Xiaomi 13 Ultra Preview: Game-changer for Smartphone Images? – do phone
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Intro
To illustrate it instantly: the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the elephant within the room with regards to smartphone cameras in 2023, and it isn’t even in regards to the superior digital camera {hardware} or the specs.
It is in regards to the processing. Images out of an iPhone 14 Professional or a Galaxy S23 Ultra are an enormous enchancment from earlier generations of smartphones, however they’re undeniably “smartphone images”. That’s to say that they’re over-processed, typically with unrealistic colours, extreme sharpening and altogether when seen on something larger than a phone, they lose their attraction.
And that is what makes it so particular. However after all, it isn’t nearly that.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra can also be an ideal flagship phone. It has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor inside cooled with a proprietary Xiaomi resolution so avid gamers can get even higher efficiency than with typical flagships. It has the world’s brightest show. It has lengthy battery life. And it has a lot quicker charging the Samsung and Apple. Let’s have a look at if that is certainly not simply the digital camera phone of 2023, however the smartphone of 2023, full cease.
What’s new in regards to the Xiaomi 13 Ultra
- Images that do not have typical oversharpening, “smartphone processing”
- Very good night time time zoom digital camera efficiency
- Ultra-wide lens goes even wider than most cameras
- Variable aperture fundamental digital camera
- Very cool digital camera-like design
- All out flagship with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip
- Lengthy battery life, quick charging
- To reach globally later in 2023
Desk of Contents:
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Specs
It is wonderful Xiaomi match all of this {hardware} in a phone
Let’s begin with an summary of the specs, lets?
Specs | Xiaomi 13 Ultra |
---|---|
Measurement and Weight | 163.2 x 74.6 x 9.1 mm 227 (8 oz) |
Show | 6.7″ OLED, 1440p C7 panel 120Hz 2,600 nits max brightness 1,920Hz PWM |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with ring cooling pump |
RAM, Storage and Worth | 12/256GB — 6000 yuan (US $873) 12/512GB — 6500 yuan (US $945) 12/1TB — 7300 yuan (US $1,062) |
Software program | Android 13 with MIUI 14 |
Cameras | 50MP Large (IMX989, 1″ sensor), 23mm lens, f/1.9 – f/4.0 50MP Ultra-wide (IMX858, 1/2.51″ sensor) 50MP 3.2X Zoom (IMX858): 75mm f/1.8 50MP 5X Periscope zoom (IMX858): 120mm f/3.0 32MP Entrance cam |
Battery Measurement | 5,000 mAh |
Charging Speeds | 90W wired charging 50W wi-fi charging |
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Design & Colours
QUICKSUMMARY
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is an ideal illustration of what occurs when kind follows perform. The perform is a digital camera-first phone and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra seems to be quite a bit like a standard digital camera that’s slimmed all the way down to a phone measurement. The marginally raised digital camera mattress, the spherical digital camera system, the textured leather-based like end are all throwbacks to conventional digital camera design.
It is perhaps an acquired style for some, however we love this look. It is at the least totally different than the glass-and-steel sameness that surrounds us.
Xiaomi calls the feel on the again of the phone a second era nano-pores and skin and ensures it’s going to resist stains and look model new even after a protracted whereas of utilizing the phone. It takes some braveness to promote a white phone and we would be curious to see if it actually holds its coloration even after months of use. Talking of colours, you’ve got a white, a inexperienced, and a black model, and all of them look gorgeous.
The USB-C port on the underside now helps USB 3.2 speeds lastly too.
We also needs to point out the so known as skilled digital camera package, which is mainly a case, a digital camera handgrip with a bodily shutter key, and a 67mm filter thread. Tremendous cool and we wager photographers will recognize it. The package is bought individually for round $150.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Show
The brightest show ever on a phone
Xiaomi partnered with panel maker China Star and that is their newest C7 show era know-how, and it looks like the one motive why it exists is to beat essentially the most superior screens on the market by only a tiny bit.
Whereas the newest Samsung OLED panels hit as a lot as 2,500 nits of brightness, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra hits 2,600 nits. Sure, the distinction is just not large, but additionally sure, this makes it the world’s brightest smartphone ever. This has ring to it, do not you assume?
Now we have not but examined the display screen in our lab measurements, however that is coming quickly.
As for biometrics, you’ve got an in-display screen fingerprint scanner, and once more, we shall be testing that in additional element quickly, however we do not count on any main points or innovation there.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Digital camera
Photographer’s dream!

