The Chinese manufacturer has formalized its new high-end smartphone, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The latter has the particularity of being equipped with a large 1-inch photo sensor and of having benefited from the know-how of the German camera manufacturer Leica on the optical part.
The successor of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra will therefore not be the Mi 12 Ultra, but the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, presented alongside two other models, the 12S and 12S Pro. The Ultra variant logically benefits from a few advantages, including a promising photo block which intends to position itself as a new reference in the small world of « photophones ».
The Xiaomi Mi 12S Ultra plays big on the photo
A simple glance at the official photos of the phone is enough to deduce the prominent place occupied by the photo module of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. This new range of smartphones is also the realization of the photo partnership between Xiaomi and Leica. The German brand brought to the Chinese manufacturer its expertise in imaging and optical design. There are also some software additions with two photographic styles as well as filters that recall the “Leica style”.
The heart of the photo unit is driven by a Sony IMX989 sensor. If this is not the first time that we have seen a sensor of this size in a smartphone, hello the Sony Xperia Pro-Ithe one used by the Chinese manufacturer on its new smartphone cost no less than 15 million dollars in development costs. A tidy sum shared by Sony and Xiaomi.
It is a 50.3 megapixel wide-angle sensor with f / 1.9 aperture offering a focal length of 23 mm. This stabilized sensor takes photos in 12.5 megapixels using the method of pixel binning which combines four adjacent pixels to form one, larger, 3.2 µm and thus improve the photographic rendering.
The photo module is completed by an ultra-wide-angle sensor from Sony IMX586 of 48 megapixels (f / 2.2) with autofocus and capable of handling macro photography. It offers a focal length of 12mm. Finally, the third sensor is a telephoto lens which is also 48 megapixels (f / 4.1), with optical stabilization and an x5 optical zoom. The two sensors take 12 megapixel photos with 1.6µm pixels. On the video side, the 12S Ultra will be able to film up to 8K at 24 frames per second.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra has other strings to its bow
The rest of the spec sheet is also very high-end. Thus, there is a 6.73-inch AMOLED screen with LTPO2 technology which allows the panel to go from 1 to 120 Hz depending on the content displayed. A good point for autonomy. The promised maximum brightness is 1500 cd / m² maximum to display content in HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision. Finally, the screen is in 20: 9 format with a QHD + definition of 1440 x 3200 pixels and Gorilla Glass Victus glass protection.
Autonomy will be provided by a 4860 mAh battery and the Xiaomi 12S will be able to fully charge in 41 minutes thanks to its 67W fast recharge. Wireless charging is included, but at 50W. Under these conditions, count 52 minutes to find 100% battery. 10W reverse charging is also welcome to charge other devices.
The phone will also not be forgotten in your pocket with its 225 grams on the scale and its generous dimensions of 163.2 x 75 x 9.1 mm. Like any self-respecting high-end mobile, IP68 waterproof certification is present, as is Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2 and 5G. Performance will be provided by the latest high-end processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen1.
The version with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is displayed at 5999 yuan, or around 859 euros. The version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage goes up to 6499 yuan, or 930 euros, and that with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage at 6999 yuan, or 1002 euros. Unfortunately for us, the bill should increase by a few hundred euros when crossing the borders of Europe. No release date has been communicated on the old continent.
Xiaomi