Xiaomi wants an encore: will the Snapdragon 895 make its first stop on the Mi 12s? The company is trying, but it's not the only one chasing Qualcomm's best chip
Those with access to Qualcomm's secret rooms say that development of the Snapdragon 895 is proceeding smoothly, so there's a real possibility in the absence of last-minute hiccups that this year's first Android smartphone with Qualcomm's most powerful chip could be announced again in December, almost simultaneously with the event where the American leader unveils the flagship chip's innovations for the following year.
And it could be Xiaomi again, rumors say, to be the first to announce a smartphone with Qualcomm's best chip for 2022, presumably Xiaomi Mi 12. It wouldn't be news at all: Xiaomi Mi 11 was announced shortly after the event that gave birth to the Snapdragon 888, so the circumstance wouldn't sound new either to enthusiasts or insiders. It remains to be seen if the next chip from Qualcomm will really be called Snapdragon 895: last year few predicted that a Snapdragon 888 would arrive in place of the Snapdragon 875, the obvious heir to the Snapdragon 865 that it was replacing. Qualcomm explained the choice by saying that 888 is a lucky number in China, but this year there should be no reason not to return to custom.
Xiaomi is not the only one in the running for Snapdragon 895
No doubt instead that Xiaomi's next top of the line will be called Mi 12, in continuity with the current top Mi 11, and no one either that Xiaomi will do everything to give continuity to the "first" of 2020 and be again the first company to produce a smartphone with the Snapdragon 895.
However Xiaomi will not be the only company to try to have the primacy. In the past, Chen Jin, general manager of Lenovo's mobile department in China, confided that Lenovo's new smartphone (which could also come out under the Motorola brand, especially in Europe and the US) with Qualcomm's best chip will arrive by the end of December.
This means that even Lenovo is tempted by the idea of having the Snapdragon 895 first, and it is to be seen whether it will be able to get the better of Xiaomi.
The camera of Xiaomi Mi 12 Ultra is already scary
According to rumors that have come so far, massive camera optimization work will be done on Xiaomi Mi 12. The company wants its top of the range cameras to get the better of its competitors on an aspect such as shooting quality that enthusiasts look at carefully, especially those who are willing to spend figures around 1,000 euros.
And there is little doubt that on Xiaomi Mi 12 Ultra will be concentrated the best available, such as the main 1-inch sensor and above all 192 megapixels, an extraordinary resolution that will require a chip and an image processor at the top of the industry. Like the Snapdragon 895.