If the iPhone 14's eye-watering $799 / £849 / AU$1,339 starting price puts you off, you might want to pay attention to the Xiaomi 12T, an anticipated mid-range phone which is expected to debut very soon.
This would be a lower-cost spin-off of the Xiaomi 12, as well as a successor to the Xiaomi 11T, and a few leakers seem to think that it could launch imminently, alongside a Pro version (as Xiaomi's T phones generally do), as well as a budget tablet and some headphones.
Xiaomi 12T, 12T Pro, Redmi Pad & Redmi Buds 4 Pro most probably launching next week globally. pic.twitter.com/x8GY2U0owVSeptember 14, 2022
Leaks so far suggest that the phone could have a high-res 200MP rear camera (similarly to the recently launched Motorola Edge 30 Ultra), though, beyond that, we're expecting a similar device to the previous models, albeit with some upgrades and tweaks here and there. That's fine though, because Xiaomi T phones are generally dependable and hardy mobiles with really intuitive side-mounted fingerprint scanners, big, good-looking screens, and useful camera features.
The best part will likely be the price, as these phones fall straight into the middle of the mid-range market. The Xiaomi 11T Pro cost exactly the same as the Google Pixel 6, despite having better specs in many departments, and the non-Pro version cost even less.
Anaylsis: more for your money
Given how expensive the new iPhones are – especially in the UK, where a price hike means that you're paying dramatically more for the mobiles there than you are in the US – mid-range phones like this could be great for people who want a capable handset without paying flagship prices.
We're hoping that the Xiaomi 12T, as well as a Pro sibling, do launch in the next week or so, as that will give them more time to compete with Apple's four new iPhones. As mid-range devices, Xiaomi's next potential releases are likely not destined for our list of the best cheap phones, or the best smartphones overall, but they could still be great alternatives for some people.
