The best new phone you can’t buy in the US
When the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU was first unveiled, Xiaomi was quick to introduce the world to the Xiaomi 12, its upcoming flagship phone — albeit in a “hey, our phone will have this chip” capacity rather than a full unveil. Since then, the device has frequently popped up in leaks and rumors giving us a great sense of what to expect from the rest of its specs, as well as its design. Xiaomi has now fully uneiled this new phone lineup in its home market of China, and it sounds like probably one of the best phones around — that you won’t be able to buy if you’re in the US.
The company unveiled three phones: the Xiaomi 12, 12 Pro, and 12X. The base model 12 has a 6.28-inch display, so it’s actually decently small, yet just as powerful as the bigger 12 Pro, which comes with a 6.73-inch screen. Both displays are more petite than what we got on the Mi 11 — that one measured in at a chonktastic 6.81 inches. One thing to note here is that the Xiaomi 12’s display has a 1080p resolution, while the Pro bumps that up to 2K. Both are 120Hz, so no matter which one you’re getting, it should be silky smooth.
These two come equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and up to 12GB of RAM. In the battery department, the Xiaomi 12 gets a 4,500 mAh unit, while the Pro has a 4,600mAh cell instead. While the Xiaomi 12 charges at up to a respectable 67W, the Pro features mind-boggling 120W wired charging, which is faster than almost anything else you’re used to. They also run MIUI 13, and although there’s a confusing amount of ambiguity over which Android versions that’s based on, these two look like they’ll be built on Android 12.
For cameras, the Xiaomi 12 is equipped with a 50MP IMX766 sensor as its main lens, joined by a 13MP ultra-wide and a 5MP telemacro. The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a 50MP IMX707 sensor instead, with two 50MP auxiliary sensors serving as ultra-wide and telephoto, respectively.
Where does all this leave the Xiaomi 12X? That one’s being positioned as a cheaper alternative to the flagships. It comes in the same size as the 12, but dials back some specs, like moving to a Snapdragon 870 chipset, and getting rid of wireless charging. Otherwise, it’s identical — it charges at 67W and features the same 50MP camera setup.
The Xiaomi 12 starts at RMB 3,699 ($581) for 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage, and goes up to RMB 4,399 ($690) for the model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. For the Pro, it’s RMB 4,699 ($734) for the base model and RMB 5,399 ($848) for the higher-end version. The Xiaomi 12X is more modestly priced, starting at RMB 3,199 ($502).
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