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Electronics manufacturer Xiaomi is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an event in China today and to mark the occasion the company has launched a new top-end-phone, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra.
The Ultra shares quite a few specifications with its sister model Mi 10 Pro which was released in February, but, at least in terms of specifications ups the camera game considerably. Both devices come with a quad-camera setup, including short and long tele cameras as well as an ultra-wide. However, the Mi 10 Ultra comes with improvements in several key areas.
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The long tele now offers a 120mm equivalent focal length (approximately 5x) versus 94mm on the Pro and comes with a larger 48MP sensor (1/2-inch versus 1/4.4-inch). The lens is stabilized and features a F4.1 aperture.
Wide-angle performance has been boosted, too. The Mi 10 Ultra ulta-wide camera features one of the widest fields-of-view in the market at 12mm (16mm on the Pro), making it an interesting option for mobile photographers with a focus on landscape and architecture. The ultra-wide uses a 20MP 1/2.8-inch sensor and comes with a F2.2 aperture and PDAF.
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The short tele provides a 2x zoom factor (50mm) and is also used in portrait mode. Light is channeled through a F2 aperture and onto a 12MP 1/2.56-inch sensor. This module features a Dual-Pixel AF.
The primary camera offers a 25mm equivalent field-of-view and uses a 48MP Quad-Bayer sensor instead of the 108MP variant in the Mi 10 Pro. The large sensor (1/1.32-inch) combined with a fast F1.85 aperture and OIS should make for very decent low light image quality, though. In addition the camera array features a multispectral color temperature sensor to support the auto white balance system.
In video mode the Mi 10 Ultra is the latest device capable of recording 8K video at 30 frames per second. When shooting at 4K the frame rate can be increased to 60fps which should make for smooth panning and motion. At the front a 20MP selfie shooter hides under a ‘punch-hole’ cutout.
Non-camera specs and features are flagship-worthy, too. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s top-end chipset Snapdragon 865, including 5G modem, and features the latest generation LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage for swift data transfers and overall performance.
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Images and videos can be viewed on a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display with a high 120Hz refresh rate for smooth and responsive operation. In the battery department the Xiaomi offers 120W fast-charging, with the compatible charger provided in the box. The company claims the system can charge the 4,500mAh battery to 100 percent in only 23 minutes, or to 41 percent in five minutes. 50W wireless charging and 10W wireless reverse charging are available, too.
The Mi 10 Ultra also comes with in-display fingerprint sensor, IR blaster, NFC and stereo speakers. The display is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. The back is covered with Gorilla Glass 6.
Pricing has so far only been released for Xiaomi’s home market. In China the Mi 10 Ultra starts at 5,299 yuan (approximately $ 763) for the 8GB/128GB version but you’ll also be able to pick up 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB options in either Obsidian Black, Mercury Silver or as a Transparent Edition.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)