Thomas Dietrich
Xiaomi has just announced its latest flagship series in China – the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro are here. Both phones run on Qualcomm’s latest and currently fastest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is based on TSMC’s 4 Nm manufacturing process. For many users, however, it is likely to be much more important that both Xiaomi phones offer a significant upgrade in the camera department and a new design.
Xiaomi 13 Pro
The display of the Xiaomi 13 Pro remains practically unchanged. The Xiaomi 12 Pro had a 6.73 inch display and the new model has almost identical specs. These include a variable refresh rate of 120 Hz, a resolution of 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG and 1,920 Hz DC dimming against flicker. The display also has an ambient color temperature sensor that can be used to adjust the color temperature.
The only upgrade here is the advertised maximum and peak brightness. The 13 Pro’s display can illuminate the entire surface at 1,200 nits. Peak brightness reaches 1,900 nits when playing HDR videos, for example. Xiaomi pairs the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro features a triple 50-megapixel setup on the rear, like its predecessor, but with notable upgrades. The Chinese combine the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor with 1.6 µm pixels of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra with a Leica lens, an aperture of f/1.9 and Hyper OIS. The telephoto camera also gets a solid upgrade. It’s 50 megapixels again, but with a longer, triple zoom range and a Leica Floating Lens element. The aperture has become slightly smaller at f/2.0, but the telephoto can focus down to 10 cm. The 50 megapixel ultrawide with f/2.2 aperture and 14 mm focal length also offers macro support thanks to autofocus.
The battery has grown minimally to 4,820 mAh and is monitored by Xiaomi’s Surge G1 chip. This enables wired charging with 120 watts and wireless charging with 50 watts. There’s also the usual 10-watt reverse wireless charging. Other features include Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers with Dolby’s new head-tracking technology, an IR emitter, and IP68 dust and water resistance.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is available in white, black, green and light blue. The first three versions have a ceramic back underneath, the last one is made of vegan leather.
Xiaomi 13
The Xiaomi 13’s display now measures 6.36 inches diagonally and has essentially the same specs as before – 1,080 x 2,400 pixels resolution and 120Hz refresh rate with no granular controls as it’s not an LTPO panel. Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG support are also installed here and are supported by an ambient color temperature sensor. However, the OLED panel matches the 13 Pro’s maximum and peak brightness of 1,200 and 1,900 nits, respectively.
The camera setup of the basic model was also developed together with Leica. The main camera has a resolution of 50 megapixels on a 1/1.56 inch chip. The aperture is f/1.8, the focal length is 23 mm and the individual pixels are 1.0 µm in size. Hyper OIS is also on board. Also, there is now a proper telephoto lens, which was the main downside of the Xiaomi 12. It has a resolution of 10 megapixels and also offers OIS support, an f/2.0 aperture and native 3x zoom. The ultrawide now has 12 megapixels and an f/2.2 aperture.
The battery setup is also the same. The cell has a capacity of 4,500 mAh and charges with a cable with 67 watts, wirelessly with 50 watts and reverse with 10 watts. Other features of the Xiaomi 13 include Dolby Atmos stereo speakers with Dolby Head Tracking, an IR emitter and IP68 certification against water and dust.
In contrast to the Pro, the basic version is content with standard glass on the back and is available in black, light green, light blue, gray and white. Additionally, there are red, yellow, green, and blue versions, but only the light blue variant is leather. And although the rear camera island design is identical to the 13 Pro, the regular Xiaomi 13 stands out with a glossy, flat side frame with iPhone-like vibes.
Prices and Availability
The two new phones can already be pre-ordered in China and will be delivered from December 14th. The Xiaomi 13 costs 3,999 CNY ($575) in the basic version with 8/128 GB. The top model with 12/512 GB is 4,999 ($718).
The cheapest 8/128 GB version of the Xiaomi 13 Pro also costs 4,999 CNY, while the 12/512 GB top model goes for 6,299 CNY ($905). International availability and pricing to be announced later.
