Xiaomi 13 Usa Review, Specs, Price & photos: That was fast! Shortly after publication, the price of the Xiaomi 13 seems to be falling, at least at the Dutch shop Gomibo, where you can currently get the Xiaomi 13 for €749 instead of €999. We have ordered from Gomibo before and had positive experiences.
Alternatively, you can also get the top smartphone in the MediaMarkt tariff.
- Xiaomi 13 5G (256GB) for 79€ additional payment
- one-time 39.99 € connection fee
- O2 Basic 25 for €24.99 per month
- 18GB at 50Mbps
- All-Net & SMS Flat
What a back and forth! The Xiaomi 13 was originally supposed to come earlier than ever, in between it was even called Xiaomi 14 and was then postponed due to the death of China’s ex-head of state Jiang Zemin. On December 11th, Xiaomi finally presented the new Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro in China. The former clearly looks towards competition from Apple & Samsung, but also reflects on old Xiaomi strengths. Is it the best Xiaomi Mi smartphone since the Mi 9?
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review, Specs & Price
- Xiaomi 13 (8/256GB)
- at Gomibo for €749 | MediaMarkt for €999.90 ( all colors | green, white, black) | TradingShenzhen for 663€ (CN version)
- Xiaomi 13 (12/256GB | no global version available)
- at TradingShenzhen for 713€ (CN version)
- Buy Xiaomi 13 in contract for a total of €718.75 at MediaMarkt (over 24 months)
- Xiaomi 13 5G (256GB) for 79€ additional payment
- one-time 39.99 € connection fee
- O2 Basic 25 for €24.99 per month
- 18GB at 50Mbps
- All-Net & SMS Flat
- Specifications of the Xiaomi 13 & Xiaomi 13 Pro
Xiaomi 13 | Xiaomi 13 Pro | |
screen | 6.36 inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 413 PPI | 6.73 inch Curved AMOLED, 1-120 Hz, 3200 x 1440 pixels, 522 PPI |
processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Octa Core @ 3.19+2.8+2GHz | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Octa Core @ 3.19+2.8+2GHz |
graphics chip | Qualcomm Adreno 740 | Qualcomm Adreno 740 |
Random Access Memory (RAM) | 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5X RAM | 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5X RAM |
mass storage | 128GB / 256 / 512GB UFS 4.0 | 128GB / 256 / 512GB UFS 4.0 |
camera | 50MP IMX800 main camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture 12 megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with ƒ/2.2 10 MP triple opt. zoom | Sony IMX989 With 50 megapixels, 1″ sensor, ƒ/1.9 50 MP ultra wide-angle camera, ƒ/2.2, 14 mm focal length 50 MP telephoto camera, triple opt. zoom |
front camera | 32MP | 32MP |
battery pack | 4,500 mAh, 65 watts wired, 50 watts wireless, 10W reverse Qi charging | 4,820 mAh, 120 watts wired, 50 watts wireless, 10W reverse Qi charging |
connectivity | Wi-Fi 5 & 6 (ac/ax), BT 5.3, aptX HD, NFC, Dual GPS/Galileo, GLONASS/ BDS, 5G | Wi-Fi 5 & 6 (ac/ax), BT 5.2, aptX HD, NFC, Dual GPS/Galileo, GLONASS/ BDS, 5G |
features | In-Display Fingerprint Sensor, Face Unlock, Stereo Speakers, USB-C | In-Display Fingerprint Sensor, Face Unlock, Stereo Speakers, USB-C |
operating system | Android 13 with MIUI 14 interface | Android 13 with MIUI 14 interface |
Colors | Black, White, Blue, Green | Black, White, Blue, Green |
Mass weight | 152.8 x 71.5 x 7.98/8.1 mm (synthetic leather) / 185 g | 162.9 x 74.6 x 8.38/8.7mm(synthetic leather)/ 229g |
Xiaomi as an Apple-Samsung hybrid
“It looks like an iPhone” is what I say in the Xiaomi 13 USA unboxing video. The Apple comparison is quickly overdone, but Xiaomi cannot deny it. In addition to the camera, special attention has been paid to the design of the new flagship. Perhaps the comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S23 is even closer. Instead of a curved display like in the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the manufacturer uses a flat display – I like that much better here.
