Xiaomi 12 will be 'available soon' with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset

Xiaomi Mi 11
2020's Xiaomi Mi 11 (Image credit: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi 12 is coming soon, and the company's CEO has confirmed it'll be the first smartphone announced that will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset (previously anticipated to be named the Snapdragon 898).

Lei Jun, Founder and CEO of Xiaomi, appeared in a video during Qualcomm's Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021 event where he confirmed the phone's name and the fact it'd feature the new chipset.

Jun also said the phone "will be available soon". He didn't confirm a launch date for the Xiaomi 12, but a recent leak has suggested the company will be revealing its new phone in China on December 16.

The first with Qualcomm's latest

Previously, Xiaomi has introduced its flagship phones in China first and then brought them to other markets (including the UK) at a later date. We expect it to be a similar sitatuon here, although that has yet to be confirmed.

This is the first phone manufacturer that has confirmed it'll be using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in its next flagship phone. Motorola has also confirmed its upcoming flagship device will also sport the chipset. 

We expect to see more manufacturers confirm over the coming days and weeks.

Xiaomi previously confirmed it would be dropping the Mi branding from its future smartphones, so the company has just opted to call this device the Xiaomi 12 to streamline the naming structure.

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.