Introduction
A one-inch camera sensor in a phone, and this phone actually uses all of it? The Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the third installment in the company's lineup of ultimate flagships with an extra focus on imaging has just arrived. Unfortunately, just like that pioneering Mi 10 Ultra, this latest one will not be sold outside of China - but we do at least have one for review.
Xiaomi Ultras (left to right): Mi 10 Ultra • Mi 11 Ultra • 12S Ultra
To avoid confusion, let's clear one thing up from the get-go - you probably know that already, but no physical dimension of the 'one-inch' sensor is actually one inch. It's a long-standing oddity in digital camera sensor nomenclature, and we'll talk about it in more detail in the camera section of this review.
It's still the largest camera sensor in a smartphone, tied with the Sharp Aquos R6 that practically nobody outside of Japan has seen and the Xperia Pro-I that's gotten more publicity, but has likely sold even fewer units. The China-only Xiaomi means one-inchers will maintain that exclusivity, but it's still closer to a mainstream device than those other two.
Oh, and unlike the Sony that crops from the center of its one-inch sensor, the Xiaomi utilizes all of it. And unlike the Sharp, the latest Ultra has advanced phase detect autofocus. So, tied for size it may be, but it is better - a properly remarkable camera, that much is certain.
The rest of the rear setup isn't half bad either - it's just mostly the same as it was on the Mi 11 Ultra. Still great, and in many ways superior to the competition, just not all that new. New is the selfie camera, though, and here it will have to pull its own weight - with the little display on the back now gone, more photo ops will need to be handled by the front camera.
Outside of picturetaking, the 12S Ultra is a true flagship alright. The phone launches in the second half of the year, so time for the plus version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. RAM and storage are ample, the display is cutting-edge, and the little niceties are here - IP68 rating, stereo speakers, infrared port. Battery capacity and charging capability aren't class-leading, but should do just fine. All things considered, that's not a specsheet we can complain about, no.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra specs at a glance:
- Body: 163.2x75.0x9.1mm, 225g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), eco leather back, aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
- Display: 6.73" LTPO2 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1440x3200px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 522ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
- Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 12, MIUI 13.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50.3 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1.0", 1.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, Dual-Pixel PDAF; Telephoto: 48 MP, f/4.1, 120mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom; Depth: TOF 3D.
- Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, 25mm (wide), 0.7µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@3840fps, gyro-EIS, Dolby Vision HDR 10-bit rec. (4K, 1080p); Front camera: 1080p@30.
- Battery: 4860mAh; Fast charging 67W, Fast wireless charging 50W, 100% in 52 min (advertised), Reverse wireless charging 10W, Quick Charge 4, Power Delivery 3.0.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Infrared port; stereo speakers.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra unboxing
The 12S Ultra arrives in a black box to set it apart from lesser twelves - a distinction we also observed last year. It's not the one-off specially designed package that the 10 Ultra showed up in, but it's still somewhat of a statement.
The contents bring no surprises. A 67W charger is included, with a USB-A-to-C cable to go along - Xiaomi is still using proprietary charging tech. You also get a soft transparent case for protection, though it doesn't feel right to slap a piece of silicone worth pennies on a phone as premium as this one. And it does turn head heads, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
Design, build quality, handling
There have been a lot of smartphones with extravagant camera styling lately, specifically ones that actually do have the hardware inside to warrant a sizeable camera island. Xiaomi's own Mi 11 Ultra was, of course, one of the more hardcore designs, inspiring a following among lesser, wannabe models. The 12S Ultra here does borrow clues from its predecessor, but takes things in a whole different direction.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra (left) next to the Mi 11 Ultra
You see, what used to be a rectangle on the old model had some moderately different goals - Xiaomi had to fit a display in there, and it was almost a game of tetris arranging the two wide cameras, the periscope tele and the supplementary hardware - the rectangular block of a camera island worked perfectly.
This time around, with no display to worry about, there was probably more freedom for component placement.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra (left) next to the Mi 11 Ultra
Another way to look at it is hinted by that Leica badge in the top left corner. Leica makes cameras and, more specifically, lenses - and lenses are, for the most part, circular. And what better way to allude to that collaboration and the German precision optics-making traditions than to make the smartphone's camera island a circle?
It's also a pretty sizeable circle, too, at 53-ish mm in diameter. Hmm, that number is oddly close to the physical diameter of the Summicron-M 50 f/2, a staple of Leica's lineup - coincidence? The golden accent on the outside of the camera ring is also reminiscent of the color Leica uses for its lens markings.
And when you realize that, other things fall into place. Like the textured surface on the rear panel reminiscent of camera designs from the past. We obviously have no decades-old Leica cameras in our prop drawers, and the ones we do have feel nothing like the supple and grippy texture on the phone - maybe Leicas do?
In any case, the back panel is an absolute joy to handle, and it's the softest 'leather-like' finish on a phone we've... fondled. Naturally, it doesn't pick up fingerprints one bit.
Now, there are those around the office that are fond of the Mi 11 Ultra's cold and hard flavor of premium - the ceramic old model does feel special in its own distinct way. Counter arguments include its slipperiness and tendency to get smudged up - not that it shows that much on the white colorway of our review unit. It seems we're ultimately arriving at a very profound conclusion of 'to each their own'.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra (right) next to the Mi 11 Ultra
Leica-leatherette it may be, but the 12S Ultra is just as IP68-rated as the ceramic predecessor. There does appear to have been a submersible Leica camera, but it's not something you'd normally expect from the brand, no.
For all its character and personality on the back, the 12S Ultra can be any other phone when seen from the display side. That's not meant to be an offense, it's just how it is with modern-day smartphones. One small difference coming from the 11 gen is the relocation of the selfie camera from the left corner to the middle. We reckon that has something to do with this year's Ultra adopting the same display panel as the Pro, while the Mi 11 Ultra used a different display from the rest of the lineup.
It's still a curved edge display with minimal bezels all around, so the convinced supporters of 'flat handles better' and 'thicker chin is better for grip' may need to look for another smartphone with a 1" camera - technically, the Xperia Pro-I does fit that description. For what it's worth, this reviewer had no issue with misinterpreted touch input on the 12S Ultra, nor does he have complaints after daily-driving a similarly curvy Mi 11 Ultra.
It's a similar experience with the under-display fingerprint sensor. The relatively high position is much appreciated, and using it is fast and trouble-free. A long-term user of ultrasonic sensors might be irked by the bright light inherent in the operation of the optical sensors, though.
