The Xiaomi 13 series has finally left its home country to attract international buyers to these premium smartphones. This lineup is the global debut of Xiaomi‘s pro-grade camera systems equipped with Leica hardware and software.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro, Xiaomi 13, and the new Xiaomi 13 Lite made their appearance during the brand’s launch event at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. (Make sure to tune in to our MWC coverage this week!)
Let’s look at what the new phones bring to the table.
The Pro and standard experiences
If you want to get your hands on the Leica imaging tech, you’ll probably want to spring for the Xiaomi 13 Pro or the standard Xiaomi 13. These dual flagship models feature Leica professional optical lenses and advanced computational and software capabilities Xiaomi co-engineered with the renowned camera maker.
Both devices come kitted with a triple camera setup featuring Leica lenses on the back and 32-megapixel sensors in front.
Most notably, the Xiaomi 13 Pro features the Leica Vario-Summicron 1:19-2.2/14-75 ASPH camera system, covering the lens distance from 14mm – 75mm. This pro-grade handset comes with the Xiaomi 12S Utra‘s 1-inch Sony IMX989 50-megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization paired with a pair of 50-megapixel telephoto (with a 3x zoom) and ultra-wide (with macro support) cameras.
This setup promises high dynamic range, superb light-capturing capabilities, and fast response for colorful images with distinct contrast and defined textures that show every fine detail. The smartphone’s new 75mm telephoto lens utilizes a floating lens design to achieve a focal range from 10cm to infinity. It’s built for framing stunning portraits and beautiful close-ups.
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 13 comes with a Leica Vario-Summicron 1:18-2.2/15-75 ASPH lens kit, with a 50-megapixel primary lens combined with a 3x 10-megapixel telephoto lens and a 12-megapixel wide-angle sensor.
Its master-lens system is built to offer great focal length and depth of field for portraits. These phones also have two distinct photo styles: Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look. These phones promise an easy-to-use camera interface, access to Leica filters and the Leica watermark, and the signature Leica shutter sound.
With Xiaomi’s ProFocus tech, these duo can automatically focus on certain subjects in motion, which is handy for many use cases.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro leaves room for your editing needs. It supports a 10-Bit RAW DNG Camera and Color Profiles created by Adobe, which you can use in programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
And if you need these handsets for video, these phones support “Create in Dolby Vision” with vivid colors, sharp contrast ratios, and rich details. They can capture 4K Ultra Night videos and offer HyperOIS video stabilization.
More on the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 13
While the cameras are the highlight of these smartphones, those aren’t the only standout features. The Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 13 run on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with improved graphics processing and power efficiency over the previous generation. Outside of Samsung’s tweaked versions of this chipset, this is the most powerful processor on Android right now.
Both devices are also equipped with next-generation Wi-Fi 7 technology for improved mobile connectivity. Xiaomi brings its Surge battery management to the two phones, promising a longer service life.
These two smartphones don’t have the largest batteries, but they offer fast charging to make up for that. The Xiaomi 13 has a 4,500mAh battery with support for 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Meanwhile, the pro variant has a 4,820mAh battery that supports Xiaomi’s 120W HyperCharge, capable of charging the phone to its full capacity in just 19 minutes.
Longevity is becoming more and more important to users. So, Xiaomi’s promising a typical three generations of Android system updates, but a long five years of security patch updates for both models. You’re also entitled to six months of free trial for Google One cloud storage of up to 2TB and YouTube Premium access. And thanks to Android’s digital car key feature support, these phones will let you share your digital car keys with loved ones to unlock, lock, and start their cars.
Xiaomi leans toward a more minimalistic look for both devices. The Xiaomi 13 comes in classy Black, White, and Flora Green options. This phone adopts a flat screen with a flat-edge design and 2.5D curved back. It gets a 6.36-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a 93.3% screen-to-body ratio and 1.61mm ultra-thin bezels and chin. The E6 AMOLED panel offers top-notch color accuracy and brightness while lowering power consumption.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro, on the other hand, has a 3D-curved ceramic body with a larger 6.73-inch WQHD+ AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and the same E6 material as the standard model. It can achieve 1,200 nits full-screen brightness and 1,900 nits peak brightness, as well as showing accurate colors with its TrueColor display. It also gets the alphabet soup of display and audio tech like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Atmos support. This flagship phone comes in two colors: Ceramic White and Ceramic Black.
Both devices offer IP68 dust and water resistance. In addition, Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 13 users will get one out-of-warranty repair without labor cost within the first 12 months after purchase. Xiaomi also now offers Smartphone International Warranty Service in over 40 markets worldwide. Users of Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphones that meet the device’s warranty conditions can enjoy the warranty service globally at any designated Xiaomi authorized service provider.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro gets up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage with a starting price of EUR 1,299. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 13 comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage from EUR 999.
The new Lite companion
If the flagship models are a bit out of reach for you or you want a more vibrant, youthful device that ups the selfie game, Xiaomi also has the Xiaomi 13 Lite.
It’s a handset built for the TikTok generation and aspiring content creators with a dual-front camera setup—a 32-megapixel main paired with an 8-megapixel sensor for extra depth. It has useful features like Dynamic Framing, which can detect the number of subjects in a frame so it can auto-adjust the field of view and zoom in and out as needed. There’s also Selfie Zoom, Pocket Mirror, and Xiaomi Selfie Glow, which are all meant to help with your selfies and video calls. On the back, it has a 50-megapixel IMX766 sensor, 8-megapixel ultrawide, and 2-megapixel macro.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite runs on a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 mobile platform and comes with a curved 120Hz 6.55-inch AMOLED display, and a 4,500mAh battery with 67W fast-charging capabilities. All this comes in a 7.23mm thin and 171g featherweight package, making it easier to hold.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite is available in Blue, Pink, and Black colors, with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage from EUR 499.
Which Xiaomi phone is more your speed? Let us know!