Xiaomi’s latest flagship, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series, has officially launched, bringing with it a host of advanced features, chief among them the groundbreaking “Legendary Moment” imaging system. This new AI-powered photography suite promises to deliver professional-grade image quality right from your smartphone.
‘Legendary Moment’ Unveiled
Bao_小李, a product manager at Xiaomi’s camera division, took to Weibo to elaborate on the “Legendary Moment” functionality integrated into the Xiaomi 18 Pro series. This feature is powered by an end-to-end imaging large model, trained on millions of camera works. Xiaomi claims this technology rivals the image quality of professional cameras, offering a tangible upgrade for mobile photography enthusiasts.
Advanced Bokeh and Cloud Processing
One of the standout capabilities of “Legendary Moment” is its camera-level depth-of-field blur (bokeh) simulation. Utilizing the power of the large model, the system meticulously recreates the natural optical layering found in professional lenses, achieving a soft, realistic blur effect that closely mimics optical principles. Furthermore, the system allows for lossless processing of original photo data by uploading it to the cloud. This means users can leverage vast amounts of real-world data for automatic, all-scenario optimization, ensuring that every shot is enhanced to its fullest potential without compromising original quality.
Evolution from ‘Leica Moment’
This new AI-driven feature builds upon Xiaomi’s previous advancements in mobile imaging. Last December, the company introduced the “Leica Moment” mode on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition. Developed in collaboration with Leica, that mode offered distinct shooting styles:
- Leica M9 Quality: Emulating the legendary CCD sensor’s rich color and texture.
- Leica M3 + MONOPAN 50: Delivering a classic black and white film aesthetic.
- Classic 3:2 Aspect Ratio: Recalling the aspect ratio of Leica’s first film cameras.
The “Legendary Moment” feature represents a significant evolution, moving beyond specific camera emulations to a more comprehensive AI-driven approach to image enhancement and creation.
Leica-Branded Hardware Enhancements
The Xiaomi 18 Pro series also boasts an upgraded Leica co-branded dual 200-megapixel camera system. This includes a new 200-megapixel main sensor and a dual-size, high-specification “Leica 200MP large-aperture periscope telephoto lens.” The telephoto lens features a 1/1.56″ large sensor, a native 75mm golden focal length, and supports 3.2x optical zoom and up to 12.8x lossless zoom. The lens employs a dual-group floating focus structure, enabling impressive 12cm telephoto macro photography capabilities.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi 18 Pro series was officially launched on September 23rd, powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 “Supreme Edition” mobile platform. The series starts at a price of 5999 yuan.
