Xiaomi It would be about to fulfill the dream of many fans of professional photography. The Chinese manufacturer presented the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept, a mobile to which lenses of a photographic camera can be mounted. The terminal is a variant of the 12S Ultra, although with the peculiarity that it includes a mount for Leica interchangeable lenses.
According to the manufacturer, the development of this concept was realized alongside the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Although they are almost identical on the outside, the Concept integrates a second 1-inch sensor that captures light from the external lenses. The sensor configuration reduces light loss, resulting in sharper images.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept too Features a reinforced chassis to support the weight of the lens. The mobile is compatible with Leica M-series lenses. The user can easily adjust them to the frame, which is fixed to the dorsal. As an additional protection measure, Xiaomi has placed a sapphire crystal to shield the new sensor from scratches, dust and daily use.
Once the lens is mountedjust open the camera app to start taking photos. The mobile supports 10-bit RAW capture and other features, such as focus peaking, histogram or zebra pattern to control the final result.
Xiaomi wants to take the photographic experience to the next level
The Chinese company mentioned that the intention of manufacturing this concept was to extend the capabilities of the camera of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, while maintaining its portability. To achieve this, some adjustments have been made, the most obvious being the repositioning of some components. The space taken up by the main lens on the 12S Ultra now belongs to the new sensor, so the ultra-wide camera has been moved to the side.
Although the concept is interestingXiaomi has no plans to mass produce them. Each smartphone costs about 300,000 yuan (€42,000) and only 10 units were manufactured for some influencers. The 35mm Leica Summilux lens featured in the video is priced at 5,500 euros, so a Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept kit with a lens would cost the rent of an apartment for two or three years.
In any case, the concept of Xiaomi does not cease to amaze. Although the idea of mounting lenses on the mobile has existed for several years, adapters do not always guarantee good results. Not only is the user experience far from comfortable, but also the photo quality leaves a lot to be desired due to the sensor setup.
One of the strangest attempts to bring professional photography to mobile was the GalaxyNXa android based camera with reflex aspect which debuted in 2013. Although Samsung was committed to merging the best of two worlds, in the end it did not get what it expected. The high price of the device, added to the poor quality of the photos were enough to bury the concept and not try again.