General

Quick review of Xiaomi 12S Ultra

Finally, the long-awaited smartphone fell into my hands. I would even call it "one hundred percent camera phone", since

it deserves such a name thanks to a fancy set of cameras:

  1. 50 MP sensor with a matrix size of 1 inch!
  2. 48 MP sensor with wide-angle optics with phase detection autofocus.
  3. 48 MP sensor with 120mm focal length and optical stabilization.

The device is the successor of the goodproven Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. By the way, it can still give odds to any flagship smartphone with top-end cameras. I plan to write a comparison of Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra in the near future. If you are interested in such material, put likes and write comments, as they say on our web.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra review will be small becauseI got a “travelled” version of the gadget, and even on Chinese firmware. I tried to reflash the device, but at some point I realized that I could get a "brick". Better wait for an adequate version of the device. Nevertheless, the apparatus that I have in my hands allows me to make some impression, at least in the photographic part.

The cost of Xiaomi 12S Ultra is in the region of 65,000 - 70,000 rubles, depending on the store on Ali.

Table of Contents

  • Smartphone Specifications
  • Equipment
  • Appearance and elements on the case
  • Display
  • "Iron"
  • Cameras
  • About sound
  • Working hours
  • Impression

Smartphone Specifications

  • Display: 6.73-inch diagonal, AMOLED LTPO 2.0, QHD + resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1500 nits peak brightness, 521 ppi pixel density, support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 +;
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 4nm process technology;
  • Ram: 8 or 12 GB (LPDDR5);
  • Storage device: 256 or 512 GB (UFS 3.1);
  • rear camera: 50 MP Sony IMX989 (1-inch sensor size, OIS support, 8K video recording), 48 MP (ultra wide-angle, 128-degree field of view), 48 MP (telephoto, OIS support, 120x hybrid zoom);
  • Front-camera: 32 MP;
  • Battery: 4860 mAh, 67W wired charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse;
  • OS: Android 12, MIUI 13 shell;
  • Other: in-screen fingerprint scanner, IP68 protection rating, Harman Kardon stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, IR port, Surge G1 custom power controller.

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Equipment

  • Smartphone
  • Case
  • Power adapter
  • Power cable
  • Clip
  • Instruction
  • Warranty card

Appearance and elements on the case

Frankly speaking, I was waiting for Xiaomi 12S Ultranegative experience of use: I imagined a device of unrealistic dimensions and enormous weight. In real life, the 12S Ultra version proved to be even more comfortable and compact than its predecessor Mi 11 Ultra. But these are purely my subjective impressions.

Dimensions 12S Ultra - 163.2 x 75 x 9.1 mm, weight is 225 grams. For a moment, Xiaomi is narrower and lighter than the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The Xiaomi 12S Ultra smartphone is available in two colors:black and green. Officially they are called "classic black" and "unripe green". If the first option is quite clear, then the second is not quite. It means that the back panel is a pale gray-green hue, and the frame in this case is golden.

The texture of the lid resembles leather. Nice material, almost does not slip in the hand. The manufacturer says it wanted to convey the experience of interacting with Leica devices.

An impressive size round module is installedon a metal base that takes up almost half of the back of the device. Well, this is how the design of the smartphone was beaten: as if you were holding a camera with a large lens in your hands.

By the way, a curious detail: in the center of the circle there is a “width”, and not the same one-inch sensor.

On the top of the front panel there is a camera, sensors, a speech speaker.

At the top end there is a hole for a speaker, a traditional Xiaomi IR transmitter, a second microphone.

On the right are the power and volume buttons. Thin, but quite comfortable.

Below is a slot for two SIM cards, a microphone, USB type-C, a speakerphone.

On the back side:

  • double flash
  • Laser focusing system
  • Wide-angle lens in the center
  • Main Camera Lens - Left
  • Zoom camera lens - bottom

Total: despite the impressive dimensions and weight, the smartphone feels like a completely ordinary large modern device; materials are pleasant to the touch, assembled firmly.

