The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a smartphone that focuses mostly on its camera. After giving it only a cursory examination, that becomes blatantly obvious. The front is an all-display quality affair, as is customary for such products. The back, on the other hand, has a large glass component that sits on a raised camera island that is encircled by leather. This design is what you get when you shape a phone with a throwback camera. Something along the lines of a Leica M6. Because it is made of eco-leather, the 12S Ultra is considerably simpler to hold onto than its predecessor, which was made of slippery ceramic. The cameras that are located on the rear of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra are all at the very top of the line when it comes to smartphone photography. At 1 inch, the primary imager is the largest sensor on a smartphone. It contains multi-directional phase-detect autofocus, a laser aid to that AF system, optical stabilization, and a wide 23mm lens with an f/1.9 aperture, and it combines 50.3 megapixels in a 4-to-1 pixel binning to produce 12.5 megapixel photographs. Additionally, it has optical stabilization. A fun fact is that the sensor that measures 1 inch is not the one that is located in the middle of the camera module; rather, it measures ultrawide. The camera located at the very top of the module serves as the primary camera. However, the hardware of the camera is not the only focus of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. In order to fine-tune the cameras found on the 12S Ultra, Xiaomi collaborated with image powerhouse Leica. There are several facets to this relationship, which we will discuss in greater depth in our comprehensive review. As soon as you access the camera interface, you will be required to make a selection between two different camera appearances: Leica Vivid or Leica Authentic. The first one has a look that is more punchy and contrasty, similar to that of modern smartphone cameras, while the second one has a style that is more subdued and more true to life.
Comparing Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Xiaomi 12S Ultra
There is a significant amount of genetic material carried over from the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra into the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The front is almost identical (the selfie camera has been moved to the center), while the back has a redesigned arrangement but features basically the same cameras. These include a wide camera with a massive sensor, an ultrawide camera with autofocus, and a 5x telephoto periscope. It should come as no surprise that the interior of the 12S Ultra is superior to that of its predecessor. The chipset is the most recent generation of the Snapdragon 8+, the battery is slightly smaller, but it includes a dedicated charging chip, and the display is little smaller, but it is brighter and more intelligent in its refreshing. Because it has an additional intelligent chip for battery management, the 12S Ultra should be able to make greater use of the milliamps that it has.
Cost of 12S Phones
Due to the fact that the phones are only being released in China, we are only aware of their prices in China at this time; nevertheless, we have calculated how these prices translate to other countries:
Xiaomi 12S – From ¥3,999 (around $600/£490/€570 Xiaomi 12S Pro – From ¥4,699 (around $700/£580/€670) Xiaomi 12S Ultra – From ¥5,999 (around $900/£740/€860)
Xiaomi 12S Specs
Don’t let the fact that the ordinary 12S will be the smallest and least expensive phone in the series discourage you from purchasing one of these devices. It comes in a variety of colors, including black, purple, green, and now a brand new white finish. It maintains a pleasant and compact form factor by employing a display with the same dimensions as the Xiaomi 12. It will have exactly the same resolution and refresh rate as its predecessor, which is to say that it will be an AMOLED operating at 120 Hz. However, there are still some significant enhancements to the overall performance.
Performance Enhancements
The first and most obvious thing is that it will feature the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, much like all of the other 12S phones. Even while the physical cell has the same 4500mAh capacity and can be charged with either 67W cable or 50W wireless power, this change should result in some moderate improvements in performance and possibly a longer battery life.
Camera Improvements
Additionally, the camera has been improved. The main rear lens is still 50 megapixels, but it now utilizes the upgraded Sony IMX707 sensor with optical image stabilization. This is the same sensor that was used in the 12 Pro earlier this year. It also has the Leica branding on the back, just like the other three new phones, to acknowledge the effort that the camera manufacturer has done to assist Xiaomi in improving the image quality of its products. The Xiaomi 12S comes pre-installed with Android 12 and MIUI 13, much like all of the other phones in the Xiaomi 12 series. Here are the full Xiaomi 12S specs:
Xiaomi 12S Pro specs
As is the case with the standard Xiaomi 12 series, the 12S Pro is only a rung and a half above the 12S in the hierarchy. However, it is distinguished from the 12S by virtue of its larger size, as well as improved camera and display specifications. You will receive the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 same as the 12S; however, the increased surface area for cooling will result in slightly higher overall performance. The selection of the chipset is practically the only significant improvement over the 12 Pro. The larger 6.73-inch E5 AMOLED display, which is supported by a dynamic 1-120Hz refresh rate and high 2K resolution—despite the fact that this is virtually the same as the display on the 12 Pro—is likely to be a major selling point for many people. In addition to this, the rear camera and rapid charging capabilities are identical to those of the iPhone 12 Pro (120W wired, 50W wireless). The complete technical specifications are listed here:
Xiaomi 12S Ultra specs
The 12S Ultra is a more unconventional mobile device. This is instantly apparent from the appearance; not only is the 12S Ultra considerably bigger, but it also features an entirely unique circular back camera module that is encircled by a ring made of 23K gold. In contrast to the Mi 11 Ultra from the previous year, there is no space reserved for a small display on the back of the device. Instead, this section of the device is devoted entirely to the camera, but we’ll discuss that in a moment. The phone has a finish that looks like vegan leather, and it comes in two different colors: traditional black and verdant green. Additionally, it has a water resistant rating of IP68. Regarding the display, you get a 6.73-inch LTPO 2.0 AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2K. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset is utilized by the 12S Ultra as well, just like it is by the other two phones. The Ultra is also going to blow people away with its battery life. It has a battery capacity of 4860 mAh and supports cable charging at 67 watts and wireless charging at 50 watts. This means that it has slower wired charging than the iPhone 12 Pro, but it has a little larger battery. In addition to that, it comes with a custom-designed battery management chipset called the Surge G1. The next stop is the camera, so let’s go. In spite of the fact that early reports stated that the Ultra would be the premiere of one of Samsung’s 200Mp camera sensors, the main camera on the phone is really a brand-new Sony sensor that operates at an aperture of f/1.9. One of the most noticeable features of the new IMX989 is that it has a 1in sensor, just like the sensor used in Sony’s own Xperia Pro-I. It is virtually the same camera system as the Mi 11 Ultra, with the exception of the fact that the main lens has been improved. It is combined with a 48Mp ultrawide lens and a 5x periscope lens. While the front-facing camera will have a resolution of 20 megapixels, the fourth lens on the back of the device is just a ToF sensor for depth detection. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2022 Maina Wilson