In combination with an angular design, one clearly follows the design language to which Apple has returned since the iPhone 12 and to which Samsung or some Xiaomi Redmi cell phones have also committed themselves since the last generation.
Xiaomi refines the design so that the screen bezels are only 1.61mm thick at the top and sides. Only the chin below comes to 1.81 mm. In any case, you have the feeling of almost only holding the display in your hands, which suits the Xiaomi 13 perfectly. The screen – to-body ratio is probably just 93.3% – a top value. The Dynamic Island has not been copied – fortunately.
The similarity to the iPhone is also due to the frame, after all it is made of stainless steel similar to Apple’s Pro models and is therefore particularly shiny. The lack of harman kardon branding is also visually striking. Thanks to the size of just 152.8 mm and the display diagonal of 6.36″, this is one of the biggest advantages of the Xiaomi 13 anyway. Fortunately, it is compact again and despite the “larger” screen there is no significant difference in the dimensions of the device. Thank you Xiaomi! I can’t put it any other way: I really like having my cell phone in my hand!
On the back you can see the revised camera module, which takes up significantly more space than its predecessor. This is almost square with rounded corners, the three sensors separate fine lines like the predecessor. The Xiaomi 13 series comes in four colors: black, white, green and blue. The blue colorway is a new skin nano-tech back that is supposed to feel soft and doesn’t allow fingerprints or reflections. There is also a special edition in China in red, purple, yellow, green and grey, which I think have the worst looking backs ever.
How is the Xiaomi 13 processed?
The Xiaomi 13 is not completely flat either. It doesn’t show up that well in the product photos, but the back isn’t completely flat . It is slightly curved, unlike iPhones. To be honest, I don’t like the look of it that much, but it makes the phone a little more ergonomic. But the back of our test device is a 1a mirror, a horror for product images. As usual, a transparent silicone case is included in the scope of delivery.
The Xiaomi 13 has dimensions of 152.8 x 71.5 mm with a thickness of 7.98 mm or 8.1 mm, depending on the colourway. The weight of the versions therefore varies between 185 and 189 grams. The fact that “China phones” have shed their bad reputation in recent years is not only due to Huawei, but also to Xiaomi.
Even in the lower class, they show that the workmanship is good and, in the case of the Xiaomi 13, even flawless. The super narrow screen bezels, firm pressure points in the side buttons, cleanly milled cutouts in the ports and the use of high-quality materials.
In addition, Xiaomi has finally heard us and has given the Xiaomi 13 an IP68 rating, which means that it is officially protected against dust and water. This honor is currently only given to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, and now finally to the 13 series. Maybe there was money left for it now that the harman kardon branding was left out.
The phone can fall into the sink or bathtub, after all, the rating protects it against continuous submersion in a maximum depth of 1.5 m for up to 30 minutes. This only applies to clear water, not salt water or alcohol. Just as info. The iPhone 14 series is even protected to a depth of 6 m, so it’s still air up or water down.
Xiaomi 13 with 6.36″ display, but one thing is missing?
An important difference between Xiaomi 13 & 13 Pro: the display. Not just in size. Finally, the Xiaomi 13 is equipped with a 6.36″ AMOLED display with a FullHD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080p, resulting in a pixel density of 413 ppi. The display is again slightly larger than on the predecessor, but the smartphone is not due to the sophisticated design – very efficient.
As with the Pro, the refresh rate is 120 Hz and the new E6 AMOLED panel from Samsung is also used. The fingerprint sensor is located under the display, is reliable and fast, but unfortunately not as big as on the Vivo X90 Pro+ – too bad!
In contrast to the Xiaomi 13 Pro, however, there is no 1440p resolution and no LTPO display. This means that the refresh rate cannot be regulated down to 1 Hz, which has a power-saving effect. The 13 also supports HDR, a brightness of up to 1200 nits and a peak brightness of 1900 nits for HDR content.
