The Xiaomi 12 Pro may have a problem accepting certain SIM cards, resulting in the phone being unusable when one is inserted. The newly released smartphone has gone on sale in the U.K. this week for 1,049 British pounds, or about $1,375, but if you use the EE network the phone may not be the best option for you yet.
Digital Trends received an early version of the Xiaomi 12 Pro ahead of release, and when attempting to use an EE network SIM card, the phone would immediately connect and disconnect from the network repeatedly, before a few seconds later the phone was forced to reboot. At this point, the phone provides the option to boot to the menu or into Safe Mode, but selecting either option sees it repeat the same connect/disconnect/reboot problem. The phone is unusable until the SIM card is removed.
Alerting Xiaomi to the problem, the company replaced the review phone with another one, but unfortunately, the problem persisted, and it turns out others are having the same issue. A reader, who asked not to have his name shared, contacted Digital Trends by email and described his new Xiaomi 12 Pro as having an identical problem.
It does seem to only affect EE SIM cards at the moment. Using an O2 SIM the Xiaomi 12 Pro boots and operates as you would expect. The Xiaomi 12 Pro has also been tested and shown to work with a Vodafone SIM and several SIM cards from international operators. When the phone is connected to Wi-Fi it also has no issues. Our EE SIM card is used in multiple Android smartphones on a monthly basis and has never caused a problem before. It’s working as normal inside a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 at the moment.
It’s worth pointing out EE does not sell the Xiaomi 12 Pro through its own online store, so it is unlikely to have tested the phone on its network. Xiaomi sells the phone unconnected through its own online store, but it’s also sold through Carphone Warehouse retail stores in the U.K., where it could be activated on the EE network.
If this situation has affected you, what’s the solution? Digital Trends has contacted Xiaomi and EE for comment, and both are examining the situation. We are expecting advice from both on what EE subscribers who have purchased a Xiaomi 12 Pro smartphone can do, should they experience a problem. We will update here when the companies respond.
