Technological innovation has changed the phone industry as more and more mid-range devices move closer to flagship quality. Xiaomi is one of the most popular brands to hit the market in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why.
With the rising prices of iPhones and Samsung devices, consumers are looking for affordable alternatives. Often positioned at the top of the list, Xiaomi offers flagship-level specs at an affordable price.
This year, the brand is releasing three new smartphones that should give the iPhone a run for its money with the new camera specs – the Xiaomi Mi 12S, 12S Pro, and 12S Ultra.
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Xiaomi’s new flagship, the Mi 12S Ultra, will be the largest in its lineup. It sports a 6.73-inch OLED display with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, but its biggest draw is the camera lens-like bulge on the back, which gives it the appearance of a DSLR camera.
The lens houses three of the phone’s cameras:
- The 48MP ultra-wide camera
- The 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom
- The 50MP primary camera with a 1-inch sensor
In addition, the camera’s visible bump system was developed in collaboration with Leica.
Xiaomi told Engadget that it is sharing the cost of developing the 1-inch image sensor with Sony. As a result, the upcoming Mi 12S Ultra will use the full sensor compared to Sony, which only used part of the sensor for its Sony Xperia Pro-I model late last year.
While the camera is the Mi 12S Ultra’s main selling point, the phone also packs several features seen in other flagship devices.
Xiaomi’s latest phone has IP68 water and dust resistance and a massive 4,860mAh battery supporting a 67W wired fast charging. Additionally, the Mi 12S Ultra has a 120Hz refresh rate and is considered the first Android device with the ability to shoot in Dolby Vision HDR.
Xiaomi Mi 12S Ultra will launch in two models: one with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (around $ 900) and a high-end model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB for around $1,050.
The brand also sells two cheaper models: the 12S and the 12S Pro, which feature a smaller main camera sensor than the Ultra (1 / 1.28 inch). The 12S and 12S Pro also have a 120Hz OLED screen but are 6.28-inch and 6.73-inch, respectively. They will also use the same Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, priced at $600 for the 12S and $700 for the 12S Pro.
