Redmi Note 12 series has surfaced in China

The Redmi Note 11 phones have only just arrived, but have been available in China since October last year. So they've slowly started working on a successor and two new phones have recently surfaced that could be the first in the Redmi Note 12 series.

The first phone appeared in the database of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology with model number 22041216C. The phone is 5G capable, has a 6.6″ screen and a 4,980 mAh battery. It measures 163.64 x 74.29 x 8.8 mm, compared to the Redmi Note 11's 159.9 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm. So it'll be taller than its predecessor (bigger screen), but narrower and thicker, with the same 5,000 mAh battery. The phone will come with Android 12 as standard, probably MIUI 13 or maybe even 13.5.

The other phone, which will also be part of the Redmi Note 12 series, will also have a 6.6″ screen. It will be exactly the same size as the first phone, but with a smaller 4,300 mAh battery. The model number is 22041216UC and it will also be powered by a 5G capable SoC. The software will be based on Android 12, which is not outstanding for a phone released this year.

The processor of the new Redmi Note 12 series has not yet been revealed, but it's probably not the higher-end MediaTek 8100 or similar. According to Redmi CEO Lu Weibing, the new series is positioned as a "small flagship of performance" and "small flagship of experience". Redmi phones are still all about price/value dominance, serving users' needs, not competing. So the best choice may be the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 which is quite low cost but has sufficient performance.