Xiaomi unveiled its new flagship series last Sunday and sales started this Wednesday – this is only the second mainstream phone to use the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor after the earlier vivo X90 Pro+. Before that it was present on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra only for China and on the Sharp Aquos R6, which has similarly limited availability.
The 13 Series also carries an official IP rating for the first time, IP68, of course, as befits a flagship. There is no “lite” model this time, it’s just the Vanilla and the Pro. While we’re still waiting for Xiaomi to detail international availability, let’s vote on these two.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is clearly the king of the hill with a much improved camera setup. The 50MP primary camera is effectively the same as on the 12S Ultra, which was one of the best camera phones we’ve tested this year.
The 13 Pro also updates the telephoto lens to a longer lens (75mm, up from 48mm), the ultra-wide-angle and selfie cameras are the same. The 6.73-inch QHD LTPO 120Hz display is also effectively the same, although Xiaomi has increased the maximum brightness to 1,200 nits (up to 1,900 nits for HDR video).
The other big update 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 some more 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 good since the 12 Pro didn’t have the best battery life.
Price information: Xiaomi 13 Pro • Xiaomi 13
An 8/128GB Xiaomi 13 Pro will cost you 5,000 CNY in China, which converts to $720/€675/₹59,000. For comparison, the 12 Pro launches at CNY4,700 for the same storage capacity and CNY5,000 for an 8/256GB drive. The 8/256GB phone was priced at $1,000 when it launched globally, so you can expect the 13 Pro to cost roughly the same.
Let’s analyze the competition. The vivo X90 Pro+ also uses the 1-inch IMX989 sensor, has a longer 90mm telephoto lens with a 64MP sensor, a second telephoto lens for portraits (50MP, 50mm) and a 48MP ultrawide module, all and three co-developed with Zeiss. The 6.78-inch 120Hz LTPO display is similar, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the same, the 4,700mAh battery with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging is also proprietary. The X90 Pro+ costs more than the Xiaomi as it starts at CNY 6,500 for a 12/256GB drive (this 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 tele and 50MP 150° ultrawide – but features a faster 144Hz 6.78” QHD+ display (LTPO panel) and even faster 200W wired (and 50W wireless) charging. It is also powered by 8 Gen 2. This phone matches the Xiaomi price at CNY 5,000, but this is with extra storage, 256GB.
Well, if you’re in the market for a flagship, would you consider the Xiaomi 13 Pro? Vote below or using this page.
The Xiaomi 13 Vanilla outdoes its predecessor with a telephoto lens – it has the same 75mm focal length as the Pro, however it only features a smaller 10MP sensor. The ultrawide module has also been downgraded, down to 12 MP.
It would have been really nice if the vanilla model also had a 1″ sensor, but it doesn’t. Instead we get a slight upgrade over what the 12 offered with a 50MP 1/1.49″ sensor, OIS and an aperture f/1.8 slightly brighter.
The Xiaomi 13 is notable for its dimensions: it measures 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.0 mm, the smallest of any Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phone so far. It has a 6.36-inch display, making it a bit larger than its predecessor (which was also narrower at 69.9mm).
The base price for the Xiaomi 13 (8/128GB) is CNY 4,000 ($575/€540/₹47,500). Its predecessor cost 3,700 CNY at launch, again 300 CNY cheaper. When it hit the international scene, the 8/128GB model cost $750.
The iQOO 11 is just as huge as the Pro with the same 6.78-inch 144Hz LTPO display and has the same chipset. The main differences are the ultrawide camera (up to an 8MP shooter) and battery (5,000mAh, 120W wired, no wireless charging). It’s also a bit cheaper at CNY3,800 for the base 8/128GB model. This starts at CNY 3,800, undercutting the price of the vanilla Xiaomi 12.
vivo iQOO 11 • vivo X90
The vivo X90 is another huge option with a 6.78-inch display (1220p-class resolution, 120Hz refresh rate). The camera setup is similar to the iQOO with a 50MP (1/1.49″) main sensor, 12MP 2x telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide. Charging the 4,810mAh battery is down to 120W on a cable (there is no wireless option.) This one is powered by MediaTek’s Dimension 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 to get a new flagship phone, will it be the Xiaomi 13? Vote below or using this page.
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