In early July, the Xiaomi 12S series was officially released, including Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro and Xiaomi 12S Ultra three cell phones, all equipped with Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 chip, more Leica professional optical lens, Leica native dual image quality, etc… In terms of imaging, Xiaomi officially emphasizes that it is jointly developed by Xiaomi and Leica.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is equipped with Leica professional optical lens in the image, and the first Sony IMX989, 1-inch large base professional main camera, supports OIS optical stabilization. Currently, only Xiaomi phones use Sony IMX989, but the follow-up is not.
According to Weibo blogger @digitalchatstation, Sony IMX989 itself is not an exclusive sensor, in addition to Xiaomi, there are other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 models also arranged. This 1-inch super bottom will also appear on 4-5K price range phones.
According to the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit schedule, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is expected to be released in November this year and uses TSMC’s 4nm process. It is expected that Xiaomi 13 / Pro and other phones will be the first to carry the flagship chip.
Previously Lei Jun said, “Xiaomi 12S Ultra uses a custom Sony IMX989, complete with a 1-inch super bottom, and no crop, which is the current ceiling of cell phone imaging hardware.” Lei Jun said that compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the light-sensitive area is increased by 172% and the light-sensitive capability is increased by 76%, while the photo speed is increased by 32.5% and the boot speed is increased by 11%.
Lei Jun said that the Sony IMX989 was “jointly developed by Xiaomi Sony”. Xiaomi camera department participated in the IMX989 specification definition and part of the design and verification work. Lei Jun also revealed that the IMX989 development cost $15 million (about 100 million RMB), with Xiaomi and Sony each bearing half of the cost. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the first imaging flagship to be equipped with the mass-produced and shipping IMX989. After Xiaomi’s debut, it will be open for use by domestic counterparts to jointly promote the advancement of mobile imaging.