Display

Again we are dealing with a "bent" screen matrix. Unfortunately, I don't like this type. I wrote about this many times on our resource. I will not repeat myself.

Diagonal Xiaomi 12S Ultra stretched to 6.73 inches, the matrix was installed by LTPO AMOLED with a resolution of 3200x1440 pixels - this is almost 521 pixels per inch. The screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Victus glass. A set of additional gentleman's parameters:

  • Refresh rate up to 120Hz
  • Over 1 billion colors
  • Support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+

Manual settings allow you to raise the brightness of the matrix up to 550 nits, automatic settings - up to 900 nits.

What about PWM?

Yes, everything is very bad.Even at a matrix brightness of 550 nits, the ripple coefficient is 30%. And if the brightness drops to 20%, then the ripple coefficient reaches 70%. Alas, the Low light mode set by the developers did not help, it simply stops the growth of CP at about 30%. Let me remind you that the norm is up to 10% of the CP.

Bottom line: a great flagship screen that lacks flicker elimination and a flat matrix.

"Iron"

This model can have 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM (LPDDR5), 256 GB or 512 GB of internal memory (UFS 3.1).

The RAM speed is 33,000 MB/s. Frankly, such data usually show devices in the “above average” price category, that is, semi-flagships. I would like more.

The speed of the built-in memory pleases - 1350/700 MB / s. Another thing.

The processor is a classic of the latest fancy devices, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with a 4 nm process technology. In the Antutu test, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra smartphone scores a cosmic 1,000,000 points!

Of course, with such a gadget, you will not catch anyone glitch. The device works smoothly, quickly, clearly and without questions. Yes, there is heating of the case up to about 40 degrees Celsius. Phone Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra plus or minus the same.

PUBG game:

However, it should be understood that I worked withChinese firmware without Russian. I already answered above why I did not install the global firmware. In short: the smartphone is not my personal one, and if anything, I will have to answer in front of the store. Therefore, at your own peril and risk, he did not begin to chemistry. There will be time and opportunities - I will tell you about the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Global device.

And so the Chinese version is different not onlythe lack of Google services, but also a huge number of restrictions on installing applications. Worse, part of the interface is in Chinese, which makes it difficult to translate exclamations from the system. Yes, you can translate via Yandex Camera.

Cameras

The set is as follows:

  1. 50 MP Sony IMX989 sensor, matrix size - 1inch, pixel size - 1.6 microns, 8 lenses, 23 mm focal length, f/1.9 aperture, optical stabilization. Autofocus All pixel autofocus, or Octa PD. This is a structure that combines a Bayer quad sensor with Dual PD (Canon's so-called Dual Pixel) technology and can realize an extremely high level of phase detection autofocus regardless of the brightness of the subject. A professional anti-reflective coating with ultra-low reflection technology is applied.

And there is also a suspicion that the 12S Ultra uses the entire surface of the sensor, unlike the same Sony Xperia Pro-I.

  1. 48 MP sensor with wide-angle optics with phase detection autofocus. 13mm (128 degree) angle, 1/2" sensor, f/2.2 aperture. There is already Dual PD phase detection autofocus.
  2. 48 MP sensor with 120mm focal length and optical stabilization. The sensor has a size of 1/2 inch, f/4.1 aperture.

If you want a short summary of the main camera:she is simply the best! There is a wonderful natural blurring of the background, cool color reproduction, a wide dynamic range, little noise, excellent "reception" of light to display a bright picture under any lighting conditions. I haven't had so much fun taking pictures with a smartphone camera in a long time.

"Shirik" is not the best, but it shoots well.Under insufficient conditions, the picture still lathers. The viewing angle is very large, of course, there are distortions. It also functions as a macro camera. True, the distance to the object should be about 40-50 mm. Which is not very close for a macro.

The telephoto camera made me happy.Usually, smartphones with a focal length of more than 50 mm are “afraid” to take pictures at night or even at sunset. But Xiaomi 12S Ultra is not "afraid". Therefore, almost always you will receive frames on a zoom lens. The quality is excellent, the focus is accurate and fast. There is even bokeh. So the portraits will be successful.

