MIUI 12 is being unveiled for Xiaomi phones on May 19, with a release date soon
The long-awaited Android overlay
While Xiaomi phones run Android like most other smartphones, they have the company's own MIUI laid over the top for appearance and navigation changes. Currently MIUI 11 is the newest version that's available, but MIUI 12 has been anticipated for a while now - and Xiaomi has just confirmed when we'll see it.
Xiaomi has sent out invites for a MIUI 12 launch event on May 19. This will be a digital event taking place at 2pm CET (1pm BST, 8am ET, 5am PT) and shown on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
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MIUI 12 is expected to bring a revamped dark mode, newer wallpapers, an overhauled settings menu (that makes all your phone data easier to understand), improved gesture controls, and a few other tweaks and changes. It's based on Android 10, as MIUI 11 was, but further capitalizes on the changes that brings.
MIUI 12 was actually unveiled earlier in 2020 in China, and it's expected phones in that region will get the upgrade first, but the existence of this global event suggests a roll out to other regions is imminent too.
MIUI 12 release date
It seems that MIUI 12 will roll out to some phones in China from June. It's likely the first phones to receive the update will be the newest, including the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, as well as some of the newer Redmi phones.
After that, the update will likely come to the top 2019 Xiaomi phones like the Mi 9 and Mi Note 10, as well as other Redmi devices.
Phones in other regions will likely see the same release pattern, but later than China, perhaps starting in July. It is worth pointing out, however, that there are some Xiaomi phones, especially from the Redmi brand, that are available in some regions but not others, so the release pattern won't be exact between regions.
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MIUI 12 has been anticipated for a while from Xiaomi users, so if you have a Mi, Redmi or Poco device, this is likely great news for you. You'll be able to find out all about the upgrade coming to your phone on May 19 at the event.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.