GadgetByte Nepal

Xiaomi just announced the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in China at a virtual event today. The phone is part of the Xiaomi 12S series, which also includes the standard 12S and 12S Pro. Here, we will look at the specs, features, availability, and expected price of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in Nepal.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra Overview:

1-inch type Sony IMX989 Sensor

To begin with, the headlining feature of this smartphone is Sony’s 1-inch camera sensor. In case you were unaware, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the first phone in the world to use Sony’s IMX989 flagship sensor. This has been co-engineered by Xiaomi and Sony with a reported development cost to be around USD 15 million.

Sony IMX989 is the first 1-inch image sensor built specifically for smartphones. We also had the Xperia PRO-I with a 1-inch sensor but that came from Sony’s RX100 VII compact camera.

To note, both are 1-inch type sensors, meaning they don’t have literal 1-inch diagonal lengths. Still, they look humongous compared to the camera sensor on other mainstream flagships.

Backed by Leica

Aside from a collaboration with Sony on camera hardware, the Xiaomi 12S series also marks the beginning of the Xiaomi-Leica partnership. Everything from the optical design to the imaging software of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra has been refined by Leica.

Here, the aforementioned 1-inch sensor is paired with Leica’s Summicorn 8P lens, which eliminates flare, chromatic aberration, and ghosting. In addition, each lens features an IR filter and an anti-glare coating.

On the other hand, the software feature includes two photographic styles called “Leica Authentic Look” and “Leica Vibrant Look”. These new filters offer a natural-looking image that focuses on light and shadow contrast adding depth to the photos.

Anyways, the camera hardware of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra includes a triple camera setup on the back led by a 50MP 23mm wide-angle primary camera. The other two rear cameras employ the 48MP Sony IMX586 1/2.0-inch sensor. One is a 13mm ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, while the other is a telephoto camera with a 120mm f/4.1 aperture.

• Also Read:
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  • Motorola is working on a flagship with a massive 194MP OIS camera

Design, Display

Moving on, Xiaomi 12S Ultra features a 6.73-inch E5 AMOLED panel with 3200 x 1440 pixels resolution and AdaptiveSync Pro support that helps the display refresh from 1Hz to 120Hz.

As for design, the smartphone flaunts a squared-off design with no sharp edges and a curved screen. It gets a faux leather treatment on the back and there’s also a 23K gold ring that covers the huge camera bump on the rear. Per Xiaomi, the camera design at the back is supposed to resemble the camera lens on a DSLR.

Moreover, the 12S Ultra has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and comes in black and green color options.

Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

The Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro were among the first smartphones to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. Likewise, Xiaomi 12S Ultra marks history as the first phone to have Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. This is Qualcomm’s latest chipset, which uses TSMC’s 4nm manufacturing process and provides 10% better CPU, 10% faster GPU, and 20% higher AI performance.

To keep the temperature in check, Xiaomi 12S Ultra utilizes a 3D cooling system which the company claims can improve smartphone efficiency by up to 100%. Along with this, the smartphone includes the brand’s own Xiaomi Surge G1 and Surge P1 chips, which are touted to boost battery performance.

Xiaomi will be offering the phone in 8GB and 12GB RAM variants with 256GB and 512GB of internal storage, respectively.

Battery and Charging

The phone relies on a 4,860mAh battery. Contrary to previous reports, Xiaomi 12S Ultra supports just 67W of wired charging. Furthermore, the phone also supports 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra Specifications:

• Display: 6.73″ WQHD+ E5 AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, AdaptiveSync, Gorilla Glass Victus
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm) / Xiaomi Surge G1, Surge P1
• Memory: 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
• Software & UI: Android 12 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 13 on top
• Rear Camera: Triple;
  – 50.3MP 1-inch Sony IMX989 (Hyper OIS)
  – 48MP Sony IMX586 ultrawide
  – 48MP Sony IMX586 telephoto
• Front Camera: 32MP sensor (punch-hole cutout)
• Security: In-display fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Proximity, Electronic Compass, Linear Motor, IR Blaster
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Beidou / NavIC / GLONASS / QZSS, NFC, 5G, USB Type-C
• IP Rating: Yes, IP68
• Battery: 4,860mAh, 67W fast charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless

Xiaomi 12S Ultra Price in Nepal and Availability 

As far as the pricing is concerned, the base variant of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra retails at CNY 5,999. Likewise, the higher 12/256GB and 12/512GB model retails at CNY 6,499, and CNY 6999, respectively. We expect the price of Xiaomi 12S Ultra to start at NPR 125,000, if and when it launches in Nepal.

• Meanwhile, check out our review of the Xiaomi 12 Pro.

