Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro debut: Leica cameras, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset

The Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro have 1/1.28” sensors in their main cameras, which could have been considered large if not for the 12S Ultra model, which was also unveiled today. This is the same IMX707 sensor as on the 12 and 12 Pro, however, all three S-series models were “co-engineered with Leica”.

12S Pro cameras
12S Pro cameras
12S Pro cameras

12S Pro cameras

What does that mean? For starters, the three phones have Leica Summicron lenses and support for Leica imaging profiles. Users can choose between the Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look presets. The former recreates the natural look that Leica is known for, the latter was tuned by both Leica and Xiaomi and is a blend of the styles of the two companies.

Xiaomi 12S camera info
The Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro feature the 1/1.28\

Xiaomi 12S camera info • The Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro feature the 1/1.28″ Sony IMX707 sensor

Additionally, the phones support 10-bit RAW image capture, which was calibrated by Adobe Labs. The phone will embed color correction metadata in the files, so that Adobe Lightroom can automatically optimize the images, giving photographers a good starting point for post-processing their shots.

A quick look back at the IMX707 – it’s a 50MP sensor (1/1.28”) with 1.22µm native pixels (2.44µm after binning). The phones support 30fps burst modes as well as Xiaomi’s AI Image Solution and ProFocus for fast start-up, capture and continuous capture.

The Pro model has two other 50MP cameras – one with a 50mm lens (2x optical magnification) and one with an ultra wide 14mm lens (115° FoV). The vanilla 12S gets a 13MP ultra wide and a 5MP telemacro instead.

Xiaomi 12S Pro has triple 50MP cameras co-designed with Leica

The Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro also switch to the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, which offers a 10% boost in performance and reduces power usage by 30%. The S-phones will have longer battery lives and run cooler under load.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 brings improved performance and efficiency
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 brings improved performance and efficiency

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 brings improved performance and efficiency

Camera and chipset upgrades aside, the two phones follow the formula of the 12 and 12 Pro. The Xiaomi 12S Pro has a 6.73” LTPO AMOLED display (E5, 1-120Hz, FHD+), which is also used on the 12S Ultra. The vanilla 12S is smaller with a 6.28” panel with 120Hz refresh rate (it’s not an LTPO panel, however).

The Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S Ultra use the same display as the 12 Pro
The Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S Ultra use the same display as the 12 Pro

The Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S Ultra use the same display as the 12 Pro

As before, the 12S Pro supports fast charging – 120W wired and 50W wireless – thanks to the in-house Xiaomi Surge P1 chipset and comes with a 4,600mAh battery. Using a 120W power brick, the Pro can do 0-100% in 19 minutes or in 25 minutes in low temperature mode The Xiaomi 12S charges its 4,500mAh battery at 67W over a wire or at 50W wirelessly.

Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S: same batteries and charging, longer battery life through improved efficiency
Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S: same batteries and charging, longer battery life through improved efficiency
Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S: same batteries and charging, longer battery life through improved efficiency

Xiaomi 12S Pro and 12S: same batteries and charging, longer battery life through improved efficiency

The Xiaomi 12S and 12S Pro will soon be available in mainland China. The Xiaomi 12S Pro starts at CNY 4,700 for the 8/128GB model ($700/€670/₹55,000). There is also an 8/256GB for CNY 5,000, 12/256GB for CNY 5,400 and 12/512GB for CNY 5,900.

The Xiaomi 12S starts at CNY 4,000 ($600/€570/₹47,000) for the base 8/128GB model. The same memory configurations are available: 8/256GB for CNY 4,300, 12/256GB for CNY 4,700 and 12/512GB for CNY 5,200.

Xiaomi 12S Pro highlights and prices
Xiaomi 12S highlights and prices

Xiaomi 12S Pro highlights and prices • Xiaomi 12S highlights and prices

For comparison, the Xiaomi 12 Pro launched at CNY 4,700 in China, the base price for the Xiaomi 12 was CNY 3,700. There was also a more affordable 12X model, but there is no “Xiaomi 12SX” now.

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