When the Xiaomi 12S Ultra was introduced in July, most of us were undoubtedly very impressed with what it was. Xiaomi’s biggest bet in 2022. And the Xiaomi 12 Pro has already left a very good taste in our mouths.

in Xataka We were able to test the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and it helped us to have a first approach, even though we couldn’t express it the way we wanted. And we’ve already told you that it aims to fight a lot at high range and especially when it comes to cameras.

Technical page of Xiaomi 12S Ultra

A design inspired by Leica cameras

A smartphone is a smartphone. A camera is a camera. And this Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a camera-connected smartphone. Or a camera connected to a smartphone. At least when it comes to design, encapsulation of circular cameras is a great hero on the back of this device.

This circular camera module with three lenses stands out prominently. Also twice, because this encapsulation is in turn integrated into another rectangular module. The rest of the body in the back is a synthetic leather material This looks great on the device visually.

In practical terms, we should say that the camera module (like the others) captures fingerprints with relative ease. But on the leather part, it looks much more optimal and easier to clean. Moreover, prefers not to slip easily. And the 225 grams of this device isn’t exactly light enough to be afraid of a possible drop.

There is something to be aware of and it is not so positive, things get complicated when we hold it with one hand. While it has a 6.73-inch display and isn’t the first big-screen smartphone we’ve tested, it’s one of the most complicated to use, and that’s precisely because of the rear camera module.

It is not easy to slide the terminal in your hand to reach the top of the screen, because high five in the palm of the hand with the camera. But we must say that it seems to be one of the strongest points of the terminal, focusing on the screen itself.

we could not test 1500 nits of brightness in unfavorable conditions, but we were able to observe a good optimal color balance for multimedia consumption. Similarly, the 120 Hz refresh rate helps the system feel fast.

Collaboration with Leica promises (and a lot)

This Xiaomi 12S Ultra serves as the first representative of the Xiaomi and Leica agreement, in which both companies cooperate in the development and improvement of photo technology applied to the smartphone. Unfortunately, We haven’t been able to fully test it. We cannot present the results here.

That said, we were able to see first-hand examples of what this camera set can do by highlighting its one-inch main sensor. And the truth is, they’re looking very noticeable improvements even in auto mode. They actually emphasize the idea of ​​offering a good camera at Xiaomi even for the most inexperienced, but for those who want to get the most out of this section, changeable settings are clearly included.

The predecessor of this smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, was guilty of being too artificial in the photo results. However, we can appreciate it in this 12S Ultra much more natural colors without sacrificing their vibrancy.

It is also worth noting how this Xiaomi 12S Ultra shows. significant improvement in tissuesnow captures them much more clearly, even with optical and digital zoom. Although with the latter reaching x150, we continue to see results that are not very clear and very complex to take, if not with a tripod. On the other hand, it is expected.

Although Xiaomi showed us several tests that confirmed it, we left with the desire to test the enhanced night mode of this terminal in the first person. improvement in low light conditions. No need for a long exposure time means that the result is not distorted by both bulbs and streetlights. Similarly, the sky looks darker and more natural.

After all, our first impression is that they are high-aimed cameras. Even though it left a bitter taste because we couldn’t squeeze it well. However, as we mentioned at the beginning, it’s just a test of what might be on the way.

Xiaomi was responsible for emphasizing that this first mobile in collaboration with Leica is just the beginning of what they hope will be a long story. Along the way, they hope to develop together in this department with the goal of Xiaomi being a reference in the industry. We can’t prove it with this Xiaomi 12S Ultra, but we can say that. there is plenty of material to be successful.

About probability of seeing this collaboration in other rangesIn Xiaomi, they do not see this as very likely in the short and medium term. They want their collaboration with Leica to serve as their mobile phone to deliver the best camera on the market, but for that they want to accompany it along with other specs fit for the task. So it doesn’t seem appropriate to cut down on hardware to integrate cameras like this in a cheaper range.

It will be plenty of power, but may not have battery

This Xiaomi 12S Ultra carries inside Qualcomm’s best for power and efficiency With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. At least on paper, because we couldn’t set the limit here either, but it points the way.

As long as we can play with this device, we can say the following. feels very fluid and doesn’t seem prone to overheating as in the previous Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. delay and left a good taste in our mouths as a first impression.

We can say little or nothing about the battery beyond remembering that it is 4,860 mAh, wired 67 W fast charging and 50 W wireless. Not a bad amount though Given the size of the device, it’s normal to wonder why it doesn’t have a bigger battery.. Given this, Xiaomi confirms that this will mean further resignations regarding design or other hardware elements.

Meanwhile, we were able to confirm that charger out of the boxsomething to be thankful for in a high-end terminal, and more when it comes to the 67 W adapter. However, we couldn’t test it on our plugs as it’s the Chinese version.

He won’t leave China, but…

Xiaomi has confirmed to us that this brand new Xiaomi 12S Ultra will not be leaving China. Therefore, we will not be able to have them in any Spanish store, like the Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro. But there is this idea on the table: successor enters more markets.

This is at least confirmed by CEO and founder Lei Jun. via Twitter account He confirmed that “the next ‘Ultra’ version will be available globally”. So even with all this excite of this 12S Ultra wait for the hypothetical Xiaomi 13S Ultra to be able to buy in our country. If it follows the same lines as the 12S Ultra, we’re going to have a great time.