Just days before the official launch, Xiaomi teased an interesting accessory for the upcoming 13 Ultra, which might turn it into a veritable point-and-shoot camera. In a Weibo post, the brand’s CEO showed off what seems to be a camera grip that will be launched alongside the Leica-tuned smartphone.
From the picture, we can see that it’s a proper grip that would make it comfortable to hold the phone in landscape mode for longer periods. The accessory also looks to have a dedicated shutter button as well as a power button and volume control.
Last year, Xiaomi showed off a concept for the 12S Ultra that could support interchangeable Leica lenses, merging the smartphone with a mirrorless camera form factor. It’s unlikely that the 13 Ultra will actually bring that concept to market, but the camera grip alone shows how much the brand believes in the Leica-tuned cameras’ capabilities.
In related news, Xiaomi actually confirmed all the camera sensors for the highly-anticipated 13 Ultra. Posting a teaser on its Weibo page, the company confirmed that the flagship will carry four cameras, something that was leaked months ago in an alleged prototype and even recently leaked renders.
The 13 Ultra will retain the 1-inch 50MP Sony IMX989 sensor for the main camera that was featured in the 12S Ultra, although it will be upgraded this time around with a variable aperture. The other three cameras, revealed by the company, are three 50MP Sony IMX858 sensors, the same one used in the Honor Magic5 Pro‘s telephoto lens.
The teaser from Xiaomi outlines that the sensors will have advanced noise reduction features as well as improved HDR capabilities. Moreover, the IMX858 sensors will be used for the phone’s ultra-wide lens with PDAF, a 3x telephoto, and a 5x telephoto.
Not much else is known yet about the specs for the 13 Ultra, but a leaked screenshot might have revealed the upcoming product’s configurations and pricing in China. If the screenshot is to be believed, the Xiaomi flagship will come with configurations of 8GB +256GB, 12GB + 256GB, and 16GB + 512GB, with price tags of CNY6299 (~RM4038), CNY6799 (~RM4359), and CNY7499 (~RM4808), respectively.
The official launch of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be commencing on 18 April at 7 PM. Titled “A shot above”, the event will be live-streamed on Xiaomi’s website. It is confirmed to be a global launch but there is no word yet on when it will come to Malaysia or how much it will be priced.
(Sources: Xiaomi/Weibo, GSMArena)
