1” sensors are the holy grail of small digital cameras – are they really that good? We are about to find out as we now have the Xiaomi 12S Ultra for review. Unlike the recent Xperia Pro-I (which reused the sensor from the Sony RX100 VII), this phone is the first to use Sony’s new IMX989.
The sensor isn’t everything though, processing matters just as much – if not more so in these form factors. This is where Leica steps in, the veteran lens maker from Germany has switched teams and lent its expertise to the entire 12S series.
This includes the Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro, which are based on the original 12 and 12 Pro, although they also upgrade to the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset for a little extra performance and much better efficiency.
But let’s focus on Ultra first. Compared to the 12S Pro, it ditches the 5x periscope telephoto lens (120mm, in front of a 48MP sensor), the ultrawide unit is also different, although this one is less impactful. The other change is in the battery. The new cell has a slightly larger capacity (4,860 mAh vs. 4,600 mAh), but it charges more slowly – 0-100% in 41 minutes wired (vs. 19 minutes) or 52 minutes wirelessly (vs. 42 minutes).
The 12S Ultra uses the same 6.73” display as the 12S Pro – a 1-120Hz LTPO panel with a resolution of 1440 x 3200px. The Xiaomi 12S is smaller with a 6.28” 120Hz AMOLED display. All three support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra will only be launched in China at a price of CNY 6,000. For comparison, it’s around $900/€880 (note: China prices are lower than global prices). If you could, would you buy one?
The only direct comparison is with the Sony Xperia Pro-I, which also has a 1” sensor but doesn’t make full use of it (using only 12MP of a 20MP sensor). It also has a basic 2x telephoto lens (not the continuous zoom module on the Xperia 1 IV) and a 12MP ultra-wide. This also uses last year’s Snapdragon 888, but has a 4K 21:9 OLED display, allowing it to serve as an external monitor for Sony cameras. Considering this is also intended as a pro, it retails for $1600/€1500.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can’t compete in terms of sensor size, but the 108MP 1/1.33” sensor is nothing to sneeze at. The phone also has two telephoto lenses: 3x and 10x (both with 10MP sensors) and a 12MP ultra-wide. This might be Samsung’s best camera, but not everyone wants it (just) for the camera. Some want S Pen stylus, some software support, some like One UI/DeX etc. The S22 Ultra costs $1,200/€1,250.
The Vivo X80 Pro has a 50MP 1/1.3” sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide and two telephoto lenses: 12MP at 2x and 8MP at 5x. The legendary German lens maker also bears its name, Zeiss, who contributed to the T* lens coating and helped with image processing (which is also handled by the custom-built vivo V1+ chip). The X80 Pro retails for €1100-1300 depending on your exact region.
Sony Xperia Pro-I • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G • vivo X80 Pro
Interested in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra? Note: you can also vote here.
If you’re looking for the Xiaomi 12S Ultra for its chipset, the Asus ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro are also powered by the same 8+ Gen 1, as is another gaming phone – the Red Magic 7S Pro. And the other two 12S phones from this week, of course, which should be available globally.
The Xiaomi 12S Pro will retail for CNY 4,700 ($700/€700). Global pricing is yet to be revealed, but the 12 Pro retails for €900, so expect the 12S Pro to be at the same level (as we said, prices in China are lower than overseas).
The Samsung Galaxy S22+ uses the original Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in some regions and the Exynos 2200 in Europe. It doesn’t have an LTPO panel like the Xiaomi, while the cameras are mixed – the main 50MP has a smaller sensor (1/1.56” vs 1/1.28”), the telephoto has a 3x lens but only a 10MP sensor (vs 2x 50MP), and the ultrawide has a main 12MP sensor (vs. 50MP). The Galaxy also lacks the 12S Pro’s 120W fast charging, going with 45W. And there isn’t even a capacity advantage. The S22+ costs $1000/€1050.
The Oppo Find X5 Pro has an LTPO panel (6.7” 120Hz QHD+, just like Xiaomi) and uses a non-plus 8 Gen 1 chip. The sensor of the main 50MP camera is not as large (1/1.56” vs. 1/1.28”), the 50M ultrawide camera is not as wide (110° vs. 115°), but it has a large 1/1.56” sensor . Telephoto is a standard 2x with a 13MP sensor (versus 2x 50MP). The X5 Pro can be yours for €1,300.
The Honor Magic4 Pro also has an LTPO panel (6.81” 120Hz, not quite QHD+) and is targeted with 50MP main (1/1.56”), 50MP ultra-wide and 64MP periscope (3.5x). It also has 100 W fast charging that comes close to Ultra (00-100% in 30 minutes instead of 19 minutes). You can pick one up for €1100.
Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G • Oppo Find X5 Pro • Honor Magic4 Pro
Show of hands – who cares about the Xiaomi 12S Pro? Note: you can also vote here.
The Xiaomi 12S will cost CNY 3,700 in China ($550/€550), the original Xiaomi 12 is €700. It has a 6.28” screen, which is small for a flagship, but the phone is not as compact as the $800/€850 Galaxy S22. The S22 and S22+ have the same cameras as the 12S and 12S Pro, with the main difference being the display and battery.
There aren’t really any Snapdragon 8(+) Gen 1 phones this size, and Xiaomi will win most price battles. The Realme GT2 Pro has an MSRP of €750 and features a 50MP main (1/1.56”) and 50MP ultra-wide (150°), but lacks telephoto.
Samsung Galaxy S22 5G • Realme GT2 Pro
Would you buy the Xiaomi 12S? Note: you can also vote here.
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