Traditionally, Xiaomi releases an Ultra model in our green regions to crown its high-end offer. This is a phone capable of holding its own against the best smartphones on the market. We have just learned that the 12S Ultra will not be released in France. What consequence for Xiaomi on the high end? We take stock.
If there is one thing that we did not expect from Xiaomi, it is its reserve when it comes to releasing a trillion models on the French market, as the Chinese manufacturer has accustomed us to a strategy saturation. However, we have just learned that the Xiaomi 12S will not be released in France.
At first glance, three smartphones more or less, it does not seem very dramatic (it will never be elsewhere). But in Xiaomi’s high-end strategy, it’s starting to do a lot.
No more ultra premium since May 2021
Because yes, in the Xiaomi 12S range, there is a model that we expected more than the others, neither more nor less than the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. It is indeed the first Ultra model announced by the Chinese giant this year, since the Xiaomi 12 Ultra that we expected never came. As a result, the latest ultra high-end smartphone released by the group to date is… the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra marketed in May 2021. It’s starting to take a long time.
The most informed observers will point out that there are still the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro that have since been released. Certainly, but if they belong to the high-end segment, it is difficult to classify them in the rank of ultra premium, where we find the most equipped smartphones of their generation. However, today, the place of Xiaomi’s most high-end phone is occupied by the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which despite its certain qualities (we gave it an 8/10), does not hold a candle to Galaxy S22 Ultra, Vivo X80 Pro or even iPhone 13 Pro in terms of photo quality.
To stir the knife in the wound, let’s add that the 12S Ultra arrived with two big arguments in its favor. A one-inch sensor, one of the only ones on the market, as well as a brand new partnership with Leica. It all added a nice garnish that we wouldn’t mind. We will have to scare.
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 turn not so trivial
More broadly, the 12S range as a whole had another mission: to offer Xiaomi smartphones with Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Opposite, many competitors of the Chinese manufacturer are preparing the release of new models that will be equipped for the second part of the year. We are of course not immune to a Xiaomi 12T or a Xiaomi 12i which will be equipped with it, but for the moment it remains a little disappointing and nothing indicates it at this time.
Let’s add that Qualcomm’s new chip is far from a basic iterative change, since it promises to better control heating, one of the most recurring faults of premium and ultra premium phones released this year. During the presentation of the 12S, Xiaomi also devoted a long segment to this subject of heating, acknowledging that there was a problem with the Xiaomi 12 and highlighting the progress made.
A sense of retreat
All this sometimes gives the impression that Xiaomi has abandoned the ultra premium segment a bit in 2022 (if they don’t have any surprises in store for us). From a purely economic point of view, this undoubtedly makes sense, since the bulk of sales volumes are on cheaper models such as the Redmi Note 11. But it is also in the ultra premium segment. that the image of a brand is built and this is the strategy that had been favored until now.
We can therefore ask ourselves why this change of course? Either Xiaomi still has other Ultra models in its boxes that they reserve for later in the year, or the Chinese giant is starting to rationalize its releases a little more according to the markets. If we relate this to its recent disappointing results in Europe (-36% over the first quarter), option 2 seems the most plausible.
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