel main camera, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from Qualcomm and a new, fresh design.
Jump to section
Xiaomi 12
The manufacturer started with the Xiaomi 12. Unlike previous Xiaomi flagships, the Xiaomi 12 offers a much smaller 6,28-inch display. For comparison, the Mi 11 has a huge 6,81 inch panel. The screen is of course a high-quality OLED, which at 1.080p has a surprisingly lower resolution than the predecessor. Also on board is a refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which unfortunately does not adjust itself adaptively. This feature remains Pro-Model withheld.
Visually, the Xiaomi 12 is not very reminiscent of the Mi 11. With dimensions of 152.7 x 69.9 x 8.2 millimeters, it is roughly the size of a Samsung Galaxy S21, which is one of the smallest smartphones in the Android area. At around 180 grams, it is also refreshingly light and should therefore bring a breath of fresh air to the smartphone market. The Xiaomi 12 comes with black, blue, pink and green in four different colors. While the latter is made of vegan leather, the remaining colors are made of matt glass. The sound comes again from stereo speakers in collaboration with Harman Kardon.
As a SoC, Xiaomi relies on the current flagship from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen. 1. This is manufactured using the energy-saving 4-nanometer process and is based on Samsung's ARMv9 architecture. The heat development and the efficiency should be particularly exciting here, because the Snapdragon 888 has a lot in these points in particular Proproblems.
It is therefore gratifying that the 4.500 mAh battery is quite generous for such a compact smartphone. If it should be empty, it can be quickly charged with a cable with 67 watts and wirelessly with 50 watts. Reverse wireless charging is possible with 10 watts. It is still unclear at the moment whether we will finally use USB-C 3.1.
Apparently not much has changed with the camera. We get again a 5 megapixel macro camera and a 13 megapixel ultra wide-angle camera, as we already know from the Xiaomi Mi 11. However, the main camera is new, because Xiaomi has installed the Sony IMX766 here, which we already have from smartphones like that OnePlus North 2, Oppo find x3 Pro and Huawei P50 Pro know. According to our test, the latter delivers the currently best photo results in a smartphone that we have ever tested.
In terms of price, the Xiaomi 12 in the version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage starts at the equivalent of 514 euros and goes up to 611 euros in the version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. Should the device finally appear with us, higher prices are to be expected due to taxes and duties.
Xiaomi 12 Pro
In addition to a Xiaomi 12, you also have a Xiaomi 12 Pro presented. This differs significantly from the little brother.
The display of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is significantly larger than that of the Xiaomi 6,73 at 12 inches. It also has a higher resolution of 1.440p and finally supports LTPO technology. This ensures that the display can adapt its refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz. Like the Xiaomi 12, it is protected by Victus Gorilla Glass.
Except for the larger dimensions and the higher weight of 205 grams, the 12th Pro identical to the 12. Even the colors are identical. Because there is more space in the case, the speakers should sound even better.
There are no differences in the SoC either. Xiaomi also installs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen. 1 here.
The first differences are with the battery. With 4.600 mAh, this is only slightly larger than the one in the Xiaomi 12. With the Mix 4, Xiaomi introduced fast charging with an impressive 120 watts. This technology is now finding its way into the Xiaomi 12 Pro. 50 watt wireless charging and 10 watt reverse wireless charging are identical to the Xiaomi 12.
The biggest differences are probably with the cameras. While the front camera has a resolution of 32 megapixels on all three new devices, the rear cameras differ greatly. Xiaomi also uses three lenses, consisting of an ultra-wide-angle, main and telephoto camera. The latter has a resolution of 50 megapixels and offers a 2x loss-free zoom. The flagship from 2021, the Xiaomi mi 11 ultra has a 5x optical zoom. The ultra-wide angle also has a resolution of 50 megapixels. The main camera also has a resolution of 50 megapixels, but the Sony IMX707 is used here, which at 1 / 1.28 inches is noticeably larger than the Sony IMX766 from the Xiaomi 12. A test has to show how the cameras differ in the end.
In terms of price, the smallest version of the Xiaomi 12 starts with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage at the equivalent of 652 euros. For the "bigwigs version" with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, you have to pay the equivalent of 750 euros. Unfortunately, there is no version with 512 GB of memory. Here, too, it should be noted that these are the Chinese prices. If the device appears with us, more should be expected.
Xiaomi 12X
Last but not least, a Xiaomi 12X was shown. This is very similar to the regular Xiaomi 12, but dispenses with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen. 1. A Snapdragon 870 is used here, as we see in the Poco F3, Oppo find x3 or Realm GT Neo 2 know. Unfortunately, if you buy a Xiaomi 12X, you also have to do without wireless charging. Wired charging with 67 watts of the Xiaomi 12 still offers it. In terms of price, the 12X starts in the smallest version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage at the equivalent of 444 euros. For the largest version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, you have to put the equivalent of 527 euros on the table.
Germany release?
Xiaomi has not yet said a word about a release in Germany. As in the previous year, a release in the spring can be expected again. The MWC would offer a suitable opportunity here, insofar as it will take place. Maybe Xiaomi is planning its own event, like they did with the Xiaomi 11T and 11T Pro have done.
