Xiaomi’s new flagship phones for 2023 are here. The Xiaomi 13 series were announced in China back in December, but we had to wait until MWC in late February for a global launch.
New Leica-branded cameras, updated designs and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset are the headline upgrades on the regular 13 and 13 Pro, although a new Lite model isn’t quite as capable.
With all three phones now on sale in the UK and Europe, here’s everything you need to know – including how much each phone costs and where to buy it from.
When will the Xiaomi 13 be released globally?
Xiaomi unveiled the first two phones in the Xiaomi 13 series – alongside its updated MIUI 14 software – on 11 December 2022, after an initial 1 December launch was postponed.
However, that was only a Chinese launch. It wasn’t until 26 February 2023 that the 13 and 13 Pro were announced internationally in Barcelona (just before MWC), alongside a more affordable 13 Lite.
The latter went on sale immediately, but you had to wait until 14 March to get your hands on the two flagships. Early bird pricing on both lasts until the end of 20 March, after which they’ll be on general sale (more details in the pricing section below).
As usual for Xiaomi, none of the phones will be released in North America.
The is also thought to be working on an even more capable Xiaomi 13 Ultra, but there was no sign of it at the MWC event. Tipster Digital Chat Station previously suggested that it’ll arrive sometime after the end of March.
How much does the Xiaomi 13 cost?
Here are the starting prices for the all three Xiaomi 13 series phones:
- Xiaomi 13 (8+256GB) – £849/€999 – UK early bird offer includes an £80 coupon to spend on AIoT ecosystem products – valid 14 days after purchase for a further month. Up to £50 off with trade-in
- Xiaomi 13 Pro (12+256GB) – £1,099/€1,299 – UK early bird offer includes a £100 coupon to spend on AIoT ecosystem products – valid 14 days after purchase for a further month. Up to £50 off with trade-in
- Xiaomi 13 Lite (8+128GB) – £449/€499 – £30 off in the UK, up to £50 off with trade-in
The 13 and 13 Pro will also be available via Argos in the UK, but the listing isn’t live there yet. While none of the phones are officially available in the US, you may be able to import one via Aliexpress.
That pricing puts the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro in flagship territory, while the 13 Lite is a mid-range contender.
For context, here’s how the company priced the phones last year:
What are the Xiaomi 13 specs and features?
So what should you expect from the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro? We’ll break it down by model:
Xiaomi 13
The Xiaomi 13 features an updated design, with a flat display and glossy, straight-edged body that’s immediately reminiscent of the recent iPhones. It also boasts an IP68 rating for dust and water protection.
Xiaomi
It’s available in a few colours as standard in China (black, light green, light blue, grey and white), but only the black, green and white finishes have made it to the international model. It means there’s no option for the vegan leather found on the light blue version.
The Xiaomi 13 is a little bigger than last year’s 12, with a 6.36in OLED display. This is otherwise similar to the previous phone though, with a 1080 x 2400 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and support for a range of HDR standards.
Unsurprisingly, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which is combined with 8/12GB of RAM, and 128/256/512GB of storage. The 128GB models use the slightly older UFS 3.1 storage standard, but the higher capacity versions jump to faster UFS 4.0.
Power comes from a 4500mAh battery that supports 67W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
Xiaomi
As for the cameras, you can see that the phone has a Leica-branded triple camera on the rear. The main shooter is a 50Mp, f/1.8 camera with OIS, and it’s joined by a 10Mp, 3x telephoto camera and a 12Mp ultrawide. The inclusion of the telephoto is the biggest jump from the previous model. Finally, there’s a 32Mp selfie camera.
Here are the full specs:
- 6.36in 120Hz OLED display (1080×2400)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 8/12GB RAM
- 128/256/512GB storage
- 4500mAh battery
- 67W wired charging
- 50W wireless charging
- Camera:
- 50Mp, f/1.8 main camera with OIS
- 10Mp, f/2.0, 3x telephoto camera with OIS
- 12Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera
- 32Mp, f/2.0 selfia camera
- IP68
- 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.0/8.1mm
- 185/189g
- Android 13 with MIUI 14
Xiaomi 13 Pro
Then there’s the Pro, which looks a little different. For one, it boasts a curved display and body, closer in style to previous Xiaomi flagships.
Xiaomi
There are fewer colours to choose from in China than the regular 13 (white, black, green and light blue), but you only get white or black internationally. Both feature a ceramic rather than glass back, but you miss out on the light blue vegan leather option once again. Like the 13, it has an IP68 rating.
