Xiaomi 12S specs reveal two big changes; is more than just Leica branding

Two months ago, Xiaomi announced its flagship Xiaomi 12 Pro in India for its fans, and to compete with the iPhone 13. The company, however, did not bring the rest of the lineup despite rumours suggesting otherwise. The global markets got a more affordable Xiaomi 12 and an even more affordable Xiaomi 12X. No idea whether those phones are ever coming to our shores but Xiaomi is already readying the successors the entire Xiaomi 12 range. We already know that there will be a Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro, and Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Now, the specs for the vanilla version have been revealed.

Courtesy of tipster Yogesh Brar, the Xiaomi 12S specifications have been leaked ahead of the launch in China. And unlike previous mid-cycle upgrades to Xiaomi flagships, the Xiaomi 12S remains largely the same. The differences are minor but there’s enough stuff for you to take note. And no, it is not the Leica branding on the rear cameras.

Xiaomi 12S specifications leak

The Xiaomi 12S leak suggests that the phone will be largely similar to the Xiaomi 12, except for the chipset. Instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Xiaomi 12S will use the faster Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. This should promise better power efficiency and better thermals. The cameras are also said to be tuned by Leica, although the hardware remains unchanged.

The Xiaomi 12 retains the same 50MP main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP macro camera – no telephoto camera for this one yet. The front camera also remains the same at 32MP. The phone will also get the same 6.2-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The device will have up to 12GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. As expected, it will boot MIUI 13 with Android 12 out of the box.

All of this will be powered by a 4500mAh battery that is assisted by a 67W wireless charging solution and a 50W wireless charging solution.

If launched in India, the Xiaomi 12S could be among the more affordable smartphones with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. What remains to be seen is whether we get to see the Xiaomi 12S Pro and Xiaomi 12S Ultra in India – the latter being the successor to the Mi 11 Ultra from last year.