The layout of the controls and features around the aluminum frame of the 12S Ultra remains mostly unchanged, coming from the previous generation. A power button and volume rocker are placed on the right side of the phone, and these are larger this time around - a welcome development after the somewhat unfittingly small power button on the old model. There's still nothing on the left other than an antenna line.
Controls on the right • Little of note on the left.
Up top, you'll find one of the Harman/Kardon branded speakers, a microphone, and the IR emitter - classic Xiaomi. Down on the bottom, there's another speaker (which has lost the cool wavy pattern of the cutouts that the 11 Ultra had), another mic, the USB-C port and a dual nano SIM slot with no option for memory expansion.
Top stuff • Speaker - yes, waves - no • Dual nano SIM tray
The 12S Ultra measures 163.2x75x9.1mm, and that's some 0.7mm thicker than the 11 Ultra - we'd point the finger at the soft leather-like finish. The other dimensions are practically unchanged. You could say that about the weight as well - at 225g, the new model is marginally lighter than the old one, but at this level, we'd say that 9g aren't tangible. The 12S Ultra is a large phone, but by no means an unwieldy one and its curves do help make it feel slightly more compact than a simple squarish block of the same size and proportions.
Wonderful display
The 12S Ultra comes with a bit of a surprise development in that it's using a different, slightly smaller display than last year's model. At 6.73 inches in diagonal, it's not small, of course, and the 0.08" difference is only in the numbers - it's not like you'd notice it. The new size, together with the relocated selfie camera, suggests it's the same panel as on the 12 Pro, in turn same as the 12S Pro - it does make sense to have the same panel across more devices in the lineup.
Resolution is once again 1440x3200px (20:9 ratio, 522ppi pixel density), and the LTPO2 AMOLED panel should allow dynamic refresh rate switching between 1 and 120Hz. As is customary for Xiaomis, the 12S Ultra's display has all sorts of HDR support, including DolbyVision, and it's a 10-bit panel, so it's capable of rendering 1 billion color gradations.
In our brightness testing, the 12S Ultra posted excellent numbers, as expected. 120nits brighter than the predecessor with the auto boost in bright ambient conditions, the 12S Ultra is virtually the same as the 12 Pro, and on par with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and vivo X80 Pro. Only Samsung's own S22 Ultra can put out more nits, some 200 of them. Meanwhile, the 500ish nits in manual operation are the norm on a modern-day flagship, with only the iPhone allowing significantly higher brightness at the top end of its slider.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 512 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1065 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 506 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1050 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 514 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 943 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 852 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1050 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 494 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 829 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1266 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 488 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1014 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 762 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 539 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 680 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 501 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 829 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 602 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 438 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1000 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 609 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 754 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 550 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 957 | ∞ | |
There are no surprises in the color mode handling, and the 12S Ultra comes with the same options we're used to seeing on high-end Xiaomi models - and it's a whole lot of options. There are three immediately available preset color modes (Vivid, Saturated, Original color), with a color wheel below for tweaking temperature, in addition to three factory presets (Default, Warm, Cool). Then there's an Advanced settings submenu where you can choose from three further presets (Original, P3, and sRGB), but there are also RGB sliders as well as sliders for hue, saturation, value, contrast, and gamma.
Display settings
In the default Vivid mode, we're getting lively colors and generally accurate results for our DCI-P3 test swatches, with the usual noticeable blue shift to white and grays. The Warm temperature preset still leaves a hint of blue, though overall accuracy does improve. A custom point on the color wheel is the best bet for truly white whites.
Original color mode is more finely tuned, and we recorded an average dE2000 of 0.9 for the set of sRGB patterns in our test.
The dedicated P3 mode in Advanced settings was a bit less accurate than the Vivid mode for displaying P3 content, and the sRGB mode was way off target in our testing. The Advanced Original mode, on the other hand, was again very accurate for the sRGB test swatches.
For all its supposed HDR capabilities, the 12S Ultra doesn't quite deliver in real life, though it could very well be due to us using a Chinese unit in non-Chinese land. Netflix, in particular, is only good for SD quality and no HDR - understandable since the app reports a basic L3 Widevine certification. But DRM Info lists the highest L1 level, and sure enough, Amazon Prime Video does allow FullHD streaming, though that, too, isn't HDR. YouTube, for one, is more cooperative and does stream in HDR.
Just like the 12 Pro, the 12S Ultra lets you choose whether the phone should render in its native 1440p resolution or a lower 1080p, the presumption being that the lower-res setting would be less taxing on the battery. When you're in 1440p mode, there's also a toggle that allows the phone to automatically switch down to 1080p when it decides it's appropriate.
High refresh rate support on the 12S Ultra from the user perspective is handled in Xiaomi's recently adopted way where you get two modes - Default, where the phone chooses refresh rate on its own, and Custom, where you get to pick a refresh rate ceiling (60, 90, or 120Hz). The custom mode is not a hard setting - the phone will still vary the RR based on its internal logic, and there are a whole lot of factors affecting it.
In general use, the interaction with the phone's screen is among the most obvious ones, but there's also the current brightness level. If you stop touching the display, the phone will drop to 1Hz if brightness is above a certain threshold or 10Hz if it's below that, down to a point, and it will maintain the full 120Hz if it's kept at an even dimmer setting.
Of course, regardless of what bottom it hits, it will shoot to the maximum (120Hz in Auto or whatever value you set in Custom) when you do touch it. That's the behavior across most use cases - general UI, browsers, social media - when displaying static content. If there are moving bits, it won't drop below 60Hz.
Video playback has its own specifics. In the Xiaomi gallery app, we were locked at 60Hz regardless of content fps, while Google Photos maintained 120Hz. YouTube would give you 24Hz for 24fps content, and 30Hz for 30fps, but 60Hz for 48fps - when playing a video; when browsing the UI, it will observe the general activity/brightness behavior. Meanwhile, Netflix and Amazon Prime video would be stuck at 120Hz for video playback and the auto-switching for the UI.
The usual exceptions to those rules include Google Maps and the camera app, which get 60Hz only. A positive development is that games that support a high frame rate are treated to 120Hz, as they should be.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra battery life
The 12S Ultra has a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor - 4,860mAh vs. 5,000mAh, almost precisely by the same factor as the display area has shrunk, so in a way there's no downgrade? The Ultra still maintains an advantage over the Pro (4,600mAh) in capacity.
