Xiaomi Redmi Note 12R leaks as first smartphone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2

The China Telecom database has revealed initial details about the Redmi Note 12R, the presumed cheaper alternative to the Redmi Note 12R Pro that Xiaomi announced in May. Seemingly, the Redmi Note 12R looks more like the Redmi 12 than the Redmi Note 12R Pro, itself consistent with other Redmi Note 12 series models. Still, the Redmi Note 12R will feature two rear-facing cameras, dropping the third rear-facing camera of the Redmi 12.

As one image below shows, an LED flash takes the place of a third camera. Surprisingly, the Redmi Note 12R will offer a more powerful chipset than the Redmi Note 12R Pro, which Xiaomi bases on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. In comparison, the Redmi Note 12R will launch with the newer Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, codenamed Qualcomm SM4450. According to earlier leaks, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 will combine two ARM Cortex-A78 performance cores clocked at 2.2 GHz with six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores restricted to 1.95 GHz and an Adreno 619 GPU. Not only will the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 be more powerful than its predecessor, but it will also support LPDDR5-3200 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage.

The switch from 6 nm to 4 nm nodes should allow the Redmi Note 12R to run more efficiently than its 'Pro' branded sibling too. Elsewhere, the Redmi Note 12R is said to start with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The handset should come in 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM variants as well, with an 8 GB/256 GB of storage option as the highest capacity model. Moreover, the Redmi Note 12R will offer MicroSD card expansion, a 6.79-inch and a 1080p display, plus a 50 MP primary camera, a 5,000 mAh battery and a USB Type-C port. The Redmi Note 12R will launch in China on June for CNY 1,100 (~US$153) and upwards. It remains to be seen in what form the Redmi Note 12R will be available outside China, though.

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