Xiaomi 12S launch: Where to watch the launch event and what to expect from the lineup- Technology News, Firstpost

FP StaffJul 04, 2022 10:20:13 IST

Xiaomi will finally be launching one of its most highly anticipated lineups, the Xiaomi 12S flagship series at a launch event in China today, July 4. The event is scheduled to take place at 7:00 PM Beijing Time which means that anyone looking forward to the launch of the device, can watch the live stream at 4:30 PM in India.

Xiaomi will be live streaming the launch event across a number of platforms. Firstly one can catch the live stream via the brand’s official channel on Bilibili, a Chinese video-sharing social media site, exclusively in China. For the rest of the world, there will also be a concurrent live stream hosted on Xiaomi’s official channel on YouTube.

Xiaomi will be announcing at least three different phones under the 12S flagship series. These will be named as the Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro and Xiaomi 12S Ultra. 

All three models in the lineup will have Xiaomi’s first-ever Leica-branded camera setup and are expected to have an unparalleled camera performance, both in terms of photography, as well as making videos. It will also have an ergonomic premium finish on the back, and under the hood, all 3 models will be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 flagship SoC which has been built on TSMC’s power-efficient 4nm node process.

The mainstay of the launch event, however, is expected to be the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The 12S Ultra will be sporting one of the biggest camera sensors that has ever been fitted to a smartphone, the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor. 

Apparently, Xiaomi spent over $15 million on developing the Sony IMX989 sensor in collaboration with both Sony and Leica, and with that much research and development poured in, we can see why Xiaomi is confident in claiming that its upcoming flagship will usher in a new era of smartphone photography and filmmaking.

The Xiaomi 12S is expected to feature a 6.28-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display which supports variable refresh rates of up to 120Hz. As per several leaks, it will be equipped with the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. 

It will be powered by a 4500 mAh battery with 67W fast charging option. As for the cameras, it will feature a triple-camera setup on the back with a 50MP Sony IMX707 1/1.28-inch sensor coupled with a 13MP ultrawide camera and a 5MP camera, which will be fitted with either a tele lens or a macro lens.

Xiaomi 12S Pro will have a Leica-tuned triple-camera setup on the back with a 50MP sensor for the main camera. It will also feature a 32MP selfie camera and will be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. There are rumours that Xiaomi may launch a different variant of the 12S Pro with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset as well. If that is indeed true, it is very likely that the Dimensity 9000 SoCs will be made available only in select areas. Both the variants will be powered by a 4600 mAh battery with support for 120W fast charging.

Finally, the higher-end premium flagship of the series, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra will feature a quad-camera setup. It is confirmed that the Ultra version will get a 50MP Sony IMX989 1-inch main camera, while other sensors are rumoured to be a 48MP ultra-wide camera, a 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and another 48MP camera with 10x optical zoom. This is also expected to pack Qualcomm’s top-notch Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset.