Xiaomi 12 could have a lower resolution camera compared to its predecessor

Xiaomi is said to be ditching the 108MP sensor on its flagship phones.

What you need to know

• A new leak suggests the upcoming Xiaomi 12 will rock a triple camera setup on the back, with each lens rocking a 50MP sensor.
• This means the company might drop the 108MP sensor on the Mi 11 series.
• The upcoming Xiaomi flagship was previously rumored to feature Samsung's 200MP sensor.

Xiaomi was one of the smartphone companies that started the megapixel wars when it launched the Mi 10 series last year with a 108MP camera on the back. Now, it looks like the company is putting high-resolution phone cameras on the back burner.

A new rumor courtesy of China-based Digital Chat Station claims that the rumored Xiaomi 12 will come with three 50MP sensors instead of 108MP like the Mi 11 series. This means that Xiaomi's upcoming flagship phone could rock a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide shooter, and a 50MP telephoto camera.

If it turns out to be correct, the change marks a major scaling back of Xiaomi's flagship phones at least in terms of camera resolution. The Xiaomi 12 was previously rumored to arrive with a 200MP sensor from Samsung (via GSMArena), but the latest rumor suggests otherwise. It's possible that this resolution is being prepared for the higher-end Xiaomi 12 Ultra, which could become one of the best Android phones.

In addition, the leaker claims that the phone's telephoto camera will feature a 5x periscope zoom. It's believed to be a more practical focal length compared to a 10x periscope lens that Xiaomi was also supposedly working on given the smoother zoom quality it offers.

The rumor surfaced a week after Xiaomi confirmed that it's dropping the Mi branding to streamline its global product strategy around flagship phones. There's no official launch date for the Xiaomi 12 at this moment, but it's expected to be released early next year.