When the new Xiaomi 2022 will be released: a full calendar of releases

The question of when exactly the next new smartphone from the Chinese giant will appear on store shelves worries millions of fans of the brand around the world. 2022 was a turning point for the company, marking the final transition to the global platform Xiaomi 12 Series and the complete abandonment of the Mi line in the names of flagships. Users searched for information about the release date to plan a purchase or wait for the price reduction on previous models.

Market analytics show that the company has been eager to accelerate upgrade cycles to compete with Samsung and Apple for the right of the first processor from Qualcomm. That is why many devices were announced ahead of their usual schedule, shifting the traditional presentation schedule. In this article, we will analyze the chronology of the release of devices so that you understand the logic of the emergence of new products in the sale.

It’s worth noting that China and global release dates often differed by months, creating confusion among consumers waiting for official deliveries to their regions, and helping us understand these timeframes and why some models appeared in Europe or Russia well after the announcement in Asia.

Strategy of early launch of flagships Xiaomi

Traditionally, the presentation of top-end smartphones was timed to February or March, but at the end of 2021, the company made a strategic decision to release the flagship on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 ahead of competitors, which allowed to capture the attention of the audience during the pre-New Year’s shopping and Christmas holidays, a move that was a surprise to insiders who were coming out in the first quarter of next year.

Xiaomi’s 12 series was the first generation to receive a unified naming without the “Mi” prefix, marking a new era of branding. The company’s engineers bet on the compact dimensions of the main device, which was rare for Android flagships of the time, and many users were looking for just such a form factor, sacrificing autonomy for one-handed usability.

It’s important to understand that early launch entailed certain technical trade-offs that you should be aware of before buying, such as early firmware versions that may have bugs, and optimizing the power consumption of a new chipset took time, so early buyers often acted as beta testers, receiving software updates during the first months of use.

⚠️ Warning: Buying a smartphone in the first weeks after a global release may be accompanied by unstable camera performance or rapid battery discharge before security patches are released.

Chronology of the release of the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro series

The official presentation of the base model Xiaomi 12 and advanced version of the Pro took place on December 28, 2021 in China, the global premiere took place a little later, on February 28, 2022, at the exhibition MWC in Barcelona, which is considered the starting point for the appearance of devices in the official retail of Europe and other regions outside China.

The difference between the Chinese and global versions was not only the frequency support, but also the configuration: European users got the charger in the box, while in China’s domestic market environmental standards dictated their rules, which became an important argument for many importers who imported the equipment in parallel.

The device’s specifications set the tone for the entire 2022 mobile technology industry, with high-speed charging and new camera arrays becoming the de facto standard for the top segment.

• 🚀 Xiaomi 12: Compact flagship with a diagonal of 6.28 inches, focused on convenience.
• 📸 Xiaomi 12 Pro: A model with three camera modules of 50 MP and a screen LTPO 2.0.
• ⚡ Xiaomi 12X: A more affordable version on the Snapdragon 870 processor without wireless charging support.
• 🌐 Global start: Global sales started in March 2022, a month after MWC.

The Xiaomi 12X was not originally planned for the global market, but later appeared in parts of Asia, a device that became a hit with those who wanted a premium design and screen, but did not need the maximum performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.

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When buying the Chinese version of Xiaomi 12, make sure it has Global ROM preinstalled, not CN to Global, to avoid notification and Android Auto issues.

Mass segment: Redmi Note 11 and Poco

In parallel with the flagships, the company has been actively developing the Redmi Note line, which traditionally comes out at the beginning of the year. The Redmi Note 11 series was introduced in China in October 2021, but the world debut did not take place until January 2022. This is a classic example of the difference in release dates that we mentioned earlier.

The devices of this series brought to the middle segment AMOLED-For many users, this release was the answer to the question “when will the new shaomi” because the flagships were too expensive.Poco, a sub-brand of the company, also updated its F and X series in the first quarter.