We're happy to report that we got some pretty solid numbers for endurance out of the 12S Ultra, particularly in light of the rather disappointing performance of the 12 Pro. We clocked 16:19h of looping videos offline (with the display running at 60Hz), while the web browsing test (constantly fluctuating between 120Hz and 1Hz) returned a 14:43h result. Both of these are better than the Mi 11 Ultra's, significantly so in the case of the browsing test).
Mind you, the tests were carried out with the display set to 1440p, which is not the default state. We repeated in 1080p mode, for completeness sake, and we got virtually the same result for web browsing and an hour extra in video playback. So we'd happily stick to the higher resolution.
In voice calls, we got what can be called an average result at 27:09 - an hour shorter than the Mi 11 Ultra. Standby battery draw was similarly middle of the road.
In the end, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra's Endurance rating stands at 93h.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage - check out our all-time battery test results chart.
We'll concede that, while the battery life of the 12S Ultra is no worse than the phone it 'replaces' and a lot better than the 12 Pro from earlier this year, big-name competitors do have it beat, comfortably so, too.
Charging speed
The 12S Ultra comes bundled with a proprietary 67W charger. Using it, we clocked 0 to 100% time of 50 minutes, and we were looking at 73% in the battery indicator at the half-hour mark. Those are hardly record-breaking numbers, but not ones that warrant complaints either.
Admittedly, the 12 Pro with its 120W charging capability is a lot faster (presumably, so is the 12S Pro - its specs are the same). Other phones with proprietary charging, like the Find X5 Pro or the vivo X80 Pro are faster than the 12S Ultra, but just by a little. Conversely, Galaxies tend to be a little slower, while the iPhones - a lot slower.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12 Pro (120W)
100% - iQOO 9 Pro
100% - Oppo Find X5 Pro
91% - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
89% - vivo X80 Pro
88% - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
80% - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
75% - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
73% - Samsung Galaxy S22+ (45W)
64% - Xiaomi 12 Pro (65W PD)
62% - Samsung Galaxy S22+ (25W)
62% - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (25W)
61% - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (45W)
60% - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (65W PD)
55% - Sony Xperia 1 IV
47% - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (20W Apple)
42%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Xiaomi 12 Pro (120W)
0:21h - iQOO 9 Pro
0:21h - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
0:37h - vivo X80 Pro
0:39h - Oppo Find X5 Pro
0:40h - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
0:42h - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
0:47h - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
0:50h - Xiaomi 12 Pro (65W PD)
0:50h - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (45W)
0:59h - Samsung Galaxy S22+ (45W)
1:01h - Samsung Galaxy S22+ (25W)
1:02h - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (25W)
1:04h - Sony Xperia 1 IV
1:42h - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (20W Apple)
1:46h - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (65W PD)
1:54h
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra also supports wireless charging - both in and out. Searching for it on the WPC's website returns no results, but there is an entry for the 12 Pro, which says the phone is capable of taking up to 10W and it adheres to the Extended Power Profile. That's the usual result with standard peripherals, however, while a dedicated fast-charging Xiaomi pad promises up to 50W of power and a full charge in 52 minutes.
In our testing, the wired charging speed missed the promised mark by a few minutes, so maybe a similar expectation adjustment will apply to the wireless charging one - lab test results and real-world ones can be different, and that's to be expected, and it's okay.
Speaker test
The 12S Ultra has a rather standard speaker configuration for a Xiaomi. There's a bottom-firing unit and a top-firing one, which also outputs towards the front to serve as an earpiece. That last bit has the downside that during a voice call, the other party will be broadcast in your immediate vicinity. There's Harman/Kardon branding on the speakers, as well as Dolby Atmos support.
Bottom speaker • Top speaker
In our test, the 12S Ultra posted a 'Very Good' rating for loudness - on par with the previous model and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, though with slightly worse numbers than either of them. It's notably louder than the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which only managed an 'Average' rating, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra can't match it either.
In terms of sound quality, we quite like what we're hearing. The 12S Ultra has more thump in the lows than the 11 Ultra - more than pretty much any major competitor save for the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is more or less similar. The ROG Phone 6 Pro does remain boomier, though it's fighting for a different crowd, we reckon. The Xiaomi is also delivering pleasing vocals and clean treble - overall, it's a great performance.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 12 and MIUI 13, but with a Chinese twist
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra runs Android 12 with MIUI 13 on top, a fairly popular combination for recent high-end Xiaomis. There's more to it on this particular Xiaomi, at least from our perspective, in that it's on the Chinese branch of MIUI 13, so it's not quite the same as the global versions we usually encounter.
For starters, there are differences in the software package - there's a lot of pre-installed Chinese apps. Thankfully, you can remove pretty much all of them.
There's also no Google suite when you power up the 12S Ultra, but a trip to the Xiaomi app store will get you the Google Play Store, and from there, you can have it all.
The default keyboard has the usual Chinese input capabilities and is somewhat difficult to operate from a Western user's standpoint, but Gboard is right there in the Play Store. So in a way, you could minimize the 12S Ultra's Chinese flavor if you were to import one and use it outside of its intended habitat.
Still, there will be remains of Chinese elements here or there in the UI or in the system apps. Plus, we can't be certain if one or another software peculiarity wouldn't become an issue in the long run for more niche use cases. There's the Netflix SD cap, for one.
Chinese apps • GetApps • Some sort of Search feature • Xiaomi Browser • Keyboard • Play Store
Then there's the fact that some things in the UI and feature set are just different and that we find odd. That is to say, we knew the two branches take separate paths here or there since our first encounter with MIUI 13 earlier this year; it's just that now's the first time we experience the other way in person.
For example, in some system apps (like the Clock) where the global MIUI builds use icons for different tabs, the Chinese build has simple text labels. The File Manager has that difference too, plus a different look of the Recent tab.
There are other things as well. The 12S Ultra's Chinese MIUI has a new and improved widget interface, with better-defined categories, tons of widgets and a search feature. Admittedly, a lot of the widgets we're getting are in Chinese, and we did remove nearly all of the pre-installed apps, yet there are still so many of them, but the new interface is still better.
Clock • File Manager • File Manager • Widgets
Next up, the Privacy non-Dashboard. Google released this privacy hub with Android 12, and different makers have been implementing it in their own ways, and Xiaomi itself has done it in two different ways depending on localization. And, weirdly enough, on the 12S Ultra's build, the permissions are designated with icons, as opposed to the text labels in the global builds. Still, you get essentially the same functionality for keeping track of what app has used what permission when - it's just organized in a different way.
