Xiaomi Mi 12S series also wants to rely on Leica to achieve “subversive” image upgrade

In the past few years, the success of Huawei’s mobile phone joint name Leica can obviously be replicated in Xiaomi’s view. Just last month, Xiaomi officially replaced Huawei as Leica’s latest partner in the Chinese mobile phone market (Leica and Sharp have already collaborated on two phones in Japan). The Xiaomi 12S series, the first result of the collaboration between the two parties, finally made its debut today. This batch of new phones is divided into three models: Xiaomi Mi 12S, 12S Pro and 12S Ultra, of which the first two continue the styling of the Xiaomi Mi 12 series in the first half of the year. Like the Xiaomi Mi 12, the 12S is also a “small-sized flagship”. Its body is as light as 179g, as thin as 8.16mm, and has a 6.28-inch screen within a width of 69.9mm. The 12S Pro is as light as 203g and as thin as 8.16mm, which is basically the level of the current conventional flagship. Both products are available in black, purple, green, and white colors, and the green version will use a plain leather back cover.

In contrast, the Mi 12S Ultra, which weighs 225g and is 9.06mm thick, has a much stronger presence, and its design is also bolder and more exaggerated. Similar to what Vivo did this year, Xiaomi also adopted the concept of integrating square and circle. The rear camera area of ​​the Ultra occupies about one-third of the back. Under it is a layer of rounded rectangular matte glass. The three cameras plus flash and dToF are enclosed in a circle, and the degree of bulge is considerable. It may be to reduce weight, Ultra only made plain leather back cover, the color is black and green, and the body has IP68 dustproof and waterproof function. However, this layer of plain leather is made of environmentally friendly silicone leather material, which is claimed to be “more resistant to dirt and durable” and can bring “a good feel close to calfskin”.

This looks like a very domineering camera, and there is indeed something inside. The wide-angle main camera of the 12S Ultra directly uses the 1-inch 50.3MP IMX989 photoreceptor jointly developed by Xiaomi and Sony, and this size is solid, unlike the so-called 1-inch models such as the previous Xperia Pro-I. cut again. What’s more valuable is that Xiaomi and Leica managed to control the equivalent focal length of the f/1.9 8P lens to 23mm, which ensures the good usability of the phone in daily shooting. The double-sided ultra-low-reflection coating is used in the lens and the edges are inked one by one. It is claimed that the reflectivity is as low as 0.2%, the light transmittance reaches 93%, and it has better anti-glare and purple fringing performance.

At the same time, the 12S Ultra also has “Leica native dual image quality”, which can provide users with two different picture textures. Among them, the picture of “Leica Classic Picture Quality” will be “natural and realistic” style, with “three-dimensional tone” and “presence of color”, strong contrast but neutral color restraint, and has the vignetting characteristics of Leica M lens . On this basis, the manufacturer has also promoted the “Leica Live Quality” for mobile phones. Its pictures are “bright and transparent”, and the colors are “fresh and full”, which may be more in line with the aesthetic needs of social sharing. In addition, similar to Vivo’s X-series Zeiss lens package, Ultra also prepares three Leica lens simulation effects for 35mm f/1.4 black and white humanities, 50mm f/0.95 rotary focus portraits, 90mm f/2.2 soft focus portraits, and four Leica filters and Leica-style camera info watermarks.

This phone uses a 48MP IMX586 sensor at the 13mm ultra-wide-angle end and the 120mm 5X telephoto end, which is much smaller than the 1/2-inch size of the wide-angle main camera. It is worth mentioning that the 12S Ultra is the first Android model to support Dolby Vision HDR shooting and playback, and it is supported by HyperOIS technology that combines optical and electronic shock resistance during video recording. As for the selfie camera, it is 32MP, and the relatively special place is the use of RGBW photoreceptors.

On the Xiaomi Mi 12S Pro side, the rear three cameras are completely copied from the 12 Pro, the main camera uses a 1/1.28-inch 50MP IMX707, the lens focal length is 24mm with optical shock resistance, and the ultra-wide-angle and 2X portrait cameras are Samsung’s 50MP JN1 photosensitive device. The main camera configuration of the Mi 12S is the same as the Pro model, with a 13MP ultra-wide angle and a 50mm 8MP telephoto macro. The selfie cameras of both devices are 32MP. It is worth mentioning that these two relatively low-positioned products also have Leica blessings. At the same time, all Xiaomi Mi 12S series support the 10-bit RAW format calibrated by Adobe Labs. When opening photos taken by Lightroom, Adobe Camera RAW software will automatically optimize according to the metadata.

This time, the three new models are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, but Xiaomi also took this opportunity to launch another Mi 12 Pro Dimensity version using MediaTek Dimensity 9000+, except for a few details, it is generally the same as the 12S Pro Consistent (the most unfortunate thing is that there is no Leica bonus). Among them, Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro mainly rely on the VC vaporizing plate to dissipate heat, while the Ultra and 12 Pro Dimensity versions will be equipped with the so-called “leaf-pulse cold pump” cooling system. The copper mesh is replaced with a high-speed return channel that resembles the veins of a leaf, thereby “improving” the thermal conductivity by 100%.

The Mi 12S uses a 6.28-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with an update rate of 120Hz. Both the 12S Pro and Ultra chose Samsung’s 2K+ E5 AMOLED panel, with a refresh rate of 120Hz and support for LTPO 2.0, with sizes of 6.73 inches and 6.78 inches, respectively. All three phones have dual speakers and full-featured NFC, and the top of the phone also retains the infrared module. The Mi 12S has a built-in 4,500mAh battery that supports 67W wired and 50W wireless charging. The Mi 12S Pro battery has been increased to 4,600mAh, and it is equipped with the factory-developed Surging P1 fast-charging chip. On the basis of retaining 50W wireless charging, the wired fast charging power mentioned 120W. The Dimensity 12 Pro will use a larger 5,160mAh battery, and it also has the P1 but only supports 67W wired charging.

As for the 12S Ultra, while having the P1 chip, it also introduced the new G1 battery management chip, which is used to accurately estimate the power usage and further extend the battery life. It has a built-in 4,860mAh high-energy-density silicon-oxygen negative electrode battery, and the fast charging specifications are the same as the Mi 12S, and it is also a combination of 67W wired and 50W wireless.

In terms of sales information, both Xiaomi Mi 12S and Qualcomm 12S Pro will provide 8+128, 8+256, 12+256 and 12+512 models, with prices starting from RMB 3,999 and RMB 4,699 respectively. The Dimensity 12 Pro is available in 8+128 and 12+256 configurations, and the prices are 3,999 and 4,499 RMB respectively. The most anticipated 12S Ultra, available in 8+256, 12+256 or 12+512 specifications, is priced between RMB 5,999 and RMB 6,999. All new phones will be pre-sold in mainland China from now on. The official has confirmed that there are no plans to launch in other regions. Consumers in Hong Kong and Taiwan who want to experience Leica on Xiaomi phones may have to wait for the next generation.