We most likely all know that one man who actually cares about pictures, carries an enormous digital camera round with them, edits the RAW recordsdata, all that good things.
However what should you might get related wanting images straight out of the digital camera with out ever touching Photoshop?
That may be the dream, would not it?
Sadly, that is not the place the trade went with smartphone pictures. Telephones lately go for wild additional-vibrant colours, aggressive HDR and extreme sharpening. Seems good on a 6-inch display screen, however fairly disappointing when you see it on a much bigger display screen like a pill or a laptop computer.
Properly, Xiaomi says no to all of that with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
No loopy vibrant colours, no extreme sharpening right here. This phone goes for a very totally different look with a extra pure, movie really feel. Colours are wonderful tuned with some contribution from Leica, and the huge 1-inch kind fundamental digital camera sensor is wonderful in each daytime and low-mild circumstances.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Digital camera Specs:
- 50MP Large (IMX989, 1″ sensor), 23mm lens, f/1.9 – f/4.0
- 50MP Ultra-wide (IMX858, 1/2.51″ sensor)
- 50MP 3.2X Zoom (IMX858): 75mm f/1.8
- 50MP 5X Periscope zoom (IMX858): 120mm f/3.0
- 32MP Entrance cam
*Pictures courtesy of @UniverseIce.
The picture above showcases simply what a large distinction now we have within the processing on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

(Picture Credit score – WekiHome) Xiaomi 13 Ultra digital camera teardown
And simply take a look at that large 1-inch digital camera sensor and the way Xiaomi managed to incorporate three different cameras within the combine too. Actually spectacular.
What we really feel is the largest enchancment right here is simply how helpful the zoom cameras are in low mild. The telephoto cameras on most telephones simply disintegrate in dim circumstances, however not the Xiaomi. Early samples present that due to its wider aperture, it even captures higher wanting photographs at 10X zoom than the Galaxy S23 Ultra!
And also you even have quantity of element all throughout the zoom vary: 0.5X, 1X, 2X, 3X, 5X and 10X are the place the standard is at its finest.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Efficiency & Benchmarks
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with some Xiaomi cooling magic

(Picture Credit score – WekiHome) Xiaomi 13 Ultra cooling plate
Having the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside would put the Xiaomi 13 Ultra on par with all the remainder of the telephones, however the firm wished to face out, so it has developed a brand new cooling resolution that’s far more environment friendly than others.
That is significantly essential for gaming, but additionally for digital camera duties which may be much more tasking than a recreation. With this cooling know-how, the 13 Ultra maintains video body charges at a decrease temperature than all different main rivals.
We shall be wanting on the efficiency of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in depth quickly, so ensure to examine again right here shortly.
There isn’t a compromise with the remainder of the specs too: all fashions include 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The bottom begins at 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, and you can too get a 512GB mannequin, or perhaps a 1TB mannequin. There isn’t a microSD card slot on this phone.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Android model and MIUI
Our largest concern with Xiaomi telephones has at all times been the software program. The 13 Ultra runs on Android 13 skinned with MIUI 14.
Nevertheless, the larger concern is with the way in which it aggressively kills background apps and sometimes, there’s nothing you may do about it. If you happen to depend on a sure app for notifications, you do not know what the MIUI pores and skin will resolve about it. It’d kill it within the background and you’ll by no means have your push notifications on time. That is the largest subject for Xiaomi telephones and it has been the case up to now few years, so do hold that in thoughts. Xiaomi is doing that to optimize the battery efficiency, however that is actually not the way in which to go from our viewpoint.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Battery
5,000mAh inside with tremendous quick charging
Someway, regardless of the large digital camera system, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra remains to be capable of pack the identical 5,000mAh battery measurement as different flagship telephones.
We nonetheless haven’t examined battery life, however contemplating our expertise with previoous Xiaomi telephones, there is no such thing as a motive for concernt.
Xiaomi’s official measurements say this phone will final 1.3 days of use on common which is a stable rating.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Charging Speeds
The 13 Ultra helps a formidable 90W quick charging and also you get the cable and the charger included within the field.
A full 1-100% cost takes simply 37 minutes, roughly twice as quick as a Galaxy phone and even quicker in comparison with an iPhone.
You even have help for 50W quick wi-fi charging, which is nice too. Examine this to 10W wi-fi charging on the Galaxy and 15W MagSafe charging on the iPhone, it is a world of a distinction.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Audio High quality and Haptics
Now we have not but examined the loudspeakers of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, so examine again for extra details about this in a few weeks.
What now we have seen is that Xiaomi makes use of a barely smaller vibration motor on the 13 Ultra in comparison with the earlier mannequin, the 13 Professional. That is smart contemplating the large battery and digital camera module, however ought to mirror barely on the standard of the haptic suggestions you get.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Rivals
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is each a digital camera phone and only a stellar flagship, so it is fundamental competitors are one of the best telephones round: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the iPhone 14 Professional Max, and the Google Pixel 7 Professional.
It’s also competing with different telephones out of China that even have put their give attention to the digital camera system: the Oppo Discover X6 Professional has lately acquired glowing critiques for its digital camera, the Vivo X90 Professional Plus is nice at night time, and the record goes on.
Nonetheless, the worldwide availability of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and its distinctive digital camera strategy make it stand out in a crowd.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Abstract

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra shapes as much as be one of the vital spectacular flagship releases in 2023.
It shifts the paradigm for smartphone pictures with what would possibly effectively grow to be one of the best digital camera of the 12 months. However it additionally has stellar efficiency, it is an ideal gadget for gaming, it has a stand-out design, quick charging and all of the bells and whistles you may consider.
However let’s maintain again till we finalize our testing. Keep tuned for our last evaluate with detailed digital camera and efficiency measurements of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra coming quickly.