What is surprising, however, is that it is no longer a 12-bit display as in the predecessor, but instead offers an 8-bit color depth. A step backwards? Yes. Do you notice? Barely. In a direct comparison, a slightly larger color spectrum can be seen in the predecessor’s YouTube HDR content, but this is probably negligible.
I like not only the size, but also the brightness. Man, can it get bright on the maximum setting. As always with Xiaomi, I find that the difference between the maximum and medium settings is a bit large, but the display is usually bright enough for everyday use.
On the other hand, it is noticeably brighter than the predecessor and offers better viewing angle stability. Only “FullHD+ resolution” is the right choice for the size, the missing LTPO display is the biggest point of criticism for me. The iPhone leads the way here, ProMotion ensures more efficient use and better runtime even in a more compact smartphone with a correspondingly smaller battery.
Display settings in MIUI
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – The 120 Hz refresh rate still ensures smooth operation and lets you fly through MIUI. The AMOLED technology also enables some adjustments in the software, such as the anti-flicker mode, a reading mode and of course a dark mode.
The color scheme can be freely adjusted with presets or the color palette and the refresh rate can be adjusted automatically or manually between 60 and 120 Hz. An always-on display is also available, even really “always” and without Xiaomi’s 10-second bug. Unfortunately not much has changed from the default settings, a few new designs would have been nice.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 & new storage standards
It was already clear in advance that the new Xiaomi flagships would be two of the first smartphones with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The new flag chip – did we actually invent it? – was presented in Hawaii in November 2022. It offers up to 35% more CPU performance than the 8 Gen 1, but not than the 8+ Gen 1.
Like the latter, however, the 2nd generation is now again manufactured by TSMC in the 4nm process, so that the power consumption is reduced by 47% sinks. The clock frequency is up to 3.19 GHz, and with the Cortex X3 there is now an additional performance core. Another important new feature is ray tracing for games, which the Adreno 740 GPU supports.
In addition, the top smartphone comes with either 8 GB RAM or 12 GB RAM. Xiaomi is catching up and using the new LPDDR5X memory with a data transfer speed of 8533 Mbps, which we first saw in the realme GT 2 Master Explorer. New standards are also being used for mass storage. UFS 4.0 mass storage is finally used here, optionally 128, 256 GB or 512 GB of it! In terms of performance, there are no differences between the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Smartphones are getting faster from year to year, but the requirements are not equivalently greater. The Xiaomi 13 is very fast again thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, new storage standards and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The chip, the fast memory, a 120 Hz display and the animations accelerated in MIUI ensure that inputs are implemented immediately, you fly through the OS.
I notice this particularly in the image processing, the photo is there almost immediately after the release. That’s how I wish it! Playing demanding games like Asphalt 9 works on the highest settings and so far I haven’t noticed any stuttering in games or in other controls. It’s one of the fastest phones on the market!
Benchmark Results
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – Even if, in my opinion, practical use is much more important for assessing performance than benchmarks, we don’t want to withhold the results from you. The 8 Gen 2 ensures excellent benchmark results in the Xiaomi 13 in the tests Geekbench 6, AnTuTu Benchmark and PCMark Benchmark. The approximately 1.2 million points in the popular AnTuTU benchmark put the Xiaomi 13 on the podium of the current AnTuTu ranking with a Vivo X90 Pro+.
My very personal benchmark test, as it is relevant in everyday life as a CG creator, is the export of videos in the InShot editing program. If the iPhone processors made the Snapdragon chips look old in everyday life, Snapdragon has caught up. Both phones exported a 15-second video clip in 4K with an effect in almost exactly 8.5 seconds, the difference here is in the millisecond range.
If you run the Xiaomi 13 USA at full load like in a benchmark, the device naturally heats up. However, the cooling works surprisingly well, because the heat development is just 5°C after a round of AnTuTu, you can already tell that in the hand. But that is far from a questionable value.
How long does the Xiaomi 13 USA battery last?
