The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the first smartphone with a 1-inch camera made for smartphones
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the world’s first smartphone that comes with a 1-inch camera sensor made specifically for smartphones. That is Sony’s new IMX989 camera sensor. That sensor is a beast on paper, but that’s not all. Leica is also involved here, as Xiaomi partnered up with the company a while back. Not only are Leica’s lenses a part of the package, but Leica was also involved in tuning these cameras, and provided some filters as well.
“Leather-like rear” should help with grip
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a frame made out of metal, and a “leather-like rear”. The phone has a curved display, with extremely thin bezels, and a centered display camera hole.
There is a large, circular camera island on its back, which contains three cameras. Xiaomi packed a lot of tech into this smartphone, that’s for sure, and a lot of it is camera-related. The device is fueled by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, while it includes 8GB/12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The 8GB RAM model comes with 256GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage, while the 12GB RAM unit is available in both 256GB and 512GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage flavors.
Xiaomi uses Surge G1 & P1 proprietary chips for battery management & charging
The device is IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, while it also comes with the Xiaomi Surge G1 and P1 chips. The G1 chip is for battery management, while the P1 is for charging. Speaking of which the charging on this phone is quite fast. The Xiaomi 12 Ultra includes a 4,860mAh battery, and supports 67W fast wired charging. In addition to that, it also supports 50W fast wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. It may not be the fastest wired charging out there, but it’s immensely fast.
An extremely sharp, vibrant, and bright display is included here
The phone features a 6.73-inch Dolby Vision TrueColor display, which is curved. This is Samsung’s E5 LTPO AMOLED display. It offers a QHD+ (3200 x 1440) resolution, which comes down to 522 ppi. The display gets quite bright at 1,500 nits of max brightness. It is adaptive from 1Hz to 120Hz. HDR10+ is supported, by the way. The phone supports Dual 5G, and stereo speakers by Harman Kardon. Dolby Atmos is also supported, while Xiaomi opted for an X-axis linear motor on this phone. Wi-Fi 6 is also supported, as is Bluetooth 5.2.
‘3D cooling system’ is also implemented
Android 12 comes pre-installed on the phone, along with MIUI 13. Xiaomi also uses the all-new ‘3D cooling’ system for this smartphone, to keep its processor cool. Now, the cameras. The camera setup here is one of the main selling points of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The phone includes Leica’s lenses, and the company’s camera optimization. On top of that, Sony’s brand new, 1-inch sensor is included.
The camera setup looks excellent with Sony’s 1-inch camera sensor & Leica lenses
The sensor in question is the Sony IMX989, which is the first 1-inch camera sensor made specifically for smartphones. We’re looking at a 50.3-megapixel Quad-Bayer pixel array here. It uses Pixel Binning to provide 12.5-megapixel images (3.2um pixel size, 4-in-1 Super Pixel). It also features Dual-PD auto-focus, and lens edge ink coating. Multi-layer ALD ultra-low reflectance coating is also applied. When it comes to the lens, we’re looking at a 23mm wide-angle lens, with an f/1.9 aperture (8P Aspheric Lens).
A 48-megapixel ultrawide angle camera is also included here. Sony’s IMX586 sensor is used, and it also utilizes pixel binning to provide 12-megapixel images (1.6um pixel size). Dual-PD auto-focus is used, and this camera supports macro mode. Leica Summicron 1:1.9-4.1/13-120 ASPH lens system is used. The third camera on the back is a 48-megapixel telephoto unit (120mm, f/4.1 periscope setup). We’re looking at Sony’s IMX586 sensor here as well, with a 48-megapixel Quad-Bayer pixel array. Pixel binning is used to provide 12-megapixel shots (1.6um pixel size), while Dual-PD auto-focus is included here as well.
HyperOIS is in use, along with Leica photographic styles & filters
HyperOIS is in function here, while you can choose between Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look photographic styles. There are also some Leica filters at your disposal here. A 32-megapixel front-facing camera is included on the front, with an RGBW image sensor. That camera sits inside a hole punch, which is centered at the top of the display. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra measures 163.17 x 74.92 x 9.06mm, while it weighs 225 grams. The phone comes in Classic Black and Verdant Green color options. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra starts at CNY5,999 ($896) in China, while the top-end variant costs CNY6,999 ($1,046). Global price tags will be a bit higher, if the phone ends up launching globally.
