What you need to know
- Xiaomi is set to unveil its 2022 flagship series on December 28.
- Xiaomi 12 is the standard variant in the series, and it should be joined by a mini and pro model.
- The launch is for the Chinese market, with a global launch set for Q1 2022.
Xiaomi had a stellar 2021, with the Redmi Note 10 series dominating sales in the budget segment and the likes of the Mi 11 Ultra taking the fight to Samsung in the high-end category. The Mi 11 Ultra is one of the best Android phones you can buy right now — it is my favorite traditional phone of the year — and Xiaomi is now looking to continue that momentum into 2022 with the Xiaomi 12 series.
On that front, Xiaomi has announced that it will unveil the Xiaomi 12 series in China on December 28. The global launch is scheduled for sometime in Q1 2022 — if I had to guess, Xiaomi would use MWC as the platform for launching its flagship in global markets. The timeline is similar to what Xiaomi did with the Mi 11 series, where the China launch was in December with a global announcement occurring in February.
Of course, the early launch means Xiaomi gets to say it is the first to launch a phone powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform. This has been the case for the last two years, but with delays affecting global availability of the Mi 11 series, it will be interesting to see if Xiaomi can get its flagship in stores ahead of the Galaxy S22.
Other than the hardware, the Xiaomi 12 series is set to offer exciting camera upgrades, with a few leaks pointing to a Leica partnership. We should also see a Lite, Mini, and a Pro model, as well as an Ultra Enhanced that should debut sometime later in 2022. With the launch just a week away, we don't have to wait long to hear all about the Xiaomi 12 series.