Battery performance, one of Xiaomi’s flagship disciplines, shouldn’t be neglected either. You keep the 4500 mAh battery capacity of the predecessor, which is a good value considering the display size. Xiaomi has developed its own Xiaomi Surge charging chip, which is responsible for the battery management system.
This should ensure a longer battery life. There seems to be a trend towards developing coprocessors that take over certain tasks from the main processor. The battery life of the Xiaomi 13 USA is surprisingly good in our test, better than its predecessor.
Even with intensive use, the Xiaomi 13 USA easily lasts a day and in most cases can be taken into the next day with a clear conscience. This is also confirmed by our battery benchmark, which was carried out with low brightness, 120 Hz display, WLAN & BT, but without mobile data. Here we have a result of a full 15 hours, which is a significant increase compared to the predecessor! Nevertheless, we would certainly have gotten an even better value with an LTPO 2.0 display like in the Pro version.
Wired and wireless fast charging
It is charged via the USB-C port on the underside, using fast charging protocols such as Quick Charge 4 or Power Delivery 3.0, which is possible with a maximum of 67W power. A corresponding charger is included in the scope of delivery, which is now also included with the China version – fortunately.
The 67W is still a good value, but almost below average for a flagship and for Xiaomi. The Pro version offers 120W charging, just like many other Xiaomi devices, even cheaper, like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ or a POCO F4 GT. A OnePlus 11 now also offers 100W fast charging.
Nonetheless, the flagship smartphone fully charges in 45 minutes with the included charger. A good, but meanwhile normal value. Wireless charging is also supported again with up to 50W via the Qi standard, reverse wireless charging is possible with 10W. With wireless charging, the Xiaomi 13 is fully charged in just over an hour. In both cases, these are values that we have known from the flagships since the Xiaomi Mi 11. For faster charging you have to use the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Finally a telecamera like in the Mi 9
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – It has been known since summer 2022 that Xiaomi will replace Huawei and enter into a cooperation with the German camera manufacturer Leica. The first products of the collaboration were from the Xiaomi 12S range, including the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. After the Xiaomi 12T Pro has not yet benefited from this cooperation, the next two smartphones are now to follow with the Leica logo on the back.
The cooperation results in the revised color optimization of the photos and in two photographic styles: Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant. The former imitates the look familiar from Leica cameras, the latter is a bit more colorful and saturated.
The Xiaomi 13 Usa is equipped with the 1/1.49″ 50 megapixel Sony IMX800 sensor, which offers a focal length of 23 mm and a ƒ/1.8 aperture. The lens consists of seven lenses, and the lens has been given an anti-reflective coating.
Optical image stabilization thanks to HyperOIS is also supported. So far, we only know the sensor from current Honor smartphones such as the Honor 70. There is also a 12 megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with a focal length equivalent of 15 mm and an aperture of ƒ/2.2. No ultra setup.
In addition, it is probably based on the Xiaomi Mi 9, since a telephoto camera is finally installed again in the non-Pro version, which we missed for three generations! The third camera is a 10 megapixel zoom camera with ƒ/2.0 aperture and a 75 mm focal length, which corresponds to a 3x optical zoom.
The 75 mm focal length corresponds to a classic Leica focal length. A 32 megapixel camera with a ƒ/2.0 aperture is used as the selfie camera. Video recordings are only possible in 1080p, the main camera, on the other hand, can record 8K videos at 24fps.
Unfortunately, you can not switch between the picture styles afterwards. Also in the image details there is no information about the style in which the photo was taken. But I noticed that you can now activate a second image trigger by pulling the digital trigger up and putting it somewhere on the viewfinder. Can prove practical.
Xiaomi 13 USA main camera
You get the two image styles “Leica Vibrant” and “Leica Authentic”, I mostly chose Vibrant. In the past, Xiaomi’s color profile was a bit too dull for me, which is still the case with Authentic. The colors are much more intense with Vibrant, i.e. lively. Depending on the situation, this can look very good.
Especially in the “Golden Hour” you get very good results with a very warm look, this setting also intensifies the blue sky. It also creates the desired effect for photos of food, but here I wouldn’t turn the saturation control afterwards.
