EITHER Xiaomi 12S ultra is the most ambitious smartphone of the Chinese manufacturer led by Lei Jun. It not only symbolizes a new era for the manufacturer, now combined with the legendary leicabut it also promises to inaugurate a quality standard for photography with smartphones.
The presentation of the new range of Xiaomi 12S smartphones, of which the Xiaomi 12S Ultra model is the top of the range, took place this Monday in China. There, the technology unveiled the various challenges encountered (and overcome) to provide the best possible photographic experience. The result? A unique smartphone that promises to win over enthusiasts and fans.
We have several incremental improvements in the Xiaomi 12S range
Lei Jun began by highlighting the capabilities of the new processor Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 from Qualcomm at 4nm. Performance improvements exceed 16%, while power consumption has been reduced by 33% compared to Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
That is, we have more processing power and longer battery life in smartphones equipped with this chipset for mobile devices.
The leader of Xiaomi assured that the new smartphones equipped with this chip also have a better performance graphics (GPU). In addition, in all of them the battery life exceeds the day of use, with substantial improvements in this generation. More specifically, the new generation of Xiaomi 12S smartphones can support 1.24 days between charges.
Xiaomi also introduced a new iteration of its computational imaging platform. More specifically, the Xiaomi AI Image Solution 2.0 that helps the hardware to compose the best possible image/video thanks to artificial intelligence.
All the aforementioned triumphs are present in the new trio of Xiaomi 12S Ultra smartphones.
The history of human photography by Leica, and now by Xiaomi
This is the ideal smartphone for those who are looking for only the best. For the most demanding user, the hobby photographer, photo enthusiast and power user. So, true to the leaks, the new Xiaomi 12S Ultra smartphone has arrived.
Lei Jun paid close attention to the 12S Ultra model, the flagship The most ambitious of Xiaomi. It’s a true and total flagship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and a new cooling system to keep this SoC in check.
The mobile phone is equipped with a 4,860 mAh battery, which is smaller than the 5,000 mAh battery due to space restrictions, which is occupied by camera modules.
According to Lei Jun, this battery will last for 1.24 days, charging at 67W wired, charging at 50W wirelessly, and reverse wireless charging at 10W. Note that on the Ultra model the battery capacity battery is not as high as in the Pro model due to the space needs of the photographic modules, the nerve center of the smartphone.
The executive also highlighted the new power management and image processing chipsets present in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Specifically, we have the new Xiaomi Surge G1 to manage energy consumption. At the same time, we have the Surge P1 to speed up the fast charging process of the mobile and its 4,680 mAh battery.
Sony IMX989 sensor revolutionizes the industry with 1 inch
Sony’s latest and greatest image sensor is present in Xiaomi’s biggest and best phone. The highlight is the physical size of the sensor, now with an inch diagonal, capturing more light than any other rival on the market.
In addition to the new sensor, we have a whole set of optics to compose the lenses used in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. These optical elements were developed in collaboration with Leica to ensure the best quality of the 8 optical elements (8p) in the cameras.
The executive mentioned the numerous difficulties encountered and overcome during the eight months of work. Only after this period Leica issued its certification and guaranteed the quality of the solutions created and applied by Xiaomi.
In addition, the head of Leica recalled how difficult it was to coordinate efforts between the Chinese and German companies, concluding that the work would have to be done, to a large extent, face to face.
50 MP + 48 MP + 48 MP triple camera with Leica certification
The triple camera of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is made up of three sensors also approved by Leica, with ultra wide-angle optics (48 MP) with a viewing angle of 128º. The third camera, also 48 MP, is equipped with an increase of up to 120 times.
We therefore have digital zoom of up to 120x, with OIS and Night Mode. Finally, the 1-inch main sensor, with 50 MP resolution, also has OIS and a field of view equivalent (in 35 mm) to 23 mm, thus being a wide angle.
Xiaomi has also put together various filters and image capture modes (Presets) inspired by Leica color science. We have several to choose from, with some demonstrated below, such as the authentic look or the vibrant Leica look.
The user will be able to take advantage of these modes and filters from the Xiaomi camera application. In addition, we also have the Dolby Vision certification to guarantee the best quality of video recording in HDR.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a 6.73” WQHD+ AMOLED screen
The mobile has a large 6.73-inch diagonal AMOLED screen and 2K or WQHD+ resolution to achieve the best image quality on a Xiaomi smartphone to date. We also have the variable refresh rate from 1 Hz to 120 Hz.
The rest of the phone’s features are worthy and suitable for a top of the range in 2022. Below we can see the summary of them, highlighting the processor, internal storage and build quality with gold details.
Availability details for Europe are not yet known, with prices for Xiaomi that place this smartphone in the ultra-premium segment, that is, from $1,000.
(article in update)
