Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro Unboxing and First Impressions

We got an early look at the recently launched Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro and here are our impressions and experiences with the new powerhouse.

with Leica cameras

Originally launched last March 1st, 2023, in the Philippines, the Xiaomi 13 series brings with it Leica cameras, 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processors, stereo speakers, and in-display fingerprint scanners. 

The 13 Pro features a curved 120Hz 6.7-inch LPTO AMOLED screen, a 5,000mAh battery with 120Hz and a Ceramic back design while the vanilla 13 has a flat 120Hz 6.36-inch E6 AMOLED screen, a 4,500mAh battery with 67W charging and Glass back design. 

In the Philippines, both phones are up for pre-order until March 10, 2023, where customers can get a free watch. The Xiaomi 13 starts at PHP 44,999 while the 13 Pro starts at PHP 59,999.

Let's dive in.

Unboxing/Accessories

Black and white packaging

The vanilla Xiaomi 13 comes in a white box while the 13 Pro comes in Black. Both feature Xiaomi and Leica branding along with specs, features and regulatory information.

Xiaomi 13 Pro box inclusions

Xiaomi 13 Box inclusions

Inside the packaging are the phone, USB-C cable, SIM ejector tool, documentation, silicone case and wall charger. The 13 Pro comes with a 120W charger while the 13 gets a 67W charger.

There are no included earphones inside the box.

Build Quality/Design

Rear design

In terms of materials used, both phones are made of metal and glass. The Pro version also comes with a ceramic back at the cost of more weight.

Both phones are eye-catching and upon closer inspection, both phones look and feel premium and what you would expect for smartphones at their price point.

dual-nano-SIM tray

A welcome surprise is the official IP68 water and dust resistance for both variants that can be seen on the SIM trays with rubber gaskets.

We received the Black Ceramic Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Flora Green Xiaomi 13. Both are equally stunning but what makes the Black bio-ceramic stand out is how deep the black is, but it is super reflective and is super prone to fingerprint smudges. While the Flora Green on the vanilla 13 has glass back that is prone to fingerprint smudges but not as much as the ceramic.

Display

In front of the vanilla 13 is the FLAT 6.36-inch FHD+ E6 AMOLED display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1900nits peak brightness. Around this panel are super slim bezels that are 1.61mm thin.

While the 13 Pro has a 6.73-inch E6 AMOLED with a 3200 x 1440 resolution, a 1900 nits peak brightness and a 1-120Hz Adaptive refresh rate.

Xiaomi boasts that these displays are equipped with a dual light sensor and color temperature sensor on the front and back of the phone which automatically adjusts the screen's brightness and color temperature to accurately restore the "paper white" effect in any environment. The company also claims that it also reduces harmful blue light without significantly changing the color temperature of the content.

As mentioned earlier, both phones are IP68 water and dust resistance rated but because of the aluminium frame, the vanilla 13 weighs only 189 grams.

Top and bottom 

On top, of both phones are antenna lines, IR blaster, microphones and one of the speakers while at the bottom are the speaker grills, microphone, USB-C port, SIM tray and more antenna lines.

Left and right sides

The vanilla 13 has flat sides while the 13 Pro has chamfered curved sides. On the left of both phones are antenna lines only while on the right are the metal power button and metal volume rocker. These buttons have a premium feel and are very satisfying when pressed.

Selfie cameras

We have had the phone for a while now and we will share camera samples soon.

But to refresh you, the Xiaomi 13 comes with a 50MP f/1.8 primary camera with a 1/1.49-inch sensor, a 7P lens with ALD coating and HyperOIS, 10MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with OIS, and a 12MP f/2.2 telephoto camera.

While the Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with a 50MP f/1.9 primary camera with a Sony IMX989 1-inch sensor with an 8P lens with ALD coating and HyperOIS, a 50MP f/2.0 Tele-macro camera with floating lens, OIS and 10cm minimum focusing distance and a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera with an LED flash.

