Xiaomi 13 Ultra Review: Xiaomi is a well-known Chinese electronics company that produces high-quality smartphones at affordable prices. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the latest addition to the smartphone lineup, offering a range of impressive features and specs that set it apart from the competition.
Is the Xiaomi 13 Ultra worth buying?
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a good all-around smartphone that doesn’t compromise the choice of built-in technologies, making it worth it.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Review
Design and build quality
The design of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is reminiscent of its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra looks more stylish and mature. Xiaomi 13 Ultra design is subjective and comes down to personal preference. Still, the device feels ergonomic despite the massive camera element on top.
Notice the circular element on the back that resembles a large lens taking up more than half of the surface area. It may not be considered a conventional camera bump, but it pays homage to when you had t large lens. The black glass element has four cameras, which we’ll look at in detail later in the review.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra features a circular camera module and a back cover that combines the company’s second-generation vegan leather. Vegan leather has a good grip and antibacterial effect, with nano-coating giving it a luxurious feel. Compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the phone’s frame is wider, and the camera module is lower, making it more balanced.
Display
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra boasts a top-of-the-line display that rivals other premium smartphones. The screen is blazing fast, dazzlingly bright, and provides a seamless visual experience. The harmonious display also provides a pleasant viewing experience. Curved edges on either side of the screen are subjective but may not suit everyone’s tastes.
The 1,440 x 33,200-pixel resolution of the 6.73-inch OLED display is truly impressive, and the looks are also stunning. And the panel’s 120Hz refresh rate allows for amazingly smooth animations on boot. The battery also benefits from LTPO 2.0 technology that can dynamically reduce the display’s refresh rate to 1Hz when power saving is required.
1920Hz PWM dimming ensures the display always remains flicker-free. The display also boasts an impressive sensitivity that can reach up to 240Hz. The display’s color reproduction is impressive, with vibrant colors that aren’t overly flashy.
The display also remains consistent in various ambiances, from dark rooms to direct sunlight, thanks to a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits, which can reach up to 2,600 nits in direct sunlight.
The settings menu offers several options to display according to your preferences, including upscaling video content and adjusting color style and space. Also, the Always-on Display feature offers many themes, a notable feat that will be included in the global version.
Camera
One of the outstanding features of Xiaomi 13 Ultra is its camera system. The back of the phone features a triple camera setup that includes a 50MP main sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 48MP telephoto sensor.
The camera system of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra seems to be carefully planned and designed to resemble Sony’s multi-camera collaboration system that was introduced a while ago. This device was previously used in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra but featured a 1-inch Sony IMX989 with variable aperture.
It also comes with three 1/2.51-inch IMX858s. Xiaomi worked closely with Leica to develop the 13 Ultra’s camera, while the lens manufacturer provided information on optics and image processing. Users can choose between two Leica modes: Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant.
The 1-inch IMX989 sensor delivers impeccable image quality, as expected—the impressive performance of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The picture is stunning in daylight boasting a wide dynamic range and sharpness without being overly enhanced.
Photos look natural even when capturing strong contrast, and there are no HDR artifacts such as ghost edges or flat blacks, making the overall experience enjoyable.
The variable aperture is also a valuable addition because it is auty adjusts to F4.0 to improve imaging capabilities and increase the depth of field. Also, Xiaomi’s software algorithms can calculate bokeh better than can be achieved optically with a small lens like this, so you don’t have to worry about the bokeh effect when taking portraits.
When lighting conditions are low, Xiaomi compensates by increasing the aperture to F1.9, allowing four times more light to reach the sensor than F4.0. Despite the challenging environment, the 1-inch sensor and improved algorithms compared to the 12S Ultra allow Xiaomi to produce stunning results comparable to its best Korean rivals.
Xiaomi has also made significant strides in the 13 Ultra’s camera settings. Compared to the 12S Ultra, the 13 Ultra now boasts two telephoto lenses offering 3x and 5x magnification. With 50 megapixels per sensor, at least a 12-megapixel real resolution is usable for photos, even when zoomed in integers up to 6x.
Processing and memory
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB UFS 4.0 flash storage in the EU variant. Like the vanilla and Pro models, the device’s performance vice’s performance day, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has excellent performance on par with almost all other Android flagships in 2024 thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
Software and security
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra boots MIUI 14 based on Android 13 out of the box and can receive major software updates for up to 3 years. This means the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be updated to Android 13.
The main security sensor on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the optical fingerprint scanner under the screen. The fingerprint scanner is relatively fast, but an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner would have been better.
Face unlock is also supported but unreliable, so we recommend using a PIN, password, or pattern lock instead of your phone’s face unlock security feature.
Durability
Xiaomi 13 Ultra is one of the most durable phones of 2024. It is made of glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), rear eco-leather, and aluminum frame. It is also IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes). The smartphone has passed the bending test, water resistance, water resistance, and drop tests.
Price
The price of the Xiaomi 13 Ultr starts at $1,199 for the base model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The 16GB+512GB and 16GB+1TB models are priced at $1,299 and $1,399, respectively.
Audio
Like every other $1,199 phone, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a 3.5mm headphone jack port. However, it has stereo speakers and supports 24-bit/192kHz audio. Speakers are placed on the top and bottom of the phone so they sound even when listening.
However, since the speakers are not in the same position, it feels like the sound is not loud enough. The basic and audio quality of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is really good. It’s not as loud as some people would like, but it delivers top-quality sound.
Battery
Xiaomi 13 Ultra, with a 5000mAh battery, is on par with its competitors in terms of battery capacity. In particular, the charging speed is impressive with 90W cable and 50W wireless, as expected by Xiaomi. With the battery fully charged, you can comfortably use the Xiaomi 13 Ultra all day without worries.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery can charge up to 90W in less than 50 minutes using the included Xiaomi charger. Surprisingly, just 5 minutes of charging already charged the battery up to 26%, and after 20 minutes, it reached 70%. Wireless charging is also possible at 50W, and the device supports reverse wireless charging at 10W.
Xiaomi has claimed that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is compatible with Power Delivery 3.0 and Quick Charge 4.0. However, we could not test the ability to perform 120W fast charging with a standard PD power supply. We’ll have to wait to review the global Xiaomi 13 Ultra device before checking this out.
Conclusion
Overall, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is an impressive smartphone that offers a range of advanced features at an affordable price in 2024. A powerful processor, capacious battery, and versatile camera system make it a great option for anyone looking for a top-of-the-line smartphone.
If you’re in the market for a new phone and don’t want to shell out the big bucks, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is worth considering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Xiaomi 13 waterproof?
The Xiaomi 13 phone has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
How much is the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in the US?
The starting price of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in the US is $870.
What color is Xiaomi 13 Ultra?
Xiaomi announced the 13 Ultra flagship in Black, White, and Olive Green colors, but it’s not the only one you can get in China. A trio of new exclusive color options was announced today: Swasy Sky Blue, Cabernet Orange, and Ginkgo Yellow.