Xiaomi 12 Pro too expensive? This Xiaomi 12 Lite could be light on your wallet

Xiaomi 12 Lite leaks have revealed a new design direction for the most affordable option in Xiaomi’s flagship series. Check out the leaked images.

Xiaomi 12 Lite leaked photos reveal a different design than the rest of the Xiaomi 12 series. (Weibo)

Xiaomi 12 Pro has just been announced in India but there lies a problem with it – it is expensive. As with all Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flagships, the Xiaomi 12 Pro may be out of reach for most people. Hence, Xiaomi is working on a Xiaomi 12 Lite, which could make owning Xiaomi's flagship smartphone experience easier. The Xiaomi 12 Lite has bene in the news for a while with leaked specs and renders, and now an early prototype unit has been spotted in the wild. And, it looks vastly different from its leaked renders.

A tipster in China's Weibo has shared some images of the Xiaomi 12 Lite in the real world. The phone looks vastly different from the previous images we saw. In line with the current design trends, the Xiaomi 12 Lite gets flat sides, flat rear and flat display. Sadly, the phone seen here has an all-plastic unibody construction, which is a steep departure from the metal and glass combo seen on the rest of the Xiaomi 12 series.

Xiaomi 12 Lite spotted in the wild

The Xiaomi 12 Lite also appears to carry similar design elements from its flagship cousins. The rear camera module is reminiscent of the camera setup on the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The display on the front is surrounded by uniform bezels all around.

The tipster goes on to reveal some of the specifications as well. The phone will have a 6.5-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and will hold an in-display fingerprint scanner. This is an upgrade from the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G, which only had a 90Hz OLED display and a power key mounted fingerprint scanner.

The rear camera setup is also said to have a triple sensor arrangement, with the main camera having a 108MP sensor, another 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP macro camera. The phone will bring a set of stereo speakers and IR sensors. The phone will have a 4500mAh battery and will get the 67W wired charging solution from this year's Redmi Note 11 Pro lineup.

Lastly, the phone is likely to rely on the Snapdragon 778G Plus chipset, which is a mild upgrade over last year's popular Snapdragon 778G chip.