Xiaomi 13 Ultra
Table of Contents
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra features a range of network technologies including GSM, CDMA, HSPA, EVDO, LTE, and 5G bands. It has dual SIM capabilities with a dust/water resistant build. The phone boasts a 6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED display with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and high nits levels. Powered by Android 13 and MIUI 14, it runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with various RAM and storage options. The main camera setup includes four 50 MP lenses with Leica technology, offering versatile zoom capabilities and impressive video recording capabilities. The device supports fast wired and wireless charging,
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Release date | Exp. release 2023, April 21 |
| Dimensions | 163.2 x 74.6 x 9.1 mm |
| Weight | 227g |
| Display | 6.73-inch AMOLED with WQHD+ resolution and 1-120Hz refresh rate |
| Operating system | Android 13, MIUI 14 |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB, no expandable storage |
| Back material | Eco-leather |
| Frame material | Aluminum |
| Front glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Water resistance rating | IP68, dust/water-resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| Rear camera | Triple camera setup: 108 MP wide, 8 MP periscope telephoto, 20 MP ultra-wide |
| Front camera | 20 MP, under-display |
| Battery | 5000mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 120W fast charging, 10W reverse wireless charging |
| Other features | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG support |
Display and audio quality
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a 6.73-inch LTPS OLED display with a QHD resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Victus protection.The display is quite bright, with a maximum of around 500 nits with a manual slider, and this boosts up to 1200 nits in auto mode when in bright Sun.
The display’s refresh rate is extra adaptive, and you get a smooth 120Hz when swiping and scrolling, and this can dial down to as low as 1Hz to save energy depending on what’s on the screen.You can also save power by turning the resolution down to 1080P, and there’s even an Adaptive resolution setting, which does it automatically based on the content on the screen.
In QHD, this panel is extra sharp and also quite contrasting, with support for 10-bit color depth, as well as HDR 10 plus and Dolby vision.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a stereo speaker setup with Dolby Atmos support. Loudness is very good here, and the sound quality is good too, with nice vocals and treble and some bass.
Biometrics and storage
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has an under-display optical fingerprint reader that can also access a shortcut to launch an app or function.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra comes with 256 or 512 gigs of storage or even a whole terabyte, but that isn’t expandable through MicroSD.
User interface and performance
The interface of the phone is Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 on top of Android 13.The UI hasn’t changed too much compared to previous versions, but it does bring behind-the-scenes optimizations for better performance.
It’s worth noting that the Chinese review unit is running the Chinese version of the UI, but Global users will get the international version of the software.The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is equipped with the latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is more powerful than the previous generation inside of last year’s flagships, and it also provides better power efficiency.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra delivers top-tier benchmark scores and provides some of the best performance you can get out of a phone these days.
On top of that, it features an advanced passive cooling system and demonstrated impressive thermal management during our prolonged stress tests.
Battery life and charging
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a 5,000 milliamp-hour battery, which is a slightly larger capacity than what you get on the Xiaomi 13 Pro.Battery life is less on the Ultra than the Pro, but it’s still good, with an overall endurance rating of 108 hours.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a smaller charger than the Pro, 90 watts versus 120 on the Pro, which means that although it is impressive, charging is a bit slower here. We were able to charge from 0 to 91 percent in half an hour, whereas the Pro could charge to full in 22 minutes.
Camera quality overview
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a cutting-edge main camera, two zoom cameras, and an ultra-wide camera.The image quality is excellent, with great sharpness, detail, and colors.
The contrast matches the main cameras well, but there is a little bit of visible noise, unlike the main cam.
Zoom camera performance
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a longer telephoto at five times Zoom, delivering excellent colors that match the other cameras.Sharpness is top-notch, and there’s great micro contrast making for well-defined detail.
The noise situation is the same as on 3.2 times zoom.
Ultrawide camera performance
The ultrawide cam is wider than most and provides the same consistent color rendition.The dynamic range is excellent, with sharp images across the frame and well-defined detail.The grittiness has gone up a notch, but it’s still good.
Low light performance
In low light conditions, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra applies some level of night mode processing automatically, resulting in superb exposures, well-balanced highlights and shadows, and well-saturated colors.
You can toggle a dedicated night mode, which may bring subtle changes in the highlights and shadows.Disabling night mode entirely results in blown-out light sources and areas that are too dark.
Video recording performance
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra can record video in up to 8K at 24fps with all of its rear cameras, while the selfie cam is limited to 1080p.4K video from the main cam is excellent, with well-balanced exposure, a wide dynamic range with well-developed shadows and highlights, lively colors, and good detail.
8K footage from the main cam is okay, with the same global properties as the 4K footage, but the detail level isn’t significantly better, and the file size is huge.
Stabilization
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra supports stabilization across all cameras and modes, and it’s always on the main camera.The ultra-wide and main camera do an expert job of smoothing out walking, while the pans from the zoom cameras are quite smooth.
Final thoughts
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is one of the best flagships out there, with top-tier features all around, but where it really takes the cake is cameras.The only major nitpick for camera files is the selfie cam, which is not the best around, and 1080p video recording is probably not enough for vloggers.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the real deal and definitely worth recommending.If you’re looking for alternatives, one option could be the Xiaomi 13 Pro, or you could check out the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
