Xiaomi 12S Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Specs Comparison

Xiaomi’s biggest flagship of the year, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is finally here. And just a quick look at the specs sheet shows us that the phone delivered in the hardware department. It comes with the biggest camera sensors on a smartphone, promising an exceptional photography experience. But a large camera alone does not guarantee that it’s the best in the segment. While we are in the process of reviewing the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and its siblings from the series, today, let’s take a quick look at Xiaomi 12S Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

So it’s going to be a battle of the Ultras!

Xiaomi 12S Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Design

Design is a highly subjective department. But there are still some factors that affect the general perception of any design, which includes color options, symmetry, material, and integrity of the body.
Since the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and the Galaxy S22 Ultra are both top-end flagships, their respective brands have ensured best-in-class materials and finish. But note that both are bulky flagships, weighing over 220 grams, making it uncomfortable to use with one hand. 

That said, let’s take a closer look at the Xiaomi 12S Ultra model first. The Leica branding shines through the back, reminding us that the popular German camera maker has found a new smartphone partner. While the design isn’t flashy, the 12S Ultra still looks huge from the back. The 1-inch sensor make its presence felt but the overall eco-friendly leather back, muted colors, and symmetrical design, ensures that the design is pleasant to look at. 

On the other hand, the Galaxy S22 Ultra brings a more open design with the cameras at the back, placed separately. This makes for a cleaner design, but there are a lot of people who hate this design. So, whether you’ll love or hate this design is highly subjective. The phone comes with an aluminum frame (like the Xiaomi model) and features a glass back. That said, the S22 Ultra has fancier color options, and there’s no surprise that its Burgundy model is a fan favorite. 

Display

The Xiaomi 12S Ultra brings interesting upgrades in terms of display, even though it features a slightly smaller 6.73-inch AMOLED panel. The phone comes a Quad HD+ resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels, a 120 Hz refresh rate (adaptive refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz), the HDR10+ certification, Dolby Vision, the Gorilla Glass Victus protection by Corning, and an in-display fingerprint reader.

The S22 Ultra matches the Xiaomi model in most features, but surprisingly lacks Dolby Vision support. However, it has an extremely bright display with a peak brightness of 1750 nits vs 1500 on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.

Having said that, you can’t go wrong with both the phones when it comes to the display department. 

Specs & Software

Since the Xiaomi 12S Ultra was recently announced in the second half of 2022, it features upgraded hardware. It comes with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, bringing better peak performance and significantly better power efficiency. So battery life on the 12S Ultra should be better than the S22 Ultra.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra maxes out at 12GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. But the S22 Ultra takes things up a notch with 12GB of RAM and 1TB of UFS 3.1 storage. 

Both run on Android 13 with Xiaomi model coming with MIUI 13 while Samsung model getting OneUI 4.1.

Camera

Both the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and the Galaxy S22 Ultra come with exceptional cameras for a smartphone. But on paper, the 12S Ultra seems to have an edge not only because of its extra large sensor but also because of its new partnership with Leica. The Xiaomi model comes with a 50.3MP main camera with OIS and f/1.9 aperture. This is paired with three other sensors – a 48MP periscope 5x zoom camera, a 48MP ultra wide camera and finally a 3D ToF sensor for depth. On the front, it features a powerful 32MP shooter. 

Coming to the Samsung model, the phone matches the four sensors on the 12S Ultra. The configuration is as follows: A high-resolution 108MP primary sensor, a 10MP periscope shooter with dual-pixel PDAF and 10x optical zoom, another 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom, and finally a 12MP Ultra Wide 120-degrees sensor with Super Steady Video. 

We have already seen how amazing the S22 Ultra’s camera setup is, but we will have to wait and see if the Xiaomi 12S Ultra can actually beat this camera in every department. Only a real life comparison can confirm this, which is in the pipeline at Gizmochina, so stay tuned. Selfies are taken care by a 40MP shooter on the front.  

Battery

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra comes with a large 5000mAh battery with fast 67W wired and 67W wireless charging. While the S22 Ultra matches the battery capacity, the 45W charging speed is a bit disappointing for a 2022 flagship. Plus, the wireless charging is still relatively slow at 15W on the Galaxy model. 

As we have seen above, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a more efficient chipset and a smaller display, so it’s possible that its battery life could be better than the S22 Ultra in real life.
 

Price

You can currently find the Xiaomi 12S Ultra for about $1200/€1170, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra is available for around $900/€1100 online.
Being an older model, the S22 Ultra has the price advantage, but if you want the best of 2022 flagship, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is actually a better bet. 

That said, if you are still confused about which one to get, it’s wise to wait for real world tests and reviews of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra before making the final purchase decision.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: PROs and CONS

Xiaomi 12S Ultra

PROs

• New and better chipset
• Powerful cameras
• Good Design
• Dolby Vision certified display

CONS

• Smaller battery
• Bulky form factor

Galaxy S22 Ultra

PROs

• Wider Availability
• Brighter Display
• More affordable

CONS

• Inferior chipset
• Bulky Form Factor