It doesn't end there, naturally. We found no way to revert to a classic notification shade with quick toggles as the norm on most Androids - the 12S Ultra only has the two-pane option with notifications on the left and control center on the right. Similarly, you don't get to choose the UI of the Recent apps - it's just the MIUI standard two-cards-per-row interface.
Privacy • Privacy • Privacy • Notifications • Control Center • Recent apps
None of these differences really take away from the MIUI experience and depending on how you like your Xiaomi to behave, you might not even notice that certain things are different or missing.
Always-on display functionality is there with all the customizability you can ask for. The homescreens are business as usual - they are populated with shortcuts, folders, and widgets. You can choose whether to have an app drawer or not - that option has not been taken away. The leftmost pane is reserved for widgets only - it's not the Google Discover.
AoD • Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Widget pane
You unlock the screen via the optical fingerprint scanner embedded in the display. It's fast and reliable, no complaints there.
There's this feature where if you press and hold on the fingerprint reader, shortcuts appear after unlocking, which is a handy way of accessing stuff almost immediately from the lockscreen. However, the shortcuts here are to AliPay and WeChat with no obvious way of changing them, so we see little practical value in that feature outside of China.
Aside from the fingerprint reader, you can unlock the phone using 2D Face Unlock, but it is far less secure than the fingerprint option.
Biometric security • Fingerprint settings • Fingerprint shortcuts • Animation style • Face unlock
Themes have always been a huge part of MIUI, and they are available on this flavor of MIUI 13, too. You can download new ones from the Themes store, and they can change wallpapers, ringtones, system icons, and even the always-on display style.
Themes
MIUI comes with its proprietary multimedia apps - there's Gallery, and Music and Mi Video. And, of course, a Mi Remote app that uses the integrated IR blaster.
Then there's the Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, define the battery behavior of selected apps, and apply restrictions only to certain apps.
Gallery • Music • Video • Mi Remote • Security
We'll reiterate that the division in design and functionality between Chinese and global MIUI builds perplexes us, but there could be some regional and cultural nuances that Xiaomi gets and we don't. You could seemingly use the 12S Ultra just fine outside of China, though you'll never be able to completely remove all references to Chinese apps and services, and some specific things may not work at all.
Performance and benchmarks
The 12S Ultra gets the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the 'plus' in there signifying it's the mid-life cycle refresh of Qualcomm's high-end SoC. We went into more detail on the new chip in a dedicated article testing an engineering device a while back, so head over there for a more in-depth look.
The gist of it is improved efficiency across the board thanks to a switch from Samsung to TSMC for the manufacturing (still at 4nm, technically) and slightly higher CPU and GPU clocks.
In our benchmark runs on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, it posted very similar results to the Qualcomm engineering device in most tests. The exception was on-screen graphics benchmarks, where Xiaomi's native 1440p resolution meant a lot more pixels to render than the 1080p test bench - the parity was there in off-screen tests that are run at the same resolution on all devices.
We've included that non-commercial unit in the charts to serve as a reference, and we've also added average values for the 'vanilla' SD 8 Gen 1 - to show how much better the Xiaomi is, compared to the 'normies'. We also already saw the 8+ Gen 1 in a production device, the ROG Phone 6 Pro, so we have a real-world data point as well, though the ROG's gaming inclination and multitude of modes make for some skewed comparisons.
The 12S Ultra exists in three memory configurations - the 8GB/256GB base model, the 12GB/256GB middle option, and the 12GB/512GB top version, which our review unit happens to be.
Starting with GeekBench as usual, we're seeing the first example of Xiaomi's reference-level performance. The latest ROG Phone does match them in single-core but is a notch below them under multi-threaded load in its highest-performing mode. The 12S Ultra's scores are higher than the SD 8 Gen 1 by 18% in the single-core test and by 21% in multi-core.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
1329 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1324 - Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
1316 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
1300 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
1251 - Poco F4 GT
1244 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
1207 - vivo X80 Pro
1184 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
1180 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
1176 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
1169 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
1160 - Honor Magic4 Pro
1127 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
1126 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
1123 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
1110 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
1002 - OnePlus 10 Pro
975
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
4300 - Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
4199 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
3980 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
3889 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
3845 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
3682 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
3665 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
3657 - Poco F4 GT
3637 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
3554 - Honor Magic4 Pro
3512 - vivo X80 Pro
3505 - OnePlus 10 Pro
3447 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
3433 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
3403 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
3191 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
3189 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
2659
The Qualcomm engineering device sets the benchmark in Antutu followed by the ROG. Here, the 12S Ultra is a notch below, though still above the million points.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
1120235 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
1103188 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
1094300 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
1056511 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1039412 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
1012896 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
1007133 - vivo X80 Pro
1002570 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
985226 - Honor Magic4 Pro
980755 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
969714 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
968359 - Poco F4 GT
952124 - OnePlus 10 Pro
886248 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
884923 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
838832 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
794016 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
762090
In GFXBench, the 12S Ultra aced the off-screen tests, again matching the Qualcomm reference device - a clear indication of top-level raw performance capability. In the on-screen tests, the high-resolution display on the Xiaomi means less impressive fps numbers than the 1080p ROG Phone 6 Pro. But the performance potential is there, and you could choose to run the Xiaomi in 1080p mode to get higher frame rates out of your games (and benchmarks, if you're into that).
