If Huawei and Xiaomi were individual people, then both would be honest-to-goodness, hardworking people but Xiaomi would be the one that thinks outside the box. Case in point: Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept. It looks like the Xiaomi 12S Ultra with Leica imaging technology but it is also a full-fledged pro-grade camera – thanks to the M-mount on the peripheral of the round, ginormous camera module.
This allows Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept [CH] to accept Leica M series lenses, turning it into a bonafide digital camera. You heard that right, folks. This little fellow is also an actual digital camera that will allow it to produce image quality beyond what regular smartphones can.
The M series lens will direct light onto a second 1-inch sensor without having to go through the hoops of the phone’s camera lens. This means less loss of light and ultimately superior quality. It is worth mentioning that the entire camera module on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept Phone is protected by a sapphire crystal to protect it from daily rigors. And true to its pro-camera nature, the concept phone has 10bit RAW support.
In addition to the hardware, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept Phone also benefits from computational photography, along with support focus peaking, histogram, and more. Basically, functions you would find on some dedicated cameras and possibly better.
Do not confuse the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept Phone with the Android-powered cameras from yesteryear. This is an entirely new breed of device that is both phone and camera first, and that alone is enough reason to get excited. That and of course, Leica.
The only thing that could dampen our excitement is probably the price which we have no idea how much at this point. Then again, this is a concept phone and there is no telling if it would even make it to production. But this is Xiaomi, so pretty much anything could be green-lit.
Images: Weibo (Xiaomi) [CH].
