Are 1" sensors—the pinnacle of compact digital cameras—really that good? We already have a Xiaomi 12S Ultra in for review, so we're going to discover out. This phone is the first to employ Sony's new IMX989 sensor, in contrast to the recently released Xperia Pro-I (which used the sensor from the Sony RX100 VII).
The processor is just as important as the sensor in these form factors, if not more so. This is where Leica steps in; the seasoned German lens manufacturer swapped sides and contributed its expertise to the whole 12S series.
Included in this are the Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro, which are based on the original 12 and 12 Pro but update to the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset for a little bit more performance and significantly greater efficiency.
But let's first pay attention to the Ultra. The telephoto lens is replaced with a 5x periscope (120mm, in front of a 48MP sensor) in comparison to the 12S Pro. The ultra wide module also differs, albeit the difference is less significant. The battery has also been modified. Although the new cell has a little higher capacity (4,860mAh vs. 4,600mAh), it takes longer to charge (41 minutes as opposed to 19 minutes or 52 minutes for wireless charging) to reach 100%. (vs. 42 min).
.jpg) |
Similar to the 12S Pro, the 12S Ultra has a 6.73" display with a 1-120Hz LTPO panel and a 1,440 x 3,200px resolution. The 6.28" 120Hz AMOLED display of the Xiaomi 12S is smaller. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are supported by all three.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra will only be available in China and will cost CNY 6,000 when it does. For the purpose of comparison, that amounts to roughly $900/€880. (note: prices in China are lower than global prices). Would you purchase one if you could?
