Xiaomi has officially unveiled the Xiaomi 13 series flagship phones, promising pro-grade camera capabilities thanks to an alliance with the venerable folks at Leica.
The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro phones arrive with Android 13 on board and promise flagship level displays and charging speeds that’ll make your eyes water.
The company also announced the Xiaomi 13 Lite, which is more in the upper mid-range, but with plenty of welly of its own.
Let’s take a closer look at Xiaomi’s best effort for 2023, announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona where we’ll be going hands-on with the phones at the first possible opportunity.
Cameras
The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro have professional Leica optical lenses as part of the triple-camera array, and a range of software and computational advancements.
On the Xiaomi 13 Pro, for example, you’ll get a system that covers the focal lengths from 14mm to 75mm from its three rear cameras.
That includes a 23mm wide-angle main camera with a whopping 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor. That’s the same sensor Samsung included in its Galaxy S23 and is the largest sensor to currently appear in a smartphone.
There’s also a 75mm telephoto lens, which uses a floating lens for greater focal ranges, and a 14mm ultra-wide-angle camera.
The Android 13-based Xiaomi 13, meanwhile, has a 54-megapixel main camera (Sony IMX800) sensor and a slightly smaller 15mm to 75mm focal length. Both the standard and Pro models have a “create in Dolby Atmos” mode for 4K HDR video at 60 frames per second. We’re excited to give that a try.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite has a 50-megapixel main camera, backed by an 8-megapixel ultra wide and a 32-megapixel selfie camera, just like its more illustrious sibling.
Specs
Beyond the camera systems, both phones have it where it counts, running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. The Pro is backed by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of built in storage, while the standard model has 8GB of RAM.
The Pro model charges the 4,820mAh cell from 0-100% in just 19 minutes thanks to the 120W HyperCharge wired charging tech. It also offers 50W wireless charging. The standard model is no slouch either, with a 4,500mAh battery that offers 67W wired charging and the same 50W wireless replenishment. It’s all thanks to Xiaomi’s built-in Surge chip.
Both devices will provide you with optimal IP68 dust and water resistance.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite runs off the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. It’s only got Android 12, but does offer 67W wired charging of its 4,500mAh battery.
Design and Display
The Xiaomi 13 has a 6.36-inch Full HD+ 120Hz AMOLED display with a flat appearance. There’s a 93.3% screen-to-body ratio and super-thin bezels. The company is also promising lower power consumption from the AMOLED tech deployed.
In terms of the Xiaomi 13 Pro, we’re kicking things up a notch to the 6.73-inch 120Hz WQHD+ AMOLED panel that offers 1,200 nits of peak brightness as well as all of the major HDR standards. Xiaomi is also elevating the design somewhat with a 3D-curved ceramic body for a pleasant feel in camera mode.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite has a 120Hz 6.55-inch AMOLED display with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. You can see the design below.
Price and availability
The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro go on sale on March 14 and you’ll be able to buy them at Currys and Argos, as well as Xiaomi.
The standard model comes in black with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for £849. If you go for the Pro you’ll be paying £1099 for the 12GB+256GB variant.
The Lite edition is only £449 and is available from today (February 26) in the 8GB+128GB configuration in green, pink and black.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
