How to Install Pixel Experience on Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X

In this guide, we will show you the steps to install the Pixel Experience ROM on Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X. The three new additions to the Xiaomi family beholds an impressive specs sheet and it’s probably the best that you could get in this price segment. However, the same might not be said about the software experience. Many users are of the opinion that the MIUI gives them a bloated UI feel with tons of unnecessary installed apps only making the matter worse.

If you also echo the same thought process, then you now have the opportunity to break free from the shackles of the Xiaomi ecosystem. You could now welcome abode the Pixel Experience ROM onto your Xiaomi 12/Pro/12 X. As is evident from its name, it beholds a clean stock OS experience and gives you just the right amount of Pixel goodies [including the beloved Material You theming design]. So without further ado, let’s check out the steps to install this ROM onto your device right away.

How to Install Pixel Experience on Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X

The below instructions are listed under separate sections for ease of understanding. Make sure to follow the same sequence as mentioned. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.

STEP 1: Install Android SDK

First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide to install the Pixel Experience onto your Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X.

STEP 2: Download Pixel Experience for Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X

You may now grab hold of the Pixel Experience GSI ROM for your device from below. You may find three different versions of the ROM-  the normal arm64-ab, the arm64-ab-slim, and the arm64-ab-vndklite. It is recommended that you download the normal variant, i.e. arm64-ab.

Download: Pixel Experience ROM

Once you have downloaded the ROM, extract it to the platform-tools folder on your PC. Likewise, rename it to system, so that the complete name becomes system.img

STEP 3: Unlock Bootloader on Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X

Next up, you will have to unlock the bootloader on your device. Do keep in mind that this process will wipe off all the data and might nullify the device’s warranty as well. So if that’s all well and good, then refer to our comprehensive guide on How to Unlock the Bootloader on any Xiaomi Device.

STEP 4: Extract Boot, Vendor_Boot and Vbmeta

1. To begin with, download the Fastboot ROM for your device.
2. Then extract it to any convenient location on your PC.
3. Once extracted, copy the boot.img, vendor.img, and vbmeta.img files.
4. Then transfer these files to the platform-tools folder on your PC.

STEP 5: Boot Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X to Fastboot Mode

1. Connect your device to the PC via a USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
2. Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
   
3. Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode

   adb reboot bootloader

   

4. Now type in the below command to verify the Fastboot Connection

   fastboot devices

   

5. If you get a device ID followed by the fastboot keyword, then the connection stands successful.

STEP 6: Change Slots and Boot to FastbootD Mode

We will now be setting Partition A as the active one and then flash the GSI file in that partition. [You could do so on Partition B as well, we have just selected Partition A for the sake of uniformity throughout the guide].

1. Execute the below command and check the value next to (bootloader) current-slot.

   fastboot getvar all

   

2. If it is A, well and good. However, if it is B, then use the below command to switch to A:

   fastboot set_active a

   

3. Now execute the below command to boot your device to FastbootD Mode:

   fastboot reboot fastboot

   

STEP 7: Install Pixel Experience on Xiaomi Mi 12/Pro/12X

1. To begin with, make sure that the system.img [ROM file], vbmeta, vendor_boot, and boot.img files are present in the platform-tools folder.
2. Then flash vbmeta and disable verity by executing the below command

   fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

3. After that, flash the vendor_boot file using the following command:

   fastboot flash vendor_boot vendor_boot.img

4. Next up, erase the data on the system partition via the below command

   fastboot erase system

5. Now flash the Pixel Experience ROM using the below command

   fastboot flash system system.img

6. After that, factory reset your device via the following command

   fastboot -w

7. Next up, flash the boot file with the help of the following command

   fastboot flash boot boot.img

8. Finally, you may now reboot the device to the newly installed ROM:

   fastboot reboot

That’s it. These were the steps to install the Pixel Experience ROM on Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

• How to Root Xiaomi 12/Pro/12X via Magisk Patched Boot
• Guide to Root Pixel Experience ROM via Magisk [without TWRP]
• How to Root Pixel Experience ROM via TWRP Recovery
• How to Install Pixel Experience ROM without TWRP