15 years removed from the first iPhone, it seems as though the smartphone wars have mainly come down to which one offers the best camera. Well, Xiaomi is looking to lead the way in this department, as its newly unveiled flagship in the Mi 12S Ultra boasts a remarkable lens assembly and image sensor like few others have to offer.
The Chinese gadgeteer’s latest smartphone houses a trio of lenses, including a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 50-megapixel main camera, the latter of which makes immaculate use of the new Sony IMX 989 sensor 1-inch image sensor — the first 1-inch sensor explicitly made for a smartphone. That alone would be enough to put the 12S Ultra on the map as a major player in the mobile photography space, but then there’s also the involvement of a little company called Leica.
The 12S Ultra has been co-engineered by Xiaomi and Leica, resulting in a state-of-the-art lens system. The primary camera features an 8P aspheric lens with anti-glare lens coating, lens edge ink coating, cyclic olefin copolymer material, and infrared light filter with spin coating technology — all of which add up to what is likely the most DSLR-like experience one can get in a smartphone. It’s also the first Android phone with support for Dolby Vision HDR video recording. The phone even incorporates two distinct Leica image profiles — Lecia Authentic and Leica Vibrant — so you can further tailor your photography experience. The phone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ processor, paving the way for rapid-fire browsing while maintaining battery life. Additionally, the device boasts an IP68 rating for water-and-dust resistance, ensuring that it can tackle some above-average wear and tear.
This phone is packing one serious camera, and it has the look to go along with it. The device has been modeled after classic Leica cameras, resulting in — perhaps for the first time — a camera phone that actually looks like a camera. Xiaomi’s 12S Ultra is up for pre-order in a variety of configurations in China, with prices starting from CNY 5,999 (~$893).
