Our Xiaomi 12S Ultra video reviews are out

20 July 2022
We have a full review and another video offering a more detailed look at the camera capabilities.

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Nick Tegrataker, 24 Jul 2022The comparison shows that the difference between P30 and P3... moreYou will definitely notice a difference if you compare sharpness and level of detail when you pixel peep. I do inspections of structural items for work and require photos to document conditions and details so I pixel peep all the time. That's why I was so disappointed in the 12S Ultra when I realize it can't beat a 3.5yr old P30 Pro. However, I just updated to Xiaomi's latest software version and seems like they improved the imaging software because now in general the photos do look at least equal or even "slightly" sharper than the P30 Pro and you are right about the fov. The FOV for the 12S Ultra main camera is noticeably larger in both vertical and horizontal direction which explains why the image size is almost twice as large as the P30 Pro. I hope Xiaomi will continue to improve the photo processing software to not put such great hardware to waste.

    2pacalypse, 24 Jul 2022The camera hardware on the P30 Pro is much better than that... moreThe comparison shows that the difference between P30 and P30 Pro's main cameras is negligibly small during both day and night.
    https://www.gsmarena.com/hauwei_p30-review-1919p5.php

    "I don't really notice much of a difference in field of view"
    It's 27mm equivalent on P30 Pro vs 23mm on 12S Ultra, meaning the latter only has 9.1MP to render details if you apply a 27mm crop to it despite its higher resolution sensor. It's more about physics rather than whether you can notice the difference or not - like I said, for the same field of view, P30 Pro should be capable of resolving more details under the perfect lighting condition.

    "As I stated earlier, the 12S Ultra has much less noise in dim lighting than the P30 Pro but P30 Pro does capture more details and HDR seems better in some cases"
    That's interesting, it would be great if you could show me the full resolution samples from both phones.

      Nick Tegrataker, 23 Jul 2022P30 and P30 Pro have absolutely identical image processing ... moreThe camera hardware on the P30 Pro is much better than that of the P30. You can look up some old comparisons from the past. I don't really notice much of a difference in field of view between the P30 Pro and 12 S Ultra with the main camera. I compare the photos on a 4K top of the line computer monitor so the comparison is consistent and fair. As I stated earlier, the 12S Ultra has much less noise in dim lighting than the P30 Pro but P30 Pro does capture more details and HDR seems better in some cases. I think the Xiaomi camera processing is the bottleneck to its great hardware. I'm just hoping Xiaomi would fix it.

        2pacalypse, 22 Jul 2022I am comparing the 12S Ultra to the P30 PRO not P30. They u... moreP30 and P30 Pro have absolutely identical image processing and there isn't much hardware difference that makes the Pro significantly better if you're using the main camera, either (OIS helps when zooming in 2x - but not as much in low light because the shutter speed never drops below 1/17s on Huawei phones).

        What needs to be acknowledged is that the main cameras on both P30 Pro and iPhone capture a much narrower field of view than that on 12S Ultra, meaning the two phones are theoretically capable of resolving finer levels of details in the most ideal lighting condition (therefore I said "at per-pixel level"). With that said, P30 Pro goes far more aggressive with edge enhancements whenever HDR gets triggered, which improves the perceived sharpness of photos on a small phone screen but ultimately makes them look less natural when you zoom in.

          Nick Tegrataker, 22 Jul 2022" Plus Honor broke off from Huawei so it should have t... moreI am comparing the 12S Ultra to the P30 PRO not P30. They use a completely different camera that are not even on the same level. P30 Pro captures better details than the 12S Ultra from all the side by side comparisons I've done. In "some" cases even the Iphone 13 Pro Max capture better details than the 12S Ultra. Color wise, the 12S Ultra is great and there is less noise than the P30 Pro or Iphone 13 Pro Max... Overall, I don't think the 12S Ultra deserves such high praises.

