Update 1 (4/23/20 @ 00:20 AM ET): Xiaomi has revealed the color options and the 5x telephoto setup on the Mi 10 Youth Edition smartphone using a video. The original post from April 21st about MIUI 12 and the phone's launch is preserved while the update has been added below it.

Xiaomi's MIUI is among the most popular Android skins for two primary reasons. The first and the more obvious reason of the two is the usual budget-friendly pricing of phones under Xiaomi, Redmi, or spin-off brand POCO; the second is the horde of features in MIUI that Xiaomi builds over stock Android to make the experience more user friendly. For a few months now, we have been on the lookout for any information about MIUI 12, the next incremental update to MIUI 11. Our wait could end soon as Xiaomi has announced it will announce MIUI 12 alongside their new mid-range 5G phone – the Mi 10 Youth Edition – on April 27th.

MIUI 12

Xiaomi has been dropping hints about some of MIUI 12's upcoming features through AMA sessions on Weibo. In the latest episode, the MIUI team revealed MIUI 12 will come with uniform font styles, optimizations in terms of iconography and design language throughout the UI, a more minimal outlook, and some camera features like the ability to remove passers-by from images.

miui 12

While Xiaomi is reserving the details of the new optimizations or features till the launch on the 27th of this month, the MIUI 12 teaser says the upcoming Android skin will unite imagination and reality and the tagline used for endorsing MIUI 12 translates to, "Touch the imagination, feel the truth."

We hope to learn more about the features ahead of and at the launch event.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition a la Mi 10 Lite 5G

While MIUI 12 might be the more exciting product at the launch for most existing Xiaomi users, the company will also be launching the Mi 10 Youth Edition for potentially new ones. This smartphone is likely to be a rebranded Mi 10 Lite 5G, which has already been launched in Europe last month.

Among its features teased officially, the Mi 10 Youth Edition smartphone will feature quadruple cameras including a telephoto setup with up to 50x zoom. Notably, the Lite variant does not feature a telephoto camera, so that could be unique to the Youth Edition.

xiaomi mi 10 youth edition miui 12

The shape of the telephoto camera module suggests Xiaomi could be using a periscopic telephoto setup that was first launched commercially by Huawei on the P30 Pro (review) and then by OPPO on the Reno 10X Zoom Edition (review). It is plausible that the Mi 10 Youth Edition uses periscopic camera modules for 5X optical zoom that Samsung started mass producing in 2019. We'll have more confidence once Xiaomi formally confirms the capabilities of the camera.

xiaomi mi 10 youth edition miui 12

Meanwhile, in another render, Xiaomi has also revealed the four color variants of the Mi 10 Youth Edition. Two of these color variants resemble the Coral Green of the Mi 10 and the Arctic White of the Mi 10 Pro while the other two a faded copper variant and a soft moss green.

Other than this, the phone may also get a gray color, like the Mi 10 Lite 5G. Unlike the Redmi Note 9S/9 Pro and the alleged Redmi Note 9, the camera module is on the top left corner. The Mi 10 Lite comes with a U-shaped notch and not a hole-punch as we see on the Mi 10 series and the same can be expected of the Youth Edition phone, given the similarities in their designs.

xiaomi mi 10 youth edition lite miui 12

While the Mi 10 Lite is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G mobile platform, the same cannot be said about the Youth Edition with surety just yet. We'll wait for a while until Xiaomi confirms these itself and will update you following the same.

Source: Weibo (1)(2)(3)


Update: Colors and 5x telephoto confirmed

Xiaomi took to Weibo once again to confirm the different colors in which the Mi 10 Youth Edition will be available. These colors are said to be inspired by cold beverages. In addition, we may also get to see a special Doraemon Edition at the time of the launch.

Xiaomi has also confirmed the phone will come with a Samsung AMOLED display to keep it thin and attractive as compared to other devices like the Redmi K30 5G or Realme X50 5G.

In addition, Xiaomi also detailed the working of the previously teased telephoto setup. The module will support 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and up to 50x digital zoom using the periscopic arrangement. The module also comes with OIS to assist the multi-times zoom. The video below shows the working of the OIS.


Source: Weibo (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)