Xiaomi 16 Ultra Tipped to Offer Continuous Optical Zoom Using a Shared CMOS Sensor

Xiaomi is gearing up to launch the 16 Ultra, the successor to last year's Xiaomi 15 Ultra. Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing has officially confirmed the upcoming flagship, and a new leak suggests it could bring significant camera upgrades, including DSLR-level optical zoom capabilities. The handset is expected to debut earlier than its predecessor and may feature a triple rear camera setup, headlined by a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto sensor. It is also likely to be powered by Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset.

Xiaomi 16 Ultra Cameras May Deliver DSLR-Like Zoom Experience 

Tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo (via) claimed that Xiaomi 16 Ultra will offer “continuous optical zoom” technology. The handset is said to adopt the industry's most advanced continuous zoom solution. It is tipped to use a 200-megapixel large sensor and a multi-layer periscope solution (translated from Chinese).

Xiaomi 16 Ultra is said to provide continuous optical zoom by including a common CMOS sensor between two optical zoom segments. This approach could let Xiaomi reduce quality loss when zooming. With this technology, users should be able to capture images at varying zoom levels without a noticeable drop in image quality.

Notably, Digital Chat Station later edited the original post to remove these details, possibly indicating the information was shared prematurely. Still, with no confirmation from the brand, it is wise to approach this rumour with a degree of scepticism.

Lu Weibing, Partner and President of Xiaomi Group, recently teased the Xiaomi 16 Ultra on Weibo. It is expected to launch by the end of this year.

Xiaomi 16 Ultra Specifications (Rumoured)

The Xiaomi 16 Ultra was previously said to offer a triple rear camera unit instead of a quad rear camera system like on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The camera setup is rumoured to include a 50-megapixel 1-inch main camera, a 1/1.28-inch 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with up to 5x optical zoom, and a 1/2-inch 50-megapixel Sony LYT600 ultra wide sensor. For selfies and videochats, it is expected to feature a 50-megapixel front camera.

As per past leaks, the Xiaomi 16 Ultra could ship with a 6.8-inch LTPO display with 2K resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It is said to be powered by Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset. The battery capacity of the phone could range from 7,000mAh to 7,500mAh. The phone may support 100W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging.