Xiaomi 12 Pro global flagship announced for $999

Xiaomi has announced the international version of the Xiaomi 12 Pro, its first global flagship phone since dropping the “Mi” branding. As with earlier phones in the Mi series like last year’s Mi 11, it’s 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 I’ve been testing has a matte finish on the frosted glass that’s 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 there’s 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 1/1.28” 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in light-gathering ability over the Mi 11’s, which was decent but used a 108-megapixel sensor that was a little outdated even when the phone launched.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 isn’t the most exciting or revolutionary phone on the market, but there doesn’t seem to be much wrong with it either. The design is on point and the spec sheet is strong across the board, though I haven’t had enough time to properly test the cameras.

While the Xiaomi 12 Pro won’t launch in the US and specific pricing will vary by regional currency, Xiaomi says it’ll 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 you’ll be able to buy one. The phone is already out in China, and Xiaomi tells me it’ll also be available in “global markets including but not limited to Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America.”