Xiaomi unveiled its new flagship series last Sunday and sales started this Wednesday – this is only the second mainstream phone to use the 1″ Sony IMX989 sensor after the Vivo X90 Pro+ from earlier. Before that, it was seen on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and the Sharp Aquos R6 which is only available for China, which are also limited available.
The 13 series also brings an official IP rating for the first time, IP68 of course, as befits a flagship. There’s no ‘lite’ model this time around, it’s just the vanilla and the Pro. While we are still waiting for Xiaomi to describe international availability, let’s vote on these two.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is clearly king of the hill with a much improved camera setup. The 50MP main camera is basically the same as on the 12S Ultra, one of the best camera phones we’ve tested this year.
The 13 Pro also updates the telephoto camera with a longer lens (75mm, down from 48mm), the ultra-wide and selfie cameras are the same. The 6.73-inch QHD LTPO 120Hz display is basically the same too, although Xiaomi increased the maximum brightness to 1,200 nits (up to 1,900 nits for HDR videos).
The other big upgrade in this generation is of course the chipset – a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with faster LPDDR5X RAM (8/12GB) and UFS 4.0 storage (128/256/512GB). Xiaomi managed to squeeze in a little extra battery capacity (4,820mAh, up from 4,600mAh) and used the Surge G1 chip to enable 120W wired and 50W wireless charging. The extra capacity is nice since the 12 Pro didn’t have the best battery life.
Price info: Xiaomi 13 Pro • Xiaomi 13
An 8/128 GB Xiaomi 13 Pro will cost you CNY 5,000 in China, the equivalent of $720/€675/₹59,000. By comparison, the 12 Pro launched for CNY 4,700 for the same memory capacity and CNY 5,000 for an 8/256 GB unit. The 8/256GB phone cost $1,000 when it rolled out globally, so you can expect the 13 Pro to cost about the same.
Let’s explore the competition. The vivo X90 Pro+ also uses the 1″ IMX989 sensor, has a longer 90mm telephoto lens with a 64MP sensor, a second telephoto lens for portraits (50MP, 50mm) and a 48MP ultra-wide module, all three together developed with Zeiss. The 6.78-inch LTPO 120Hz display is similar, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the same, the 4,700mAh battery with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging is also his. The X90 Pro+ costs more than the Xiaomi as it starts at CNY 6,500 for a 12/256 GB unit (which is the lowest configuration available).
vivo X90 Pro+ • vivo iQOO 11 Pro
The iQOO 11 Pro has a simpler camera setup – 50MP 1/1.49” main, 13MP 2x telephoto and 50MP 150° ultrawide – but it features a faster 144Hz 6.78” QHD+ display (LTPO panel) and even faster 200W wired (and 50W wireless charging. It is also powered by the 8 Gen 2. This phone matches the Xiaomi price of CNY 5,000, but this is with additional storage, 256 GB.
Well, if you’re looking for a flagship, are you considering the Xiaomi 13 Pro? Vote below or use this page.
The vanilla Xiaomi 13 surpasses its predecessor with a telephoto camera – it has the same 75mm focal length as on the Pro, but only has a smaller 10MP sensor. The ultra-wide module has also been downgraded, to 12 MP.
It would have been really cool if the vanilla model also included a 1-inch sensor, but it doesn’t. Instead, we get a mild upgrade over what the 12 offered with a 50MP 1/1.49-inch sensor, OIS and a slightly brighter f/1.8 aperture.
The Xiaomi 13 stands out for its size – it measures 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.0mm, the smallest of any Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phone to date. It has a 6.36-inch screen, making it a bit bigger than its predecessor (which was also narrower, 69.9mm).
The base price for the Xiaomi 13 (8/128 GB) is CNY 4,000 ($575/€540/₹47,500). Its predecessor cost CNY 3,700 at launch, again CNY 300 cheaper. When it failed to arrive on the international scene, the 8/128 GB model cost $750.
The iQOO 11 is the same size as the Pro with the same 144Hz 6.78-inch LTPO display and has the same chipset. The main differences are the ultra-wide camera (up to an 8MP shooter) and the battery (5,000mAh, 120W wired, no wireless charging). It’s also a bit cheaper at CNY 3,800 for the base 8/128GB model. This one starts at CNY 3,800, undercutting the vanilla Xiaomi 12 price.
vivo iQOO 11 • vivo X90
The vivo X90 is another huge option with a 6.78-inch screen (1220p class resolution, 120Hz refresh rate). The camera setup is similar to the iQOO with a 50MP main sensor (1/1.49”), 12MP 2x telephoto and 12MP ultrawide. Charging the 4,810mAh battery is 120W via cable (there’s no wireless option). This one is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200 instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 like the others. The X90 is the cheapest option here with a price tag of CNY 3,700.
If you’re looking for a new flagship phone, will it be the Xiaomi 13? Vote below or use this page.
