Xiaomi has received a new patent that could take mobile night sky and star photography to a whole new level

Extremely high-quality cameras are already available on every flagship, so it’s very difficult to compare which smartphone took the better photo. Manufacturers are therefore trying to differentiate with other features, and Xiaomi is planning something similar too.

Apple, Google, and OPPO already offer special features, but Xiaomi wants to impress with night sky photography. Xiaomi Software Corporation, based in Beijing, has received a patent in its home country China for its automatic camera software called timelapse photography of the night sky stars.

Timelapse video of the night sky

Xiaomi’s patent describes in detail the camera software algorithm behind the timelapse photography mode with stars. When the user activates the “Star Trails” mode in the camera app, it automatically focuses on the night sky and determines the most suitable settings, such as ISO and white balance.

The smartphone then has to stay in the same position throughout the entire recording so it can photograph the night sky between each successive time interval of the stars’ movement.

The algorithm then saves these photos so that it can interpret the data using artificial intelligence. Using them, the algorithm then combines all photos from a short timelapse video that shows the movement of stars in the night sky.

Alternatively, users can also use the algorithm for other types of videos showing moving star trails, for example video of stars swirling in the night sky.

Premiere on Xiaomi 12 Ultra?

Since the patent was published only recently, we expect that Xiaomi will officially introduce the new Star Trails mode soon on its next flagship, which will be focused on camera quality.

Yes, we’re talking about the Xiaomi 12 Ultra model, which is said to be unveiled as soon as next month in China with a Leica-tuned camera and a yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ processor from Qualcomm.

Would you appreciate a feature like this in your Xiaomi smartphone? What else would make you happy in the camera area that the competition offers? Let us know in the comments below the article. Follow the XiaomiPlanet website, subscribe to news, and join our Facebook group, where we build an active Xiaomi community.