Xiaomi’s event is now over and the company showcased its new Xiaomi 12S series with Leica-branded camera. The Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro along with the Xiaomi 12S Ultra were launched at the event. All three phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor.
Xiaomi also introduced two new laptops called the Xiaomi Book Pro in 16 and 14-inch screen options. It also introduced a Xiaomi Band Pro 7 which is the company’s fitness tracker.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra starts at Yuan 5999 or nearly Rs 70,000 on conversion. The most expensive variant is priced at Yuan 6999 for 12GB RAM+512GB storage, which is Rs 82,000 on conversion. The top-end version–the Xiaomi 12S Ultra- comes with a new sensor that Xiaomi has co-developed with Sony which is one inch in size. What this means is that the sensor is much bigger compared to most other smartphones. The Sony IMX989 sensor is a key part of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra’s camera system.
Xiaomi 12S comes with a 6.28-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This phone competes against the iPhone 13 and it sports a 4500 mAh battery with 67W fast charging. The Xiaomi 12S Pro has similar specifications as the Xiaomi 12 Pro, though it comes with an upgraded processor. Both phones have Leica branding and come with dedicated camera modes and filters from Leica.
The Xiaomi Band 7 Pro goes on sale immediately in China. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra goes on sale by July 8.
The Xiaomi Band 7 Pro is now official. It comes with a square watch face. This is a bigger display. It comes with a metal texture frame. There's also a quick strap release function as well. It bands comes in a lot of colour options, include a new green and grey option. It supports 117 sports mode, 10 different dedicated running modes. It comes with GPS, NFC as well. It comes with an Always On display as well. It starts at Yuan 379.
This is a tri-band Mesh router from Xiaomi. The mesh router is more suited for larger homes, according to Xiaomi. Aimed at more small and medium-sized enterprises.
Xiaomi Book 14-inch laptop also launched with similar specifications. It starts at Yuan 5899.
Xiaomi Book Pro 16-inch version launched. It comes with a 4K OLED display. This is a touchscreen enabled display. It comes with Dolby Vision as well. It comes with CNC unibody. The laptop is only 1.49mm in thickness. It comes with a new trackpad. It comes with a vibration feedback as well. The laptops come with the Intel core 12th-gen processor. It comes with 45W performance level. It comes with a 12 hours battery life. It comes with 100W fast charging. It will start at Yuan 6499.
A new Xiaomi 12 Pro with Mediatek Dimensity 9000 processor is also being showcased by the company. This variant has a 5600 mAh battery. The camera system is similar as the earlier Xiaomi 12 Pro. The phone starts at Yuan 3999
Xiaomi 12S Ultra starts at Yuan 5999 for the base 8GB RAM option. The most expensive will cost 6999 Yuan for 12GB RAM+512GB storage. This comes to Rs 82,000 on conversion.
This one gets the Sony IMX989 sensor which is one-inch in size, making it one of the biggest among smartphones. This would translate into a better camera performance. It comes with the Leica Summicorn lens system to ensure better system. 8P lens system on the camera. It comes with an IR filter as well along with the anti-glare lens coating on each lens.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra comes a leather back cover, though this is faux leather. There's a 23K gold ring around the camera. The camera design at the back is supposed to resemble the camera lens on an DSLR. The phone comes in black and green colour option. It comes with IP68 rating. It comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It also features a 3D cooling system. It comes with a 4860 mAh battery as well.
Lei Jun now talking about the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. He says it is about pro-grade photography.
Looks like the prices are going up. Xiaomi 12S series starts at Yuan 3999 which is around Rs 47,000 on conversion. This is for the base 8GB RAM+128GB storage version. The most expensive variant costs Yuan 5199 which is Rs 62,000 on conversion. The Xiaomi 12S Pro starts at Yuan 4600.
Xiaomi 12S Pro comes with a 50MP 50MP 50MP camera setup at the back. This is similar to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which has launched in India. The Xiaomi 12S Pro comes with the upgraded Sony IMX 707 sensor. There's a 50MP portrait lens with 2X zoom. The final 50MP camera is the ultra-wide angle one. So yes, the specifications are more or less similar to the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Of course, the camera now includes the Leica camera modes and comes with the Leica branding as well.
Xiaomi 12S Pro has a 2K AMOLED display, 120 Hz refresh rate. It comes with microlens technology on the display and this is an LTPO screen for dynamic refresh rate. Both of these will ensure better battery life as well. Colour options are same as the Xiaomi 12S. This has a bigger display compared to the 12S. It also comes with a bigger cooling chamber as well. This phone gets a 4600 mAh battery. It comes with 120W fast charging, 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse charging.
Xiaomi states this was a new experient between the two companies. The pictures in these two different modes will look more vibrant, mode vivid while remaining true to life. The Leica watermark will also be added to these pictures which are taken in these modes. There are also four distinct filters from Leica, including the black and white one from the camera company.
Xiaomi 12S is using the 50MP camera, this is using the Sony IMX707 sensor. There's a 13MP ultra-wide angle camera, and a macro camera as well. Xiaomi says it is using the upgraded Sony IMX707 across the 12S series.
Xiaomi 12S is clearly being pitched as an alternate to the iPhone 13. This one has a smaller 6.28-inch AMOLED display. The display has a 120 Hz refresh rate. The phone comes in Black, Purple, Green and a white colour. It comes with a 4500 mAh battery, 67W wired charging.
Jun states that overheating is a problem on flagships, including Xiaomi. There have been reports that Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has significant heating issues, especially with heavy-duty tasks such as gaming. Xiaomi says they have upgraded their systems to solve the overheating issue.
Xiaomi is stating that the battery on all three phones will last more than a day. The Xiaomi 12S, 12S Pro and 12S Ultra will all have more than a day's worth of battery life. But Xiaomi has not yet revealed the exact battery size, which is interesting. Clearly, the battery size on these phones will be discussed.
Xiaomi 12S series comes with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset as was expected. This comes with improvements over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Both the Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro are powered by the chipset. Lei Jun has not mentioned any Xiaomi 12S Ultra when showing off the benchmark scores for the new phones.
We are still waiting to hear details about the devices so far. Till now, Xiaomi has mostly focused on the partnership with Leica. Let's hope they start talking about the specifications of the Xiaomi 12S series soon.
Xiaomi 12S series will come with its own Xiaomi AI-imaging solution 2.0, which comes with better integration between hardware and software. The algorithm will be made open-source for third-parties, according to the company.
Xiaomi 12S is the new series from the brand and this one is all about the camera. The top-end device in this series is Xiaomi 12S Ultra, which sports a faux leather design. All three phones come with the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset. Xiaomi is using a new sensor on the high-end Ultra version.
Xiaomi and Sony have developed a new together called the Sony IMX989. The sensor is one-inch in size, making it quite big for a smartphone. Most smartphone sensors are smaller in comparison. Xiaomi even posted an image on Weibo comparing its upcoming phone camera sensor to the ones on other devices, including the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The bigger the sensor on the camera, the more light it can capture. For users, this should translate into better low-light performance. The camera remains one area where Xiaomi hasn't quite proved its prowess, especially against rivals such as the OnePlus or even vivo. Hopefully the Xiaomi 12S Ultra with the Leica branding and the bigger sensor will change this in a big way.