Xiaomi 13 Pro: At the beginning of 2023, Xiaomi is continuing its previous course after changing its brand and reintroducing a Pro model the previous year.
The business introduced two new flagships at MWC in late February: the 13 and 13 Pro. At some point, a more powerful Ultra model is anticipated, although Xiaomi has stated that there won’t be a half-step “S” upgrade later in the year.
It’s difficult to think of a non-gaming phone that might be more competent than the 13 Pro after testing it; perhaps perhaps the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The gadget is practically unrivalled in terms of hardware thanks to Qualcomm’s most recent chips, a primary camera with a massive 1in sensor, and some of the quickest charging available.
But, the software side continues to cause the same old problems, which is the major reason why we can’t suggest this right away.
Read More: Apple Watch Ultra’s Depth and Water Seal Tests: Everything You Need to Know
Build and design
mass-produced, unattractive rear camera module
modern ceramic back
the IP68 rating is back
The 13 Pro’s design has been updated by Xiaomi, although not in a nice way. The majority of the phone still has its clean design, but the enormous camera module stands out like a sore thumb.
It has significant improvements to the back sensors as well as Xiaomi’s new collaboration with the Leica photography brand. Yet there’s no getting around the fact that it’s unsightly and sticks out a lot from the phone’s rear.
Display and speakers
fantastic 6.73-inch OLED display
dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz
disappointing dual speakers
The display on the Xiaomi 13 Pro hasn’t changed all that much from the previous year; for the most part, it still serves the same purpose.
When used with adaptive refresh rate, the display may be configured to switch automatically between 1 and 120Hz depending on what you’re doing. By only granting you those sleek faster refresh rates when you’ll truly benefit from them, this is a terrific approach to balance performance and battery life.
The dynamic refresh rate is a nice feature that you won’t find on many phones; however, you can manually adjust it to 60Hz or 120Hz if you’d like. You’ll never want to use a 60Hz display again after seeing the smooth, seamless transitions on the 13 Pro.
Details and performance
Excellent performance across the board with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 12GB of RAM.
Non-expandable storage of 256/512GB
The 13 Pro is no exception to Xiaomi’s tradition of using Qualcomm’s most cutting-edge CPUs in its flagship devices.
photos and videos
Leica triple 50MP back cameras
Nice 30Mp selfie camera and fantastic photos from all three
Leica and Xiaomi have collaborated on the 13 series, which includes some substantial upgrades in both the standard and Pro variants.
The large back module still has three 50Mp lenses, which may not be immediately clear from the specifications. Nevertheless, that primary sensor is now the much bigger 1in Sony IMX989, which is also found in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra from last year and the current camera champ Vivo X90 Pro. As a result, it’s not surprising that the images it captures are stunning.
Landscape photography looks especially good on the phone, but street photos and architecture also look fantastic. Nevertheless, the software-based portrait mode is hit or miss in the absence of a dedicated depth sensor. Although it may be altered after the shot is taken, a background blur might be appealing, but it frequently problems with edge recognition.
Charger & battery
4800 mAh of power
reliable daylong battery life
50W wireless, 120W wired charging
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s battery life was one of its main flaws, but not with its replacement. Now that it has a bigger 4800mAh battery and enhanced Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power efficiency, it can easily last all day, especially while performing demanding tasks like playing games or using GPS.
The PCMark battery test, which simulates real-world usage at a relatively normal 200 nits of brightness, reflects this. With a time of 11 hours 56 minutes, the high-end phones we’ve recently tested perform above average and are more than four hours faster than their predecessor.
The 13 Pro is one of the few smartphones that offers excellent battery life and charging speeds thanks to this upgrade.
Programs and updates
Over Android 13, MIUI 14
Unsatisfactory and confusing software experience
improvements to Android during the past three years
The 13 and 13 Pro are the first Xiaomi smartphones that come pre-installed with Android 13. The primary deterrent to purchasing the 13 Pro remains the fact that both sport Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 skin on top.
In essence, MIUI 14 weakens what makes Android so fantastic and then adds an eye-catching colour scheme and grating applications that you can’t remove. Although totally functional, the software experience on many other phones has been much improved.
The split notification shade and control centre, the colourful icons, and the revised Settings menu are the main variations from “stock” Android. Each of these detracts from the user experience rather than improving it.
Cost and availability
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is not inexpensive, as one might anticipate.
When it goes on sale on March 14 for £1,099/€1,299 for the 12+256GB variant. You can get one from the Xiaomi website as well as via Currys and Argos.
The device won’t be offered in the US, as usual.
Samsung’s Galaxy S23+, which begins at $999/£1,049/€1,219., is the obvious substitute. Yet, our list of the best smartphones has a tonne of excellent substitutes.
