Xiaomi 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G: Which Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is the superior choice. Its significantly longer battery life (108h endurance vs 82h) and brighter display outweigh the Xiaomi 12’s faster charging. However, the Xiaomi 12 remains a compelling option for those prioritizing a smaller form factor and rapid power-up times.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi 12 | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - International | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - China | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, December 28 | 2022, February 09 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, December 31 | Available. Released 2022, February 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 152.7 x 69.9 x 8.2 mm (6.01 x 2.75 x 0.32 in) | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 179 g or 180 g (6.31 oz) | 228 g / 229 g (mmWave) (8.04 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus, 2.8ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~419 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.28 inches, 95.2 cm2 (~89.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1100 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) - EuropeOcta-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) - ROW |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW |
| OS | Android 12, MIUI 13 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Color spectrum sensor, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 108 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.5, 26mm (wide), 0.7µm | - |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 13 MP, f/2.4, 12mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.06", 1.12µm 5 MP, f/2.4, 50mm (telephoto macro), AF | - |
| Video | 8K@24fps (HDR), 4K@30/60fps (HDR10+), 1080p@30/120/240/960fps, 720p@1920fps, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, panorama | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.5, 26mm (wide), 0.7µm | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.82", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio Tuned by Harman Kardon | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 or 6e (market dependent), dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Virtual Proximity Sensing | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 67W wired, PD3.0, QC4, 100% in 39 min 50W wireless, 100% in 53 min 10W reverse wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Gray, Blue, Purple, Green | Phantom Black, White, Burgundy, Green, Graphite, Red, Sky Blue, Bora Purple |
| Models | 2201123G, 2201123C | SM-S908B, SM-S908B/DS, SM-S908U, SM-S908U1, SM-S908W, SM-S908N, SM-S9080, SM-S908E, SM-S908E/DS |
| Price | $ 284.99 / € 149.99 | € 397.07 / $ 269.98 / £ 304.99 / ₹ 63,899 |
| SAR | 1.09 W/kg (head) 0.91 W/kg (body) | 1.18 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.60 W/kg (head) 1.00 W/kg (body) | 1.05 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 82h | Endurance rating 108h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.3 LUFS (Very good) | -27.3 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 985115 (v9) GeekBench: 3652 (v5.1) GFXBench: 75fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 968359 (v9) GeekBench: 3657 (v5.1) GFXBench: 37fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Xiaomi 12
- Faster charging speeds (67W wired, 50W wireless)
- More compact and pocketable design
- Generally better thermal management with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Shorter battery life (82h endurance)
- Less versatile camera system
- Lower peak display brightness
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
- Significantly longer battery life (108h endurance)
- Brighter and larger display
- More versatile camera system with superior zoom
- Slower charging speeds (45W wired, 15W wireless)
- Larger and heavier form factor
- Potential for thermal throttling with Exynos 2200 variant
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display, reaching a measured 1266 nits compared to the Xiaomi 12’s 896 nits. This translates to superior visibility under direct sunlight. Both displays share an 'Infinite' (nominal) contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels. While both offer excellent viewing experiences, the S22 Ultra’s larger size and higher peak brightness provide a more immersive and usable experience, particularly for outdoor use. The S22 Ultra's adaptive refresh rate (LTPO) is also a benefit, dynamically adjusting to conserve battery life.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer versatile camera systems, but the S22 Ultra’s strengths lie in its zoom capabilities and overall image processing. While both are capable of excellent photo and video capture, the S22 Ultra’s larger main sensor (spec not provided, but generally larger than Xiaomi 12’s) and advanced image stabilization (OIS) contribute to superior low-light performance and smoother video recording. The Xiaomi 12’s camera is still very capable, but lacks the S22 Ultra’s telephoto versatility. The inclusion of a 2MP macro camera on the Xiaomi 12 is largely a marketing gimmick, offering minimal practical benefit compared to the S22 Ultra’s more refined camera suite.
Performance
Both phones utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) in certain regions, but the S22 Ultra also comes with the Exynos 2200 (4nm) in Europe. While the CPU core configuration is largely similar – Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) for the ROW Snapdragon variant and a slightly lower clocked CPU in the Exynos version – the Exynos 2200 has faced criticism regarding thermal throttling under sustained load. The Xiaomi 12, consistently equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, benefits from Qualcomm’s generally more efficient thermal management. Both devices utilize LPDDR5 RAM, but the S22 Ultra’s larger size allows for a more robust cooling solution, potentially mitigating throttling even with the Exynos variant.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 108-hour endurance rating significantly surpasses the Xiaomi 12’s 82-hour rating. This difference is attributable to a larger battery capacity (not specified in context data, but known to be larger) and more efficient power management. While the Xiaomi 12 compensates with incredibly fast 67W wired charging (100% in 39 minutes) and 50W wireless charging (100% in 53 minutes), the S22 Ultra’s 45W wired charging is slower. However, the S22 Ultra’s longer battery life reduces the need for frequent charging, making it more convenient for users who prioritize longevity over speed.
Buying Guide
Buy the Xiaomi 12 if you prioritize a more pocketable flagship experience and value incredibly fast 67W wired and 50W wireless charging. It’s ideal for users who frequently top up their battery throughout the day. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G if you demand all-day battery life, a stunningly bright and large display, and a comprehensive camera system with the added functionality of the S Pen. It’s the better choice for power users and content creators.