Lab – Xiaomi 12T Pro vs Motorola Edge 30 Ultra: the match between 200 Mpx sensor smartphones


The race for megapixels is definitely not over. While even Apple has given in to the trend by swapping its traditional 12 Mpx sensor for a 48 million point version on its iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, the other manufacturers are waging an all-out war on the photo front. large pixel strokes and pixel binding. Because offering very, very high definition sensors means extracting particularly large images (more than 50 or even 60 MB during our tests), but also taking the risk of using only very small photosites, comfortable in low light. In short, to make the most of sensors of this kind, you have to combine several pixels into one, an exercise in which almost all manufacturers are engaged today.

In the case of Xiaomi, which has just formalized its promising 12T Pro, 16 pixels must be aggregated into one to provide the user with 12.5 Mpx shots. Because its 200 million point sensor, with its size of 1/1.22 inch, natively displays very small pixels of 0.64 µm. Thanks to pixel binding 16-in-1, it intends to simulate 2.56 µm pixels.

Do you think you know the song? You see, because another manufacturer formalized a few weeks ago a smartphone with an identical sensor: the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra. Fitted with the same Isocell HP1 sensor from Samsung and the same pixel bindingthis smartphone, however, relies on another lens (wide-angle f / 1.9), when the 12T Pro evokes an eight-element lens and a larger aperture at f / 1.69.

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The two smartphones differ on this hardware point, but not only: it is obviously by the quality of their software processing that the two devices can make the difference. It should also be noted that Xiaomi, Leica’s partner for a few months, does not mention any collaboration with the German photography specialist: it currently only concerns the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the performance of which we have detailed here.

We immediately notice that Xiaomi works differently from Motorola. It offers a 12.5 Mpx mode, another exploiting the 200 Mpx of its sensor, as well as an intermediate mode allowing to obtain 50 Mpx images thanks to a pixel binding 4-in-1. To do this, you have to go to the More section of the camera, then choose Ultra HD – it is by default set at 50 Mpx and a simple button allows you to go up to 200 Mpx. Motorola, for its part, gives the choice between 12.5 and 200 Mpx.

The match of photos in 12.5 Mpx

The two smartphones deliver radically different images. The Xiaomi model opts for a very bright rendering and a very vivid colorimetry. But if the whole is attractive on the small screen of a smartphone, it ignores fidelity to reality. By examining all of our charts, we also notice that some of them suffer from desaturated colors.

These considerations aside, we note the high level of detail in the shots of the two smartphones, but also different behaviors. The Xiaomi model, probably thanks to more efficient optics, offers much more sharpness at the periphery of the image, but also less distortion. The sharpness of the small elements that dot our test scene is unevenly distributed, with some being sharper at Motorola, others sharper at Xiaomi. Nevertheless, we note that the treatment operated by Motorola, which relies on accentuation, provides more readability overall, if not natural.

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Motorola Edge 30 Ultra (12.5MP)


Xiaomi 12T Pro (12.5MP)

Neither of the two smartphones really manages to convince at night, at least with their 12.5 Mpx shots. That said, the Edge 30 Ultra’s tendency to over-emphasize is even more apparent at night. The Xiaomi 12T Pro delivers a shot that is certainly less well exposed, but also less noisy and with softer processing. The set is in our opinion more pleasing to the eye.



Motorola Edge 30 Ultra 12.5MP)


Xiaomi 12T Pro (12.5MP)

The match of photos in 200 Mpx

Should I switch to 200 MP mode? In the case of the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, we reported during its test the latency of around 2 s between pressing the shutter button and capturing the image, favoring camera shake. On the other hand, we do not deplore any concern of the kind on the Xiaomi model, which makes its 200 Mpx mode more usable. The fact remains that the images generally weigh more than 50 MB, which can quickly burden a storage space of 128 or 256 GB…

On the pictures of the two smartphones, we observe disparities. As in 12.5 Mpx, the Xiaomi model relies on a very exposed image, with contained digital noise and very bright colors. The distortion is imperceptible, but we note that the processing is less efficient on elements such as text characters. On the other hand, the image is more homogeneous than that provided by the Motorola, which concedes certain fuzzy zones in all parts of the image, but manages to offer a sharper rendering on the contours thanks to its famous contrast.



Motorola Edge 30 Ultra (200 MP)


Xiaomi 12T Pro (200MP)

And at night? For once, Xiaomi’s treatment is better than that of its competitor. The colors are better rendered, the small elements are less scrambled and the smoothing, on the mane of the lion for example, less noticeable. Small artefacts nevertheless spangle the image, which leads us to advise against the use of this mode in low light.

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Motorola Edge 30 Ultra (200 MP)


Xiaomi 12T Ultra (200MP)

200 Mpx sensors not so easy to master

Comparing the shots of the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra and the Xiaomi 12T Pro shows that mastering 200 Mpx sensors will take time. At a time when manufacturers are just beginning to tame those of 108 Mpx, the transition to almost doubled definitions is causing difficulties for those who are the first to dare to throw themselves into the arena.

In fact, Xiaomi’s model has the merit of rapid triggering and good quality optics, allowing those who choose to use it to obtain sharp photos. The treatment it applies to the images, on the other hand, favors a colorimetry that is far too saturated and struggles to transcribe certain elements of the image.

At Motorola, the difficulties are different, but visible: the contrasts are exaggerated, the optics concede a distortion in the periphery and areas of the scene are blurred. These highly defined sensors, finally, leave us all the more perplexed that, as our article dedicated to the Edge 30 Ultra had explained, the pixel binding 16-in-1 is not necessarily better than 4-in-1.

In light of these facts, it is clear that to date, smartphones that use very highly defined sensors essentially play with the springs of marketing to better impress potential buyers using “big” numbers. , even if it means disappointing the most keen on photography.



Xiaomi 12T Pro (200MP)


Xiaomi 12T Pro (50MP)

Anyway, to recommend these 200 Mpx modes to you, we are waiting for Xiaomi and Motorola to roll out updates to their smartphones, or for competitors to enter the dance to exploit their full potential. And if you want to obtain a very high definition image on the 12T Pro, without however obtaining disproportionately large files, you can try to activate the Ultra HD mode in 50 Mpx. With a pixel binding visibly better controlled than in 12.5 Mpx, it is a good compromise between cropping possibilities and image weight.

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