Xiaomi 12S Ultra review

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, mean 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 recommend the Mi 11 Ultra instead, in a heartbeat. 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.