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Xiaomi
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China’s Xiaomi throws down gauntlet to rival Android handset makers, Apple with launch of Leica Camera-equipped smartphones

  • The new 12S-series smartphones unveiled by Xiaomi feature advanced imaging systems co-engineered with German partner Leica
  • The launch reflects Xiaomi founder Lei Jun’s pledge to ratchet up the firm’s challenge to Apple in the high-end segment of the smartphone market

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Xiaomi Corp’s new top-of-the-line 12S Ultra smartphone will initially get a China-only release. Photo: Handout
Che Pan
Chinese Big Tech firm Xiaomi Corp has unveiled its latest 12S-series flagship smartphones, highlighting advanced imaging systems co-engineered with Germany’s Leica Camera that could help set them apart from other major Android handsets and Apple’s iPhone in a shrinking global market.
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Xiaomi’s three new Android models, including the top-of-the-line 12S Ultra, combine Leica’s in-depth understanding of optics, image processing and image quality with the 12-year-old Chinese firm’s experience in smartphone computing photography, according to a joint statement released in Beijing on Monday.

Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s founder and chief executive, said at the launch that the cost of these photographer-friendly smartphones might be “disappointing” for consumers, who expect affordable price tags, because “it’s very difficult to make a high-end model because the investment is huge”.

Xiaomi’s new 12S Ultra, which the company touts as the first Android device to support Hollywood-style Dolby Vision high-definition video recording and playback, starts from 5,999 yuan (US$895). Prices for the 12S Pro and 12S start from 4,699 yuan and 3,999, respectively.

Xiaomi Corp’s new 12S Pro, like its top-of-the-line 12S Ultra model, features a premium, 6.7-inch, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display. Photo: Handout
Xiaomi Corp’s new 12S Pro, like its top-of-the-line 12S Ultra model, features a premium, 6.7-inch, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display. Photo: Handout
The 12S Ultra, which will initially get a China-only release, is built with a sizeable main camera on the back. It features a 50.3-megapixel, 1-inch Sony IMX989 image sensor and Leica Summicron lens, with a zoom range of 13 to 120 millimetres. Xiaomi shouldered half of the US$15 million cost to develop that sensor with Sony Corp.
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Shares of Xiaomi in Hong Kong closed down 3.47 per cent to HK$13.36 on Tuesday.

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