According to CEO Lei Jun, Xiaomi participated in the development of Sony IMX989, and the cost of 15 million dollars was also divided equally between the two companies. Interestingly, the sensor will not be exclusive to Xiaomi. Lei added that it will be made available to its local competitors after the launch of the 12S Ultra in order to “jointly promote the progress of motion imaging”. Xiaomi 12S Ultra Xiaomi As for the Leica part of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, you have a “Leica Summicron 1:1.9-4.1 / 13-120 ASPH” camera system covering all three rear cameras: the aforementioned 50.3-megapixel main camera (23mm, f /1.9), along with a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera (13mm, f/2.2) and a 48-megapixel periscope camera (120mm, f/4.1). Both 48-megapixel cameras use a 1/2-inch Sony IMX586 sensor. The entire circular camera island — now co-branded “Leica” — benefits from some coating magic to moderate lens flare and improve image consistency across each lens. Oh, and here’s a 23-carat gold hoop. In addition to some Leica filters, users will be able to switch between two photo styles: “Leica Authentic Look” for natural shots with stronger 3D depth, and “Leica Vibrant Look” which adds Xiaomi vibrancy while maintaining authenticity (sort of). You can also change the watermark banner at the bottom of your photos, which will add the iconic red Leica logo, photo metadata and location coordinates on the right, along with phone model and timestamp on the left. Xiaomi On the other side of the phone, there is a 32-megapixel selfie camera powered by an unknown RGBW sensor. Most of these cameras are capable of Dolby Vision HDR video recording (up to [email protected]) and playback, making the 12S Ultra the first Android device to feature these capabilities. Some also use engine-based “HyperOIS” for more stable video. As for stills, the entire 12S series supports 10-bit RAW format calibrated by Adobe Labs, with color correction metadata embedded in the files for easier post-production with tools like Adobe Lightroom. The 12S Ultra also happens to carry two proprietary Xiaomi Surge chips: a Surge P1 fast charging chipset and a Surge G1 battery management chipset. These provide support for 67W wired fast charging, 50W wireless fast charging and 10W reverse charging for the 4,860mAh single-cell oxygen anode battery. Note that some fast charging solutions use a dual-cell battery to split the current load, so it’s good that the Surge P1 can handle up to 16A output current here and apparently with a 96.8% conversion efficiency. Like recent devices from Oppo and ASUS, the 12S Ultra also offers adaptive charging, which is said to increase the number of charge cycles by 25 percent. Keeping the phone cool is also key to a healthier battery, not to mention a more stable performance during gaming. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is equipped with a “3D cooling pump” that moves coolant to hot surfaces using a capillary mechanism similar to that in leaves. This obviously significantly improves thermal conductivity, compared to conventional vapor cooling units. Xiaomi The rest of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is standard flagship. For the display, you get a 6.73-inch Samsung E5 AMOLED panel (3,200 x 1,440, 522 ppi, LTPO 2.0), with a maximum brightness of up to 1,500 nits, AdaptiveSync Pro 1-120 Hz refresh rate, native color 10- and support for color gamut P3. As you can tell from the camera specs, the display can handle Dolby Vision, as well as HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG. these will pair well with Harman Kardon speakers that also support Dolby Atmos audio. The device is IP68 rated, meaning it should survive accidental dives into sinks and pools. You’ll also find an infrared remote control port on the top for controlling home appliances. Options include up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage — with Xiaomi’s FBO (File-Based Optimization) storage refresh technology, which is supposed to maintain the same read/write performance for at least four years ( and Lei added that the FBO has already signed up to the next-generation UFS 4.0 storage specification). Buyers can choose between a “Classic Black” and a “Verdant Green”, both wrapped in vegan leather. Xiaomi 12S Pro Xiaomi The smaller Xiaomi 12S Pro shares the same 6.73-inch display and Surge P1 fast-charging chipset as the 12S Ultra, though it supports an impressive 120W wired charging for the smaller 4,600mAh battery, but lacks 10W reverse charging. a more regular (but obviously still expensive) 1/1.28-inch 50-megapixel Sony IMX707 main sensor, which is a variant of the IMX700 previously found in Huawei’s Mate 40 Pro series. This still offers a good pixel size of 1.22um (or 2.44um after pixel binning) and matches the resolution of the ultra-wide (14mm) and telephoto (50mm) cameras — all Leica-enhanced as well, of course courses. As for the “basic” Xiaomi 12S, it has the same main camera as the 12S Pro and the same fast charging features as the 12S Ultra, but with a smaller 4,500 mAh battery in a more palm-friendly body under the 6.28-inch 120 display Hz. Apparently there is still significant demand for small flagship phones, according to Lei. The Xiaomi 12S series is now available for pre-order in China ahead of the July 6 retail launch. The 12S Ultra is priced from 5,999 yuan (8GB RAM, 256GB storage, about $900) to 6,999 yuan (12GB RAM, 512GB storage, about $1,000). The 12S Pro is cheaper, asking 4,699 yuan (8GB RAM, 128GB storage, about $700) to 5,899 yuan (12GB RAM, 512GB storage, about $880). The 12S is the most affordable option here, starting at 3,999 yuan (8GB RAM, 128GB storage, about $600) and topping out at 5,199 yuan (12GB RAM, 512GB storage, about $780). We will monitor for international availability later. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
