As we have already informed you on our website Xiaomi Planet, we recently received a new flagship smartphone model Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Once again, we are the first in Slovakia and the Czech Republic to bring you a detailed review of this long-awaited model.
In the review, we will focus mainly on what everyone is most interested in, how the collaboration with Leica in the field of photography turned out. However, we will not forget the performance, processing quality or durability or compatibility in our region, since it is a Chinese version.
Where to buy Xiaomi 12S Ultra?
You can buy the new Xiaomi flagship from our most popular partner, which is the Chinese e-shop TradingShenzhen. It has traditionally offered us the opportunity to purchase Chinese versions of smartphones at unbeatable prices and without unnecessary extra fees. Likewise, you do not have to worry about any additional customs fees in this case either. The seller will solve everything for you.
Current offer for Xiaomi Mi 12S Ultra
Technical specifications
Model | Xiaomi 12S Ultra |
---|---|
dimensions | 163.17 x 74.97 x 9.06 mm |
Weight | 225 g |
processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 / 3.2 GHz |
Graphic chip | Adreno 730 |
Memory version | 8GB LPDDR5 + 256GB UFS 3.1 |
Display | 6.73" 2K AMOLED / rounded |
3200 x 1440 px resolution | |
refresh rate 120 Hz / second generation LTPO | |
sampling frequency 240 Hz | |
maximum brightness 1500 rivets | |
Cameras | main 50 Mpx; Sony IMX989; 1" sensor; aperture f/1.9; OIS |
ultra-wide-angle 48 Mpx; aperture f/2.2 | |
telescopic 48 Mpx; aperture f/4.1; 120 mm equivalent; OIS | |
selfie 32 Mpx | |
Drums | 4860 mAh |
charging | 67 W wired; 50 W wireless; 10 W reverse |
Bluetooth | 5.2 |
WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax - WiFi 6 Plus |
NFC | Yes |
Positional systems | Beidou: B1I + B1C+ B2a|GPS: L1 + L5|Galileo: E1 + E5a |
GLONASS: G1|QZSS: L1 + L5|NavIC: L5 | |
Operating system | Android 12 with MIUI 13 extension |
Quality packaging from TradingShenzhen
We will repeat ourselves here again. As we've mentioned several times in our reviews, TradingShenzhen really cares about packaging. Even the seller doesn't want you to receive a damaged product, so he uses several layers of protection.
The smartphone box is thus placed in another, cardboard box, which is still protected by bubble wrap. The whole thing is still covered with additional silicone, so the smartphone box arrived without a single scratch. We also found a small gift in the package, this time it was a mini fan for a USB-C cable.
In addition to the phone itself, you will find all the accessories in the smartphone box, including a silicone cover, a needle for opening SIM slot and charger with charging cable. Since this is a Chinese version, we also received a standard European reduction in the package.
You can also watch our short unboxing video below:
Interesting design with a large rear module
The new Xiaomi 12S Ultra impresses at first glance with its unusually large rear camera module, which in this case has a circular shape. It is framed with a thin gold strip and overall has a decidedly interesting design.
We believe it will have its detractors, but we really like this design. In combination with the black leather surface of the back cover, it creates a luxurious impression, as befits a flagship model.
The quality of processing is also noticeably high, so we have nothing to complain about in terms of design and quality. It's just a pity that Xiaomi only packs an ordinary transparent silicone case with this model, in which the back of the smartphone doesn't stand out that much.
Layout of control elements
Nothing has changed in this regard. Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a standard layout of individual elements. The bottom edge contains a charging USB-C port, a Harman Kardon speaker, a microphone and a slot for a pair of nanos SIM card.
On the opposite, upper edge, we find the second speaker, microphone and infrared port. The left side is empty, while the right side has the classic volume buttons and a button to light up the display, without a fingerprint reader.
The total weight of the smartphone is 225 g, which is not small. When you hold it in your hand for the first time, you can immediately feel that it weighs a little more than most smartphones. The large and heavy rear camera module also contributes to the overall weight, but the smartphone feels comfortable in the hand thanks to the rounded edges.
Display with shot
The display of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra smartphone has a diagonal of 6.73″ and of course it is an AMOLED panel E5 from Samsung, this time with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 px.
