Smartphones are finally matching 2012’s Nokia 808 in digicam sensor size

Following a leak in February, Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra went legit this day. This cellular phone’s major disclose to fame is the inclusion of a 2nd expose tucked away within the digicam bump. Plus, now that the legit specs are out, we are in a position to stumble on that “world’s excellent digicam bump” moreover homes one among the enviornment’s excellent smartphone digicam sensors, the Samsung GN2.

The depraved specs are on the high cease for a high-cease 2021 Android cellular phone: a 120 Hz, 6.81-scramble, 3200×1440 entrance OLED expose; a Snapdragon 888; 12GB of RAM; 256GB of storage; IP68 dirt and water resistance; Android 11 with MIUI; and a 5000 mAh battery. Xiaomi offers 67 W wired and wi-fi charging, which, alongside with OnePlus, is a tier above most other telephones. Xiaomi touted the 5000 mAh battery as being a “silicon-oxygen” battery, even though the firm failed to show conceal any crucial rob pleasure in its unique battery scheme. There’s moreover Wi-Fi 6E, which vastly expands the means of Wi-Fi by alongside with 6 GHz spectrum alongside the present 2.4 Ghz and 5 GHz bands.

On the abet, you accumulate a 1.1-scramble, 126×294 expose with touch strengthen. Xiaomi says the rear expose supports an persistently-on expose mode exhibiting the time, date, and notifications. It will moreover act as a itsy-bitsy viewfinder for rear-digicam selfies. There are three rear cameras, nonetheless the spacious news is that the major digicam functions a Samsung GN2 sensor. Right here’s a spacious 50 MP, 1/1.12″ sensor, with a 1.4μm pixel size and quad pixel binning. The 1/1.12″ sensor size means unique smartphones are finally starting to match the Nokia 808’s hardware, a groundbreaking digicam cellular phone released your whole means abet in 2012. The 808 moreover had a 1/1.12″ sensor with a 1.4μm pixel size, and despite being 9 years aged, it is peaceable ready to arise to up to the moment devices.

For the reason that Nokia 808 originate, unique image stacking ways and more fresh AI models mean smartphone manufacturers can squeeze an increasing selection of describe quality out of a smaller digicam sensor. Those are all improvements in digicam application, although, and if cellular phone manufacturers would stop on their obsession with thin devices, there are major trends that may maybe perchance also very smartly be made in digicam hardware, too. There was once nothing in actual fact magic about the Nokia 808—Nokia correct prioritized digicam hardware within the 13.9 mm-thick body. Xiaomi seems to have adopted a same scheme—it lists the Mi 11 Ultra at 8.3 mm, nonetheless it undoubtedly seems to be treasure that size is without the digicam bump. With the digicam bump, the cellular phone seems to be to be 2 or 3 mm thicker. Samsung is no longer the least bit times the staunch firm pushing bigger digicam sensors—the Sony IMX800 is rumored to be a 1″ sensor.

No cellular phone can exit the door this day without extra than one rear cameras, so the instrument is moreover packing what seems to be to be fashioned-recount 48 MP broad-perspective and 5x optical zoom cameras, each and every utilizing the Sony IMX 586.

The digicam bump is no longer the least bit times the staunch part particular about this cellular phone. The instrument functions a rare ceramic abet—a characteristic we final experienced on the Critical Cell phone. We can no longer sigh ceramic has any broad benefits over the same outdated glass abet. It be on the whole said to be extra scratch-resistant, nonetheless it undoubtedly’s correct as liable to shattering. Xiaomi moreover says the cellular phone’s Harman Kardon stereo audio system (a Samsung ticket) are “the loudest within the commerce.”

The Mi 11 Ultra goes on sale internationally (Xiaomi’s press release doesn’t sigh when) for €1,199, or about $1,411.

List image by Xiaomi