However, as with the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, this can also mean that you have a very dramatic look, since image shadows are also displayed with a lot of contrast. You can like it, but you don’t have to. In my opinion, the authentic look doesn’t always look that authentic, but it’s simply less saturated.
Highlights and shadows in the image are much cooler thanks to the blue tint. With skin tones, however, Xiaomi manages to display the skin more realistically than in Vibrant mode, where the skin is often a bit too red.
Let’s get to the sharpness, which in my eyes is better than the Xiaomi 12. You can still get some details when zooming in, even if Xiaomi uses 4-in-1 pixel binning here. Even more sharpness and details can be achieved in the 50 megapixel mode, which should be chosen with care and time due to the data size.
In the sample photos of the shoes, small hairs suddenly appear that are not recognizable at first glance. And even photos with small letters can still be read from a distance of 2 meters from a poor viewing angle. Nevertheless, the maximum has not been reached here and compared to the iPhone 14 Pro there is still a lower degree of sharpness in photos, especially with people and fine details such as facial hair.
Ultra Wide Angle Camera
Unfortunately, not much has happened with the ultra wide angle. The resolution is sufficient to display the fish-eye effect well, but there aren’t many details. This is not absolutely necessary for ultra-wide-angle photos.
Here you can’t see a big difference between the Xiaomi 13 and an iPhone 14 Pro, except that the Xiaomi photo is lighter. This is disadvantageous in this case, since it accentuates the pixelation of the green area, but it also differentiates between several shades of green. On the other hand, the dynamic range in the iPhone 14 Pro is slightly better.
Telecamera
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – Xiaomi has finally installed a telephoto camera again! Why are you exposed to three generations? Presumably to force people into the Pro model, this tactic is finally being abandoned. With 10 megapixels, the resolution is not quite as big, but big enough to offer an advantage in everyday life.
As with the ultra wide-angle camera, you can also choose between Authentic and Vibrant. But here, too, the sharpness is a bit too short for me, faces almost seem a bit soft. The photos also tend to be too bright and not as high-contrast and sharp as with the iPhone 14 Pro.
Front Camera
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review / I really like the 32 megapixel front camera in the test. The sharpness is well above the level of the iPhone 14 Pro, the colors and the contrast are also slightly more refined. In low-light conditions, this is unfortunately a bit less, but that is understandable. The sensor is not that bright.
Connection possibilities of the Xiaomi 13
Thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the Xiaomi 13 naturally also supports 5G again, but even in the China version, all frequency bands that are important for Germany, such as n1, n28 and n78, are included. China version? Yes, so far the Xiaomi 13 Usa and Xiaomi 13 Pro have only been presented in China, which is why you have to do without LTE Band 20 in the version. This can be important for LTE reception in more rural areas in Germany. However, LTE Band 20 is integrated in the global version that will be released soon.
Xiaomi offers 802.11 dual-band WiFi for wireless connections, even WiFi 7. The new standard theoretically enables a throughput of up to 46 Gbps, which is almost five times faster than ax-WiFi. Another advantage: It theoretically transmits on the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz frequency bands, but the Xiaomi 13 will probably stick with dual-band WiFi. There is also dual Bluetooth 5.3, support for the AAC, LDAC and LHDC 5.0 codec, NFC, dual GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and Beidou.
There is an IR blaster, i.e. an infrared interface, on the top. This ensures that you can use your smartphone, for example, to operate your television, for which the Mi Remote app is preinstalled. Glad you’re sticking with it.
Costs “nothing” and can really offer added value in everyday life. The dual SIM slot, which supports 5G on both Nano SIM slots, is located on the underside. Unfortunately, as usual, there is no space for a microSD memory card. The USB-C port is a USB-C 2.0 port, which again does not support external monitors.
In fact, we’ve always praised Xiaomi for connectivity. As is the case now, new standards such as WiFi 7 are used early on. But installing a USB-C 2.0 port is unfortunately a joke! Sure, it’s not the most important feature, but it’s a standard on the market and especially if you’re committed to “Innovation for Everyone”, you should also work innovatively with such small things.