Its refresh rate can reach a maximum of 120 Hz and it does not lack LTPO technology in version 2.0, which takes care of automatic adaptation of the refresh rate based on current needs. Xiaomi has finally chosen the automatic setting as the factory default.
High brightness, up to 1500 nits, ensures good readability even on sunny days. However, the sampling frequency is slightly lower, which is 240 Hz. Compared to last year's Xiaomi 11 Ultra, it's only half the value, but we didn't notice any delayed touch reactions.
Support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision will please, thanks to which the picture should be even more beautiful. The display is of course beautiful with rich and well-balanced colors. In its upper part, there is a slot for a selfie camera, but it is one of the smaller ones.
High performance is a matter of course
The latest and most powerful processor from the American company Qualcomm, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which was introduced only recently, takes care of the performance. It is manufactured using 4 nm technology and consists of eight cores. The high-performance core is based on the ARM Cortex-X2 architecture with a clock frequency of 3.2 GHz.
The other three powerful cores are based on the Cortex-A710 architecture with a frequency of 2.5 GHz, and the remaining four cores, which are more energy efficient, are based on the Cortex-A510 architecture with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. All cores use a shared 6 MB L3 cache.
We are testing the version with 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM (6400 Mbps) and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. There are also versions with a lower RAM memory - 8 GB or with a higher internal storage capacity - 512 GB.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra also becomes one of the top smartphones in the popular AnTuTu benchmark. We achieved a score of 1 points, thanks to which the smartphone ranked second only to the Red Magic 018.
Great expectations from cooperation with Leica
Who does not know the Leica company, it is a leading German company that designs and manufactures cameras since 1913. Its logo is carried by the flagship model Xiaomi 12S Ultra. We all have high expectations from this collaboration, so let's take a look at the most interesting thing, how the new model from Xiaomi takes photos.
Let's start with the parameters of the individual cameras, where the main camera with a 1-inch sensor is particularly interesting. In general, the larger the sensor, the more light it can capture, which makes it better especially when shooting in poor lighting conditions. The quality of the photo can be better thanks to the larger sensor, the dy also increasesnamirange and reduces noise.
Main camera | 50 Mpx |
1" Sony IMX989 sensor | |
23mm focal length equivalent | |
aperture f / 1.9 | |
OIS | |
Ultra-wide camera | 48 Mpx |
1/2" Sony IMX586 sensor | |
13mm focal length equivalent | |
aperture f / 2.2 | |
128 ° angle of view | |
Periscopic camera | 48 Mpx |
1/2" Sony IMX586 sensor | |
120mm focal length equivalent | |
aperture f / 4.1 | |
OIS |
Interestingly, apart from the main sensor, the ultra-wide and periscopic are the same as last year's Xiaomi 11 Ultra.
Two modes from Leica
As soon as you turn on the camera application for the first time, a menu pops up with a choice between two modes - Authentic and Vibrant. You can then switch between them under the Leica icon, which you can find among the main settings, always close at hand.
Leica Authentic, as the name itself suggests, offers an authentic rendering of the scene as close to reality as possible. It provides a higher contrast to maintain a sharp difference between light and dark areas, but does not artificially highlight them in any way.
The Leica Vibrant mode is supposed to provide vivid and warm colors, brighter tones and higher saturation, which will make the photos look more attractive. The reality is very close to the manufacturer's description. Photos in Authentic mode are actually a bit darker, have higher contrast, slightly weaker dynamirange and colors close to reality.
In Vibrant mode, photos are visibly beautified. Their colors are warmer, but at the same time lighter, which gives the impression of a better colornamiof the range. Sometimes the difference between the first and second mode is small, but at other times it is quite significant. Photos from the Vibrant mode are sometimes too oversaturated and look unnatural.
On the other hand, for many, they will really look more attractive and attract more attention, for example, on social networks. It's a shame that Authentic or Vibrant mode cannot be changed in the gallery, but we take photos directly in one of them. Sometimes we liked the photos from one mode more, sometimes from the other mode.
Main camera with 1″ sensor
The main, 50 Mpx camera is the biggest attraction of the Ultra flagship model. We have to admit that it is really excellent. Photos are beautiful in good light, sharp, with good colornamirange, full of details and colors adapted to the Authentic or Vibrant mode.
