Xiaomi 13 Ultra could get a major 1″ camera upgrade

The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro are expected any day now, as the phones were supposed to be officially announced as early as last week. The company delayed the launch at the last minute, but there’s little chance that the phones will receive any last-minute changes before they hit Chinese stores. However, it seems that, as it has done for the last two generations, Xiaomi is also preparing an “Ultra” model, which could once again challenge for the title of the phone with the best camera on the market.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be launched after the “standard” and Pro models

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra might not be released until next year, but those who wait for the company’s flagship model might get a major camera upgrade. Even though the main sensor will still be Sony’s 1″ IMX989, which debuted on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and will also be found on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, it will get a new stabilization system. Unlike the other models that adopt standard optical stabilization (OIS), the Xiaomi 13 Ultra could use a gimbal stabilization system.

At the moment, we’ve seen such stabilization systems on few models in the market, with vivo being the company that has promoted this technology the most. With active stabilization, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra could provide both high performance in low light, the system could pick up micro vibrations and hand movements to provide longer exposure time, while videos could be much more stable.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s camera system will feature four cameras in total, all of which are capable of autofocus, including the ultra-wide one. A dTOF (Direct Time of Flight) sensor will also reportedly be integrated, to more accurately calculate the distance between subject and lens.

The information comes from Digital Chat Station, a well-known leaker on China’s Weibo social network, which has proven to be a reliable source in the past for unofficial information about as-yet-unreleased phones.