Xiaomi 13 Pro reviewFor those who love taking photos

By Abhik SenguptaAfter experimenting with a 1-inch camera sensor on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra last year, the company has introduced the Xiaomi 13 Pro to the general public. The latter retains a 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor on the back, but it now comes paired with two more 50-megapixel shooters. Continuing its partnership with Leica, the Xiaomi 13 Pro promises the best smartphone photography without compromising productivity-focused features. That means users can enjoy using a tall 6.7-inch curved display, ultra-fast charging, and 5G internet — common elements on many flagship and mid-premium Xiaomi phones.

Despite all these eye-catching features, Xiaomi 13 Pro will be remembered as the most expensive Xiaomi smartphone in India to date. At Rs 79,999, the phone sits next to some praiseworthy Android premium devices like Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, iQOO 11 Pro, and OnePlus 11 5G – all powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC.

But Xiaomi’s focus on the 13 Pro is only on one thing, that is, the cameras. Apart from the 1-inch camera sensor, the company has introduced a floating lens mechanism to help users capture stunning portraits and close-ups with the telephoto camera.

However, as impressive as the camera system may look, the selfie camera barely gets upgrades, which may irk some semi-professional creators who might want to use it for Instagram live sessions and Reels/ YouTube Shorts.

In that case, if you’re looking for a camera-focused smartphone, is the Xiaomi 13 Pro your best option so far? Let’s find out in this review.

Xiaomi 13 Pro design and design

Similar to the Mi 11 Ultra, the Xiaomi 13 Pro features a ceramic finish on the back, which looks and feels elegant. This does add extra weight, but after using the phone for over a week, I became accustomed to the phone’s chunky build. Personally, I still find the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s satin finish much better, but the ceramic finish adds a bit more flair. Ultimately, it will come down to personal preference. Speaking of preferences, customers can choose between black and white colour options. Regardless of which colour variant, the glossiness on the back is quite prominent.

That being said, the glossy surface attracts fingerprint smudges, lots of them. Xiaomi does offer a solution, and the package includes a transparent silicone case (along with an extra protective glass for the front). Naturally, using a protective case increases the weight by a few grams. The rims have a metal finish that blends very well with the ceramic body.

The biggest challenge for Xiaomi here is to maintain the size of the camera module. The rear camera bump on the Xiaomi 13 Pro is more significant than last year’s Xiaomi 12 Pro. I truly do not mind it since the phone is designed for camera enthusiasts. If you know any professional photographer, they will all say that a smartphone is vastly more portable than a DLSR camera, which is also the case here.

On the front, the Xiaomi 13 Pro sports a 6.73-inch curved display protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus. The curves on the edges did not cause any inconvenience which we generally find on other phones. Additionally, there’s an under-display fingerprint sensor that is quite responsive. However, there might be some limitations with sweaty fingers, which is the case with almost all smartphones using this technology.

The E6 AMOLED display resolution is restricted to Full-HD+ (2400×1080 pixels) by default, but I tweaked the settings of the Xiaomi 13 Pro to WQHD+ (3200×1440 pixels). Supported by AI engine enhancement and AI HDR enhancement tools baked into the display settings, the viewing quality improves by a big margin. There’s also HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support to enhance the movie viewing experience on OTT apps. Readers must note that using the phone at the highest settings consumes more battery.

I compared the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s display performance against an iPhone 14 that comes with a similar price tag of Rs 79,900. In most cases, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers better colours and brightness for apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Hotstar. However, when I compared it against the Samsung Galaxy S23, I could barely spot any differences. Ultimately, it will come down to numbers with lab-grade equipment.

Overall, the Xiaomi 13 Pro barely has visible flaws in terms of display, but I feel the company could’ve worked harder on the thickness and the weight distribution. I am sure Xiaomi knows these challenges, and we might see improvements in future smartphones.

Xiaomi 13 Pro performance

The Xiaomi 13 Pro packs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which fixes one of the major pain points of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The new-gen chipset is much more stable, and there were barely any signs of heating. To be clear, I used the Xiaomi 13 Pro at the highest settings, which include 120Hz refresh rate, WQHD+, and always on display. The only time I noticed signs of overheating was while using the “boost charging speed.”

In the Geekbench CPU test, the Xiaomi 13 Pro scored 1,452 (single-core) and 4,884 (multi-core) points. This is much better than the 1,210 and 3,546 points scored by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC-powered Xiaomi 12 Pro. On 3DMark’s one-minute-long Wild Life GPU test, the phone achieved “maxed out” scores and the app recommended a more rigorous Wild Life test. The average fps during the test was between 43fps to 83fps, which is a brilliant score.

