Comparison of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra

In previous articles, I asked our readers if it was worth talking about the Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra camera phones in

comparison material.Many confirmed my request, and I became interested to know if the 12S Ultra really shoots much better than the previous generation. And what about in terms of uptime and performance? The answers will be in this text.

Specifications
Contents of delivery
Appearance
Displays
Working hours
Cameras
Memory, performance
Sound
Conclusion

Specifications

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Dimensions	164.3 x 74.6 x 8.4mm	163.2 x 75 x 9.1mm
Weight	234 grams	225 grams
Screen	6.81 inches AMOLED 1440 x 3200 dots 120 Hz 480Hz touch frequency Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	6.73 inches AMOLED LTPO 1440 x 3200 pixels, 120 Hz 480Hz touch frequency Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5nm Adreno 660	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4nm Adreno 730
Memory	8/12 GB LPDDR5 128/256 GB UVS 3.1	8/12 GB LPDDR5 256/512 GB UVS 3.1
Cameras	50 MP main (matrix 1/1.12 inch) 48 MP "wide" 48 MP "tele" 20 MP selfie	50 MP main (1-inch matrix) 48 MP wide 48 MP tele 32 MP selfie
Battery	5000 mAh 67 watts wired 67 W wireless 10 W reversible	4860 mAh 67 watts wired 50 W wireless 10 W reversible
Speakers	Stereo (Harman Kardon)	Stereo (Harman Kardon)
Protection	IP68	IP68
IR port	there is	there is
Wi-Fi	6E	6E
Bluetooth	5.2	5.2
NFC	there is	there is
5G	there is	there is
satellite positioning	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC
Colors	Black and white	Black and green
Price	~ 40 000 rubles	~ 65 000 rubles

Contents of delivery

Smartphone
Charging adapter 67W
USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable
Case
Adapter from Type-C to 3.5 mm (it is not in 12S Ultra)
Clip
Documentation

Appearance

If we are talking specifically about design, then moreXiaomi Mi 11 Ultra looks original, because there are immediately noticeable two huge eyes of lenses, an additional color screen to the right of the modules. Although the 12S Ultra with its monstrous round block looks no less impressive.

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The previous model was created from ceramiccoatings and glass are either black or white. I would have preferred the white option as fingerprints are almost invisible on it. In general, the phone looks elegant.

The new 12S Ultra is made of leather-look plastic.There are two options: black and green. And the latter is rather light gray with a slight shade of green. For some reason, a rotten lemon that has lain in the refrigerator for six months comes to mind for some reason (don't ask me how I know this).

From a practical point of view, Xiaomi 12S Ultrawill be better. But if you put the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra in a case (I have a decent bumper), then you will get protection for the phone and hide the hump on the back, “defending” the cameras.

What device is more convenient to use?It's hard to say here. I think the plus or minus is the same, but with a slight margin - 12S Ultra due to the lack of glossy parts. The thickness and width of the gadgets are almost not felt - they are approximately the same.

The oleophobic coating is of high quality for both devices. After more than a year of using the Mi 11 Ultra, there are no questions. Assembly and reliability of materials at a high level.

By the way, smartphones support the degree of protectionIP68. For now, this is just a godsend, since almost all modern phones are IP54 at best. Only Apple, Samsung (flagship models) and Google do not give up with their Pixel devices.

Total:both smartphones look unusual and original, but today I would choose Xiaomi 12S Ultra, as it has a matte back surface, which is still more pleasant to the touch than a glossy surface.

If we are talking about the elements on the case, then there is not much difference: all the same thin “power” and “volume”, two slots for SIM cards, two speakers, and so on.

