Xiaomi’s flagship 12 Series launches globally but without the rumored 12 Ultra

After launching in China at the end of 2021, Xiaomi has launched its flagship 12 Series to the rest of the world. Xiaomi’s 12 Series consists of three new smartphones: the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi 12X but the rumored rumored Xiaomi 12 Ultra was unfortunately a no show.

Xiaomi 12

You can read our full review of the Xiaomi 12, which we’ve awarded 4.5 stars, here, but here’s a brief look at the compact top-tier flagship’s specs. It has a 6.28-inch OLED FHD+ 120Hz screen and runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, available in 8GB or 12GB RAM. It’s powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging and ships with Android 12 with MIUI 13 laid over the top.  

While there’s no optical zoom, the Xiaomi 12 still has a very decent camera set-up with 50MP main camera, 5MP telemacro, 13MP ultrawide and 32MP selfie camera up front. It delivered some excellent close-up shots when we tested it. It will retail at $749, which is roughly about £570 / AU$1,030, but exact prices may vary. 

Xiaomi 12 Pro

Featuring the fastest charging available on any mainstream flagship phone, the Xiaomi 12 Pro wins the crown of the Chinese tech giant’s most refined smartphone to date. Our in-depth review praised the flagship for its power, sleek design, and reliable camera. 

Specifications include a 6.73-inch AMOLED WQHD+ 120Hz screen and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, available in 8GB or 12GB RAM. It boasts a 4,600mAh battery, which offers 12W wired and 50W wireless charging. It’s camera setup consists of a 50MP main camera with 50MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide and a 32MP selfie camera up front. It comes with Android 12 with MIUI 13 laid over the top. It will cost $999, which is about £760 / AU$1,360, but exact prices may vary.

Xiaomi 12X

The third phone in the Xiaomi’s flagship 12 Series is the Xiaomi 12X. It has a 6.28-inch OLED FHD+ 120Hz screen, 4,500mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging. Camera-wise it features a 50MP main camera, 5MP telemacro, 13MP ultrawide and a 32MP selfie up front. Like the other two new phones, it runs Android 12 with MIUI 13 laid over the top. 

This new smartphone however drops the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip seen in the Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro, in favor of a Snapdragon 870 chip, making it a cheaper and more accessible phone in the process – it will start at $649 (about £500, AU$900).  

Wearables and headphones

Aside from the new smartphones, Xiaomi also launched Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro headphones and two interesting looking new smartwatches; Xiaomi Watch S1and Xiaomi Watch S1 Active. 

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