Introduction
A one inch camera sensor in a phone, and this phone uses all that? The Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the third installment in the company’s ultimate flagship series with an extra focus on imaging, has just arrived. Unfortunately, like that groundbreaking Mi 10 Ultra, this latest Mi 10 Ultra won’t be sold outside of China – but at least we’ve got one for review.
Xiaomi Ultras (left to right): Mi 10 Ultra • Mi 11 Ultra • 12S Ultra
To avoid confusion, let’s make one thing clear from the start – you probably already know that, but no physical dimension of the ‘one-inch’ sensor is actually an inch. It’s a long-standing quirk in digital camera sensor nomenclature, and we’ll talk about it in more detail in the camera section of this review.
It’s still the largest camera sensor in a smartphone, paired with the Sharp Aquos R6 that practically no one has seen outside of Japan, and the Xperia Pro-I that got more publicity, but probably sold even fewer units. The China-only Xiaomi means that one-inchers will keep that exclusivity, but it’s still closer to a mainstream device than those other two.
Oh, and unlike the Sony that cuts off the center of its 1-inch sensor, the Xiaomi uses everything. And unlike the Sharp, the latest Ultra has advanced phase-detection autofocus. So, bound for size it may be, but it is better – quite a remarkable camera, that much is certain.
The rest of the rear setup isn’t half bad either – it’s just largely the same as on the Mi 11 Ultra. Still great, and in many ways superior to the competition, but not as new. New, however, is the selfie camera, and this is where it will have to pull its own weight – with the small display on the back now gone, more photo ops will have to be handled by the front camera.
Outside of taking pictures, the 12S Ultra is a true flagship. The phone will be launched in the second half of the year, so time for the plus version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. RAM and storage are sufficient, the screen is cutting-edge and the small details are there: IP68 rating, stereo speakers, infrared port . Battery capacity and charging capacity are not class leading, but should do just fine. All things considered, that’s not a spec sheet we can complain about, no.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra specifications at a glance:
- Body: 163.2×75.0x9.1mm, 225g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), eco-leather back, aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes).
- Display: 6.73″ LTPO2 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1440x3200px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 522ppi.
- chipset: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.19GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
- Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- Operating System / Software: Android 12, MIUI 13.
- Rear camera: wide (head): 50.3 MP, f/1.9, 23 mm, 1.0″, 1.6 µm, multi-directional PDAF, laser AF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, Dual-Pixel PDAF; Telephoto: 48 MP, f/4.1, 120mm, 1/2.0″, 0.8 µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom; Depth: GREAT 3D.
- Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, 25mm (wide), 0.7µm.
- Video recording: reversing camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@3840fps, Gyro-EIS, Dolby Vision HDR 10-bit rec. (4K, 1080p); Front camera: 1080p@30.
- Battery: 4860mAh; Fast Charging 67 W, Fast Wireless Charging 50 W, 100% in 52 min (Advertised), Reverse Wireless Charging 10 W, Quick Charge 4, Power Delivery 3.0.
- Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Infrared port; Stereo speakers.
Unpacking Xiaomi 12S Ultra
The 12S Ultra comes in a black box to differentiate it from lesser twelve – a distinction we also observed last year. It’s not the one-off custom-designed package the 10 Ultra appeared in, but it’s still a bit of a statement.
The content brings no surprises. A 67W charger is included, with a USB-A to C cable to go with you – Xiaomi still uses its own charging technology. You also get a soft, clear case for protection, although it doesn’t feel right to slap a penny-worth piece of silicone on a phone as premium as this one. And it does attract attention, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.