Displays

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Screen	6.81 inches AMOLED 1440 x 3200 dots 120 Hz 480Hz touch frequency Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	6.73 inches AMOLED LTPO 1440 x 3200 dots 120 Hz 480Hz touch frequency Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Brightness	Manual: 720 nits HDR: 1700 nits	Manual: 570 nits HDR: 1600 nits
Ripple factor PWM Brightness - KP	100% - 4.22% 50% - 15% 10% - 18% There is an option to remove flicker	From 10% to 100% CP is constant and equal to 32%. The option is there, but is in the developer section. In fact, limits the CP and does not reduce it

Visually, the 12S Ultra matrix is weaker than the Mi 11 Ultra matrix: viewing angles are slightly smaller, colors are not as saturated, white color fades into green shades.

Technically, smartphone screen matrices are similar, but in real life, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra display looks livelier, more natural, besides, the ripple coefficient is much less, and the brightness is higher.

Working hours

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Battery	5000 mAh (18.9 - 19.3 Wh) 67 watts wired 67 W wireless 10 W reversible	4860 mAh (18.5 - 18.9 Wh) 67 watts wired 50 W wireless 10 W reversible

Quite a strange downgrade: it was 5000 mAh, and it became 4860 mAh.

The PC Mark test for Android shows that the Mi 11 Ultra can theoretically run up to 6 hours and 38 minutes, while the 12S Ultra can run up to 9 hours and 35 minutes. In real life, the values are much less.

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Screen glow at maximum brightness	Up to 4.5 hours	Up to 5 hours
Video playback at maximum brightness	Up to 13 hours	Up to 13 hours
Toys	Up to 5 hours	Up to 5 hours

As you can see, in real life, the running time is the same. Unless in the mixed mode there can be deviations. But this is all a mistake.

Smartphones are charged from a 67 W adapter. Charging time is about 40-45 minutes.

Gadgets also have wireless chargers. I can’t say for sure that the Mi 11 Ultra charges faster, since it has 67 watts, while the 12S Ultra has 50 watts, I can’t. There is simply no such powerful wireless station.

Cameras

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Main camera	50 MP Samsung GN2 sensor, 1/1.12 inch matrix size, 1.4 µm pixel size, 8 lenses, 24 mm focal length, f/2.0 aperture, optical stabilization.	50 MP Sony IMX989 sensor, matrix size - 1 inch, pixel size - 1.6 microns, 8 lenses, 23 mm focal length, f / 1.9 aperture, optical stabilization.
"Shirik"	48 MP sensor with wide-angle optics with phase detection autofocus. 12mm (128 degree) angle, 1/2" sensor, f/2.0 aperture.	48 MP sensor with wide-angle optics with phase detection autofocus. 13mm (120 degree) angle, 1/2" sensor, f/2.2 aperture.
Tele	48 MP sensor with 120mm focal length and optical stabilization. The sensor has a size of 1/2 inch, f/4.1 aperture.	48 MP sensor with 120mm focal length and optical stabilization. The sensor has a size of 1/2 inch, f/4.1 aperture.
Frontal	20 MP, 27mm, f/2.3 Without autofocus	32 MP, 25mm, f/2.4 Without autofocus

Frankly, I expected to see a complete rout of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, as it uses an old camera module. Still, Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a 1-inch matrix - wow!

In real life, this is what happened:

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
pros	- Better white balance - Slightly wider viewing angle at the "width" - More natural selfies (less beautification)	- Less artifacts - Less noise - Slightly less depth of field - Slightly wider dynamic range
Minuses	- There are noises - There are artifacts	- Sometimes misses with white balance - Most often leads colors to warm shades

The main points that really "drag" the main camera of Xiaomi 12S Ultra:

Shallow depth of field. That is, the blurring of the background is stronger. It is artistic, beautiful and natural.
The blurred background is always free of noise and artifacts, clean and pleasant.
Wide dynamic range in all lighting conditions even without HDR operation.

As for the zoom and "width", they are about the same. Somewhere a little better than Mi 11, somewhere - 12S Ultra. The latter tries to "crush" the noise more, but the details are also a little hidden.

If we consider daytime photos, then the difference is almost zero, so I didn’t take a picture: now even a simple smartphone will cope with this task.

