Xiaomi 12S Pro, Xiaomi 12S launched to take on iPhone 13, possibly iPhone 14 too

Xiaomi 12S Pro and Xiaomi 12S announced in China with with big upgrades. Here are all the details you need to know.

Xiaomi 12S Pro and Xiaomi 12S get Leica lenses as one of the upgrades. (Xiaomi)

Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro are the updated variants of Xiaomi's 12 series that was announced earlier this year in global markets. Yes, this time, Xiaomi resorts to an “S” upgrade instead of a “T” upgrade for the Xiaomi 12 series, which means the phone stays upmarket, bringing only quality of life updates. The updates aren't drastic but they are enough to warrant Xiaomi fans to pay attention. Alongside the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, these Xiaomi 12S models are more affordable yet packed with features.

The biggest changes come to the cameras and the chipset. The rest of the phone(s) remains unchanged. As of now, the Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro are restricted to the Chinese market only. The Xiaomi 12S Pro is available at a price of CNY 4700 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the Xiaomi 12S for the same configuration is available at a price of CNY 4000.

Xiaomi 12S series announced with big upgrades

The Xiaomi 12S series gets the Leica badging as standard across the models. Hence, these phone get the Leica Summicron lenses and Leica imaging profiles. Similar to the 12S Ultra, users can choose from Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look presets. They can now also capture 10-bit RAW images.

The rest of the camera hardware remains unchanged. On the Xiaomi 12S Pro, the main camera still uses a 50MP Sony IMX707 sensor, along with a 50MP ultraw-die and a 50MP telephoto camera with 2X zoom. The Xiaomi 12S gets the same main 50MP camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP macro camera.

Other than this, the Xiaomi 12S models also make use of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset that promises 30 percent improvement in power efficiency and 10 percent boost in performance.

Rest of the features remain unchanged. The Xiaomi 12S Pro is still the only phone in the lineup to support Xiaomi's fastest 120W wired charging solution along with a 50W wireless charging. The display remains the same at 6.7-inches of Quad HD+ AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate of 120Hz.