The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro are now official, and could be among the best phones of 2023. No, it’s not 2023 quite yet at the time of writing, but so far these phones are only out in China, with a global launch expected next year.
So there are some things we’re not certain of yet, such as the exact global availability and pricing, but in terms of specs, features, and design we now know it all.
Highlights include a top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and – in the case of the Xiaomi 13 Pro – a 1-inch camera sensor, but there’s plenty more to like about these phones too, all of which you’ll find detailed below.
We’ve also included information on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, which hasn’t yet been announced but which there are a few rumors about.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The latest flagship Xiaomi phones
- When is it out? Now in China, probably 2023 globally
- How much will it cost? Starts at CNY3,999 (roughly $575 / £465 / AU$845)
Xiaomi 13 release date and price
The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro were both announced in China on December 11, and they’re shipping in that country on December 14. There’s no news yet on exactly when these phones will get a global release, but based on past form they’ll probably land sometime in early 2023.
As for the price, the Xiaomi 13 starts at CNY3,999 (roughly $575 / £465 / AU$845), for which you get a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There are several other configurations too, topping out at CNY4,999 (around $715 / £585 / AU$1,060) for 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro meanwhile starts at CNY4,999 (approximately $715 / £585 / AU$1,060), which gets you a version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This one tops out at CNY6,299 (roughly $900 / £735 / AU$1,330), for a model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Of course, we wouldn’t expect those price conversions to be accurate, so we’ll have to wait for global pricing.
Xiaomi 13 design
The Xiaomi 13 is available in understated black, light green, light blue, gray and white shades, along with much brighter red, yellow, green, and blue colors. Though those bright colors along with the gray shade are classed as limited editions, so may not be available widely.
All of these use a glass back except for the light blue one, which has a leather-like finish.
The Xiaomi 13 has a large camera block on the back as you can see, with lines dividing it into sections, the frame is metal, there’s a flat screen housing a punch-hole camera, and the overall dimensions of the Xiaomi 13 are 152.8 x 71.5 x 7.98mm (or 8.1mm for the light blue version).
The phone weighs 189g – or 185g in light blue – and has an IP68 certification, so it’s got significant water and dust resistance.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a very similar design, but with a curved screen, more on which below. It comes in white, black, green, and light blue shades, all of which are ceramic except the blue, which uses a leather-like finish.
This too has an IP68 certification, and it comes in at 162.9 x 74.6 x 8.38mm and 229g. The exception is the blue model, which is 8.7mm thick and 210g.
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Xiaomi 13 display
The Xiaomi 13 has a 6.36-inch 1080 x 2400 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of 1,900 nits, which is very bright. It’s a flat screen with a punch-hole camera at the top, and the bezels are small.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a 6.73-inch 1440 x 3200 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of 1,900 nits. So the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s screen is bigger and higher resolution, but similar in some other ways. It’s also curved, unlike the standard Xiaomi 13’s screen.
Xiaomi 13 camera and battery
Both the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro have a triple-lens camera, but they make use of different lenses and sensors.
The Xiaomi 13 has a 50MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 10MP f/2.0 telephoto one with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one. The main and telephoto cameras also have optical image stabilization (OIS), and the Xiaomi 13 can shoot video in up to 8K quality at 24fps, and has a 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a 50MP f/1.9 primary camera with OIS and a massive one-inch sensor size, likely allowing for significantly higher quality shots than most smartphone sensors are capable of.
It also has a 50MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, which can also take macro shots, and has a 115-degree field of view. The front-facing camera is 32MP.
You can see official camera samples from the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s main and telephoto lenses below.
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It’s worth mentioning the Xiaomi 13 Ultra here too, as while this hasn’t yet been announced, it has been rumored. Apparently this has a quad-lens camera, including the same one-inch sensor for the main lens as the Xiaomi 13 Pro has, along with gimbal stabilization, all of which makes it sound like it could be one of the best camera phones.
As for the battery, the Xiaomi 13 has a 4,500mAh one with 67W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a 4,820mAh battery offering 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
Xiaomi 13 specs and features
Both the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. This is the top Snapdragon chipset at the time of writing, and is likely to be the best option available to Android phones until late 2023, when we might see a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 2.
The two phones also come in numerous configurations, with a choice of 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage.
They both support 5G, and they both run Android 13 (with Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 interface). Both phones also have Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers.
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