Xiaomi rumoured to be working on new mid-range smartphone in time for spring 2024 release

Early details about a new Xiaomi CIVI smartphone have surfaced online. For context, Xiaomi has restricted the CIVI series to Chinese releases so far, most recently with a Disney 100th Anniversary Edition of the CIVI 3. However, Xiaomi tends to offer CIVI smartphones globally under different names; for example, the Xiaomi 13 Lite (curr. $399 on Amazon) was a tweaked CIVI 2 with a different ultra-wide-angle camera.

According to Weibo leakers, Xiaomi is targeting a May 2024 release for the CIVI 4. It is worth noting that this release window would be a year after the CIVI 3 arrived, potentially rendering this assertion as more guesswork than a leak. Reportedly, some upgrades are headed to the next CIVI too though, including the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset that Xiaomi already uses in the Redmi K70E and POCO X6 Pro 5G. Additionally, the CIVI 4 is said to feature a 1.5K curved display, possibly the 2,712 x 1,220-pixel, 120 Hz and 6.67-inch AMOLED panel from the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G.

Moreover, the unreleased handset is rumoured to offer a triple camera setup and a metal frame, although this would only match its predecessor. Unfortunately, it remains unclear how Xiaomi will deliver the globally. On the one hand, it would seem obvious that the CIVI 4 will appear later this year as the Xiaomi 14 Lite. On the other hand, the lack of a global CIVI 3 model implies that Xiaomi could hold the CIVI 4 back for another project, potentially the Xiaomi 15 Lite in early 2025.