Xiaomi 12S Ultra The auxiliary camera parameters are similar to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with a pair of half-inch sensors for the ultra-wide focus and periscope zoom cameras. But the main camera is new and easily claims to be the most impressive smartphone camera in the world. The 50.3MP 23mm wide-angle camera fronts Sony’s flagship 1-inch IMX989 sensor. This is the largest imager on any smartphone and brings the largest single pixels to 3.2µm in 4-in-1 mode with 12.5MP. Leica brings its imaging expertise to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in terms of both optics design and imaging software. The lens in front of the 1-inch sensor is an 8P element lens, which addresses issues such as flare, chromatic aberration and ghosting. In addition, there is an ink coating on the edge of the lens, as well as a cyclic olefin copolymer material and an infrared light filter with rotation technology. Leica has emblazoned the entire rear camera unit with its iconic Summicron label. On the software side, there are two photo styles – “Leica Authentic Look” and e “Leica Vibrant Look”. The authentic look aims for a natural image, focusing on the contrast of light and shadow, adding depth to photos. Live View leverages Xiaomi’s computational smart photography with Leica’s aesthetics. In addition, there are Leica filters – Leica Vivid, Leica Natural, Leica BW Natural and Leica BW High Contrast. The other two cameras on the back of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra carry over the reliable 48MP Sony IMX586 1/2.0-inch sensor used in the Mi 11 Ultra. The ultrawide is a 13mm f/2.2 with autofocus and macro. The telephoto camera has a 120mm f/4.1 periscope. Both capture 12MP photos with 1.6µm pixels after capture. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra can capture high-performance JPEG or HEIF files in 8-bit, as well as 10-bit DNG RAW files with a built-in profile for Adobe Lightroom. On the video side, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the first Android phone to support Dolby Vision HDR recording. 10-bit h.265 videos are recorded in HLG with Rec.2020 color space in 4K and FullHD resolution. In 4K, you get 30fps and 60fps up to 80Mbps, while in 1080p you get 60fps at 55Mbps and 30fps at 35Mbps. Now for the smartphone parts of Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Up front, there’s a 6.73-inch 3,200 x 1,440px E5 Super AMOLED with AdaptiveSync Pro support, which can refresh variably from 1Hz to 120Hz. The 4,860mAh battery supports 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging (10W reverse wireless charging). Xiaomi has two custom Surge chips for battery management – the Xiaomi Surge P1 charging chip protects the battery from overcharging and extends its life, while the Xiaomi Surge G1 manages battery usage, extending endurance. Powering the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The new Snapdragon claims a 10% improvement in GPU and CPU performance and a 30% improvement in power efficiency compared to 8 Gen 1. Xiaomi boasts that the 12S Ultra features an innovative new 3D liquid cooling mechanism, which uses a capillary network to pump cooling liquid that condenses on the opposite side from the hot area. Like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, the 12S Ultra brings stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon, with support for Dolby Atmos. The software at the wheel is MIUI 13 over Android 12. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra weighs 225 grams and is IP68 water and dust resistant. It comes in Classic Black and Green with a leather back finish. Unfortunately, Xiaomi has confirmed that it won’t be available outside of China, where the phone costs CNY 5,999 for 8/256GB, CNY 6,499 for 12/256GB and CNY 6,999 for 12/512GB.
