Xiaomi shares Xiaomi 12S series camera samples with Xiaomi 12S Ultra to feature new flagship Sony IMX989 sensor
Xiaomi may only be launching the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in China, but it continues to tease the smartphone on its global social media channels. As we reported earlier this week, Xiaomi announced globally that it would be introducing the Xiaomi 12S series on July 4, now the same day as when it will showcase the Book Pro 2022 and Smart Band 7 Pro. Subsequently, the company has confirmed the Xiaomi 12S Ultra's primary camera, as the image below shows.
Allegedly costing US$15 million in development, the IMX989 is another 1-inch sensor from Sony. Seemingly not the same one used in the Xperia PRO-I, Xiaomi boasts that the IMX989 is Sony's largest image sensor. Xiaomi claims that the Xiaomi 12S Ultra will not crop into the sensor too, unlike the Xperia PRO-I.
It remains to be seen what the IMX989 is capable of; neither Sony nor Xiaomi have revealed any other details about the sensor at this stage. Xiaomi has shared several sample photos from the 'Xiaomi 12S series' though, embedded below. Potentially taken using the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, we would not be surprised if Xiaomi edited these using professional software before uploading them to Weibo. Still, the results look impressive, and it will be interesting to see what retail Xiaomi 12S Ultra units can achieve when they land next month.
Incidentally, Xiaomi has also shared a video on Weibo in which representatives from it and Leica discuss their cooperation together. Re-uploaded to YouTube by ourselves and embedded below, the video is only just over 2 minutes long. Ultimately, the video serves as promotional material for the Xiaomi 12S series, but it still provides a few insights into what is to come with the likes of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