Today, Xiaomi held an online event in China, where the company announced the latest 12S flagship series. The series is home to three new devices, including the vanilla 12S, 12S Pro and 12S Ultra. We have already covered the 12S Ultra in our other post, and here we will be looking at the Xiaomi 12S and 12 Pro, including their specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.

Xiaomi 12S, 12S Pro Overview:

Xiaomi 12 and 12S Pro are a mid-year refresh of the vanilla 12 and 12 Pro. Thus, the two bring some mild upgrades over the Xiaomi 12 series launched in December.

Performance and Memory

The biggest difference between the Xiaomi 12S phones and their non-S counterparts is in the chipset. Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro were among the first phones to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. Likewise, the Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro, along with the Ultra model, are the first to feature the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset.

This new chip is based on TSMC’s 4nm process, unlike the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, built on Samsung’s process. Likewise, the chip features an overclocked Cortex X2 Prime core and boasts a 10% better CPU, 10% faster GPU, and 20% greater AI performance. So, expect Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro to have better all-round performance than their non-S siblings.

Camera

Moving on, the Xiaomi 12S duo is also among the first products to be part of the company’s new partnership with Leica. As a result, you can notice the Leica branding just below the LED flash in the camera bump.

Coming to the camera hardware, both Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro come with a triple camera setup, led by the 50MP IMX707 sensor from Sony. It is the same sensor used in the Xiaomi 12 Pro. As a result, there is no change in the camera hardware going from Xiaomi 12 Pro to 12S Pro hardware.

On the software side, however, Xiaomi has introduced AI Image Solution 2.0 which utilizes both hardware and software for improved cameras.

On the other hand, IMX707 on the Xiaomi 12S means it now has a bigger sensor than the regular Xiaomi 12.

Apart from the primary sensor, Xiaomi has included two other 50MP sensors for ultrawide and telephoto on the 12S Pro, whereas we only get a 13MP ultrawide and a 5MP tele-macro sensor on the 12S.

Over on the front, both phones feature a 32MP selfie shooter enclosed inside the center-aligned punch-hole cutout.

Design and Display

The Xiaomi 12S duo has nothing new to offer on the design side. The two sport the same glass sandwich design as their non-S counterpart. The only thing that sets them apart is the Leica branding on the camera bump at the back.

Upfront, Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro sport curved AMOLED screens of 6.28” and 6.73” sizes, respectively. Both are 10-bit panels with support for 120Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision. They even sport Gorilla Glass Victus protection and an optical in-display fingerprint scanner.

That being said, you will have a more premium experience with the 12S Pro as it has QHD+ resolution, LTPO 2.0 technology, and a peak brightness of 1500 nits, all of which are missing on the regular 12S.

Rest of the Specs

Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro come with different-sized batteries as well. The former packs a 4,500mAh battery, while the latter brings a slightly larger 4,600mAh battery. Likewise, the 12S Pro supports 120W fast charging against 12S’s 67W solution. Furthermore, both phones are capable of 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.

Xiaomi 12S Series ships with MIUI 13 based on Android 12 out of the box. On the connectivity front, Xiaomi has included support for 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC. They also feature stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon.

Xiaomi 12S, 12S Pro Specifications:

• Display:
  • 12S: 6.28″ FHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, Gorilla Glass Victus
  • 12S Pro: 6.73″ WQHD+ LTPO 2.0 AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, Up to 480Hz touch sample, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1500 nits brightness
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm)
• Memory: 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
• Software & UI: Android 12 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 13 on top
• Rear Camera:
  • 12S: 50MP Sony IMX707 (OIS) + 13MP ultrawide + 5MP tele-macro
  • 12S Pro: 50MP Sony IMX707 (OIS) + 50MP ultrawide + 50MP telephoto
• Front Camera: 32MP sensor (punch-hole cutout)
• Audio: Stereo speakers, tuned by Harmon Kardon, No headphone jack
• Security: In-display fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Proximity, Electronic Compass, Linear Motor, IR Blaster
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Beidou / NavIC / GLONASS / QZSS, NFC, 5G, USB Type-C
• Battery:
  • 12S: 4500mAh, 67W fast charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless
  • 12S Pro: 4600mAh, 120W wired charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless

Xiaomi 12S, 12S Pro Price in Nepal and Availability

The Xiaomi 12S series is currently exclusive to China where the price starts at CNY 3,999 and CNY 4,699 for the 12S and 12S Pro, respectively. We expect the price of Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro to start at NPR 85,000 and NPR 100,000, respectively, if and when they launch in Nepal.

• Meanwhile, check out our review of the Xiaomi 12 Pro.