Both phones come with Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant photography styles as well as Leica filters (Leica Vivid, Leica Natural, Lecia Black & White Natural and Leica Black & White High Contrast)

The camera apps' portrait mode gives access to the Leica Master-lens systems that offer four distinct portrait modes that use advanced computational photography. (35mm Black & White, 50mm Swirly Bokeh, 75mm Portrait, 90mm Soft Focus).

Lastly, both phones support Adobe Camera RAW support which yields 10-bit RAW format (DNG).

Both models come with a 32MP f/2.0 front-facing selfie camera.

We will dive deeper into the cameras in our upcoming camera samples.

Inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which are cooled with a massive vapor chamber and high-power graphite. (Xiaomi 13 Pro Vapor Chamber size: 3400mm2; Xiaomi 13 Vapor Chamber size: 4642mm2)

Xiaomi says that the 67W charging of the vanilla 13 can charge the phone up to 100 percent in 38 minutes while the 120W charging of the 13 Pro can charge the phone up to 100 percent in 19 minutes.

Xiaomi 13 Pro Specs

Display: 6.7-inch LTPO E6 AMOLED curved screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, QHD+ 3200 x 1440 resolution at 523 ppi and 1900 nits peak brightness

CPU: 3.18GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processor

GPU: New-Adreno

RAM: 8GB/12GB

ROM: 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 4.0

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.9 Sony IMX989 Hyper OIS + 50MP f/2.2 115-degree ultra-wide sensor + 50MP f/2.0 3x tele-macro zoom + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.0

Battery: 5,000mAh w/ 120W fast charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless

OS: Android 13 w/ MIUI 14

Connectivity: WiFi 6E, 5G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, GPS, NFC, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, USB-C, Colors: Ceramic White, Black, Flora Green, Faux leather Blue

Dimensions: 162.9x 74.6 x 8.38 mm (ceramic) 8.7mm (leather)

Weight: 229 g (ceramic), 210 g (leather)

Price: PHP 59,999

Xiaomi 13 Specs

Display: 6.3-inch E6 AMOLED flat screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 417 ppi and 1,900 nits peak brightness

CPU: 3.18GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processor

GPU: New-Adreno

RAM: 8GB/12GB

ROM: 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 4.0

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.9 Sony IMX800 Hyper OIS + 12MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide sensor + 10MP f/2.0 3.2x telephoto zoom with OIS + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.0

Battery: 4,500mAh w/ 67W fast charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless

OS: Android 13 w/ MIUI 14

Connectivity: WiFi 6E, 5G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, GPS, NFC, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, USB-C, Colors: Ceramic White, Black, Flora Green, Faux leather Blue

Dimensions: 152.8x 71.5 x 7.98 mm (ceramic) 8.1mm (leather)

Weight: 189 g (ceramic), 185 g (leather)

Price: PHP 44,999

As of the moment

Curved vs Flat screen

As mentioned above, the Xiaomi 13 series starts at PHP 44,999. These offer premium eye-catching designs with solid and polished build quality. 

Alongside are the bleeding specs from the 120Hz E6 AMOLED displays, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, UFS 4.0 storage and up to 120W fast wired charging.

But what makes the Xiaomi 13 series stand-out even more, are the Leica cameras. It is clear that the hardware has been curated to offer a unique experience while the software has been tweaked to fit Leica's standards.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro offers triple 50MP cameras but with a unique Tele-macro camera and HyperOIS while the vanilla 13 comes with a 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP telephoto camera.

The camera app is also filled with unique touches that cater to the fans of Leica.

So it is clear that for those who do not prioritize photography but want power and performance, the Xiaomi 13 is the choice. But for those who want the best smartphone photography that Xiaomi and Leica can offer, only the Xiaomi 13 Pro is the choice, So Far.

We will be doing more tests with our review unit so stay tuned for our review.

What do you guys think?