Xiaomi has announced the international version of the Xiaomi 12 Pro, its first global flagship phone since dropping the āMiā branding. As with earlier phones in the Mi series like last yearās Mi 11, itās a high-end device that seeks to beat competitors like Samsung on price-performance ratio.
The design of the phone is straightforward but attractive. The grey model Iāve been testing has a matte finish on the frosted glass thatās almost impossible to mar with fingerprints. The screen is a slightly curved 6.73-inch 120Hz 1440p LTPO OLED panel that looks great. Like every other 2022 flagship, the processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. You can get 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and thereās 256GB of storage. The battery is 4,600mAh and charges at up to 120W with a cable and 50W wirelessly.
The camera system includes three 50 megapixel sensors. The main camera sensor is a 1/1.28ā Sony IMX707, while the other cameras are a 115-degree ultrawide and a 2x telephoto. The selfie camera is 32 megapixels. Xiaomi claims the main camera has a 120 percent improvement in light-gathering ability over the Mi 11ās, which was decent but used a 108-megapixel sensor that was a little outdated even when the phone launched. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is the first phone to use this new IMX707 sensor.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro isnāt the most exciting or revolutionary phone on the market, but there doesnāt seem to be much wrong with it either. The design is on point and the spec sheet is strong across the board, though I havenāt had enough time to properly test the cameras.
While the Xiaomi 12 Pro wonāt launch in the US and specific pricing will vary by regional currency, Xiaomi says itāll start at $999. That puts it up against the Galaxy S22 Plus, and on paper at least the Xiaomi 12 Pro has a strong case. The screen is bigger and sharper, the cameras are mostly higher resolution, and the battery is larger and charges faster.
The catch, as ever, is where youāll be able to buy one. The phone is already out in China, and Xiaomi tells me itāll also be available in āglobal markets including but not limited to Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America.ā