Xiaomi has released the 13 line. Three different Android devices, each serving a different audience. We took a look at the Xiaomi 13 Pro and tell you whether you should have the device or better leave it.
As mentioned, the Xiaomi consists of three different phones. First there is the 13 Lite, which you may call the “budget device” from that line with the price of 499 euros. Then there is also the regular 13 with a price of 799 euros and finally the Pro with a price tag of 1,299 euros.
This is the Xiaomi 13 Pro with Android
As you can see, the price of the Xiaomi 13 Pro is quite high. In fact, that makes the device about as expensive as the iPhone 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. All impressive devices that Xiaomi wants to compete against, but will it succeed?
Appearance
First, of course, you look at the look of the phone. At first, that looks pretty fancy. The camera on the back is quite substantial, but not ugly.
What is irritating, however, is the mirror coating on the back. Although the exterior of the Xiaomi 13 Pro is made of ceramic, that layer does cause a lot of fingerprints.
The screen on the front can be called impressive. This is a 120Hz AMOLED with 522ppi. With a peak of 1900 nits, you also have a very bright picture. So with the special mode for sunlight, you can use it just fine during bright weather.
Performance of the Xiaomi 13 Pro
Let’s take a look at what exactly is under the hood of this Android device. The Xiaomi 13 Pro runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. This is one of the fastest processors on the market, which also makes the phone run smoothly. On top of that, you also get 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB or 512 GB of storage.
Even playing the most demanding games goes fine with this chip. It also switches between using different programs very easily. Everything you would expect from a flagship, in other words.
Battery
One of the big selling points of the Xiaomi 13 Pro is super-fast charging. In 19 minutes, the Android phone charges from 0 to 100 percent. That’s nice, of course, but the question is how good that is for the battery.
In addition, I also wonder how many people really benefit from the feature. Personally, I charge the phone mostly at night, so I hardly use it.
What I do use is the handy charging feature that lets you charge other devices. For example, you put your earbuds on the device, charging them wirelessly. Do note that you do have to turn this feature on yourself every time. Something that is a bit cumbersome.
The battery capacity is 4820 mAh. With that you’ll last just fine for a day, even if you use a lot of different Android apps, or just watch a lot of videos.
Android support
Speaking of Android, it’s nice that you get three major Android updates. So this support goes until Android 16 in 2027. There are also five years of security updates, which means you’ll be using the Xiaomi 13 Pro for years (which is kind of convenient with such a price).
Just keep in mind that Xiaomi throws its own sauce over it, as do many other Android makers. So in this case, that’s MIUI 14, which should provide more privacy by storing data on the phone itself rather than on a server.
Though it does beg the question of why quite a few apps are already pre-installed on the device. Of course, many young people will use TikTok, but why it has to already be pre-installed on your phone is a mystery.
Camera of the Xiaomi 13 Pro
Yet one thing where the Xiaomi 13 Pro really makes a difference from the iPhone 14 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is perhaps the camera. Inside the camera is a large 1-inch Sony sensor.
In addition, the three cameras on the back all have 50 megapixels, and that produces darn good pictures. But that’s also partly due to Leica. Indeed, for the Xiaomi 13, the Chinese are teaming up with the renowned German camera brand for their Android device.
Consequently, the two developed the camera together. You can see this not only in the special lenses, but also in two color modes you can co-select from when taking a picture. While Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic. Although these are fairly similar they give off beautiful colors.
Yet all that attention seems to have been paid mainly to the main camera. While the zoom and wide-angle lens are certainly not bad, they cannot match the quality of that main camera.
The funny thing about the camera, is that it has special software to recognize pets. Thus, faces of your favorite four-legged friend become even sharper.
Conclusion on this Android flagship
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is a huge gamble by the company. The maker is asking a lot of money for their Android flagship and that may not be something the customer expects from Xiaomi. You really have to be able to offer quite a bit for that amount of money.
Xiaomi 13 Pro does meet expectations, but is the device really better than the iPhone 14 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? No, it still doesn’t. If you care about real photos, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is the right choice, though.