Xiaomi’s high-end “is completed”, why is video a “compulsory course” for flagship phones?
Xiaomi's "high-end flagship" finally came this year, and it came with the title of "Image Pinnacle".
Unsurprisingly, as soon as the Mi 11 Ultra was released, the score on DxoMark was set a new record by 143 points. However, this is no longer the point. No one cares how high the score is given by the organization. In the eyes of digital enthusiasts, this book is The achievements of "Android Light".
With an ultra-large base close to 1 inch, large pixels of 2.8 μm in 4 in 1 mode, an aperture of f/1.95, and a lens with 8 lenses, this is the main camera of the Xiaomi 11 Ultra. Even the 120X telephoto and 128° super wide-angle are using the main camera-level IMX586, covering the 12 mm-120mm focal length. In terms of hardware, Xiaomi's stacking is the ultimate.
In fact, even for card machines, this set of hardware does not lose at all. At the press conference, Xiaomi also pulled the Sony Black Card RX100M7 for comparison on the spot. Relying on the "algorithm" of the mobile phone to calculate photography, in some specific scenes, the imaging effect is indeed better than the one-inch bottom card camera.
In fact, mobile photography has long been able to compete with card cameras, but this may be the first time that mainstream flagship mobile phones have achieved the same level of sensor frame as card cameras.
This is also the reason why Mr. Lei called Mi 11 Pro the "Android King" at the press conference, and even called Mi 11 Ultra the "Light of Android".
When did imaging capabilities become a compulsory course for high-end flagships?
When we look back, the high-end road of mobile phone manufacturers is actually the "evolutionary history" of mobile phone camera capabilities from another perspective, but mobile phones are not cameras. When did camera capabilities become compulsory for "high-end flagships" class?
Beginning with the Samsung Galaxy S7 series five years ago, the low-light shooting capability of the new machine has surpassed that of the iPhone for three consecutive years. 
Then the LG G5 was equipped with a 135° ultra-wide-angle lens for the first time. Since then, the ultra-wide-angle has gradually become one of the must-have lenses for mobile phones.
By the release of the Huawei P20 Pro three years ago, the night scene surpassed Samsung and reached the top of the DxoMark score. The score of 109 points marked that Huawei's mobile phone camera has become the top level of the entire mobile phone industry, and it has dominated the list for a whole year without surpassing.
Two years ago, Huawei P30 Pro opened a new ultra-telephoto track, and we could even use our mobile phone to take pictures of the moon. Algorithm enhancement Using AI to optimize the picture is not a P picture at all, which also caused a lot of controversy at the time.
Looking at the whole world, it seems that no manufacturer can exempt this course. Vivo uses Zeiss coated lenses, OPPO has also made dual main cameras, Xiaomi has piled up a super large bottom and 100 million pixels, and the apples on the other side of the ocean are also A lot of work has been done on the iPhone's imaging algorithm. After all, these years, gaming phones have begun to advertise how powerful their camera capabilities are.
But the camera's ability to take pictures is really shocking. The night scene has the ability to hold a long exposure without blurring, and the purity of the picture is even comparable to that of photos taken in a brightly lit environment.
The ultra-wide angle can also basically eliminate the original picture distortion, while gaining a wider field of view, it also reduces the distortion of the picture.
And the ultra-telephoto is not just about shooting the moon, but it can really capture the picture a few kilometers away.
Even co-branding with established camera manufacturers has few options left. Huawei and Leica, OnePlus and Hasselblad, Vivo uses Zeiss, who will be next?
The capital to truly become the "imaging flagship" is "I have nothing for everyone", and rushing to debut has become the norm in mobile photography competitions.
Let’s look back at the shock when we first saw the iPhone 4. This product that has subverted the entire industry can be called "changed the world." Whether it is hardware, software, or design, it is an epoch-making product, and of course its imaging capabilities. It was also very good at the time.
The iPhone 4 has increased the lens pixels to 5 million and added an LED flashing light. With the advanced 1/3.2-inch back-illuminated CMOS sensor at the time, it supports 5x digital zoom, and for the first time people can select the focus point by tapping. , Is the real "where the dream begins" for mobile photography.
And these technologies were almost all "unique" existences at the time. In essence, "people without me" is the foundation that the flagship machine can stand on.
In recent years, the strategy of mobile phone manufacturers to hit the high-end is even more prosperous. Larger CMOS, more cameras, farther ultra-telephoto, and even the joint names of heavier camera brands. The places that can be tried have all been played. In short, rushing to start has become the norm in the digital world.
- In February 2018, Samsung S9+ debuted a variable aperture structure, with f/1.5 for dark light environments and f/2.4 for strong light.
- In March 2019, Huawei P30 Pro first launched the periscope telephoto and RYYB array photosensitive element. The telephoto entered the phone body for the first time, and the light input of the phone has also increased by 40%.
- In November 2019, Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro debuted with a 108MP HMX sensor, which has an ultra-high resolution of 100 million pixels.
- In October 2020, Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ released the free-form lens for the first time to improve the distortion problem of ultra-wide-angle.
- In March 2021, Xiaomi first released a 1/1.12-inch GN2 sensor, which is currently the largest in mobile phones. MIX Fold also first released a liquid lens, coexisting telephoto and macro.
From the first launch of flagship chips in the early years to the launch of various new technologies today, we are actually very happy to see that mobile photography is in an era of technological "blowout development". This is for users who love technology and love digital. , Is undoubtedly the best era.
But in this era of high competition in the mobile phone industry, in fact, many functional enhancements do not give users a strong perception, but the enhancement perception on the imaging system is the most obvious. Perhaps this is also why many mobile phone manufacturers regard imaging capabilities as high-end. The reason for the first step.
After all, the booming development of social networks makes people happy to share the photos they take, and the most convenient device is the mobile phone.
The rear camera module should also look like "good-looking photos"
When Lei always mentioned why the Xiaomi 11 Ultra camera module was designed in this way last night, he gave a half-joking answer:
Looks like a high-end phone
Yes, it looks high-end. In fact, most people don’t understand the configuration of mobile phones that much, and they don’t have so much curiosity to understand how good mobile phones are, but now that the configuration and functions of this mobile phone are homogenous, the recognition degree may be the choice of many users. An important factor.
Therefore, many manufacturers have spent a lot of thought on the design of the mobile phone back panel, in order to be a little different and increase the recognition of their own brand. Apart from the material and color, the only distinction that can be made is the image module. .
Huawei is a case of designing the image module to the extreme. Starting from the P20 series, the rear cameras of Huawei P series mobile phones have become vertical, and the characters on the back panel have also been changed to horizontal, in order to let users We closely associate photography with mobile phones.
And various mobile phone manufacturers obviously regard the design of the rear camera module as part of the backplane design. The OPPO Find X3 series adopts the "crater" design. In order to over-protrusive the rear camera module, they made a "no "Possible curved surface" also raised the style of the entire phone by a notch. At the same time, the similar-sized main camera and ultra-wide angle also make users realize that this is a "dual main camera" mobile phone.
The Samsung S21 series adopts the integrated design of the rear lens group and the frame of the fuselage. I don't know if so many openings are all for the camera, but the camera must be very strong.
Therefore, the rear camera module of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has also become what Xiaomi understands as the "image peak". Even if it is so large, people will think "oh~ this phone must be very good for taking pictures."
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