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
63 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
61 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
61 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
61 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
58 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
58 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
46 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
43 - Honor Magic4 Pro
40 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
38 - OnePlus 10 Pro
37 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
36 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
36 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
35 - vivo X80 Pro
34 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
30 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
23
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
46 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
46 - Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
46 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
43 - OnePlus 10 Pro
43 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
41 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
41 - vivo X80 Pro
41 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
41 - Honor Magic4 Pro
40 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
40 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
37 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
35 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
33 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
31 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
27 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
26
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
65 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
64 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
63 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
61 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
45 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
45 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
45 - Honor Magic4 Pro
45 - OnePlus 10 Pro
41 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
39 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
38 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
37 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
36 - vivo X80 Pro
34 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
31 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
29 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
25
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
51 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
51 - Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
51 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
48 - OnePlus 10 Pro
48 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
45 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
45 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
44 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
44 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
42 - vivo X80 Pro
37 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
36 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
36 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
35 - Honor Magic4 Pro
32 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
29 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
26
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
83 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
82 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
79 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
79 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
79 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
77 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
74 - Honor Magic4 Pro
59 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
58 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
51 - OnePlus 10 Pro
48 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
46 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
46 - vivo X80 Pro
44 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
44 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
37 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
34
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12S Ultra
104 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
103 - Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
103 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
102 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
101 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
97 - OnePlus 10 Pro
97 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
96 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
96 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
95 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
94 - vivo X80 Pro
90 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
80 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
79 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
76 - Honor Magic4 Pro
72 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
69
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Asus SD 8 Gen 1+ test platform (1080p)
10534 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
10533 - Honor Magic4 Pro
10183 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
10112 - Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
10008 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
9794 - vivo X80 Pro
9778 - Oppo Find X5 Pro
9758 - Xiaomi 12 Pro
9664 - Average SD 8 Gen1 (1440p)
9638 - OnePlus 10 Pro
9610 - ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
8670 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
7437 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
5676
The 12S Ultra's stability results are two-fold. In the 3DMark Wild Life stress test, the phone's result dropped to 54% of its initial value, which is one of the biggest drops we've observed. On the other hand, in the CPU throttling test, we saw steadier results, and the phone got an 81% score. It did pop up an overheating warning 48 minutes into the one-hour test but completed it after all.
3DMark Wildlife stress test • CPU throttling test
One-inch main camera
It's no secret what's the main attraction here - the Xiaomi 12S Ultra's main camera with a 1" sensor. It's not the first phone to have one - in fact, it's the third, but this one has none of the compromises of the previous two.
The Japan-only Sharp Aquos R6 was the pioneering one-incher, launched in mid-2021. A proper flagship with the then-current Snapdragon 888 and an unmatched for its refresh rate 240Hz display (albeit LCD), the Aquos never got to our doorstep, so we're not intimately familiar with its performance.
What we do know of the Sharp, is from the Xperia Pro-I, the second phone to feature a 1" sensor - Sony marketed the Pro-I as the first phone with a one-inch camera sensor and phase detect autofocus. So, then, the Sharp didn't have phase detection.
Well, the Xperia did, but Sony was particularly misleading in its promo materials. Indeed, there was a 1" sensor inside the Pro-I, one that came more or less straight out of the company's compact camera division. However, only a center portion of it was used to capture an image - equivalent to a 1/1.3" sensor, of which there were already a bunch in circulation at the time, plus there was the Mi 11 Ultra with a larger 1/1.12" imager. We're still sour about how Sony communicated that to consumers.
Which brings us to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra we have here now. It has a 1" sensor (coincidentally, a Sony-made IMX989) with phase detect autofocus, and its entire area is used for image capture. That could count as a first.
You may note that the above definitions of firsts do not take into account a certain Panasonic Lumix from 2014, itself equipped with a 1" sensor. That's, in part, because of the year of its release which is practically in another era of smartphones, and, in part, because that device was camera first, smartphone second. That's how our reasoning goes, and we stand behind it.
Before we move on with the 12S Ultra, a few words on what 'one inch' means when it comes to digital camera sensors. It's not a physical dimension of the sensor - you can't grab your calipers and find something that's 25.4mm across (or if you do, not all of it will be photosensitive bits anyway). That term denotes the imager's 'optical format', also called 'sensor type', and refers to the diameter of the video camera tube needed to project an image that would cover the size of the sensor. It's a legacy concept and designation, and it's about time the industry as a whole abandoned it, but here we are.
The correlation between that optical format and actual sensor size isn't strict, but it's roughly 1.5 times the physical diagonal of the sensor. The 'type' and 'optical format' terms are often dropped for brevity and are assumed from context, but we figured all of this is worth putting into words for those of you only now encountering this long-standing if somewhat ridiculous designation.
OK, so the IMX989 sensor that's the core of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra's primary camera has a 8,192x6,144px effective resolution - let's call it 50MP, and the pixel pitch is 1.6µm. The effective sensor area is then 13.11x9.83mm, and the diagonal works out to 16.39mm. Multiply that by 1.5, and you get 24.85mm - or roughly one inch. Mind you, we haven't seen an IMX 989 whitepaper (nor have we seen a Sony smartphone sensor whitepaper in a while), so the above numbers are just us working with what we have - we could be slightly off one way or another, slightly.
Adopting the same approach, we can calculate the Mi 11 Ultra's 1/1.12" sensor size at 11.42x8.57mm (14.28mm diagonal), and it's then easy to calculate that the new sensor's area is a little over 30% larger. That's not a little.
It's even more impressive when you consider the 12S Ultra's sensor is 86% larger than the one used in the Galaxy S22 Ultra's main camera - rounding that to 'twice as large' isn't that big of a stretch. It's also roughly three times larger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max's main camera sensor.
Now, that 50MP sensor has what Sony calls a Quad Bayer color filter array. It's the dominant sensor design in recent years, and in it, four adjacent pixels are under a common color filter (red, green, or blue), as opposed to each pixel having its own. The practical end result of that is that you get those 50MP binned 4-to-1 into 12.5MP images. There are further nuances about what having four separate photodetectors can do for image quality better than one single pixel with the same resulting size, but you can still think of the pixel size as 3.2µm and those are some big pixels.
The sensor features Octa-PD autofocus, Sony's Dual Pixel implementation for Quad Bayer sensors.
So there you have it - the Xiaomi's main camera has better sensor hardware than the Sharp's and better than the one on Sony's fanciest Xperia itself.
In front of that sensor, Xiaomi has placed an 8-element lens with aspherical element(s?) and stabilization. The lens has a 23mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.9 aperture.
The other two rear cameras are carried over from the Mi 11 Ultra, with the tele dating even further back to the Mi 10 Ultra. That's no bad thing in itself since the hardware remains pretty impressive even today. An IMX586 does the capturing for each camera (48MP, 1/2", Quad Bayer), the stabilized periscope tele has a 120mm equivalent focal length and an f/4.1 aperture, while the AF-capable ultrawide is specified as covering a 128-degree field of view and has an f/2.2 aperture.
The auxiliary bits under the huge glass circle include a laser autofocus emitter/receiver combo and a dual LED flash.
Over on the front, the 12S Ultra does get a new camera, and it's not a Sony, for a change. It's based on the OmniVision OV32C, a 32MP sensor with a 1/3.14" optical format, 0.7µm pixels and a 4-cell filter array (OV's Quad Bayer). The 25mm equivalent lens has an f/2.4 aperture, and its focus is fixed.
