Xiaomi has announced the 12S Ultra, a new flagship smartphone that is sure to draw tremendous interest from photographers. Among the highlights of the Chinese manufacturer’s latest premium handset is its professional wide-angle camera system co-engineered with Leica, which leverages Sony’s IMX989—a relatively massive 1-inch sensor that implements a Quad-Bayer pixel array with individual pixel sizes reaching 3.2 μm after pixel binning. Xiaomi says that the hardware allows for reduced noise, extended dynamic range, and increased light captured, enabling better photos in low-light conditions. Other specifications of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra include two proprietary Xiaomi Surge chips, a 6.73-inch AMOLED screen from Samsung with Dolby Vision support, and up to 12 GB of memory. The phone will be released alongside the 12S Pro, 12S, and 12 Pro Dimensity Edition in China on July 6th.
This is #Xiaomi12SUltra, our top imaging flagship smartphone. #Xiaomi12SSeriesLaunch pic.twitter.com/QUDC2mmSFc
— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) July 4, 2022
Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro feature Sony’s IMX707 as their primary sensor, which incorporates both a large sensor size and large pixels, at 1/1.28” and 2.44μm after pixel binning. With the support of Xiaomi AI Image Solution and Xiaomi ProFocus, these sensors achieve fast startup, capture, and continuous capturing. These devices support an industry-leading 30fps ultra-fast burst mode, and exceptional low-light photography capabilities. Further, they also implement All-scene snapshot in their cameras, making it easier to capture the decisive moment.
Xiaomi 12S Series “co-engineered with Leica” has also been designed to be more photographer-friendly in post-production. The entire series supports 10-bit RAW format calibrated by Adobe Labs, with color correction metadata embedded in the files. When using Adobe Lightroom to open photos shot on Xiaomi 12S Series, Adobe Camera RAW software will automatically optimize photos based on metadata, providing professional photographers with a good starting point for post-production.
Source: Xiaomi