The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is here to once again set the benchmark for smartphone photography. The flagship brings a number of imaging innovations and the current best possible hardware. Better yet, unlike the 12S Ultra, the 13 Ultra will launch globally.
Let’s start with the cameras, which are the heart of this phone. On the back are four cameras, made in collaboration with Leica and placed under a unified glass dome that Xiaomi calls the Leica Vario-Summicron 1:1.8-3.0/12-120 ASPH lens.
The main camera has a 50MP 1-inch IMX989 sensor and an optically stabilized 23mm lens with a physical two-stage aperture that allows f/1.9 aperture for the minimum depth of field (read blur or bokeh) and f /4.0 for a sharper picture. The sensor groups 1.6µm pixels 4 to 1, resulting in 12.5MP images with huge single 3.2µm pixels.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra in black and green
The other three cameras all use the new 50MP IMX858 sensor, measuring a respectable 1/2.51″. They are a mid-range 75mm f/1.8 OIS 3.2x zoom, 5x 120mm with a new faster f/3.0 lens and a 12mm f/1.8 autofocus ultrawide with 5cm macro focus capability. Using in-sensor zoom technology, the 13 Ultra also offers a 2x 46mm and 10x 240mm mode option.
The 32MP f/2.0 front camera has a fixed focus and will split pixels 4 to 1 for the final 8MP shots.
The innovation doesn’t end on the physical side. Xiaomi and Leica have brought a number of impressive features to the 13 Ultra. First off, as with other Leica-branded Xiaomi cameras, there are two color science modes on the camera: Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic.
Then there’s a new 50MP UltraRAW mode for the main camera, which provides 14-bit DNG files with built-in multi-frame sharpening, noise reduction, and dynamic range adjustment for further editing. Adobe will provide a custom camera profile for Lightroom.
There is an interesting feature tailor-made for aspiring street photographers called Fast Shot mode. It allows you to shorten the focus time of your shot by setting a predetermined focus distance. Fast Shot will then take a photo in just 0.8 seconds.
Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra features a camera-inspired design with a circular lens-like camera module, a metal frame, and a leather-covered back panel (on the black and green model). Specifically, the antibacterial nanotechnology silicone skin which according to Xiaomi will achieve a bacterial inhibition rate of 99%. The top of the back panel is raised slightly to accentuate the camera module.
Upfront, Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs a 6.73-inch 3200x1440px AMOLED screen with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and touch sampling rate up to 240Hz. Xiaomi claims that the panel can reach up to 2600 nits of brightness.
The phone uses the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip with up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM. You’ll be able to get it in 12/256GB, 16/512GB, and 16GB/1TB—that’s UFS 4.0 storage, of course.
The Snapdragon chip is cooled by Xiaomi’s Loo LiquidCool technology, using aerospace-grade toroidal cooling and a vapor chamber.
Inside, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 90W wired and 50W wireless charging. Battery life and charging will be monitored by Xiaomi’s Surge P2 and Surge G1 custom chips.
The 13 Ultra will be available in black, olive green, and white, starting this month in China. Prices are CNY 5,999 for 12/256GB (€795, INR 71,500, converted), CNY 6,499 for 16/512GB (€861, INR 77,500, converted) and CNY 7,299 for 16GB/1TB (€690, INR 87,000, converted). Xiaomi says the phone will arrive in various international markets in the coming months.
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