          Honor Magic 4 Ultimate is the highest rated smartphone camera by DXOmark. I wouldn't assume their camera processing is not as good as Huawei until we see it compared side by side with the Mate 50 Pro. At least Honor can use a faster processor vs Huawei due to USA's sanctions against Huawei.

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            • Anon
            • 0BG
            • 22 Jul 2022

            Marco M, 22 Jul 2022Because the vast majority of rich here don't care for ... morePeople go for Samsung and Apple(Huawei before) devices often due to them being more reliable/stable and having more support.
            Xiaomi makes great phones in many cases, but in the past couple of years you can slight degradation with every subsequent generation or software version.
            Also they would make 1 great phone model followed by 2 or 3 bad ones. You need to be very careful.
            There are many brands, making great phones, but you never know when something will fail or they will stop supporting the software.

              SShock, 20 Jul 2022"Why" is among most obvious? Why wouldn't th... moreBecause the vast majority of rich here don't care for new HW from new names, but established brands and they will instead by a lesser performing iPhone or Samsung because they are established name brands they see everywhere in TV shows, movies, billboards and other ads everywhere and therefore they are the best and"everybody knows that".


              The marketing effort Xiaomi needs to compete for that target group is massive.

              In a Norwegian review of the Mi 11 Ultra last year they even clearly stated that due to the name, people are unlikely to buy it at it's price. Sad, but true. Also it didn't help that the availability was lacking and more recently the feedback form mrwhostheboss on youtube 1 year later says the software support has been less than ideal, compared to in example Samsung. Which in one way makes sense, as Xiaomi prioritizes devices with higher sales numbers such as my Mi 11 with security patch from July. But at the same time, people buying flagships expect getting the best treatment.

              Many previous owners of the Mi Mix 3 and especially 5G variant don't trust Xiaomi to offer updates and will always flood comment sections of reviews, at least in Norway and I assume in many other European countries as well, even though on more recent devices Xiaomi is promising better software support.

              Another potential fear, and again spam in the typical Norwegian comment section of chinese smartphones, is the fear of being locked out like Huawei was and no more support, as well as people saying in the comment section of any and all chinese product that nobody should buy it because of what the Chinese government does with regards to surveillance and discrimination etc. It happens in every electric car article, smartphone, robot vacuum etc.

                2pacalypse, 21 Jul 2022The Honor Magic 4 Ultimate is the top rated smartphone came... more" Plus Honor broke off from Huawei so it should have the same level of quality and optimization as Huawei products"
                It's the opposite. Honor broke off from Huawei and because of that, whatever the image processing that they use is still nowhere near as good as what Huawei used to use.

                "My P30 Pro still edges out the 12S Ultra after 3.5 years despite it having antiquated camera hardware."
                I still use the non-Pro P30 but I can say for sure that photos that I've taken with my phone look nowhere near as good as what's presented in the review articles of 12S Ultra (on GSMArena and other websites). The P30 series had a great array of cameras back in 3 years ago, but it definitely ran its course and now I wouldn't even dare to say it's at the same level as this year's Xiaomi's offering.
                12S Ultra produces more detailed (at per-pixel level), less noisy and sharpened photos that are more evenly exposed throughout the frame, not to mention it also delivers much better colours and textures in low light. Xiaomi's sensor is 3.2 times larger than Huawei's, and the general quality of software processing has improved tremendously in the last 3 years.
                P30's cameras also had some notable quirks that have not been resolved through the software update but have been only on the succeeding devices using the newer Kirin SoCs.

                  robi10101298, 21 Jul 2022They are much better, Xiaomi has awful software support, no... moreThe only thing you got right about is the absence of desktop mode, everything else is just straight-up false.

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                    • Dani
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                    • 21 Jul 2022

                    Xiaomi should sell this phone in the global market with a favorable user interface. The phone will be a favorite of photographers

                      Nick Tegrataker, 21 Jul 2022"I wish I can return this phone and get the Vivo X80 P... moreThe Honor Magic 4 Ultimate is the top rated smartphone camera in DXOMark. Plus Honor broke off from Huawei so it should have the same level of quality and optimization as Huawei products. My P30 Pro still edges out the 12S Ultra after 3.5 years despite it having antiquated camera hardware.