Camera app
The camera app on the 12S Ultra is more or less the same as on other Xiaomis, but with a twist - the accent color here is red, presumably in honor of the Leica collaboration.
Another Leica-related touch is the processing 'mode' you need to choose the first time you launch the camera. The two options are Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic, and once you're past the welcome screen, you can switch back and forth between them all you want. You do have to be in one or the other - there's no 'generic' non-Leica auto mode. There is
Aside from that, the app functions like on any other recent Xiaomi. Basic operation for changing modes works with side swipes as expected, and you can also tap on the modes that you can see to switch to those directly. You can add, remove, and rearrange modes in the main rolodex by going to the More tab and navigating to the edit button, and you can access that from the settings menu as well.
At the far end of the viewfinder, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, and the AI toggle. There's also the hamburger menu which contains additional options like aspect ratio, self-timer and grid lines, plus the shortcut to the settings. You won't find an option to set the output resolution for any of the cameras (not that we particularly care), besides the 50MP mode that outputs at full res.
On the near end, you have the camera zoom switch that operates in one of two fashions. The first one is simply tapping on one of the three dots that represent the ultra-wide, primary, and 5x zoom options. Or you can tap on the active magnification and reveal even more zoom modes - 2x, 10x, and 120x (because why stop at a sensible digital zoom magnification).
There's a nicely capable Pro mode, where you can tweak the shooting parameters yourself. You get to pick one of 4 white balance presets or dial in the light temperature with a slider, there's a manual focusing slider (with peaking as an option), and shutter speed and ISO control with ranges depending on which camera you're using - yes, you can access each of the three cams in Pro mode.
Camera UI
Daylight image quality
We adopted the Leica Vibrant mode with the AI toggle off as the default state for taking pictures and these are some of the nicest pictures we've seen from a phone. Color rendition is just right - vibrant as advertised, indeed, but with a measured approach and not in that overly colorful 'AI' way.
Dynamic range is excellent with a caveat - Xiaomi has opted for a somewhat contrasty rendition, which, together with a (very reasonable) inclination towards highlight preservation, could leave your shadows a bit dark, especially if you're used to a more HDR-y look. Maybe you'll like the results straight-out-of-camera, and that's fine, but if you don't, playing around with the sliders in your favorite photo editing software can lift your shadows without much detriment to quality. We certainly expect Ultra fans to know a thing a two about at least basic post-processing.
On a pixel level, we're seeing minimal noise and great detail with a relatively natural rendition of random textures without excessive sharpening. We did observe more than the usual false color with the white balcony blinds and wall paneling in the 5th and 6th samples, but that's a bit of a niche issue.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Leica Vibrant
One point worth making here is that this new camera is superior at out-of-focus area rendition than the one on the Mi 11 Ultra, and that was already among the best at this particular thing. The 12S Ultra has more bokeh, and it's better bokeh - backgrounds are smoother, and bokeh balls are larger, rounder, and less busy. Pretty nice stuff.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Leica Vibrant
The Leica Authentic mode dials down the sharpening and makes for an even nicer, organic take on foliage and other random detail. We can't say we're fans of the tonal properties of these images, though - they are even more contrasty, shadows are even darker, and especially overcast scenes can have a downright gloomy look. There's also somewhat of a vignetting effect to these, and we can't say we understand its deliberate 'application' - vignetting is essentially a flaw/compromise in lens design. Then again, perhaps that's the 'authentic' Leica look.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Leica Authentic
Here are a few of the same scenes, but shot with AI toggle on. Nothing out of the ordinary - higher saturation with lush greens and deeper blues, and some extra contrast.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Leica Vibrant, AI On
With the hardware on the ultrawide camera essentially the same, it's no wonder we're getting similar images to what the previous phone was capturing. That said, there's one somewhat significant difference. Xiaomi does specify a narrower field of view for this model, and the way we see it, that's a result of more aggressive software distortion correction.
That's a good thing we'd say. The Mi 11 Ultra's ultrawide does have some pretty noticeable distortion left over even after correction, and there's no such thing on the 12S Ultra. And while some coverage has been lost, this remains one of the wider ultrawides on a phone.
It's also one of the best ultrawides in other respects too. There's a bit of that high contrast, dark shadow action going on, though dynamic range remains respectable. Colors, too, leave little to be desired.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)
On to the opposite end of the zoom range, where we're treated to some fine 5x pictures. There's a lot of detail in these, albeit with some heavier sharpening than before, but still reasonable. Micro contrast is also nice, and on a global scale, we're actually more on board with the tonal rendition here than on the Mi 11 Ultra's tele and, perhaps, the 12S Ultra's own other cameras - we'd say we're getting better-developed shadows on this camera than the other two, and not at the expense of highlight dynamic range either. Again, nice lively colors in this Leica Vibrant mode.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x zoom)
We took a few samples at an intermediate 2x zoom level, since the gap between the main camera's 23mm equivalent focal length and the tele's 120mm Is quite wide, and photo ops in between can often present themselves. We're happy to report that the 12S Ultra can capture solid images at this level, easily good enough to make you not care about a missing dedicated 2x camera. In fact, we'd take these over, say, the vivo X80 Pro's 2x shots from its 2x zoom camera.
Daylight samples, main camera (2x zoom)
That's a good segue to take us into the full-res mode - after all, if the main camera can conjure up such good 2x images, it probably has a ton of raw data to work with. And, indeed, these are pretty neat - they have crispiness to them that we're not used to seeing from Quad Bayer cameras at nominal resolution, and we'd say that for once, these actually make sense. The minor increase in noise at 1:1 magnification is negligible, there's no dip in dynamic range, and color rendition remains excellent.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP
The ultrawide, too, can offer more detail when shooting at full resolution, but we fount it to be more dependent on the lighting - in more challenging scenes, the advantage can be minimal to non-existent, hinting that there might be some HDR action even at full-res.
Daylight samples, utlrawide camera (0.5x), 48MP
It's only on the telephoto that we struggled to see extra detail at 48MP. Here are a few samples for you to stare at.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x), 48MP
Low-light image quality
As has become standard practice, the 12S Ultra has auto Night mode processing in Photo mode, so it will apply whatever secret sauce it has as it sees fit. It's the default state, too, though we did turn it off for comparison purposes - the third set of samples for each camera.