As we mentioned above, the choice between these modes allows us to adjust the color rendering during the photo itself, so it's up to you whether you prefer more realistic-looking colors or more vivid ones, even at the cost of the fact that the photo may look slightly edited. However, we have to admit that sometimes even the colors in Authentic mode are slightly oversaturated, especially under artificial lighting in the interior.
Despite the 1″ sensor, the photos taken in low light are not the best. In some places, we wouldn't mind the weaker sharpness and fine noise as much as the higher contrast and imprecise color rendering, which is often not close to reality in any of the Leica modes.
Somehow we expected a little more from this camera, especially regarding the aforementioned color performance in artificial lighting and in low light. In the Authentic mode, the photos are a bit darker than we would like, and in the Vibrant mode, the colors are already too unrealistic and the details are lost. Personally, we'd prefer something between the two modes.
But this does not mean that the main camera takes bad pictures. On the contrary, it is excellent, but there are still some flaws and cooperation with Leica could have brought more added value.
Ultra-wide camera
Compared to the main camera, the ultra-wide has a noticeably different color rendition in both modes, whether it's Authentic or Vibrant. Both modes offer brighter colors than the main camera with less pronounced shadows, albeit with slightly worse dynamirange, which can be seen especially when taking pictures during direct sunlight (e.g. around lunchtime).
Buildings directly illuminated by the sun are often overexposed and therefore too bright. It also has minor problems with direct backlighting, but it surprises us especially in the interior. Under artificial lighting and especially in Authentic mode, it delivers a very natural color rendering close to reality without unnecessary emphasis on shadows. The sharpness is slightly worse, but the images look very natural.
telephoto lens
The telephoto lens provides a maximum of 5x zoom and is excellent in good lighting conditions. The photos show beautiful details with good sharpness and similar color presentation as with the main camera.
Night mode
This mode perfectly suppresses strong light sources such as street lights or various light banners. It mutes them beautifully and brings more light into dark places. Night mode in Leica Vibrant mode is more prominent. Photos in this mode are significantly brighter with more saturated colors.
When taking photos in the dark with the night mode active, sharpness usually decreases and noise increases. This is no different in this case either, but the drop in sharpness and noise are at a minimal level, and overall we rate the night mode very positively. In particular, the main camera with a 1″ sensor did not disappoint in this regard.
With the wide-angle camera, the quality is already poorer, and with close-up shots taken with the periscope camera, it is even worse.
Surprisingly good video quality
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra offers a maximum resolution of up to 8K, but only at 24 frames per second, which is not enough. With such a setting, the video is not completely smooth, and from our point of view it is still more of a marketing move, since 8K resolution is currently somewhat useless in smartphones. Leica modes are not available for video, but we do have Dolby Vision support.
With 4K resolution, we already have a choice between 60 or 30 fps, similarly to the weaker 1080p resolution. Optical image stabilization is also available, but it is weaker on paper at 4K/60 fps. Nevertheless, it is very good, and even the video taken while walking is hardly shaky at all.
Better video stabilization is only available for 1080p/30 fps resolution, where the image quality is already visibly worse and the stabilization is not really significantly better than what we have at 4K/60 fps. So for us, the video in 4K/60 fps resolution wins.
DynamiThe video range is not quite perfect, but overall the video quality is surprisingly very good together with the stabilization, and we dare say that this is one of the best smartphones for video from Xiaomi, if not the best.
Selfie with front camera only
An interesting innovation of last year's Xiaomi 11 Ultra model was its rear, secondary display. You would look for this display in vain on the new Ultra model. For many, it was useless, but it is a huge benefit when taking selfie photos, since you could also take a selfie using the main camera, the quality of which is incomparably higher.
Thus, we only have a front selfie camera with a resolution of 32 Mpx, the quality of which is good, but it still only offers 1080p / 30 fps video, while competing brands already have 4K video from the selfie camera.
Endurance and charging
Xiaomi 12S Ultra hides a 4860 mAh battery that provides an average endurance of around one day, depending on the style of using the smartphone. However, we were slightly surprised by the support for fast charging, which has "only" 67 W.
Many even significantly cheaper models from Xiaomi support faster charging, so we expected 120 W charging in this model as well. However, support for wireless charging with a power of 50 W, which has been quite often forgotten recently, will please. Reverse, 10W charging is also available.
