Xiaomi may be redefining what a premium smartphone is with its Xiaomi 12 Ultra. While the leaked design of the device does seem unique, it also seems that we see even an even higher price tag than the Pro version.
According to a report by AndroidPolice, the alleged images of the camera modules on the Xiaomi 12 Ultra show as many as seven lenses at the rear. The primary sensor that occupies a large portion at the centre is rumoured to house the largest sensor. Some suggest that this is the Sony IMX800 sensor that comes with a 1/1.1-inch focal length. This is even larger than the one featured on the Mi 11 Ultra that launched last year.
One of the latest sources of the images of the device is a case for the smartphone in the Asian markets. The reports suggest that two of the seven sensors could be for ultrawide and telephoto imaging. A third could use a periscope zoom lens for that long-distance photos. We could also expect one of the slots seen in the image to be reserved for the dual-LED flash as well.
There have been previous reports of Xiaomi partnering with Leica too. A source code was spotted in the MIUI Gallery Editor app. It indicated the possibility of a few Leica filters like Monochrome, Monochrome High Contrast and Vivid ported for the mobile version.
A very familiar design from an old friend
My first thought when I caught a glimpse of the leaked image reminded me of two products. The Light L16 and the Nokia 9 Pureview.
Both of these devices had implemented multiple cameras but the functionality was entirely different. And slow. While the Light L16 took its time to capture images from all of the cameras, it allowed you to edit part of the images using the collective data from all the sensors.
Nokia did the same with an even slimmer profile, but the mobile chipset at the time could not keep up with the processing power. Hence, it took time for the device to generate the final image.
Mobile chipsets have now come a long way and so have image sensors on smartphones. The Xiaomi 12 Pro has maintained a good performance when it comes to mobile photography. It would be interesting to see Xiaomi take its next leap with the Xiaomi 12 Ultra with the new Leica lenses. We’ve also seen how great the lenses from Leica work in past from some of Huawei’s devices.
