Tipster Kartikey Singh has taken to Twitter (via Notebookcheck) with a bold claim about the forthcoming Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s telephoto camera. They don’t offer any specific details on how exactly this new periscope camera will “shock everyone”, but the clear implication is that it will go above and beyond what we’ve seen before. It could even suggest that the new periscope lens will exceed the current capability of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and its twin 10MP 3x and 10x zoom cameras. The last time we were truly impressed by a piece of telephoto camera technology, meanwhile, was the Sony Xperia 1 IV and its true optical zoom camera, which smoothly shifts between 3.5x and 5.2x. Xiaomi announced its Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro phones at a delayed launch event on December 13, but we’re still waiting for an official launch of the flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra. Previous claims have us expecting a similar dual telephoto set-up to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. This should be accompanied by the same 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor for the main camera as the Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Xiaomi 12S Ultra (pictured above). We may also see a gimbal stabilisation system, similar to that of the iPhone 14 Pro. These days Xiaomi also has the expertise of Leica to call upon, so expect to see a fair few specialist camera tricks, including the German company’s signature colour science.