Speaker now without harman Kardon
There are also stereo speakers again that support Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio but do not have harman kardon branding like the predecessor. The sound was no longer fine-tuned here. However, this changes the volume or even the entire sound. We have always liked Xiaomi very much in terms of sound in recent years, but it has now been surpassed again.
The Xiaomi 13 Usa is noticeably louder and the sound is more spacious, balanced and a bit more powerful than the competition without clipping. This is surprising in that the secondary speaker has now been removed from the top and placed in the ear cup. There is actually hardly any space there, but the loudspeaker unit is still very present and contributes a considerable part to the overall volume. This also has the advantage that you don’t accidentally cover the speaker in horizontal mode. That was a criticism of the predecessor!
MIUI 14: what’s new?
Not only new hardware, but also new software was the topic of the launch event in Beijing. With MIUI, Xiaomi’s first product ever has been pushed into the fourteenth generation. Based on Android 13 in the Xiaomi 13 Usa, MIUI 14 is said to have been simplified. The whole operation should be more direct and softer, and the whole system has been purged.
There are only eight system apps that cannot be uninstalled. A move that was announced some time ago. The main promise: Up to 60% more speed! The speed is also noticeable in the OS, especially when you adjust the animation speed.
In the case of the China version, the security patch is from December 2022. Even the CN version supports Widevine Level 1 copy protection and even passes the SafetyNet test. As the China version, the Xiaomi 13 Usa is delivered without Google services, but they can be easily installed since the Google framework is preinstalled.
The biggest disadvantage, however, is that you can only set the system language to English or Chinese. If you want to flash a custom ROM, you can do so with the help of our instructions make. However, we generally recommend waiting for the release of the global version, also for warranty and service reasons. In addition, the China version of the operating system tends to be more overloaded than the global counterpart anyway.
New features in MIUI 14
In purely functional terms, the latest generation is not a big sweep. The home screen is even more customizable as there are now four icon sizes. My highlight are the 2 x 1 icons, which can be selected horizontally or vertically and are reminiscent of a Mi Band screen.
There are also giant Super Icons, but apparently only for system and not third-party apps. Depending on the popularity of the app, icons in folders are automatically larger and are highlighted. In addition, the widgets have been revised again and you can now select a Pets & Plants widget in which you have a kind of “Tamagotchi” on the screen, which runs different animations with one click – cute.
The search in the settings has been improved so that there is now a search history as well as a categorization of the results. Not only the widgets, but also the camera and photos were inspired by iOS. MIUI now also recognizes text natively on photos and directly in the camera, so that you can mark it and copy it, for example. You don’t necessarily have to take a photo for this, you can do that in the camera’s viewfinder.
XiaoAI, Xiaomi’s own intelligent voice assistant, has also been improved. As the name suggests, the artificial intelligence should now learn better from the user and study their habits, so that shortcuts are created in operation.
However, the service tends to be irrelevant for the European market, since the Google Assistant runs on Global Versions and XiaoAI only speaks Chinese. There are also optimized privacy settings, an improved ecosystem approach and a new Family Service.
How to install Google services on Xiaomi 13 (China version)
Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – The China version only runs in English and Chinese, but thanks to the Google Framework you can easily install a certified Play Store and get access to all of your apps. In the first step, you have to store your Google account with email address in the system settings under “Accounts & Sync”, where you can also activate the Basic Google Services. Under Add-Account you can then log in with your Google credentials.
In order to then install the Google Play Store, you have to sideload the .apk via the browser. That means nothing other than installing the installation file directly via the Mi Browser. We would recommend navigating to http://www.google.de beforehand. You can simply download the installation file.
If you have installed the Play Store, it is also officially certified thanks to the Google Framework. You can then download and install your apps as usual via the Play Store.
When will the Xiaomi 13 be released?
In China, the Xiaomi 13 was presented on December 11th and will go on sale from December 14th. The Xiaomi 13 is available there in four memory configurations and starts at a price of 8/128 GB for 3999 yuan, which corresponds to almost €540. The Xiaomi 13 Usa is also available in five other special color variants.
