Xiaomi has launched three new smartphones in its 12S series including the one with a massive one-inch camera sensor, Mi 12S Ultra. The other two phones are Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro and all three phones have camera hardware developed in partnership with German optics brand, Leica.
Coming back to Mi 12S Ultra, the smartphone comes with a three-camera setup, a 48-megapixel ultrawide, a 48-megapixel telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel main camera that uses the one-inch sensor: the Sony IMX 989. Sony uses the same sensor in their RX100 Mk 7 point-and-shoot cameras, a popular choice among content creators.
This isn’t the first time when a company has put one-inch sensors in smartphones. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun told Engadget that they took part in the Sony IMX989’s development, and the $15 million cost was also split evenly between the two companies. He also added that the sensor won’t be exclusive to Xiaomi and that it’ll be made available to his local competitors after the launch of the 12S Ultra, in order to “promote the advancement of mobile imaging together.”
The Ultra has a 6.73-inch OLED display with a 1440p resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. The smartphone has a 4,860mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging support. It also has two proprietary Xiaomi Surge chips: a Surge P1 fast-charging chipset and a Surge G1 battery management chipset.
This is #Xiaomi12SUltra, our top imaging flagship smartphone. #Xiaomi12SSeriesLaunch pic.twitter.com/QUDC2mmSFc
— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) July 4, 2022
The other two models, the 12S and 12S Pro come with the main camera sensor with a 1/1.28-inch size. The 12S sports a 6.28-inch 120Hz display, while the 12S Pro has a 6.73-inch 120Hz OLED display, like the Ultra and Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip.
At present, Xiaomi has no plans to launch the 12S Ultra outside of China, and is now available in the home country. Talking about the price, Xiaomi 12S Ultra will start at 5,999 yuan (around $900) for 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and will go up to 6,999 yuan (around $1,000) for 12GB RAM, 512GB storage. The 12S Pro will start at 4,699 yuan (around $700) for 8GB RAM, 128GB storage. The 12S is the most affordable option priced at 3,999 yuan (around $600) for 8GB RAM, 128GB storage and 5,199 yuan ( around $780) for 12GB RAM, 512GB storage.