So, with the Auto Night mode on, the 12 Ultra's main camera low-light photos are very likely the best ones we've seen from a phone. Dynamic range is super wide, highlights are well contained with point light sources remaining well defined without burning everything around them, while shadows are also nicely developed and detailed. And throughout the tonal range, detail is sharp and crispy and a step up from the already excellent Mi 11 Ultra. It's hard to argue with a 30% increase in sensor area and a year of ISP progress.
Colors maintain a nice level of saturation, and the auto white balance handles even complex scenes flawlessly.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), auto Night mode
The full-on Night mode brings next to no changes. Perhaps there's an occasional marginal improvement in the deepest of shadows, but that could very well be due to variations from shot to shot, more so than between modes. Auto is good enough.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), dedicated Night mode
As promised, here is how a few of those scenes look with the Auto Nigh mode turned off. You'll note the narrower dynamic range resulting in harsher tonal extremes - both shadows and highlights. You could argue that there's an advantage in sharpness in scenes with more balanced lighting, and we'd be inclined to agree, but it's minimal, and we'd be happy to just leave the Auto On and not worry about it for the bulk of low-light shooting.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), auto Night mode OFF
The ultrawide may not be quite a match for the main camera in low light, but it does produce respectable results in its own context - the Xiaomi rivals bigger-sensor units like the one on the Find X5 Pro, for example. It's got a wide dynamic range and top-class rendition of shadows and highlights coupled with excellent color fidelity and saturation. Detail is very good, but in this respect, the Find does snatch a narrow victory, with the asterisk that it does benefit from a narrower field of view.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x), auto Night mode
Similarly to the main camera, we weren't able to observe a meaningful difference between the results obtained on the ultrawide in Night mode and ones in Photo mode with the Auto Night mode switched on.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x), dedicated Night mode
With Night mode entirely off, you'd be looking at a predictably narrow dynamic range with blown highlights and poor shadow development. Once again, areas with more balanced light might have a minor sharpness advantage, but it's not worth the overall inferior look.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x), auto Night mode OFF
In Photo mode with the Auto Night on, shooting at 5x zoom proved unreliable. Five out of the eight images below were captured on the main camera, and 5 times digital zoom at night is bound to look bad when viewed from up close. Even a well-lit scene like the one in the 5th sample was outsourced to the one-incher. We observed no such behavior from the Mi 11 Ultra, so it could be a matter of further fine-tuning on the new phone.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera (5x), auto Night mode
We got none of that insecurity when shooting in the full-on Night mode - all the pictures were taken on the 5x unit, and they aren't half bad. With the exception of the third scene where we didn't happen to get a keeper for one reason or another, the images are sharp and detailed. Dynamic range is wide, and colors are likeable too.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera (5x), dedicated Night mode
The 2x zoom level produces usable results in the dark while not quite as great as in daylight. Per-pixel detail isn't spectacular, but the global parameters are solid, and you can get away with using these as long as you stick to reasonable magnifications.
Low-light samples, main camera (2x)
Low-light samples, main camera (2x), Night mode
Once you're done with the real-world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Xiaomi 12S Ultra stacks up against the competition.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra against the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and the Galaxy S22 Ultra in our Photo compare tool
Portrait mode
Portrait mode on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a default - generic, so to speak - state, plus a trio of 'Pro lenses'.
The default mode crops in a little so you're not in your subject's face but still produces 12MP images. As we established earlier, that's no big deal for the main camera, and these are still of very high quality. Subject detection is excellent, though you'd be wise to tone down the blur level because the pre-set one is too high and outs the synthetic nature of the effect.
Portrait mode samples
The first of the Pro lenses is 'Black & white / 35mm', because the color palette and focal length are tied together, right? We do like these - the lack of color masks whatever imperfections there might be in the subject detection (not that it's common).
Portrait mode samples, Black & white / 35mm
Next up is the 'Swirly bokeh / 50mm' lens. It helps to have specular highlights in the background (essentially only our first shot) to make the swirliness appear. The 2x digital zoom from the main camera continues to deliver solid quality on your subject.
Portrait mode samples, Swirly bokeh / 50mm
Then there's the 'Soft focus / 90mm' mode. The 90mm equivalent focal length is now obviously beyond the limits of the 23mm main camera to produce a sharp image, so we might as well call the mode 'soft focus'. We'd avoid this one as we're missing the point of downright blurry images.
Portrait mode samples, Soft focus / 90mm
And that brings us to the 'Portrait mode in disguise'. With a primary camera like the 12 Ultra's there's a whole lot of native blur potential. As we showed earlier with non-human subjects, it's indeed capable of making backgrounds melt away, and it has a very nice bokeh quality.
The obvious issue with people shots, however, is that the 23mm focal length is ill-suited to head-and-shoulders style framing as it puts the camera way too close to subject, thus distorting facial features. At the same time, it's still not enough blur to make your subject stand out against a closer background like in the third and fourth samples. So ultimately, a good Portrait mode on a smartphone still has merit. As does a real camera, of course.
Non-Portrait mode samples
Selfies
Selfies on the 12S Ultra come out at the full 32MP resolution, and we've said time and time again that this is too much. Still, these are very detailed and have very mature processing of that detail - even at a (ridiculous for 32MP selfies) 1:1 magnification, these look about as good as any from phones with similar specs. In any case, we suggest downscaling them to something more sensible like 12MP.
Dynamic range is good on these, great if the HDR engages, but that's not always the case, though it won't let you down in properly backlit scenes. The colors are accurate if a little lifeless.
Selfie samples
Subject detection in portrait mode is very good, but the default blur level feels excessive. HDR is apparently a no-go either.
Selfie samples, Portrait mode
But why bother with portrait mode at all (and front camera selfies in general) when you can just flip the phone around and take selfies with that 1-inch primary camera and enjoy its natural blur, not to mention overall much better quality? Plus, the huge glass circle serves nicely as a mirror so you can get some rough framing, more precise once you get used to it.
Selfie samples, rear camera
Video recording
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra can record video up to 8K24 with all three of its rear cameras. 4K30 and 4K60 modes are also available on all of them. You can choose between the h.264 codec (the one used by default) and the more efficient h.265. There's always-on stabilization across the board too.
We're no fans of smartphone 8K, and the 12S Ultra isn't helping win us over. Its main camera footage at this (excessive) resolution is, in fact, less sharp than the Mi 11 Ultra - the old Xiaomi Ultra remains the reference for smartphone 8K detail, even if that one isn't perfect either.
