The Xiaomi 12 Ultra has been cycling through the rumor mill since the beginning of the year. It turns out that the device was canceled, but the idea was not scrapped entirely. Now, Xiaomi is bringing what users have been expecting in the form of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The new king of the Xiaomi 12S family arrives with a unique design, Leica optics, and Qualcomm’s strongest chipset to date.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a masterpiece for camera enthusiasts!
The Xiaomi 12 Ultra may share some similarities with the Mi 11 Ultra in aux cameras. However, there is a new primary camera with Leica optics and very bold promises! Xiaomi and Leica state that this is the strongest camera in the world. Of course, we have to wait for real-life tests to see if these claims are accurate.
Anyway, the device is the world’s first to bring Sony’s 50.3 MP 23 mm wide-angle camera, the Sony IMX989 sensor with 1-inch size. This is the largest imager on smartphones! It brings the largest individual pixels at 3.2 µm with the 4-in-1 binned 12.5 MP mode. Furthermore, the device also brings a 48 MP Sony IMX586 1/2.0-inch sensor with autofocus and macro support. There is also a telephoto camera with 120 mm f/4.1 periscope abilities. It captures 12 MP shots with pixel binning.
As usual, the partnership with Leica also extends to the optics and software part. The lens of the 50 MP camera is an 8P element lens. It addresses known issues such as flare, chromatic aberration, and ghosting. There is also an edge ink coating, cyclic olefin copolymer material, and infrared light filter with spin coating tech. Leica adorned the main camera module with the Summicron Label.
In terms of software, there are two modes: Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look. The authentic look aims for a natural image, that focuses on light and shadow contrast. The vibrant look combines Xiaomi’s camera tech with Leica’s aesthetic mode. There are also Leica Filters – Leica Vivid, Leica Natural, Leica BW Natural, and Leica BW High Contrast. The device captures JPEG or HEIF in 8-bit images, as well as 10-bit DNG RAW files. In terms of video recording, the device is the first with Dolby Vision HDR recording. It supports 4K @ 60 fps recording.
Gizchina News of the week
Performance and technical specs
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is also king in terms of specifications. The device comes with a huge 6.73-inch E5 Super AMOLED panel with 3,200 x 1,400 pixels of resolution with AdaptiveSync Pro support. It also has a variable refresh rate from 1 Hz to 120 Hz.
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC with either 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM. The device also has 256 GB or 512 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. The device also has two Surge co-processors for battery management. There is a Xiaomi Surge P1 Charging chip that protects the battery from overcharging, and a Xiaomi Surge G1 that manages the battery use for further endurance. The battery on this device has a 4,860 mAh capacity.
It comes with 67 W Wired charging and 50 W wireless charging. Interestingly, Xiaomi decided to not prioritize the charging speed here. So it’s using its 67 W charging standard instead of the newer 120 W charging. The Xiaomi 12S ultra comes with a new 3D liquid cooling system, it uses the capillary network to pump cooling liquid condensed at the side opposite the warm area.
For entertainment, besides the super-crispy screen, the device also brings stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon with Dolby Atmos support. The device also has IP68 water and dust resistance and comes with MIUI 12 on top of Android 12.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra comes in Classic Black and Verdant Green, both come with a Leather-like rear finish. Unfortunately, customers on the global scene won’t be able to purchase this device. It’s exclusive to the Chinese market, unfortunately. There, it will cost CNY 5,999 (~$895) for the variant with 8 GB and 256 GB, CNY 6,499 ($969) for the one with 12 GB and 256 GB, and CNY 6,999 (~$1,044) for the one with 12 GB and 512 GB.
Worth noting that the company also presented the Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro today. Check all details here.
