Android 12 Global stable beta for the Mi 11 series may be bricking phones

A few days ago, Xiaomi released its first Android 12 beta update to global units. While the update was only available to Mi Pilot testers, Xiaomi did classify it as a "stable beta" update, so it's a bit of a surprise to find out that the update may be killing phones.

According to Xiaomiui and user feedback on relevant communities, the new Android 12 Global stable beta update is hard-bricking devices. The updates, with build designations "V12.5.1.0.SKBMIXM", "V12.5.1.0.SKKMIXM", "V12.5.1.0.SKAMIXM" for the Mi 11, Mi 11i, and Mi 11 Ultra respectively look to be bricking those phones, essentially leaving owners with paperweights, at least for the moment.

Hardbricked Xiaomi phones can typically be fixed by authorized customer centers, so affected parties aren't at a dead-end. The Mi Pilot registration page also explicitly tells testers to expect issues like this. Still, perhaps Mi Pilot testers who are yet to install any of those updates may be better served waiting for future builds to be released.

Buy the Mi 11i on Amazon.