Will MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition delay MIUI 13 deployment?

Xiaomi started the deployment of MIUI 13 immediately after the unveiling of MIUI 12. Before the surprise introduction of MIUI 12.5, we were all hoping to see the release of MIUI 13. Of course, that didn’t happen, at least not yet. Instead, Xiaomi announced they’ll release an intermediary version, which is essentially an improvement. That was necessary, given the level of bugs introduced by the MIUI 12 build. Of course, the MIUI 12.5 deployment is in the final stages, but again, Xiaomi has introduced an Enhanced Edition of MIUI 12.5.

According to the company engineering department, it took about six months for the development of MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition. The update is now seeding in China, with the global version expected to start getting it from Q4 2021. It looks like the build isn’t exclusive to premium phones but for select phones with active support. And given how long it has taken to deploy MIUI 12.5, it will take time before Enhanced Edition goes round. That’s likely to delay MIUI 13 deployment.

Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, during his yearly speech, said MIUI 13 will arrive towards the end of the year. Of course, he wasn’t referring to the MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition. Now till the end of the year is about four months. That wouldn’t be enough for all the preparations required before the deployment of MIUI 13. Hence, we believe there’ll be a slight delay in MIUI 13 deployment.

Also, Xiaomi executive in Indonesia, Alvin Tse, when quizzed by a Mi Fan if MIUI 13 deployment will start this year, answered ”Not this year. This year it is enhanced version of MIUI 12.5.” Could it mean that Xiaomi has changed its plans again?. We don’t think so. We expect the official unveiling of MIUI 13 this year, likely with the Xiaomi Mi 12 announcement. As usual, it will enter Closed beta tests immediately after, and hence, we expect the same approach taken with the MIUI 12.5 deployment.

That said, MIUI 13 is likely to arrive in China this year to allow time for Beta testing. The global unveiling will be next year, probably what Alvin Tse was likely referring to when he said ‘Next year for MIUI 13.’ However, it’s unclear which phones will receive MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition. If Xiaomi decides on all phones, then that will delay MIUI 13 deployment.