67 W cable charging takes place as follows:
battery capacity | time |
---|---|
20 - 50% | 10 minutes and 56 seconds |
75% | 25 minutes and 42 seconds |
90% | 33 minutes and 26 seconds |
100% | 44 minutes and 36 seconds |
Android 12 and MIUI 13 in the Chinese version
The new flagship model is equipped with the latest Android version 12 with MIUI version 13. Since the Xiaomi 12S Ultra does not yet have a global version, and we don't even know if we will get one, we ordered a version for the Chinese market. Unfortunately, it lacks the 4G LTE band B20, which is used in villages and smaller towns in Slovakia.
As we have already mentioned in several reviews of smartphones without B20 band support, we worked in the city without any problems. The 800 MHz band known by the abbreviation B20 is not the only 4G band used in our country. We spent most of the testing time in Košice, where the smartphone was connected to the B7 (Telekom) band. In villages, you have to take into account restrictions in the form of 3G or EDGE networks.
As for the MIUI system in relation to the Chinese version, we can find several Chinese applications and also the Chinese Mi Store. But there are not many unnecessary applications, so they did not bother us at all. Notifications worked properly after setting autostart and canceling battery saver. Overall, we had no problems with the system. It worked smoothly, the design is well managed and offers enough options for adjusting the settings.
By default, the Chinese system does not include Google applications such as Chrome, YouTube, Maps or Gmail. However, you can install them via the Google Play store, which was pre-installed by the seller, or you can search for APK files via the browser.
Fingerprint reader in the display and working NFC
As we already indicated in the introduction, the fingerprint reader is located in the display. It is not a 3D ultrasound reader like the iQoo 9 Pro, for example, so occasional hesitations are not unusual. All in all, it is a standard reader in the display, which most smartphones have today. It does not amaze with its speed and accuracy, but it also does not disappoint.
Despite the Chinese version of the smartphone, there is no lack of NFC support and working contactless payments through the Wallet application, which is a replacement for Google Pay. The only additional step we had to do was to set the default payment application to Google Pay (the old name was still displayed here). Without this setting, Mi Wallet will be used, so the payment will not go through successfully.
Dolby Atmos support
Xiaomi is once again working with Harman Kardon, whose logo can be found on the top of the smartphone, right next to the speaker. Surround sound support thanks to Dolby Atmos technology will also please you.
The sound of the speakers is characterized by slightly more pronounced highs and mids and less pronounced bass. However, the Celkovs play excellently even at maximum volume.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Final evaluation
We had high expectations for the new flagship model Xiaomi 12S Ultra, especially from the collaboration with Leica. You can find out how the smartphone takes pictures in our review, but if we were to briefly evaluate the cameras, they take excellent pictures. There are some shortcomings, especially in low or artificial lighting, but overall, the main camera in particular is very decent and worthy of a flagship model. However, we expected a little more from the cooperation with Leica, and there is no "wow effect".
In a positive sense, we were surprised by the video and especially its stabilization, which finally works very well. Last but not least, the standard excellent AMOLED display and high performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor will please you, thanks to which we achieved a score of more than 1 million points in AnTuTu. We also appreciate the luxurious design with a leather finish on the back cover with a large round module with cameras.
Among its weak points, we would include higher weight, "only" 67 W charging and the absence of 4G band B20.
I waited a long time for this phone and had high expectations. The Mi 11 Ultra was and is an excellent phone, especially thanks to the possibility of global system expansion. I've seen countless reviews and my opinion of the phone is mixed. Basically, it doesn't offer anything extra compared to 11, the camera is obviously not tuned and has its own ailments. The optical reader is said to be not very good by today's standards, the battery life is rather below average. The display has larger frames than the 11, so there is less use of the front panel. 11 Ultra, in my opinion, made the wow effect with everything, thanks to the giant sensors. Back then, no one even came close to them in terms of physical size. The rear display is also an interesting matter and still very fast power supply. The global version can be found in tradingshenzen in the top configuration of 12GB + 512GB for under 20 CZK. 12S Ultra in the Chinese version (which is a problem) with the same arrangement for almost 33 thousand. I'm looking for a new phone and I'm waiting for the Vivo X80 Pro+, otherwise I'll take the 11 Ultra for the great price, which is just as good as the 12S Ultra and will handle everything without problems with its hardware for the next 5 years.