The Pro is also significantly larger than the 13, with a 6.73in display that uses LTPO tech for a dynamic variable refresh rate (though still up to 120Hz) and has a higher 1440 x 3200 resolution.
The chipset is once again the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and it launches with the same set of RAM and storage options as the standard phone.
The battery is a little bigger at 4820mAh, and uses Xiaomi’s Surge G1 chip to deliver 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
Other than the display, the camera is inevitably where the biggest upgrades from the 13 are to be found, although at a glance things seem similar.
Xiaomi
The main lens is still 50Mp, but uses the much larger 1in Sony IMX989 sensor – the same one used to great effect in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Here’s it’s at an f/1.9 aperture, and of course features OIS.
The telephoto lens is also a 50Mp sensor, with a 3x zoom level and aperture of f/2.0. Thanks to a new ‘floating’ lens structure, it’s also capable of focusing on objects just 10cm away, in theory making it more versatile than most telephotos out there.
Then there’s the ultrawide, which is the same as last year’s. It’s also a 50Mp shooter, with an f/2.2 aperture and autofocus. Finally, the 32Mp selfie camera is the same as on the 13.
Here are the full specs:
- 6.73in 120Hz LTPO OLED display (1440×3200)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 8/12GB RAM
- 128/256/512GB storage
- 4820mAh battery
- 120W wired charging
- 50W wireless charging
- Camera:
- 50Mp, f/1.9 main camera with OIS
- 50Mp, f/2.0, 3x telephoto camera with OIS
- 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera
- 32Mp, f/2.0 selfia camera
- IP68
- 162.9 x 74.6 x 8.4/8.7mm
- 210/229g
- Android 13 with MIUI 14
Xiaomi 13 Lite
At the international launch event, Xiaomi added a third model to the 13 series, although it’s much more affordable than the 13 and 13 Pro.
Nearly every spec has been downgraded as a result, but it still looks competitive for a mid-range phone. It still features a 6.55in 120Hz OLED display at an identical resolution to the regular 13.
However, inevitable compromises come in the form of the less capable Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset (alongside a maximum of 8GB of RAM) and a slightly smaller 4500mAh battery.
But the cameras are where trade-offs are most obvious, with a downgraded 50Mp main sensor joined by just 12Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro. It means there’s no telephoto lens, although you do still get a 32Mp selfie camera.
However, despite retaining the glass back, it’s relatively lightweight at 171g. There are also some more colourful finishes coming to an international audience, with a choice between blue, pink and black. Still no vegan leather option, though.
Here are the full specs:
- 6.55in 120Hz OLED display (1080×2400)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
- 8GB RAM
- 128/256GB storage
- 4500mAh battery
- 67W wired charging
- 50Mp, f/1.8 main camera
- 8Mp, f/2.0 ultrawide camera
- 2Mp macro camera
- 32Mp, f/2.4 selfie camera
- 162.9 x 74.6 x 8.4/8.7mm
- 171g
- Android 13 with MIUI 14
What about the Xiaomi 13 Ultra?
Xiaomi usually launches its Ultra models a little while after the main line, so we’re not expecting to see it arrive any time soon. Still, we do already have a first leak about its specs.
Digital Chat Station is the source, and this first leak focusses on the phone’s camera. We can reportedly expect a quad camera setup, with the return of the 1in IMX989 sensor for the main camera. The big upgrade this time should be the inclusion of gimbal stabilisation.
Other than these tidbits, there’s been nothing else leaked about the upcoming Ultra, so we’ll keep digging and updating this article as more information becomes available. In the meantime, check our roundup of the best Xiaomi deals to see if you can bag a bargain on one of the current models.
Will there be a Xiaomi 13 Lite?
We have also heard reports of a Xiaomi 13 Lite, which has been spotted listed on the Google Play Console, along with an image.
Xiaomi
A few specs are listed too, including a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and a display with 1080 × 2400 pixel resolution. It appears to be running Android 12, and is believed by some sites to in fact be a re-brand of the Xiaomi Civi 2 which has already launched in China.
Will there be Xiaomi 13S phones later in the year?
This is something we know for sure. Xiaomi has confirmed that there will be no half-year ‘S’ updates for both the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro.
The news comes via a Weibo post from none other than Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, whose translated message reads “Mi 13 currently has no plans to make a half-generation upgraded version. Don’t wait for Xiaomi 13S”.
It doesn’t rule out half-year updates to Xiaomi flagships in the future, but there’ll be none in 2023.
