Xiaomi 12 could be as small as the Galaxy S21 in surprise shrinking move

Recently, Xiaomi 12 series leaks have been plentiful, doing a thorough job of revealing what the lineup could entail. We recently caught concept renders of the Ultra model and now, factory-based renders of the vanilla Xiaomi 12 have surfaced.

These come from a website called Zoutons which we haven't heard of but the renders were made by well-known leaker @OnLeaks, so we're inclined to take them seriously.

The renders reveal that Xiaomi might have opted for a design change. As is evident from the pictures below, the rear panel has a different camera module compared to the predecessor Mi 11. In fact, the camera arrangement looks largely the same as the one present on the Xiaomi Mi 10T phones, where a rectangular-shaped module carries one big and other smaller sensors alongside the dual-LED flash.

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The renders further suggest that the Xiaomi 12 could feature a volume rocker and a power button on the right edge. while a speaker grille and USB-C port stay on the bottom edge. So far, so normal, in that regard.

Furthermore, it is apparent the device is featuring a single centered punch-hole selfie camera, which would be a slight shift since the Mi 11 had the hole in the top-left corner of the display.

According to the website's report, the phone is expected to pack a 5,000mAh battery, and Zoutons reiterates something Xiaomi itself has confirmed: the device will carry the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.

One extra piece of information is provided, and that's the price of the phone. Apparently, it'll cost Rs. 69,990 which converts to around £690, $920, AU$1,290 (though Xiaomi doesn't sell its phones in the US). 

That UK price is lower than the Mi 11 cost, though the Indian and Australian prices are slightly higher. There's one other surprising piece of information the leak provides...

Analysis: A small phone

The leak states the Xiaomi 12 will have a 6.2-inch screen, which is startlingly small compared to what we expected.

For context, the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra both had 6.81-inch displays, and even the 6.67-inch 11T and 6.55-inch Mi 11 Lite didn't go down to 6.2 inches. That's the size of the standard Galaxy S21, for reference.

We'd pegged Xiaomi as a super-sizer brand, as its phones have all been pretty large, and 6.2 inches would be a significant shrinkage from the massive Mi 11 mobiles.

That's not a complaint though - some people like smaller handsets, as they can more easily fit in your palm, especially for people who don't have mighty mitts.

Perhaps if the Xiaomi 12 comes in at 6.2 inches, the Pro and Ultra devices will remain at the higher size tiers.

• Xiaomi 12 Ultra could have an absolutely bananas rear camera bump