All the information about the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the new beast from Beijing that aspires to lead the mobile photography league in 2023.
The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro were just the beginning. The Beijing company still had another ace up its sleeve for this year 2023, which today has materialized under the name of xiaomi 13 Ultra, and that arrives to position itself at the top of the firm’s catalogue. We had been able to learn many details about this device over the weeks, but it has not been until today when the company has decided present it officiallyrevealing all the data that we still needed to know.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a major release for various aspects. It is not only about Xiaomi’s most advanced smartphone to date. It also supposes the return of the company to the segment ultra premium of telephony in terms of the global market after two years, since the previous Xiaomi 12S Ultra did not leave China.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra, all the information
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163.18 x 74.64 x 9.06mm 227 grams |
| Screen | 6.7-inch AMOLED C7 LTPO Quad HD+ resolution Variable refresh rate 1-120 Hz Brightness up to 2600 nits |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM | 12/16GB |
| OS | MIUI 14 based on Android 13 |
| Storage | 256/512GB / 1TB |
| cameras | rear: 50 Mpx Sony IMX989 main with variable aperture and OIS 50 Mpx Sony IMX858 ultra wide angle 50 Mpx Sony IMX858 telephoto with 3x optical zoom 50 Mpx Sony IMX858 with periscope lens, 5x optical zoom Frontal: 32MP |
| Battery | 5000mAhmAh 90W fast charging 50W wireless charging |
| Others | On-screen fingerprint reader Wi-Fi 6 5G Bluetooth 5.3 stereo speakers Dolby Atmos IP68 protection USB 3.2 Type-C |
On an aesthetic level, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra seems an evolution of what we already saw with the Xiaomi 12S Ultra last year. It’s a large smartphone with a very different design from the rest of the Xiaomi 13 series models, where all the prominence falls on the large circular camera module present at the rear.
The body of the device combines aluminum on the sidesGorilla Glass Victus glass on the screen, and vegan leather on the back. This year, Xiaomi bets on a range of sober colors, which includes shades black, white and dark greenall of them with gold color accents around the camera module.
A peculiarity of this device is found in the metallic chassiswhich not only surrounds the sides of the 13 Ultra, but even reaches extend to the rear of the terminal with a curvature that ends up joining the leather panel. This also has a thinner part in the lower halfand its thickness is subtly accentuated until it reaches its widest point in the upper quarter, where the camera module is located.
Xiaomi has focused a good part of its efforts and resources on the development of the 13 Ultra’s camera system. The result is obvious, with a module that houses a total of four different sensors.
The cameras of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, with the LEICA seal
The main sensor is the same one-inch diagonal Sony IMX989 with 50 megapixel resolution that we already saw in the 12S Ultra and Xiaomi 13 Pro, accompanied by an optical image stabilizer and, in this case, equipped with a variable opening system between ƒ/1.9 and ƒ/4.0.
Xiaomi is not the first brand to introduce this technology in a mobile, but it has been the first to do so with a one-inch diagonal sensor. In fact, it is in this type of sensors where we should obtain a greater benefit with variable aperture systems, since they usually have some problems to maintain focus on all objects near the lens.
Next to this sensor we find another trio of Sony cameras, in this case of the IMX898 type of 50 megapixels each. The first is associated with a ultra wide angle lensand the other two use telephoto lensesone of them in periscope format to reach a 5x optical zoom.
How could it be otherwise, the camera system is endorsed by LEICA, the prestigious German company specialized in photography. The firm has participated in the tuning process of the software in charge of processing the capturesand has allowed Xiaomi to include the LEICA Authentic and LEICA Vibrant color profiles.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has IP68 protection against water and dust
Xiaomi has also incorporated the system ProFocus ultra-fast focus, which debuted with the Xiaomi 12 and repeats again in this model. It has also improved the algorithm in charge of processing portraits and has added new video recording options.
The front of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is occupied by a large 6.7-inch diagonal screen that uses a new type of panel signed by Samsung. It’s about a panel AMOLED C7 with 2K resolution and LTPO technology, capable of dynamically varying its refresh rate up to a maximum of 120 Hz.
Its main claim is the ability to reach a maximum brightness of 2600 nitsthe highest figure recorded so far for a smartphone, exceeding 2,500 nits for the OPPO Find X6 Pro.
The rest of the specifications are as expected for a flagship released in the first half of 2023: it features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processorup to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 5000mAh battery with 90W fast charging and 50W wireless charging, Android 13 customized by MIUI 14, 5G and support for Wi-Fi 7. As a novelty, it is also included USB Type-C compatible with the USB 3.2 standardwhich supports data transfer up to 5 Gbps.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra price and where to buy it
The back of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in white
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has been introduced in china, where it will go on sale first before making the jump to the rest of the regions. However, Xiaomi has confirmed that the 13 Ultra will be available in Spain and other European countries coming soon.
Its official price in China starts from 6299 yuan, about 836 euros To the change. Its price in euros will probably be much higher and should exceed the 1,400 euros that the Xiaomi 13 Pro costs in Spain and other European markets.
