Battery & Charging
The 12S Ultra’s 4,860mAh battery is smaller than the 5000mAh of the Mi 11 Ultra. But with a smaller display, the G1, and P1 battery optimizer chips, the 12S Ultra lasts longer than the Mi 11 Ultra. The P1 chip protects the battery from overcharging, and the G1 was designed to manage battery usage to help prolong its lifespan. And, I must admit, they are doing a great job.
Keeping the phone at a maximum 120Hz screen refresh rate, I was getting close to six hours. That’s pretty impressive, considering I mostly use the phone to play demanding games like Call of Duty and PUBG. I also used the camera quite a lot during this period and it didn’t seem to be too much for the battery to handle.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra comes with a 67W charger in the box. It is not as fast as the 120W the 12S Pro came with, but it gets the job done fast enough. In my test, it could charge the phone from 0 to 100% in about 40 minutes. There is also support for 50W wireless and 10W reverse charging.
Speakers & Haptics
Xiaomi has offered several smartphones over the years with some of the best speakers. From previous Xiaomi phones, it is obvious the company has come a long way with its speaker technology. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra comes with dual Harman/Kardon stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. And, they are very loud.
This brings me to haptics. I’m a big fan of haptic feedback on smartphones, and the haptics on this device is just perfect in my opinion.
Verdict
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is easily one of the best smartphones of 2022. It has the best camera system on any phone, in my opinion. It also features a chipset that doesn’t disappoint, and the battery life is great. The display, back finishes, speakers, and overall design make this phone worth buying.
But, and this is a big “BUT” it is only available in China. Aside from a few other problems, this happens to be the biggest problem with the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
Pros
- Premium-looking design.
- Great camera set
- Amazing display
- Very capable battery life
- Latest chipset
Cons
- Only available in China.
- Chinese-specific OS
- Loss of image quality when switching between cameras