The 12S Ultra has a Pro mode. There you can select all possible shooting options for all lenses.

As for Leica, the device has twoeffect - Leica vibrant and Leica authentic. In the first case, you get warm shades of colors, the tone becomes a little brighter, the colors are more saturated. In the second case, the frames come out with high contrast, giving the pictures a historical significance. In general, you can play.

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Shooting video is a different story.If you swung at 8K, then the picture will be just a bomb, even at night. The impression that you are shooting on a professional camera: colors, sharpness, details, white balance - everything is just gorgeous.

You can also switch to 4K 60 fps. The picture will be a little worse, but all cameras are available.

Bottom line: shooting photos and videos on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the best you can find in smartphones today. It's that simple.

Examples of photos and videos:

Main camera pointing at yourself

Selfie:

  • Original photos (zip, 270 MB)
  • Selfie during the day 1080p 24 fps (MP4, 42 MB)
  • Shooting with the main camera during the day in 1080p resolution 30 fps HDR mode (MP4, 98 MB)
  • Selfie at night 1080p 24 fps (MP4, 38 MB)
  • 4K 30fps Shooting - Solar Eclipse (Through Filter) (MP4 15MB)
  • Shooting with the main camera at night in 4K resolution 30 fps HDR mode (MP4, 184 MB)
  • Shooting wide at night in 4K resolution 30 fps (MP4, 210 MB)
  • Shooting the Moon with manual settings (4K 60 fps) (MP4, 45 MB)
  • Shooting wide (macro) during the day 4K 60 fps (MP4, 155 MB)
  • Shooting with the main camera during the day in 4K 60 fps (MP4, 215 MB)
  • Shooting with the main camera at night in 4K 60 fps (MP4, 190 MB)
  • Shoot wide at night in 4K 60 fps (MP4, 263 MB)
  • 4K 60 fps zoom camera night shot (MP4, 260 MB)
  • 4K 60fps wide daytime shooting (MP4, 200MB)
  • 8K daytime footage (MP4, 270 MB)
  • Shooting at night in 8K resolution (MP4, 350 MB)

About sound

It uses two stereo speakers.The volume is high, the quality is excellent. I can’t say that Xiaomi 12S Ultra can act as a music box, but it plays well. Approximately the level of Apple iPhone 14.

The 12S Ultra is equipped with all popular Bluetooth audio codecs.

Working hours

The device is equipped with a lithium-silicon4860 mAh battery. Since I worked with Chinese firmware, the operating time can be very different from the device on the global firmware. After all, Global will have Google services that eat up a significant part of the battery life.

I got the following data:

  • The theoretical glow of the screen at maximum brightness is 9 hours 35 minutes.
  • FullHD video playback at maximum brightness - up to 13 hours 30 minutes.

  • Toys at maximum brightness - up to 5 hours.

The phone comes with a 67W power adapter. It is able to charge the device from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes. And the device has wireless charging with support for 50W wireless adapters.

Impression

If you were looking for a smartphone with the best camera, then here is the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. In addition, it also has a productive flagship hardware, and the device itself is protected according to the IP68 standard.

As such, the smartphone has no cons. Here's what I didn't like:

  • Curved screen matrix.
  • High PWM ripple values.
  • Only 1080p 30 fps video recording on the front camera.

Tip: if you decide to buy, then only the Global version! Do not bother with inexpensive 12S Ultra on Chinese firmware.

On AliExpress and Avito, the device is sold for about 65,000 - 70,000 rubles.

Xiaomi has several competitors:

  1. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. I will try to compare it and 12S Ultra.
  2. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Technically very similar devices. But Xiaomi's matrix is ​​​​still larger.
  3. Sony Xperia Pro I. The device with an inch camera sensor matrix. A kind of smartphone. Judging by the reviews of the owners, the smartphone is so-so.
  4. ZTE Axon 30 Ultra. An old device, but has a decent set of cameras.

The author thanks the friendliest gadget store BigGeek.ru for providing Xiaomi 12S Ultra for review.

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