Xiaomi 12 Lite release date could be soon, along with these other cheap phones

Xiaomi 12X
(Image credit: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi 12 was unveiled in late December in China, and we're still waiting on a global launch so we can get our hands on it. When the mobile does launch elsewhere, it sounds like a Xiaomi 12 Lite could be with it.

We say this because, as spotted by Xiaomi fan site Xiaomiui, several phones from the company have received certification from the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). One of these has the model number 2203129G, which has previously been linked to the Xiaomi 12 Lite

EEC certification indicates that a device is allowed to be sold in the Eurasian Economic Union - basically a collection of countries in Eastern Europe and Western and Central Asia including Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. 

When tech gets certified by the EEC, it generally also gets approved in Europe shortly afterward too.

So this certification suggests the Xiaomi 12, and the other cheap phones listed alongside it, could go on sale fairly soon - perhaps if the Xiaomi 12 launches in the coming months, the Lite will be alongside it.

What about those other phones? We don't know exactly what they are, but two Poco and one Redmi devices have been certified too - these are all Xiaomi sub-brands - and given release patterns for these mobiles, we'd expect them to be staggered over the coming months.


Analysis: what could the Xiaomi 12 Lite launch alongside?

We'd expect the Xiaomi 12 to launch worldwide soon - but given that three new members of the family launched in China, we're not exactly sure which will arrive.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro was the real Mi 11 successor, as a huge super-powerful Android phone, and the standard Mi 12 was a compact alternative, with the Mi 12X sitting as a budget take on that.

We could see all three phones launch globally, but it's much more likely that just the standard and Pro versions will come along.

Something that's also possible is that only the Xiaomi 12 Pro will get launched outside China, but without the 'Pro' suffix - then, the powerful and giant device would be a distinct counterpart to the budget Lite version.

If Xiaomi releases the petite and mid-spec Xiaomi 12 alongside the Lite, the two devices could end up competing a lot.

We'll have to see what the company does - and we'll likely see plenty of members of the family before the year is out, with an Ultra, T-family and more expected if the Mi 11 troupe is anything to go by.

Via Notebookcheck

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford joined TechRadar in early 2019 as a staff writer, and left the team as deputy phones editor in late 2022 to work for entertainment site (and TR sister-site) What To Watch. He continues to contribute on a freelance basis for several sections including phones, audio and fitness.

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