The “Ultra” series by Xiaomi is known for the top of the line specifications. Last year, we got the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, featuring a 1-inch Sony IMX989 camera sensor. The year before, we had the Xiaomi 11 Ultra, featuring a Samsung GN2 sensor & 120x Zoom. Now, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is official, and it is 2023’s premium flagship from the brand. The main USP, once again, is the camera setup. This year, Xiaomi went with a one-of-a-kind Quad 50MP camera setup.
Design-wise, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a large circular camera module on the rear with the LEICA branding & the four sensors. The back has a leather texture, making the phone looks premium. The phone is IP68 certified and supports wireless charging. There are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, an IR blaster, and an X-axis linear motor.
The display on the front is a 6.73-inch 12-bit Quad-HD+ LTPO OLED panel with up to 2600 nit brightness, 120Hz refresh rate & 240Hz touch-sampling rate. The display supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. It is protected with the Gorilla Glass Victus.
Under the hood, the phone has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SOC, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. Xiaomi has used its self-developed heat dissipation technology for thermal management.
The camera setup is what this phone is all about. Xiaomi 13 Ultra has four cameras on the back. The primary camera has a 1-inch 50MP Sony IMX989 sensor with OIS and a variable aperture lens. The aperture can switch between f/1.9 and f/4.0, depending on the situation. This isn’t some new technology since we have seen Samsung and Sony using variable aperture lenses on their smartphones.
The second camera is for ultrawide/macro photos & has a 1/2.51-inch 50MP Sony IMX858 sensor paired with an f/1.8 lens that offers 122-degree FOV.
The third camera has a 3.2x Telephoto lens with OIS + a 50MP Sony IMX858 sensor & the fourth camera has a 5x Periscope lens & the same 50MP IMX858 sensor as the previous two cameras.
There is support for 8K video recording at 24fps & 4K video recording at up to 60fps. The same is not true with the selfie camera since the 32MP selfie shooter can shoot up to 1080p 60fps videos.
Since the phone has LEICA branding, there are some camera features from LEICA.
The battery is 5,000mAh, and the phone supports 90W wired charging + 50W wireless charging. There is also support for reverse wireless charging.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra runs on MIUI 14 out of the box.
The phone comes in three colors – White, Green & Black. Here is the pricing for the Chinese market –
- 12GB + 256GB – ¥5999 (~$870)
- 16GB + 512GB – ¥6499 (~$943)
- 16GB + 1TB – ¥7299 (~$1060)
The phone is coming to the global market soon.