The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is there with its one-inch sensor, its partnership with Leica and its new generation chip. We take stock of what’s new.
After months of waiting, Xiaomi has finally revealed the successor to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. If we were expecting a traditional Xiaomi 12 Ultra, it is not so, the Chinese giant having preferred to integrate its ultrapremium into a new range, thus naming it Xiaomi 12 S Ultra. It was featured alongside new Xiaomi 12S et 12 S Proas well as a Xiaomi 12 Pro Dimensity Edition.
And from the outset, this is rather good news, since it means that the new phone is equipped with a better chip than the classic Xiaomi 12 range. He inherits a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1of which we expect a lot, especially on heat management, one of the big black spots of the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro.
A round module like a balloon
The phone sports a bold design with a titanic photo module with a round shape and a rather thick appearance. The back of the phone seems to adopt a faux leather coating of the most beautiful effect. It will undoubtedly weigh its weight with 225 g on the scale and generous dimensions: 163.17 x 74.92 x 9.06 mm.
But what will jump out at the most attentive is obviously the addition of the word Leica at the top left of the photo block. It was one of the most anticipated points of the new Ultra model from Xiaomi, and it is now confirmed, the Xiaomi 12 S Ultra inaugurates a partnership with the manufacturer of cameras and optics Leica. For the time being, this partnership seems to mainly result in dedicated filters, work on colorimetry as well as anti-reflective coatings on the lenses.
Source : Xiaomi
Source : Xiaomi
Source : Xiaomi
More precisely, the photo configuration promises of course high level, starting with its main sensor, the Sony IMX989, which achieves the feat of reaching a size of one inch. It is therefore the fifth smartphone to integrate such a large sensor following the Sony Xperia Pro-Ile Sharp Aquos R6le Sharp Aquos R7 and the Leica Leitz Phone 1. The sensor displays a definition of 50.3 Mpx, which gives shots of 12.5 Mpx, with photosites of 3.2 μm, merging in 4 to 1. For comparison, the Mi 11 Ultra offered as for it 2.8 µm pixel arrays. This main photo module will offer a focal length of 23 mm (f / 1.9).
Who says ultrapremium necessarily says the presence of a telephoto lens. Here it’s a 120mm (f/4.1) periscope with a half-inch (Sony IMX586) 48-megapixel sensor. The result is 12 megapixel shots with 1.6 µm photosites.
Let’s quickly move on to the ultra-wide-angle, a 13mm (f/2.2) module that shares the same sensor as the telephoto lens. The selfie camera displays 32 megapixels with an RGBW sensor.
The rest of the data sheet
For once, the most expensive smartphone in a range is not the one with the highest load. Indeed, the Xiaomi 12S ultra only provides 67W charging (50W wirelessly) for its 4860 mAh battery, where the 12 S Pro goes up to 120W for a 4600 mAh battery.
The screen for its part is very well equipped. It is a 6.73-inch panel, LTPO 2.0 (with refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz), with a QHD definition, i.e. a density of 522 pixels per inch. The promised maximum brightness is 1500 cd/m². It is HDR 10+, HDR 10, Dolby Vision compatible.
Source : Xiaomi
Source : Xiaomi
Source : Xiaomi
To continue on the multimedia part, the Xiaomi 12 S Ultra of course continues the partnership with Harman Kardon and thus integrates two stereo speakers compatible with Dolby Atmos. How to take advantage of SVoD platforms.
Especially since the connection part obviously promises the best with WiFi 6, 5 G 4X4 MIMO DU and Bluetooth 5.2.
To complete the owner’s tour, let’s mention an IP68 certification which best protects it once morest water and dust. It will also come with MIUI 13 (Android 12). We do not yet know how long updates will be supported at this time.
Xiaomi 12 S Ultra price and availability
The phone will be available in three versions, 8 +256 GB, 12 +256 GB and 12 +512 GB. The prices will be 5999, 6499 and 6999 yuan respectively, or 857, 929 and 1000 euros if we do a simple conversion . For once, we expect to see a price increase of several hundred euros with the arrival of the models in Europe. Two colors are available: black or green.
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