So far, the Xiaomi 13 Usa has only been released in China, and there is no release date for the global version yet. As soon as it is known, you will find out here. There is also no information about the Xiaomi 13 Ultra yet.
Conclusion: Buy Xiaomi 13 Usa?
For me, the Xiaomi 13 is the most powerful Xiaomi smartphone since the Xiaomi Mi 9, I’m excluding the Pro versions and Ultra smartphones here. Of course, they are even better equipped, but I always find the “normal” devices potentially more interesting, since they are more in the history of the legendary Xiaomi Mi 6, 8 and 9. And that’s exactly where the Xiaomi 13 finally picks up again, it’s a logical and important further development of the Xiaomi 12. I liked that too, but for me it was more of a €600 device than a €800 flagship.
The Xiaomi 13 Usa will probably not be cheaper than the 12, so without a global release date I’m assuming an RRP of €799 again, although rumors are already talking about €899. In return, you get excellent performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 120 Hz refresh rate and fast storage standards.
In addition, there is a good battery life, relatively fast charging, a great, compact design and finally an IP68 rating. The camera results of the Leica camera also deserve the grade “good +”, but unfortunately they are not yet on the level of a Google Pixel 7 (Pro) or iPhone 14 Pro. The Xiaomi 13 Pro or Xiaomi 13 Ultra (Xiaomi 13 Usa) is probably the high-end smartphone for that.
I mainly see points of criticism in the missing LTPO panel, which you get in the Android world in the price segment, for example, with the Google Pixel 7 Pro. USB-C 2.0 is also a faux pas, as is the lack of 4K resolution for videos in the selfie camera.
MIUI 14 is also not a quantum leap and many of the China features are apparently not available for the global version, but we have to wait until the Xiaomi 13 appears globally and what update policy is being pursued there.
You notice: The points of criticism are more in the details. The Xiaomi 13 Usa is not the best smartphone on the market, there are cell phones with better displays, better cameras or faster charging, but that’s exactly where the Xiaomi 13 Pro or the Xiaomi 13 Ultra are positioned.
As a non-Pro phone, the main competition is the Samsung Galaxy S23, which appears to be more expensive, offers a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, but has a smaller battery. There will be a real head-to-head race between the top dog and the best Xiaomi Mi smartphone since the Mi 9.
Pros
- Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – compact design
- outstanding performance
- fast wireless charging (50W)
- Triple Leica camera incl. telecamera
- IP68 rating
Cons
- Xiaomi 13 Usa Review – no LTPO panel
- no 4K resolution for selfie cam
- USB-C 2.0 only
Can the Xiaomi 13 USA be charged wirelessly?
Yes, the Xiaomi 13 supports wireless charging via the Qi standard. With a suitable charger (not included in the scope of delivery), the Xiaomi 13 can be charged wirelessly with 50W power. It should be able to be charged wirelessly in just under an hour.
Does the Xiaomi 13 USA have Widevine Level 1?
Yes, even in the China version, but of course also in the global version, the Xiaomi 13 offers Widevine Level 1. Thanks to the “copy protection” it is possible to stream video streaming content from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, for example, in Full HD.
Is the Xiaomi 13 USA waterproof?
Yes, the Xiaomi 13 comes with an IP68 rating. It is officially protected against dust and water. It is therefore protected against “permanent submersion”, which means a duration of 30 minutes and a water depth of 1.5 m.
Does the Xiaomi 13 USA have dual SIM?
Yes, both the China version and the Global version of the Xiaomi 12 are equipped with a dual SIM slot that allows 5G on both cards.
Does the Xiaomi 13 USA have a slot for a microSD memory card?
No, the Xiaomi 13 does not have space for a microSD memory card. The memory is therefore not expandable. The Xiaomi 13 is available with 128 or 256 GB mass storage.
Does the Xiaomi 13 USA have a headphone jack?
No, the Xiaomi 13 does not have a headphone jack. Also, there is no 3.5mm to USB-C adapter included.
Does the Xiaomi 13 USA have stereo speakers?
Yes, the Xiaomi 13 is equipped with two speakers, i.e. stereo speakers.