Just a few months after the European launch of the current Xiaomi flagship Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro, the Chinese technology group has now presented its “strategic upgrade”. The Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro and Xiaomi 12S Ultra are currently only available in China, but the development of prices there is certainly exciting for our market.
“I have to be honest with you”
During the presentation (from 1:46:04), CEO Lei Jun found clear words that I had never heard from the head of a smartphone maker before in this context. Perhaps to refute potential criticism in advance, he has made it very clear that he knows Xiaomi stands for lower prices, but his fans may be disappointed with the new devices.
And now we’ll talk about prices. I know many Xiaomi fans are waiting for the same price for increased quality. 3,799 [Yuan]. I have to be honest with you. Over the past few years, Xiaomi has been selling high-quality, affordable products. We never disappointed you in terms of price, but that can happen today. Why? Because it is very difficult to make the best model. We had big investments and we had to improve on every detail. And with each step that we made, we had to put a lot of energy into it, so please understand and support us.
– Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun is presenting Xiaomi 12S series 7
Xiaomi 12S (Pro): Price at a glance
Version | Xiaomi 12 | Xiaomi 12S |
---|---|---|
8/128 GB | 3,699 yuan | 3,999 yuan |
8/256 GB | 3,999 yuan | 4,299 yuan |
12/256 GB | 4,399 yuan | 4,699 yuan |
12/512 GB | X. | 5,199 yuan |
In order to move towards a better Xiaomi 12 Pro, Lei Jun wants to emphasize three things. The first is the “best 2K screen”, which is so expensive mainly because of the LTPO panel (which enables energy-saving adaptive refresh rate). Another cost is the 50MP camera. Finally, he mentioned 120-watt charging with his own Serge S1 chip. After some discussions with high-ranking officials, however, the previous model could be maintained at 4,699 yuan.
Version | Xiaomi 12 Pro | Xiaomi 12S Pro |
---|---|---|
8/128 GB | 4,699 yuan | 4,699 yuan |
8/256 GB | 4,999 yuan | 4,999 yuan |
12/256 GB | 5,399 yuan | 5,399 yuan |
12/512 GB | 5,899 yuan | 5,899 yuan |
Xiaomi smartphones are becoming more expensive in China – what does this mean for us?
As mentioned at the beginning, this is only about the launch in the Chinese market, but it is relatively likely that the Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro will be on the shelves of German stores in a few months. So what does this mean for us as customers? Of course, yuan prices cannot be converted into euros alone. However, the jump from 3,699 yuan to 3,999 yuan means an increase of about eight percent. Implemented at an RRP of 849.90 for models with 8/128 GB, the Xiaomi 12S can be at least 68 euros more expensive in Germany and thus dangerously close to the 1,000 euro mark.
Do you think: Does Xiaomi still maintain its reputation as a price-performance tip or did they abandon this title long ago?