The two expose equally well and have comparable dynamic range and contrast, and all of that is pretty nice, actually. The new phone's colors are more vibrant, and we do appreciate that in our videos. Still, if you're paying the 130Mbps bit rate toll, you're doing it for the detail, and the 12S Ultra isn't delivering as much as the 11 Ultra.
The utlrawide's 8K is more or less the same as that from the predecessor, while the telephoto's 8K again struggles to match the quality of last year's model, itself hardly spectacular either.
In 4K resolution, the main camera's footage is similarly more expressive than what we had on the Mi 11 Ultra, and we do enjoy the livelier color reproduction. The increase in sharpening we're not so thrilled about, but it's not unreasonable; while detail is good, but not 11 Ultra good. Contrast and dynamic range are praiseworthy, though. 4K30 and 4K60 both essentially have the same quality too, which must be some sort of sorcery because they both use the same bitrate (50Mbps for our tripod-mounted balcony scene, 62Mbps when walking in the park).
The ultrawide, in turn, does not discriminate between 30fps and 60fps, and both frame rates come with the same detail and sharpness, very good at that. Dynamic range and contrast are also hard to fault, but we're not sure what to make of the slightly less enthusiastic color rendition - compared to both this year's main camera and last year's ultrawide. It's not bad, and it's all the way down to dull; it's just different.
The telephoto continues on that wavy path when it comes to color, and this time, we see a difference between its own 30fps and 60fps modes, with the high frame rate having more vivid colors next to a more conservative 30fps mode. What's all that about? For what it's worth, sharpness and detail remain the same between the two, though that's still a notch below the Mi 11 Ultra, as was the case in 8K. There's clearly some ironing out to be done in firmware.
That said, all these differences we've mentioned above are minuscule and only really observable in deliberate head-to-head comparisons. In all likelihood, you'll be perfectly happy with all of the daylight videos from the 12S Ultra.
And yes, that includes the phone's stabilization capabilities as well. It will competently iron out walking shake, all the way up to 8K if that's your thing, but more importantly, it will do it in 4K30 and 4K60. It will do smooth pans, and it will stay planted in one direction if that's what you want it to do, all of that applies to all three cameras, including the 5x telephoto, which has to be the steadiest zoom camera we've seen (it's sort of a tie with the Mi 11 Ultra, but that's not really taking away from the 12S Ultra's achievement).
At night, the 12S Ultra's main camera maintains its composure and produces some of the better low-light videos from a smartphone. It's got a wide dynamic range, no loss of color saturation and solid detail capture, though understandably, there's noise and some softness in the shadows if you look closely. Having said all that, it's not really feeling like a gamechanger, not when we already have the Mi 11 Ultra, and to an extent the Find X5 Pro.
The ultrawide, on the other hand, doesn't inspire confidence, and darker scenes have it beat. More decently lit scenes like the one below can actually produce usable results, though noise and softness in the shadows can be visible even without you looking for them. A Find X5 Pro does a lot better under these conditions too.
The 12S Ultra's telephoto was particularly uncooperative for video recording in the dark - we couldn't get it to work in any of the scenes we captured the other clips in. Instead, it was the main camera at work, and you probably don't want to see those samples.
Here's a glimpse of how the Xiaomi 12S Ultra compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra against the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and the Galaxy S22 Ultra in our Video compare tool
Competition
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra's key appeal lies in its camera system and the 1" primary unit in particular. And while we'll be quick to admit that we ourselves have a soft spot for it, the phone's limited availability in itself, plus the software peculiarities resulting from that China-only marketing strategy, meaning that the 12S Ultra will be on very few short lists of people reading this (we're not all that big in China).
We'd be quick to recommend the Mi 11 Ultra instead. When it comes to main camera performance, it's nearly as good as the 12. The other two cameras are the same on paper, while they often actually produce marginally better results in practice on the older phone, and the rear display is a nice touch. We can also see how some folks could prefer the ceramic back of the 2021 model to the leather on the 2022 one. And best of all, from a westerner's perspective, at least, is the fully global software build available for the Mi 11 Ultra. Only there's a slight catch - the Mi 11 Ultra is nowhere to be found in retail outlets anymore. Still, if you stumble upon one, don't hesitate.
Then there's the Galaxy S22 Ultra, of course. Samsung latest attempt at creating the ultimate smartphone has even more cameras than the 12S Ultra, but the Xiaomi would still be our pick for image and video quality. Of course, the practicalities of the software package then intervene, and the Galaxy will be a more trouble-free experience, while the S Pen can be a gamechanger for the right person.
Another quad-cam phone, and one that performs remarkably too, the vivo X80 Pro is available both in China and 'globally'. We'd still give the nod to the Xiaomi as a camera, but outside of China, the vivo wins the phone part, we reckon.
A more specific alternative to the 12S Ultra is the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra. Nowhere as good as the Xiaomi in the dark or in video, the Axon isn't as versatile a cameraphone as the 12S Ultra. It does have that unique 35mm main camera that we've been raving about ever since we first saw it. One could say it's a one-trick pony, the Axon, but if that's your kind of trick, go for it.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G • vivo X80 Pro • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
Verdict
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra has put us in a weird spot. On the one hand, it's easily one of the best cameraphones, and a lot of our excitement does stem from that main unit that you can't get elsewhere. It's a competent smartphone outside of imaging, too, thanks to a wonderful display, class-leading chipset performance, some of the best speakers in a non-gaming flagship, and good battery life as top-tier handsets go. It doesn't hurt that all of this is packaged in a bold-looking yet stylish body.
That said, we found some missteps in the camera system - all of them petty, none of them dealbreakers, and none about the main unit, essentially. And while the whole China-only shadow was always looming over our perception of the phone, the fact that the camera wasn't perfect was enough to downgrade our enthusiasm from 'woohoo, gray-import one and live with the Chinese software' to something more along the lines of 'you know, maybe wait a year'.
Pros
- IP68-rated premium-looking and -feeling body, striking rear design.
- Superb OLED display.
- Great stereo speakers.
- Super powerful chipset, solid under prolonged load too.
- Thoroughly capable camera system with a particularly impressive main unit.
Cons
- Limited availability, aquiring one outside of China will likely be problematic.
- Chinese-specific MIUI build can't be fully 'westernized'.
- Telephoto camera can be unreliable in the dark.
- Inconsistent color rendition in video between the three rear cameras, minor drops in video quality compared to the predecessor.
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