Digital Chat Station (DCS) has detailed various camera details for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the company's next flagship after the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro that it debuted last month. As usual, Xiaomi is expected to reserve some camera innovations for its next Ultra handset, which is unlikely to arrive until early next year. For context, the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro will remain Chinese exclusives until early 2024 too, as will the forthcoming OnePlus 12.
According to DCS, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra will retain its predecessor's quad 50 MP sensor arrangement. Likewise, the unreleased handset is rumoured to offer 0.5x, 1x, 3.2x and 5x native zoom levels courtesy of ultra-wide-angle, primary and a pair of dedicated telephoto cameras. However, DCS claims that Xiaomi has swapped the Sony IMX989 behind the Xiaomi 13 Ultra's primary camera for the Sony LYT-900, a new 1-inch sensor that will be complemented by an f/1.6 aperture.
By contrast, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra starts at an f/1.9 aperture. Thus, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra should capture more light in low-light conditions than its predecessor. Additionally, the new primary camera will be joined by an improved variable aperture. Although this is expected to terminate at f/4.0, it will do so with more stops than the two that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra provides, again with Leica camera tunings.