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From a consumer point of view, the difference in shotsbetween Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra will be insignificant. There is only looking at frames “under a magnifying glass”, and even then you have to be a geek in order to specifically look for nuances.

Video Options XiaomiMi 11 Ultra:

Video: MPEG4 Video (H264) 3840×2160 33fps 56519kbps [V: VideoHandle [eng] (h264 high L5.2, yuv420p, 3840×2160, 56519 kb/s)]

Audio: AAC 48000Hz stereo 320kbps [A: SoundHandle [eng] (aac lc, 48000 Hz, stereo, 320 kb/s)]

Xiaomi 12S Ultra video parameters:

Video: MPEG4 Video (H264) 3840×2160 60fps 62400kbps [V: VideoHandle [eng] (h264 high L5.2, yuv420p, 3840×2160, 62400 kb/s)]

Audio: AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps [A: SoundHandle [eng] (aac lc, 48000 Hz, stereo, 96 kb/s)]

I liked the video better on Xiaomi 12S Ultra. It is more natural, without overexposure. The sound is definitely better on Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. The focus speed is faster on the 12S Ultra.

Original photos (zip, 33 MB)

Total:Xiaomi 12S Ultra shoots better photos and videos than Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, but the difference is not such that you suddenly run headlong after the new product; but if you are a fan of smartphone photography, then the 12S Ultra is currently the best camera phone.

Memory, performance

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Ram	8 GB or 12 GB LPDDR5	8 GB or 12 GB LPDDR5
RAM speed	58,000 MB/s	34,000 MB/s

Built-in memory	128 GB or 256 GB UVS 3.1	256 GB or 512 GB UVS 3.1
Built-in memory speed	1500 / 400 MB/s	1300 / 700 MB/s

Antutu test	760,000 points	1,025,000 points
Throttling	Almost not	Yes, but weak

Purely technically, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is a little cooler - higher RAM speed, higher read speed of the built-in memory.

Both phones are as fast as possible, bug-free, and the interface always runs at 120 Hz. The games are great, but the 12S Ultra gives a little more FPS in very heavy games like Genshin impact.

Both devices heat up under load. However, the 12S Ultra with a plastic cover does not feel that much.

Bottom line: smartphones are fast, the difference in performance is noticeable only in tests; in real life, the behavior is approximately the same in all tasks.

Sound

	Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra	Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Volume (siren sound at maximum volume)	80 dB	70 dB
The lower threshold of low frequencies. As an example: Asus Zenfone 8 outputs 40 Hz.	About 90 Hz	About 100 Hz
Bluetooth codecs	aptX, aptXHD, aptX adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, LHDC, AAC, and SBC	aptX, aptXHD, aptX adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, LHDC, AAC, and SBC

Subjectively, Xiaomi 12S Ultra plays a little quieter,there is almost no bass, the sound is flat. True, the Mi 11 Ultra is also not great. So far, the Asus Zenfone 8 is the best in terms of quality and frequency width, next to it is the Apple iPhone 12/13/14.

Conclusion

The conclusions are very simple: so far Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is at a very good level. Judge for yourself:

Protection IP68
Powerful processor
Lots of memory and it's fast
Cool cameras, if not the best, except for the 12S Ultra
Excellent matrix with almost no PWM, high brightness up to 1700 nits
Stereo speakers
Complete set of Bluetooth codecs

The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is worth considering inif you need an upgrade and have the money for it. Gadget for enthusiasts. He definitely has the best cameras, but other parameters are in question. In addition, the 12S Ultra will have to install the firmware in order to get the Russian version. Well, or you can be content with Chinese-English. As far as I understand, it will not be possible to “roll up” GMS, but installing an “apk” with an application store is no problem. Let me remind you that Mi 11 Ultra is with a global version, and on Avito you can find official Russian ones.

In general, I would not run for Xiaomi 12S Ultra, but I would definitely take a closer look. But Mi 11 Ultra - I recommend it! For 40,000 rubles, there is nothing more interesting yet.