The Poco F4, which came out this summer and was one of the best price-performance deals, featured a time-tested chip that didn’t overheat, unlike the new products from the beginning of the year, making it a hit in the second half.

Summer novelties and series Xiaomi 12S

The summer of 2022 was marked by a partnership with the legendary photo company Leica, the Xiaomi 12S series, introduced in July, was the first embodiment of this collaboration, the devices received improved photo processing algorithms and unique color profiling developed by engineers of the German brand.

The main star of the lineup was the Xiaomi 12S Ultra with the Sony IMX989 inch sensor, a real breakthrough in mobile photography, allowing for natural bokeh and incredible dynamic range. Unfortunately, this model has not gone beyond the Chinese market, becoming the subject of desire of collectors.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi Series 12S It has not been officially shipped to global regions, so (purchase) these models means using the Chinese version with all the ensuing restrictions.

In parallel with the flagships, the summer saw the release of updated versions of popular mid-budget phones, the Redmi Note 11 lineup received modifications with support for 5G and NFC, which became the standard for this price segment by mid-year, and users were able to use high-speed Internet without overpaying for the top segment.

Autumn Season: Fold, Mix and New Technologies

Autumn is traditionally rich in experimental forms.--In 2022, the company introduced the second generation of folding smartphone Xiaomi Mix Fold 2. the device turned out to be incredibly thin in the folded state and was a serious competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

In addition, the fall was the presentation of the Xiaomi 12T series, which replaced the popular Mi T line. These devices were positioned as “flagship killers” with an emphasis on the camera and screen, but with a more affordable processor.

• 📱 Xiaomi Mix Fold 2: The thinnest folding smartphone at the time of release with the Waterdrop hinge.
• 📷 Xiaomi 12T Pro: Samsung's first 200MP camera in the mid-segment.
• ⚙️ HyperCharge: 120W charging technology in the T series.
• 🎨 MIUI 13: Autumn novelties came out immediately with an updated shell on board.

Xiaomi 12T Pro became especially interesting for amateur photographers, as it brought ultra-high resolution matrix in a more affordable case, allowing you to take detailed crops and print large-format photos without loss of quality.

Technical Innovations and Features of 2022

2022 was the year of new performance and communication standards, with smartphones starting to receive massive amounts of UFS 3.1 memory and LPDDR5 RAM, which provided an increase in application loading speed and multitasking, which was especially noticeable when switching between heavy games.

Also worth mentioning is the improvement in screen technology: while AMOLED was only found in flagships at the beginning of the year, by the end of 2022, such arrays became standard even for low-end Redmi devices, Dolby Vision technology and HDR10+ support became commonplace for viewing content.

Technical Standards 2022:


Wi-Fi 6E (Improving Connection Stability)




Bluetooth 5.2/5.3 (lower power consumption)




NFC with Multiple Profile Support

The software became important, and the MIUI 13 shell, and then MIUI 14, brought improvements in privacy protection, and the Fraud Protection feature and more flexible permission management for applications, which increased overall security of the device.

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The main trend of 2022 was the democratization of technologies: the functions of flagships (AMOLED, 120 Hz, fast charging) rapidly became cheaper and became available in the middle class.

Year Results and Expectations from Future Models

To sum up, 2022 was a time of transformation and consolidation for the brand in the premium segment. The abandonment of the name “Mi” in favor of a single brand Xiaomi helped structure the product lines. Consumers received a clear separation: the series is digital for flagships, Redmi for the mass market and Poco for enthusiasts.

For those who asked when the new Xiaomi 2022 would be released, the answer was a whole release calendar covering every price niche, from affordable phones to tech monsters with inch cameras, and each user was able to find a device that fits their budget and requirements.

Now, looking back, it was the devices that were released during this period that set the trajectory for several years, the stabilization of software and the improvement in the quality of the build became noticeable to the naked eye, the brand ceased to be just a "Chinese from Aliexpress" and became a full-fledged competitor to the global elite.