Xiaomi will launch at the end of the year its new Xiaomi 12, 12 Pro and 12 Ultra, the first smartphones to be equipped with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. This generation promises big improvements over the previous year, here’s what to expect.
Like last year, Xiaomi plans to launch three smartphones equipped with the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. With its Xiaomi 12, 12 Pro and 12 Ultra, the Chinese manufacturer should once again shake up its competitors in the premium segment.
π When is the Xiaomi 12 released?
The Chinese manufacturer should unveil its new Xiaomi 12 in December 2021. Xiaomi unveiled its Mi 11 on December 28, just after the presentation of the Snapdragon 888 by Qualcomm. This year, Xiaomi should be ahead of its usual schedule, as the manufacturer has confirmed that it will be the first to present a device that works with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC that Qualcomm presented on December 1. The Xiaomi 12 could therefore be unveiled by mid-December.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro should arrive at the same time, but it will take a little longer to see the Xiaomi 12 Ultra arrive, as it did last year. We will probably have to wait until the first quarter of 2022 to see the arrival of the most high-end version. In France, all models will have to wait until 2022.
π° What is the price of the Xiaomi 12?
At the moment we do not have any information regarding the price of the Xiaomi 12, but we imagine that it will not be very different from the previous generation. As a reminder, here are the prices at which Xiaomi had marketed its Mi 11 in China, as well as their prices in France.
Price in china
- Xiaomi Mi 11: from 3999 yuan (539 euros)
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro: from 4999 yuan (674 euros)
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: from 5,999 yuan (809 euros)
Prices in France
- Xiaomi Mi 11: from 749 euros
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: from 1199 euros
These prices were updated on 12/13/2021 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are valid.
These prices were updated on 12/13/2021 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are valid.
π± What does the Xiaomi 12 look like?
The Xiaomi 12 should be quite different from the Xiaomi Mi 11. We should again find a glass design protected by Gorilla Glass Victus on both sides, and perhaps a ceramic back on the more expensive version, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra.
The smartphone has already been spotted in the subway in Shenzhen at the end of October. It was obviously protected by a special shell that camouflages its design, but it seems that Xiaomi decided to move the punch to the center of the screen, rather than leaving it in the upper left corner like on the Mi 11. The Xiaomi 12 will therefore not be entitled to a camera under the screen, unlike the Xiaomi MIX 4. The only ones to have the right to cameras under the screen will be the MIX 5 and MIX 5 Pro.
A stolen photo of the back of the smartphone was reportedly unveiled on Weibo. This reveals that the Xiaomi 12 will not resume not the same photo module as the Xiaomi Mi 11. Indeed, the next high-end smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer will use this year a photo module with a more classic rectangular design, which houses three sensors. Finding supported by promotional renderings that have leaked and unveil the Xiaomi 12 Pro from all angles.
Moreover, stolen photos of molds intended for production confirm that the manufacturer has chosen to adopt a different design for each model. Regarding the Xiaomi 12 Ultra in particular, it will be equipped with a variety of sensors in a circular module. Finally, according to information from the Digital Chat Station leaker, there will also be symmetrical speakers at the top and bottom of the Xiaomi 12, as was the case on the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 11. This will allow smartphones to ‘deliver βrealβ stereo sound. However, it is not known whether they will always be adjusted by the engineers at Harman Kardon.
π² Which screen for the Xiaomi 12?
This year, Xiaomi will finally align with its competitors by using LTPO technology (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide thin-film transistor) on its flagships. As a reminder, this technology saves battery power by dynamically adapting the screen frequency from 10 Hz to 120 Hz depending on the content that is displayed. It would allow a gain of autonomy of about 15%.
According to information from Gizmochia, the Xiaomi 12 could revise the screen size downwards compared to the previous generation, since the smartphone would be content with a 6.67-inch screen. We can also see above the comparison between a Xiaomi Mi 11 and the protective screen of a Xiaomi 12. The Xiaomi 12 Pro and 12 Ultra should continue to use 6.81 inch curved QHD + display, but the latter will benefit this time Samsung’s OLED E5 or E6 technology, even more energy efficient.
π What performance for the Xiaomi 12?
The Xiaomi 12 will be the first smartphone to use the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip that Qualcomm presented in early December at the Snapdragon Tech Summit in Hawaii. The chip responds to the model number SM8450 and with the code name βWaipoβ. It is the first chip to be engraved in 4 nm, and it is Samsung which takes care of the production.
On the performance side, we know that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 emphasizes AI and uses the new ARM V9 architecture, which promises up to 30% more performance compared to the Snapdragon 888. The CPU uses a total of 8 cores, of which 1 Cortex-X2 core high performance at 3.0 GHz, three cores Cortex-A710 at 2.50 GHz as well as 4 energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores at 1.79 GHz. All are much more energy efficient than the previous generation, so we should be entitled to a real gain in autonomy. On the GPU side, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 uses a Adreno 730, which offers a significant performance gain of around 30% compared to the Adreno 660 of the Snapdragon 888.
5G connection is also faster than ever thanks to the new Snapdragon X65, the first modem to reach 10 Gbit / s. It supports all current and future 5G network types: 5G StandAlone (SA) and Non-StandAlone (NSA), mmWave millimeter waves, and classic Sub-6GHz frequencies.
Finally, we know that the processor should be coupled with a minimum of 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM on the Xiaomi 12 with at least 128 GB of storage. For its part, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra should benefit from 12 GB of RAM, and could even have a version with 16 GB of RAM.
π Xiaomi 12 battery, autonomy and recharging
On the battery side, the Xiaomi 12 is expected to use a battery ofat least 5000 mAh, as is the case with the Xiaomi 11T Pro. Autonomy should be up, especially thanks to improvements to the screen and the processor.
The battery will be compatible with 67 W wired charging on the Xiaomi 12, while the Xiaomi 12 Pro and 12 Ultra will benefit from a fast 120 W charging. Wireless charging will also be part of the game with a power ofat least 50 W on the Xiaomi 12, and at least 67 W on Pro and Ultra models. Smartphones will also offer reverse wireless charging to charge your accessories, and this should be limited to 10 W.
πΈ The Xiaomi 12 camera
The Xiaomi 12 will be equipped with a 50 MP main sensor. According to Digital Chat Station, it would be a new generation of Sony IMX7XX sensor. However, the smartphone still won’t offer a telephoto lens, unlike most of its competition. Indeed, Xiaomi should keep the macro sensor of the Xiaomi 11. We also know that Xiaomi has signed a partnership with Leica for the photo part of its smartphones.
The Xiaomi 12 UItra should bet on huge sensors rather than racing for megapixels, which will delight users who take a lot of night photos. We should find three cameras of 50 MP each at the back, including an main sensor GN2 already present on the Xiaomi 11 ultra, a ultra wide angle GN5 and one GN5 periscope allowing a 5X optical zoom. The photo configuration would therefore be different from the Xiaomi MIX 5 and MIX 5 Pro, which will arrive in March 2022.
These prices were updated on 12/13/2021 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are valid.
These prices were updated on 12/13/2021 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are valid.
