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Xiaomi unveils its long-rumoured 12 series: Price, specs and release date

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Xiaomi has officially removed the curtain from its 12 series after months of rumours and leaks. The series comes with three phones — The Xiaomi 12 12 Pro and a budget-friendly 12X, the first two of which are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Additionally, the company also launched two new wearable devices.

The more budget-oriented 12X features the Snapdragon 870 but is similar to the base 12 in size and other specs. The Pro model is the highest specced out model here, boasting an LTPO AMOLED display, a bigger battery, faster charging and better camera hardware.

All three phones will be available in China starting December 31, with international pricing and launch dates coming in later. The 12 Pro starts at  RMB 4,699 ($738), the 12 at RMB 3,699 ($580), and the cheapest of the bunch is, of course, the 12X starting at RMB 3,199($502).

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12X, the budget variant

The cheapest of the new lineup, the 12X is powered by the Snapdragon 870 and comes in three RAM and memory configurations starting at 8GB and 128GB and going all the way up to 12GB and 256GB. 

On the camera front, the phone is quite similar to its slightly pricier elder sibling, the Xiaomi 12, getting a 50MP Sony IMX 766 as its primary sensor paired with a 13MP ultrawide and a 5MP telephoto/macro lens. The selfie camera is the same on all three phones, a 32 MP punch hole camera placed in the centre.

Xiaomi unveils its long-rumoured 12 series: Price, specs and release date
The Xiaomi 12X is the cheapest of the three devices | Source: Xiaomi

There’s no wireless charging, but the phone does get a 4500 mAh battery with 67W fast charging. As mentioned above, the phone is available in three variants as follows:

  • 8GB + 128GB priced at RMB 3,199 ($502)
  • 8GB + 256GB priced at RMB 3499 ($549)
  • 12GB + 256GB priced at RMB 3,799 ($596)
Hardware SpecsXiaomi 12X
Display6.28-inches OLED
1800 x 2400, 120Hz, HDR10+
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
ProcessorSnapdragon 870
Adreno 650 GPU
OSAndroid 12 (MIUI 13)
Memory8GB/12GB
Storage128GB/256GB UFS3.1
Front Camera32MP hole-punch selfie camera
Rear Cameras 50MP Sony IMX 766
13MP ultrawide
5MP telephoto/macro lens
Battery4500 mAh
67W fast charging

The Xiaomi 12, the vanilla device

The base Xiaomi 12 features a Samsung made 6.28-inch AMOLED panel running at an FHD+ resolution with a refresh rate of 120Hz. You do get an under-display fingerprint scanner with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. 

On the camera front, users will get the 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensor paired with a 13MP ultrawide and a 50MP telephoto/macro lens. The selfie camera is the same on all three phones, a 32 MP punch hole camera placed in the centre.

Xiaomi unveils its long-rumoured 12 series: Price, specs and release date
The Xiaomi 12 | Source: Xiaomi

The phone also gets a 4,500 mAh battery with 67W fast charging, 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. 

The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, will run on the company’s latest MIUI 13 and is available in particular memory and RAM variants coming in at

  • 8GB + 128GB priced at RMB 3,699 ($580)
  • 8GB + 256GB priced at RMB 3,999 ($628)
  • 12GB+ 256GB priced at RMB 4,399 ($690)
Hardware SpecsXiaomi 12
Display6.28-inches AMOLED
1800 x 2400, 120Hz, HDR10+
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 1
Adreno 730 GPU
OSAndroid 12 (MIUI 13)
Memory8GB/12GB
Storage128GB/256GB UFS3.1
Front Camera32MP hole-punch selfie camera
Rear Cameras 50MP Sony IMX 766
13MP ultrawide
5MP telephoto/macro lens
Battery4500 mAh
67W fast charging
50W wireless charging
10W reverse wireless charging

The Xiaomi 12 Pro, one for the big boys

Xiaomi’s flagship 12 Pro model comes with a 1440p LTPO 2.0 AMOLED display that can go as high as 120Hz. It also has the same under-display fingerprint scanner with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus as the vanilla 12.

The three cameras on the 12 Pro are different, though. You get a 50MP Sony IMX 707 sensor for the primary camera with OIS support, another 50MP portrait lens and a third 50MP ultrawide camera. The selfie camera, once again, is the same on all three phones, a 32 MP punch hole camera placed in the centre.

Xiaomi unveils its long-rumoured 12 series: Price, specs and release date
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has three 50MP cameras | Source: Xiaomi

The battery is slightly bigger than the vanilla 12, coming in at 4600 mAh with 120W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging. The phone also has Xiaomi’s in-house Surge P1 charging chip to handle power management on the device. 

The device is available in three variants.

  • 8GB + 128GB priced at RMB 4,699 ($738)
  • 8GB + 256GB priced at RMB 4,999 ($785)
  • 12GB + 256GB priced at RMB 5,399 ($848)
Hardware SpecsXiaomi 12 Pro
Display6.73-inches LTPO AMOLED
1440 x 3200, 120Hz, HDR10+
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 1
Adreno 730 GPU
OSAndroid 12 (MIUI 13)
Memory8GB/12GB
Storage128GB/256GB UFS3.1
Front Camera32MP hole-punch selfie camera
Rear Cameras 50MP Sony IMX 707 main camera
50MP 115-degree ultrawide
50MP portrait lens
Battery4600 mAh
120W fast charging
50W wireless charging
10W reverse wireless charging

As mentioned above, all three phones will go on sale in China starting December 31, with international prices and release dates coming soon. 


Xiaomi Watch S1 and Xiaomi Buds 3: New wearble devices to go with your new phone

The company has also announced two new wearable devices alongside its phone series — The Xiaomi Watch S1, Buds 3. Additionally, as a follow up to the Buds 3 Pro announced in September, these earbuds are now available in a new blue colour variant and at a discounted price of RMB 649 ($191).

The Watch S1 comes with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, 5ATM water resistance and up to 117 fitness modes. Xiaomi claims that the watch will last up to 12 days of regular usage and 24 days of standby time on a single charge.

Xiaomi unveils its long-rumoured 12 series: Price, specs and release date
The Xiaomi Watch S1 | Source: Xiaomi

Buds 3 features a dual-magnetic driver with up to 40dB noise cancellation and three ANC modes. The company claims that the earphones can last as much as seven hours of music playback and up to 32 hours total with the included case.

The Watch S1 is available in Mainland China for RMB 1099 ($172) and the Buds 3 for RMB 449 ($70). International availability and pricing are unknown at the moment.

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