According to the famed Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station, Xiaomi is already working on a new version of the newly announced 12 Pro. The model number for this “derivative” version of Xiaomi’s flagship Xiaomi 12 Pro is “L2S,” and it will be powered by the forthcoming SM8475 chipset.
Due to the “L2” model number on the ordinary Xiaomi 12 Pro, the higher-end model may simply be referred to as the “Xiaomi 12S Pro.” This means we could see a standard Xiaomi 12S with the same SM8475 chip, but with a few compromises in other areas.
This SM8475 processor, like the Snapdragon 888 and 888+, is believed to be a significantly enhanced version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The SD8G1 employs Samsung’s 4nm technology, however the improved version could use TSMC’s 4nm node instead. It may turn out to be the same chip as the current version, but with superior thermals and yields. In the past, there have been rumours that Qualcomm will return to TSMC.
We should expect higher performance and efficiency from TSMC’s SD8G1 because it will be used in updated phone models. Several phones, notably the Motorola Edge X30 and the current version of the Xiaomi 12 Pro, have overheating difficulties with the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. On Geekbench 5, the processor also performs poorly.
We’re hoping that TSMC’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will change the game, but we’re not holding our breath because Qualcomm’s past flagship chips have also had overheating concerns.