Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept Phone Is Here | What’s Different This Time?

This afternoon, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra concept phone was officially announced, becoming the world’s first phone with a direct external Leica professional lens.

Lei Jun’s own Weibo account also published an article detailing the story behind the new phone and showing real-life sample photos.

It is reported that the concept is a collaboration between Xiaomi and Leica, exploring the boundaries of mobile imaging and professional cameras, claiming that “taking off the lens makes it a flagship phone, screwing on the lens turns it into a professional camera”.

By reconstructing the interior of this phone, the lens module of the mobile phone has also been adjusted. The original periscope telephoto lens has been withdrawn. The ultra-wide-angle lens originally located in the center has been moved to the bottom. There’s the addition of a second 1-inch direct-light sensor in the center which uses a sapphire glass cover. The whole phone is still airtight and waterproof. Meanwhile, the appearance of the phone is the same as the old Xiaomi 12S Ultra.

The overall structure of the concept phone is also improved again compared to the previous. The square and round structure of the protective lens module is completely redesigned and replaced with a sub-master screw fixed directly to the entire phone frame, which can easily withstand the weight of the external lens so that it is stable and does not shake.

The distance between the flanges connecting the bayonet is only 2mm, which can be used to transfer any Leica M series lens using the adapter ring.

The moment it screws on the lens, the phone’s second built-in direct light sensor begins to work. With the f/1.4 lens, the amount of light intake compared to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra increased by a factor of one, greatly enhancing the phone’s shooting capabilities, to achieve the super high-quality blockbuster previously impossible to shoot.

Xiaomi has also further developed the software features, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra concept supports peak focus, zebra lines, histograms, and other common tools, and is capable of shooting 10bit RAW format files.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra Camera Samples