Upgrades to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra include an impressive camera system that features Sony’s massive 1-inch IMX989 sensor, new camera hardware developed in collaboration with Leica, a better display and a faster SoC. In short, it looks set to give the best camera phones on the market a run for their money.
The largest smartphone sensor
The Xiaomi Mi 12S Ultra now takes away the record of the largest effective camera phone sensor from the older Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. The Sony-made one-inch sensor has also been used in Sony’s own Xperia Pro-I (opens in new tab) – but only around 60% of the sensor area is actually used on that phone. Smartphone sensor size comparison Main sensor size (in) Main sensor size (mm) Xiaomi Mi 12S Ultra1 inch 25.4 mmSony Xperia Pro-I1 inch 25.4 mmXiaomi Mi 11 Ultra1/1.12 inch 22.7 mmHuawei P40 Pro Plus1/ 1.28mmH4 Pro-I1 inch 1/1.28 inch 19.8mmSamsung S21 Ultra1/1.33 inch 19.1mm Xiaomi Mi 111/1.33 inch 19.1mmOppo X3 Pro1/1.56 inch 16, 3mm Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max1/1.7 inch 14.7mm
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Design
(Image credit: Xiaomi) (opens in new tab) Not missing the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, it’s a premium-looking phone dominated by the circular protrusion of the camera bump that takes up almost a third of the back of the phone. The 163.17 x 74.92 x 9.06mm and 225g phone has an aluminum frame and a curved display, with a punch-hole camera in the center near the top edge. The back surface is covered by a very premium leather-like material, which is available in Green and Classic Black. It’s more than just beauty, IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Specifications
(Image credit: Xiaomi) (opens in new tab)
Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is at the heart of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, where there is also a new 3D cooling system, which will help improve heat in games and the most demanding applications.
It has a 4860mAh battery with 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support – perhaps the only feature we’d expect more from, but it’s still pretty decent. RAM and storage combinations are: 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB.
As for the display, the 12S Ultra has a large 6.73-inch display, which features a quadHD+ 3200×1440 display with a pixel density of 522 pixels per inch, as seen on the Xiaomi 12 Pro (opens in a new tab), launched earlier this year.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Camera system
(Image credit: Xiaomi) (opens in new tab) The new Xiaomi 12S series is the first to benefit from the company’s strategic collaboration in imaging technology with Leica, which jointly sees advanced optical lenses. As a flagship model, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra’s 50.3MP main camera adopts an eight-piece aspherical lens, which will combat common smartphone problems such as flare, ghosting and chromatic aberration. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra’s camera unit also features anti-glare lens coating, lens edge ink coating, circular olefin copolymer material, and spin coating technology infrared filter to provide a clear overall image, which is consistent across the lens. A 48MP ultra-wide camera featuring a Leica Summicron 1:1.9-4.1 / 13-120 aspherical lens with Dual PD autofocus and macro mode support and a 48MP periscope telephoto camera with Dual PD autofocus and HyperOIS complete the 12S’s serious triple camera system Ultra. The leaks turned out to be true as the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is indeed equipped with a massive 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor. Significantly larger than the sensors found in most other flagships, it features a Quad-Bayer pixel array with individual pixel sizes as small as 1.6μm. After pixel binning, this comes to 3.2µm and is said to reduce noise, extend dynamic range, increase light captured and achieve better low-light imaging overall. The Xiaomi 12S Series “co-designed with Leica” also uses Leica imaging profiles, offering users the option of “Leica Authentic Look” and “Leica Vibrant Look”. “Leica Authentic Look” is as you’d expect a natural look, preserving the contrast of light and shadow, which adds a sense of three-dimensional depth to photos. The “Leica Vibrant Look” incorporates elements from both Xiaomi and Leica and is a more modern look that Xiaomi says allows photographers to: “capture the emotion of the moment, symbolizing Leica’s exploration into the smartphone photography space.” . We can’t wait to try them.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Price and Availability
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra will go on sale in China from July 8 with pre-orders opening now. Unfortunately, we’ve confirmed from Xiaomi that the Series 12S won’t be coming to the US or the UK, and we’re awaiting confirmation on which other markets (if any) the series will be coming to and when. In China, the 12S Ultra is priced at CNY 5,999 ($896) for the 8GB + 256GB variant, CNY 6,499 ($970) for the 12GB + 256GB variant and CNY 6,999 ($1045) for the 12GB + 512GB variant. GB. • Best Budget Camera Phones (opens in new tab)• Best Samsung Phones (opens in new tab)• Best iPhone for Photography (opens in new tab)• Best Combustion Phone (opens in new tab)• Best 5G Phone (opens in new tab)• Best Phablets (opens in new tab)• Best Flip Phone (opens in new tab)• Best Phablets (opens in new tab)
