In case you missed it, the Xiaomi 12 series was officially unveiled in China over the holidays. However, after looking over the specs and comparing them to the most anticipated phones, one has to think that Xiaomi has abandoned some features and neglected to add others that would give the 12 series the same advantages that the Xiaomi Mi 11 series excelled in.

What the announcement reveals is the Xiaomi 12, the Xiaomi 12 Pro, and the lower spec Xiaomi 12X. In other words, it is a lineup of three models. At least until the seemingly inevitable arrival of the 12 Ultra. At least until the 12 Ultra arrives, there are three lineups to choose from.

Superficially, the 120Hz and FHD resolution display, 67W wired charging, and 50MP main/13MP ultrawide/5MP telephoto camera rear array offer a good compromise in feature breadth and quality for a phone of this price. However, Xiaomi's decision to make a major change by reducing the size of the 12" (and 12X) to 6.3" makes this the least confident phone in the series.

When I reviewed the Xiaomi Mi 11 last year (and chose it as my personal favorite phone of the year in December), I praised the phone's 6.8-inch, QHD display with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. Not only was it excellent as a basic flagship phone, it was good enough to beat or rival in quality basically all its rivals, even those that cost hundreds of dollars or even pounds more, like the OnePlus 9 Pro and Galaxy S21 Ultra. And now that killer edge has been taken away.

Smaller displays may be a good thing for users who want a smaller device if they have the choice. But with its smaller size and resolution, the Xiaomi 12 will have to compete more evenly with the upcoming Galaxy S22, which is rumored to offer a more familiar name and better camera for UK buyers.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a 6.8-inch QHD/120Hz panel, but its weakness may lie in its camera, which appears to inherit the camera setup of the Mi 11 Ultra, with three 50MP main sensors covering main, ultrawide, and 2x telephoto coverage. This is a lower maximum magnification and two fewer sensors than what the S21 Ultra has and the Galaxy S22 Ultra is rumored to have. Last year, that was not a problem, as the Mi 11 Ultra offered a secondary display along with these cameras to help subjects take selfies with the camera and frame themselves.12 The Pro has no such gimmick, and the S21 Ultra's display is a bit more compact than the S22 Ultra's, but it's not as good as the S21 Ultra's, and it's not as good as the S22 Ultra's.

The story is similar for software. Other than Xiaomi's announcement of details on how it improved its existing photography algorithm, there don't seem to be any new photo or video app toys to play with; the OnePlus 10 Pro, Google Pixel 6 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro also have three rear cameras, but they have special They have invested heavily in special features such as a "movie" mode and advanced editing; the Xiaomi 12 Pro has to take attractive images and videos, otherwise it could fall behind in all aspects of photography.

Xiaomi has included another selling point in the Pro model that will more easily win over buyers: 120W wired charging capability. I briefly tested this feature on the Xiaomi 11T Pro and was thoroughly impressed. This feature allows the 12 Pro to beat the S22 series (which is rumored to only charge at 45W) and the oneplud that has just been officially confirmed to charge at 80W. So despite the obvious camera disadvantage on paper, I think the Xiaomi 12 Pro will remain a stronger competitor in its class than the base model Xiaomi 12.

There are a few other minor things that could give the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro an edge. Both will use LPDDR5X RAM, the fastest standard for mobile device memory currently offered, and will again feature stereo speakers tuned by Harmon-Kardon, which provided the Mi 11 with excellent and broad soundstage effects. The entire Xiaomi 12 series also looks more attractive to my eyes this year with a more cohesive camera block design.

The last member of Xiaomi's new lineup is the 12X, which offers an interesting new idea of making a lower-priced version of a phone; it shares specs with the Xiaomi 12, but uses the Snapdragon 870 chipset and does not feature wireless charging I think it's a great entry-level model for the Xiaomi 12 because it has everything else that the Xiaomi 12 has going for it, which is what makes it so good.

You don't have to give up the camera, display, 5G support or fast charging; even though it is much more compact than the Mi 11, if priced right, this device will probably become my favorite of the three, take the Mi 11's place and become the bargain phone of the year.

I think it is certain that one or more of these phones, if they arrive, will be one of the best phones in the UK. However, it is not certain whether they will outperform their competitors this year. Perhaps Xiaomi is focusing on models that are smaller and have fewer cameras than they have announced, so that they can compete directly on quality as well as specs. For now, however, I fear that the Xiaomi 12 may not be able to compete with the top flagships.