Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G NE is on the way as a rebranded Civi 2 for international markets

Towards the end of last year, Xiaomi refreshed the Mi 11 Lite 5G by launching the 11 Lite 5G NE, a practically identical smartphone with a different chipset. In 2022, there's apparently also going to be an NE model for the Lite series, but this one will come with more differences.

According to a source from China, the upcoming Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G NE was spotted in an IMEI database, which revealed its existence and its model number, that is 2210129SG. The "G" at the end there signifies that this is a device that will serve the global market, not the Chinese one.

And that makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that rumor has it that it will be a rebranded Civi 2. That phone is already on sale in China, so it would be logical for the rebranded model to only be found elsewhere.

The Xiaomi Civi 2 has a different chipset compared to the original 12 Lite - the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, which should be better performing than the Snapdragon 778G. It's also got a different main camera, with 50 MP resolution not 108 MP, and a 20 MP ultrawide instead of the 8 MP sensor fitted to the existing Lite. While the selfie cam itself seems to be the same, the Civi 2's comes with an additional ultrawide sensor and a dual-LED flash. The battery is slightly beefier too at 4,500 mAh vs 4,300 mAh, while all the other specs are, if not identical, then incredibly similar.

Interestingly enough, the 2210129SG has already been certified by the FCC in September, so its launch may be closer than you'd think. From the FCC process we found out that the 12 Lite 5G NE will have three configurations: 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage, 8/128GB, and 8/256GB.

Via (in Chinese)