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Xiaomi 12S Ultra goes official: the next era of smartphone cameras
After a lot of teasing, leaks and rumors, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is finally official, and one thing this phone does not hide is its camera ambitions. Just look at that gigantic camera module on the back!
It not only looks large, but there is a solid reason behind this extra-large camera setup. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the first phone to feature the new Sony IMX989 image sensor, which happens to be the largest camera sensor built specifically for smartphones. It's expected to land in many other phones in the future, but this here Xiaomi device is the first one to get it. In the camera section below, you will see its exact size and how it dwarves what was recently considered a big sensor like the one in the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
So, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra clearly aims to change the world of smartphone photography, but it is also a proper powerhouse of a flagship. It's equipped with the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 chip, the fastest RAM memory and storage, and of course, it also has a big and beautiful 6.7-inch OLED screen.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra Camera
Triple camera system with a massive 1-inch sensor used for the main shooter
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra camera system is a giant circle on the back of the phone, which houses the three rear cameras. In the center is the new main shooter and you can see that it looks much larger than the rest. To the left is an ultra-wide camera, and below the main snapper is a 5X zoom periscope cam.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra camera specs:
- 50MP wide camera, 23mm, f/1.9 aperture, 1" sensor (Sony IMX989)
- 48MP ultra-wide camera, 13mm, f/2.2 aperture, 1/2" sensor (IMX586)
- 48MP 5.2X zoom camera, 120mm, f/4.1, 1/2" sensor (IMX586)
The secret ingredient to the camera magic sauce that Xiaomi has cooked up is the Sony IMX989 1" sensor.
Such a large sensor means bigger individual pixel sizes that reach 1.6μm, and after pixel binning, this goes up to 3.2μm, a big increase compared to the competition. This helps you get photos with less noise, extending dynamic range, and more light captured.
On top of the sensor sits a new 8P aspheric lens that further helps with common photography issues like flare, ghosting, and chromatic aberration. In fact, the whole camera module of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra has anti-glare lens coating, lens edge ink coating, cyclic olefin copolymer material, and infrared light filter with spin coating technology... okay, half of these words don't mean much to us either but the gist is you get clearer overall picture across the lens.
Leica partnership:
- Leica Summicron lenses
- Leica imaging profiles
Images are not just specs of course, and to help get beautiful colors out of these impressive new sensors, Xiaomi has partnered with Leica in two key areas: the lenses and the imaging.
The lens has undergone stringent optical quality testing standards, while colors have been tweaked to closely adhere to Leica's signature look and feel, and you get two different styles to pick from.
