Xiaomi 12 Ultra likely to pack Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chip

Xiaomi 12 Ultra was supposed to be company's flagship phone for 2022. Almost everyone (including us) was waiting for its arrival during Xiaomi's December launch event. Sadly, the smartphone maker only introduced the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro in its domestic market. Even these phones are yet to be launched in India. Seems like we will have to wait a bit longer for the Xiaomi 12 Ultra which is now expected to arrive with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset. The chip maker is yet to announce this processor and usually reserves the '+'moniker for the flagship SoCs that launch in the second half of the year.

A well-known tipster, the Digital Chat Station has revealed that Xiaomi 12 Ultra will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ and could be introduced in the third quarter of 2022. The device has recently been spotted with an unnamed Qualcomm SM8475 SoC. The chipset will be a successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC which was introduced late December. It powers most of the recently launched premium smartphones. The chipset has the model number SM8450.

The upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ is believed to use TSMC's 4 nm process node instead of Samsung's 4nm node which was used on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The chipset is expected to be manufactured in TSMC's facilities and arrive as early as Q3, 2022. The smartphone maker is yet to officially share any details about the Xiaomi 12 Ultra. However, leaks in the past have suggested some specifications of the device.

It is expected to have a 1440p or QHD+ Samsung AMOLED panel with a high refresh rate. The phone is expected to have the same camera system as the Xiaomi 11 Ultra, though with Leica branding and a new design. Additionally, Xiaomi is getting rid of the secondary display which was one of the major highlights of the Mi 11 Ultra. Xiaomi 12 Ultra will pack a 4,860mAh battery with 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support.

To recall, Xiaomi has already introduced the Xiaomi 12 series which includes the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi 12X. The Xiaomi 12 comes with a 6.28-inch full-HD + (1,080×2,400 pixels) AMOLED display, with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. It has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, with 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM. The phone has a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera. A 32-megapixel camera has been given in the phone for selfies and video calling.

Xiaomi 12 price starts at CNY 3,699 or around Rs 43,400).