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                        • robi10101298
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                        • 21 Jul 2022

                        Nick Tegrataker, 21 Jul 2022"I wish I can return this phone and get the Vivo X80 P... moreThey are much better, Xiaomi has awful software support, no desktop mode, bad photo processing, they're using old components,

                          Anonymous, 21 Jul 2022Because those who want that phone will buy it anyway from d... moreWith s**t band support if you happen to be European, on top of weirdly flashed "Global" OS and GooglePlay bolted on top. Yeah... no.

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                            • Anonymous
                            • gCY
                            • 21 Jul 2022

                            SShock, 20 Jul 2022"Why" is among most obvious? Why wouldn't th... moreBecause those who want that phone will buy it anyway from different online stres like giztop, tradingshenzen at better price.

                              2pacalypse, 21 Jul 2022I have been using the Xiaomi 12S ultra for a week now and h... more"I wish I can return this phone and get the Vivo X80 Pro or Honor Magic 4 Ultimate"
                              I don't think either of them is better than (or even at the same level as) 12S Ultra..

                                2pacalypse, 21 Jul 2022I have been using the Xiaomi 12S ultra for a week now and h... moreIf 12s Ultra can't satisfy your needs, neither will x80 Pro or Magic Ultimate.

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                                  • AnonD-731363
                                  • SH3
                                  • 21 Jul 2022

                                  SShock, 20 Jul 2022Just because they are selling them doesn't mean it... moreMan a good service centre can fx this for you.
                                  If you can buy for as low as 687 bucks brand new best flagship grade device of the year Xiaomi 12S ultra nobody will care.

                                    The Android Freak, 21 Jul 2022Oppo Find X5 Pro/Vivo X80 Pro has good chipset and competin... moreI literally explained why each pf them is bad.

                                      I have been using the Xiaomi 12S ultra for a week now and honestly I am unimpressed. When I bought the Huawei P30 Pro (another Leica camera phone) when it first came out, I was blown away by its camera and battery life. Compared to the Iphone and Galaxy flagships at the time that my wife and I were using, the P30 Pro was light years ahead. It was way beyond my expectations, so this time after 3.5 years, of course I expected the supposedly best camera phone on the planet to blow my mind once again. After unpacking I immediately started taking side by side photos comparing with the P30 Pro and boy was I disappointed. For the main camera, the P30 Pro file size ranges from 1.6-2mb while the 12S Ultra ranges from 2.8-3.3mb yet the P30 Pro photos had slightly more detail!!! At full resolution mode, the P30 Pro took 6mb pics whereas the 12S Ultra took 10mb photos but the level of detail on the 12S Ultra is just slightly better. HDR actually seemed better in some cases with the P30 Pro also. The 12S Ultra is supposed to be best at low light but the P30 Pro even edges it out slightly in low light. I always thought the ultra-wide of the P30 Pro wasn't that great but it actually captures far more detail than the 12S Ultra except the fov is narrower than the 12S Ultra. Battery life of the 12S Ultra is about on par with my 3.5yr old P30 Pro, which I guess is still really good as it outlast my wife's Iphone 13 Pro Max by about 50% even though my usage on the Xiaomi is higher. The camera is also on par or slightly better than the Iphone 13 Pro Max. I wonder if software updates can fix the camera. If you are expecting Huawei quality from Xiaomi, you will be disappointed. Overall I'm just suprised how many rave reviews the 12S Ultra is getting for its camera when its not even that much better than the Iphone 13 Pro Max. I wish I can return this phone and get the Vivo X80 Pro or Honor Magic 4 Ultimate but I'm in the USA and I imported it online so no refunds.

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • n5w
                                        • 21 Jul 2022

                                        AnonD-1058356, 20 Jul 2022You know you can import one right?I have, it is a very very good phone.

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