Xiaomi has spared no expense in crafting its latest flagship smartphone. The Xiaomi 13 Pro packs some of the best hardware in a smartphone, headlined by its Leica-branded camera system that uses a Sony 1-inch sensor. It looks premium, feels expensive, and performs like a champ. Definitely worthy of its flagship status, and hefty price tag (from S$1,599).
Quick specs
- 6.73-inch AMOLED (3,200 x 1,440 pixels, 1 to 120Hz)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 12GB RAM, 512GB storage
- 4,820mAh battery, 120W charging, 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging
- Cameras: 50MP, 50MP telephoto, 50MP ultra-wide, 32MP front
You know that the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a premium device from its heft (it weighs 229g). Part of the weight comes from the polished and smooth bio-ceramic back. There's also a prominent squarish camera housing that's so huge the phone doesn't wobble on a flat surface. The design is fairly conservative. The display and ceramic back curve into a thin aluminium frame, which makes the phone a bit tricky to hold while taking photos, especially without a case. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance, a first for a Xiaomi phone launched globally. Its 6.73-inch AMOLED screen is industry-leading: 1,440p resolution, 1,200 nits full-screen brightness, 10-bit colour with HDR, and up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It looks really good. And I know many folks don't care about this, but the excellent haptics on this phone significantly improves the typing, and overall user experience.
The Leica-branded camera system offers two image processing mode: Leica Authentic, and Leica Vibrant. The former takes more realistic-looking photos, while the latter goes for punchier shots. The differences are subtle, yet distinct. Authentic seems to better retain the natural shadows, while Vibrant increases the saturation and brightness. Photos taken in good lighting are comparable to top phones. Portrait shots are excellent with good separation and a nice blur. But the selfie camera isn't that great in low-light. I was slightly concerned about the telephoto camera since it only offers a 3.2x optical zoom (70x digital). But the telephoto actually performs very well. It also doubles as a macro camera, and produces impressively sharp and detailed images. Xiaomi's night mode kicks in automatically in low-light, usually taking around two seconds for a shot. The resulting photos look great with good colours, and acceptable noise.
I generally prefer stock Android over Xiaomi's MIUI interface. However, my biggest dislike about MIUI — its iOS-like Control Centre — can be changed via a setting. And there are fewer preinstalled system apps in the latest MIUI 14 on the Xiaomi 13 Pro. That said, the interface looks staid, and is perhaps due for a refresh. The phone does feel silky smooth, and responsive. Which is unsurprising given its flagship specs: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 12GB RAM. Its Geekbench 5 score — 1,496 (Single) and 4,974 (Multi-core) — are class-leading for an Android phone. The Xiaomi also breezed through 3DMark's demanding Wildlife Extreme Stress Test. Temperatures peaked at 47 degrees Celsius, while the performance during the stress test remained consistent, dipping by only 2%. That's on a par with the Asus ROG Phone 6, with the Xiaomi obviously benefiting from its newer Snapdragon chipset.
Battery life was excellent, too. The Xiaomi 13 Pro lasted an impressive 16hr 24min in our video playback test. That's complemented by its super-fast 120W charging (19 mins to 100%). In short, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a true flagship smartphone without compromises — the cameras, display, and system performance are among the best in the industry — though I do have some minor quibbles about MIUI. While you have to fork out a substantial sum (S$1,599 for 256GB and S$1,699 for 512GB), the Xiaomi 13 Pro is worth the premium. It costs as much as the Samsung's Galaxy S23+, and I daresay the Xiaomi even gives the Galaxy S23 Ultra a run for its money, especially if you don't need a stylus. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is available on Lazada.
Note: Review unit provided by Xiaomi.
Any purchase you make through our links may generate a commission. It supports our work, but does not dictate our editorial reviews. See our FAQ here.
