Upgrading to Android 12 for Xiaomi devices brought not only cosmetic changes to the interface, but also deep optimizations for the iron of the brand. If you are the owner of the Redmi Note 10 Pro, Mi 11, POCO F3 or another model on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8-series chipsets, the new features of the system will be revealed especially brightly. In this article, we will analyze in detail what unique features appeared for Xiaomi firmware based on Android 12 (MIUI 13/14), how they affect autonomy, speed and why some users encounter bugs after the upgrade.
It’s important to understand that Android 12 on Xiaomi is not just Google’s “naked” Android, but a deeply customized version with branded improvements. For example, Memory Extension works differently here than on Pixel or Samsung, and the Smart Balance feature for the battery takes into account the specifics of Xiaomi’s high-energy density batteries. We tested the update on 5 models of the brand – from budget to flagships – and are ready to share the conclusions about the real benefits (and pitfalls) of the new firmware.
1. New design: Material You and Xiaomi branded improvements
The main visual innovation of Android 12 is Material You, a dynamic thematic system that adjusts the colors of the interface to the wallpaper. On Xiaomi, this feature works with caveats:
- 🎨 Adaptive palettes: The system analyzes the dominant wallpaper colors and applies them to icons, notification panels and background elements. For example, if the wallpaper is dominated by blue, then the settings and the Phone will be illuminated by indigo shades.
- 🔄 Manual setting: Unlike “pure” Android, you can manually adjust automatically selected colors in the Topics menu → Colors of the system.
- ⚙️ Limitations MIUI: Branded applications (Mi Browser, Security) do not always follow the rules of Material You – their design can remain in the classic palette of Xiaomi.
Another key change is redesigned animations, and now the transitions between apps are smoother with Smooth Space technology, which Xiaomi has integrated on top of standard Android animations. For example, when you fold an application into the background, the icon doesn't just disappear, it flies away to the bottom panel with a parachute effect. 9A) This feature is better to turn off - it eats up to 10-15% Battery for an hour of active use.
2 Performance: Memory Extension and Optimization for Snapdragon
One of the most talked-about features of Android 12 on Xiaomi is Memory Extension, a technology that allows you to use part of the permanent memory (ROM) as a RAM.
- 📈 Additional 3 GB RAM: In the models with 6/128 GB (e.g., GB, POCO X3 Pro) the system may emulate to 3 GB virtual RAM, multitasking.
- ⚡ Background Acceleration: Applications in the background are less likely to reboot (e.g. Telegram or YouTube Music stay active longer).
- ⚠️ Side effects: Frequent use of virtual RAM speeds up the wear of flash memory (eMMC/UFS) and may cause lags under intense load.
We tested the feature on the Xiaomi 11T Pro (Snapdragon 888) with the Geekbench 5 benchmark, and the results showed that Memory Extension gives a 12-18% increase in multithreaded tasks (for example, video rendering in CapCut), but has little impact on single-core performance, while autonomy drops by 8-10% due to the increased load on the memory controller.
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If your smartphone gets warmer after the upgrade, turn off Memory Extension from the Settings menu → Additional → Memory. This will reduce performance, but return the normal temperature of the chipset.
| Xiaomi model | The increase in Geekbench (multi-threaded) | Loss of autonomy (screen) | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 10 Pro (Snapdragon 732G) | +9% | −6% | Include if necessary |
| Mi 11 Ultra (Snapdragon 888) | +15% | −10% | Better turn it off. |
| POCO F3 (Snapdragon 870) | +12% | −8% | Optionally for gamers |
| Redmi 9T (Snapdragon 662) | +5% | −4% | Ineffectively |
3.Autonomy: Smart Balance and adaptive refresh rate
Android 12 has brought two key battery-saving technologies to Xiaomi: Smart Balance and Adaptive Screen Update: the first analyzes user habits and optimizes background processes, the second dynamically reduces the Hz of the screen for simple tasks (for example, reading text).
In practice, it works like this:
- 🔋 Smart Balance turns off background activity of rarely used apps (for example, if you haven’t opened Facebook for 3 days, the system will restrict its access to the Internet in the background).
- 📱 Adaptive screen: Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G (90Hz enabled frequency automatically drops to 60Hz when scrolling Instagram feed, but returns to 90Hz in games.
⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 10, POCO M3 Pro) Adaptive frequency is unstable, the screen may twitch when switching between modes. If you notice this bug, manually record the frequency in Settings. → Display. → Frequency of update.
According to our tests, Smart Balance increases battery life by 15-20% with moderate use (social networks, messengers, calls), but if you actively play or shoot video in 4K, the gain is reduced to 5-7% - the system can not effectively optimize high loads.
4.Confidentiality: new permits and “Private regime”
Android 12 has increased control over user data, and Xiaomi has added its own chips to this. Now, when the app is first launched, the system shows a detailed report of what permissions it requests and why. For example, if AliExpress requests access to geolocation, a pop-up will appear saying, "We need to show local stocks."
Key innovations:
- 🔍 Access indicator: A green dot appears in the upper right corner if the application uses a microphone or camera (works even for system services).
- 📁 Private Mode: App Lock 2.0 now hides notifications from blocked apps (for example, if you blocked WhatsApp, messages will not appear on the lock screen).
- 🚫 One-time permissions: You can give the application access to geolocation or photos for only one session (for example, for Uber or Yandex.Maps).
How to completely disable Xiaomi data collection?
Important: Despite the increased protection, Xiaomi still collects anonymous data about device usage (such as which apps you run more often).To minimize this, disable MIUI Optimization in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times).
5.New gestures and one-handed control
Android 12 has additional gestures on Xiaomi that make it easier to control large smartphones (for example, the Mi 11 Ultra with a diagonal of 6.81):
- 👆 Swipe down the edge of the screen: Opens the notification bar (an alternative to swipe from the top edge of the screen).
- 👇 Double-touching the back: You can schedule an action, such as launching the camera or returning to the home screen.
- 🔄 One-Hand Mode: Reduces the interface to 4.5" (activated by swipe at the bottom edge).
Floating Window is especially useful, which now supports up to 3 apps at a time. For example, you can open Google Maps in a small window on top of Telegram without interrupting navigation. However, on budget models (Redmi 10), this feature works with lags - it is better to use it only on devices with 6+ GB of RAM.
Enable One-Hand mode |Appoint double-touch backside |Deactivate unnecessary gestures in Settings → System → Gestures |Test smoothness-->
6 Problems after the update and how to solve them
Despite the optimizations, many users experience bugs after switching to Android 12, and here are the most common problems and solutions:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Fast battery discharge | Memory Extension or Smart Balance | Turn off unnecessary functions in Settings → Battery |
| Heat during charging | Optimizing fast charging for the new Android kernel | Use the original power supply and turn off the phone while charging |
| Lags in games | Adreno driver incompatibility (for Snapdragon) | Update the driver through Settings → About the phone → Software update |
| Notifications are not working | Resetting permits after updating | Restart your phone and check notification settings for each app |
⚠️ Note: If after the update, the smartphone began to slow down strongly, reset the cache (not data!). + Volume up when your phone is turned off, select Wipe Cache Partition.This won't delete your files, but will clear temporary system data that may have been corrupted when you install it.
If problems persist, check the firmware version. At the time of writing, the stable version of Android 12 for Xiaomi is MIUI 13.0.5+ (for flagships) and MIUI 12.5 Enhanced (for budget models). Outdated builds may contain critical bugs. Only update through official software (Settings → System Update), avoiding custom firmware!
7.How to upgrade to Android 12 on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions
The upgrade process depends on the model and the current firmware version. We recommend using the official method via OTA (over the air), but if the update does not come, you can install it manually.
Method 1: Air Update (OTA)
- Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
- Click Check for updates.
- If Android 12 is available, download it (requires ~1.5-2 GB of free space).
- Connect the phone to charge and wait for the installation to be completed (it will take 10-15 minutes).
Method 2: Manual installation via Recovery (if OTA is not available)
- Download the official firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware website (select the Stable version for Android 12).
- Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root folder of the phone.
- Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Select a firmware file.
- Confirm the installation and wait for the reboot.
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Before updating, back up your data via Settings → Additional → Backup or Mi Cloud. In rare cases, the update may result in a reset!
If your model doesn’t support Android 12 officially (like the Redmi Note 8 Pro), but you want to try the new version, you can install custom firmware based on LineageOS or Pixel Experience. However, this requires unlocking the bootloader and may deprive you of warranties.