Xiaomi 13 (Pro): Smartphones with Leica cameras and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Xiaomi has presented the Xiaomi 13 series for the Chinese market in cooperation with Leica. The series consists of the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphones, which combine features such as a triple camera, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, modern storage, fast charging and bright displays. In China, the devices start at 545 euros.

According to Xiaomi, the smartphones will also be offered internationally, but further details will only be announced in the coming months.

Up to 1,900 cd/m² bright OLED displays

Visually, the two new smartphones differ primarily in the design language derived from the display. The Xiaomi 13 uses a flat screen with 6.36 inches, the frame around the smartphone is correspondingly straight and is somewhat reminiscent of the current iPhone models. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is 6.73 inches and has slightly curved edges on the left and right, so the case has been adjusted accordingly. The Xiaomi 13 has 1,080 × 2,400 pixels, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro has 1,440 × 3,200 pixels. Both LTPO OLED screens operate at up to 120 Hz, 1200 cd/m², 1900 cd/m² peak, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and use Gorilla Glass Victus for protection. The entire smartphone has IP68 protection.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

What's under the hood is largely identical. Both smartphones use the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, for which the editors have already been able to run benchmarks that certify the chip has more CPU and, above all, more GPU performance. Depending on the configuration, the SoC is combined with 8 GB or 12 GB LPDDR5X-8533 and 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB UFS 4.0.

Charge batteries with up to 120 watts

The batteries measure 4,500 mAh for the Xiaomi 13 and 4,820 mAh for the Xiaomi 13 Pro and can be charged with 67 watts or 120 watts. Both variants support wireless charging with 50 watts when using a Xiaomi charging cradle and 10 watts for charging in the opposite direction. Cameras from a Leica cooperation

For the triple cameras on the back, Xiaomi entered into a cooperation with Leica, who helped with the color design and contributed two photo styles. The “Leica Authentic Look” is intended to correspond to the style of professional cameras, while the “Leica Vibrant Look” is intended to provide moderate brightening and higher saturation.

The Xiaomi 13 uses the 54MP (50MP effective) Sony IMX800 as its primary sensors with 1/1.49-inch, 2.0μm pixels at a 23mm focal length with f/1.8 and OIS. A fixed focal length of 75 mm, 10 MP at 1.0 μm, f/2.0 and with OIS is used as a telephoto lens and for portrait shots. A 15mm lens is used for 12MP ultra wide-angle photos.

In the Xiaomi 13 Pro, on the other hand, is the 1 inch Sony IMX989 with 50 MP, f/1.9, 23 mm focal length and OIS. This time there is also a sensor with 50 MP resolution at 75 mm focal length, f/2.0 and with OIS as a telephoto lens and for portrait shots. Another 50 MP at f/2.2 and 14 mm focal length are available for the ultra-wide-angle camera.

If you switch to the Pro mode of the camera app, all parameters can be set manually and photos can be taken in 10 bit RAW. The video mode is basically up to 8K, but Dolby Vision and LOG recordings are only possible with 4K.

MIUI 14 is also coming as an update

The Xiaomi 13 series runs with MIUI 14 based on Android 13, which Xiaomi also wants to offer for many other smartphones. There is a roadmap for the Chinese market in the manufacturer's forum, which for January 2023 includes distribution to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Xiaomi 12S Pro, Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi 12 Pro Dimensity Edition, Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi MIX Fold 2, Redmi K50 Pro, Redmi K50 Extreme Edition, Redmi K50 Gaming Edition and Redmi K50. However, the beta can already be obtained in China. Several tablets are scheduled to receive the update in April 2023, and it will be the turn of smart devices in December of this year.

Market launch in China from 545 Euro

The Xiaomi 13 will launch in China on December 14th and will start at 545 Euros with 8GB/128GB. The variants with 8 GB/256 GB, 12 GB/256 GB and 12 GB/512 GB are 585 euros, 625 euros and 680 euros. The Xiaomi 13 Pro will be launched on the same day from 680 euros with 8 GB/128 GB. With 8 GB/256 GB, 12 GB/256 GB or 12 GB/512 GB, the smartphone costs 735 euros, 790 euros and 860 euros.