Overall, the Xiaomi 13 Pro again leaves no room for complaints, but like almost all Xiaomi smartphones, there are loads of bloatware (unnecessary third-party apps) on this smartphone. The extra (readunnecessary) apps are removable, but I truly feel that premium smartphones should be spared from these marketing gimmicks.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is promised to receive three generations of Android updates and five years of security patches.

Xiaomi 13 Pro cameras

Cameras on smartphones have come a long way, and the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a testament to that evolution. When I tried the Xiaomi 12 Pro last year, I was convinced that OEMs have very limited room to take the game to the next level. But with its partnership with Leica, Xiaomi 13 Pro’s camera system is a solid example of harmony between hardware and software.

Specification-wise, there are three 50-megapixel cameras (wide + ultra-wide + telephoto) on the back. The primary camera uses a 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor, which in itself is a remarkable achievement. For those unaware, a bigger sensor allows more light to get captured and results in more vibrant colours and details. Smartphone brands hesitate from using large sensors as they increase the size and weight of the device. Of course, the cost of the device increases as well.

The primary 50-megapixel collects a lot of details, be it in bright or dull lighting conditions. By default, photos with the primary camera have high saturation and prominent shadows that generally look more pleasing to the eyes. The 50-megapixel primary camera also offers good depth between the subject and the background, and the edge detection is solid. But to up the game, there’s a Leica Vibrant Look (apart from the regular Leica Authentic mode) to mimic images clicked by old Leica cameras. This mode typically offers moderate saturation and soft colours without compromising details. As a result, you get an old-school rustic image.

Notably, the same level of consistency is visible with the 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, which is a rare feat. The same Leica modes are also available to use with the ultra-wide camera.

The 50-megapixel telephoto camera on the Xiaomi 13 Pro is one of the best I’ve seen on a smartphone. The telephoto camera also doubles as a macro lens thanks to a floating lens design to achieve a focal range of 10cm. Performance-wise, the 50-megapixel telephoto camera captures vivid photos, and the depth in photos is also stunning. There are loads of options to play around with, although my favourite is the Black and White portrait mode with a 35mm focal length. You can see some examples below.

In terms of videos, the primary camera has OIS to capture stable clips. The Xiaomi 13 Pro supports 8K recording at 24fps, but I feel most users will be happy with the 4K at 60fps recording. The front retains a 32-megapixel selfie camera, which mostly takes soft images with low contrast and colours. To be fair, I do not mind this as details don’t get compromised. With some editing, photos will still be worthy of Instagram. However, video with the front camera maxes out at Full-HD resolution/ 30fps, which needs to change to compete against iPhones.

Speaking of editing, Xiaomi 13 Pro also includes some nifty features. There’s an option to remove objects. Users can also remove shadows from food images, which many bloggers would like. There’s also the option to shoot in Pro mode, which allows for 10-bit RAW DNG capture with multiple colour profiles on hand.

Xiaomi 13 Pro battery

While the new Xiaomi 13 Pro still retains 120W fast charging, the battery size has been increased from 4600mAh to 4820mAh. During my review, the Xiaomi 13 Pro easily lasted an entire day with the highest settings enabled. On days when the camera testing got intense, the Xiaomi 13 Pro lasted for roughly 14-15 hours, which is also pretty solid.

As expected, the battery backup could be increased by a few more hours with modest usage (Full-HD+ resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and AOD off).

Speaking of the charging speed, the Xiaomi 13 Pro attained full charge with the bundled 120W charger (with boost charging speed on) in roughly 22 minutes. The phone also supports 50W fast charging, but that could only be achieved with a proprietary charger. Additionally, there’s reverse wireless charging support, which could be very useful in some rare cases.

Xiaomi 13 Pro reviewShould you buy?

There’s no doubt that Xiaomi 13 Pro is a true flagship smartphone, but the hefty price tag may hesitate some customers. Xiaomi has proved that the company can produce praiseworthy premium devices, but the bigger challenge is to convince the audience that generally prefers iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S-series phones in this price bracket.

Purely based on performance, the Xiaomi 13 Pro will impress both regular customers and camera enthusiasts. Be it for gaming, productivity, or smartphone photography — the Xiaomi 13 Pro won’t disappoint. That does not mean the phone is perfect, and Xiaomi needs to work on the design to make its phones slimmer and more durable. The company has done it in the past with the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE. I am sure it can be achieved again.

If you’re not convinced about the price, Xiaomi is offering bank offers on the Xiaomi 13 Pro for a limited period. Otherwise, if you want a more affordable, reliable smartphone with the same chipset, the new OnePlus 11 5G remains a flagship killer with a praiseworthy camera system. If a good Android experience is your priority, then nothing beats Google Pixel 7. And if you’re a true Xiaomi fan, then the Xiaomi 12 Pro is still one of the best premium phones in India that occasionally gets huge discounts.