Today it was revealed Xiaomi 13Ultra, the company's new premium flagship for 2023, which is not just a good camera phone, but almost a DSLR camera in a phone body
Usually when we refer to the best Smartphones in the field of camera, three names immediately come to mind: the Apple iPhone, the order of Galaxy Ultra by Samsung and Google pixels, but the new flagship launched by Xiaomi today aims to make the device the new King of photography.
And of course we are referring to Xiaomi 13Ultra, just revealed today as the company's new premium flagship for 2023, which isn't just a good camera phone, but almost a DSLR camera in the shape of a phone.
It might seem like an exaggeration to call the Xiaomi 13 Ultra a DSLR camera, but it all starts with a design reminiscent of a real camera with the leather finish on the back, the round camera island and the impressive quad camera setup that doesn't look like no other Smartphone than we have seen so far.
The biggest change since Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy is that the Xiaomi 13Ultra aims to capture photos that have “original camera look” instead of the typical and over-edited photos, which immediately look like they were taken by a Smartphone. And Xiaomi has the iconic camera maker Leica at her side to do exactly what she promises – to turn a Smartphone into a DLSR like camera with remarkable results in the photos and videos it produces.
Before you ask: Yes, Xiaomi has confirmed that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will become available globally, but will not be available in the United States. Today's event for the presentation of the device focused mainly on its launch in the Chinese market, but we expect the company to reveal more information about the global version of the device soon.
The good news is that Xiaomi 13 ultra will have approximately the same price as last year's model – tthe Xiaomi 12S Utlra, and we have the prices for you below, but just remember that these are the prices in China, and are not indicative of the prices the device will have in the global market and in Europe, which will likely be significantly higher (especially in Greece where we have the highest VAT compared to other European countries).
Xiaomi 13 Ultra prices in China:
- 12 / 256 GB — 5999 yuan ($873)
- 16 / 512 GB — 6499 yuan ($945)
- 16GB/1TB - 7299 yuan ($1,062)
In addition to the device itself, you will also be able to purchase the professional accessory kit of Xiaomi 13 Ultra, which includes protective casethe one special case with a handle in the shape of a camera, camera adapter ring at 67mm and lens cap, and all this at the price of 999 yuan or about $ 145.
The flagship system with four cameras
But let's see what it does Xiaomi 13Ultra to be so different from all other Smartphones.
It's all about the combination of incredibly quality photography equipment such as camera sensors from Sony, the lenses from Leica, but also of truly innovative image editing software
Starting with the main camera, the device uses the largest sensor available in the Smartphone industry, the Sony IMX 989 at 50MP that is in size of one inch, and this sensor outperforms all the corresponding sensors you'll find on Samsung's iPhones and Galaxy phones. But Xiaomi is just as proud of it lens manufacturing by Leica with nanometer precision, located above the sensor. He is one Summicron type lens, which is the key to achieving the natural look of photos that Xiaomi is looking for.
Then follow the ultra wide angle camera and the two telephoto cameras, which all use the same one Sony IMX858 sensor at 50MP, so Xiaomi really makes sure that you get a consistent performance and color consistency across all these cameras, without the quality and dynamic range changing when you're forced to switch sensors depending on the needs of your photography.
The best UltraWide camera ever in a phone
Η UltraWide camera at 12 mm it's the best we've ever seen on a smartphone, even compared to the 13mm Ultrawide camera it has in its lineup iPhone 14 Pro. Going from 13mm to 12mm might not seem like a big difference to you, but in the world of ultra-wide cameras it's actually quite a noticeable difference, as this camera will also be able to focus on just 5cm distance for epic macro shots.
In addition there are two telephoto lenses : one with 3.2X zoom (or at 75 mm in photographic terms) with a wide aperture at f / 1.8 and a second with 5X zoom (at 120 mm) also with a very fast aperture f / 3.0. This setup will allow you to use these lenses even in low light conditions and still get very good image quality, unlike most other phones where zoom cameras have very limited low light capabilities.
Camera samples taken by the Xiaomi team
Camera specifications:
- Wide-angle main camera at 50MP (sensor Sony IMX 989 1″ inch size), with a Summicron lens at 23 mm with variable aperture (f / 1.9 - f / 4.0)
- Ultra-wide camera at 50MP (sensor Sony IMX 858 in 1 / 2,51 ") with diaphragm f / 1.8
- 50MP telephoto lens with optical zoom 3.2 times (Sony IMX 858) in 75 mm with diaphragm f / 1.8
- Periscope camera at 50MP with optical zoom 5X (Sony IMX 858) in 120 mm with diaphragm f / 3.0
- Front Selfie camera with 32MP sensor
Xiaomi says that thanks to intelligent processing, you can get optimal quality at six different focal lengths: 0.5X (12mm), 1X (23mm), 2X (46mm), 3.2X (75mm), 5X (120mm) and 10X (240mm).
The main camera also comes with a variable aperture that can go from f / 1.9 to f / 4.0, which is very useful, as in f / 1.9 the background will be blurred so you can better focus on a subject while in f / 4.0 almost everything will be perfectly focused.
Xiaomi emphatically points out that with its launch Xiaomi 13Ultra, seeks to put an end to "digital display» of modern smartphones, and instead wants to give us a result with photos that are completely natural like those we see in expensive DSLR cameras, that are not overly processed by software. He can do this with her using Summicron type lenses from Leica, which solves the problem of over-sharpening by focusing on photo quality with natural color tones, free of digital processing.
In the image above you can see the typical over-sharpening in the photo from an iPhone, which fails to properly capture the soft, fluffy fur on the kittens.
The Xiaomi 13Ultra also comes with a special street photo mode, which allows you to take a shot in just 0.8 seconds.
According to the CEO, Lei Jun, the only word to describe this camera system is “professional photography".
Design and colors
Second-generation nano-leather for a soft, leather-like feel
The special design of the phone makes it look very much like a traditional camera, and the key to this effect is the leather-like finish of the back. Xiaomi calls it nano-skin second generation and has excellent stain resistance and a nice soft touch feel.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be available in three colors:
- Olive green
- Professional black
- White
You can also notice how the camera is slightly raised on the back above the rest of the device's body, and this even helps the 13 Ultra look more like a real camera.
The brightest screen in the world
Η AMOLED screen size 6.7″ has a maximum brightness that reaches the impressive 2.600 nits under the bright sunlight with HDR mode, with a typical maximum brightness level at 1.300nits, which makes it the brightest screen in the world so far.
Xiaomi uses one AMOLED C7 screen panel which is made of China Star and it's much more impressive than Samsung's latest generation OLED panels.
Xiaomi has manufactured the screen according to the color calibration standard CIE 2015, and simply put, it ensures that color remains will remain consistent under wide viewing angles.
Finally, this monitor also supports adaptive refresh rate from 1-120Hz, but unlike mainstream flagships, it's also much easier on the eyes at night, thanks to support for higher frequency PWM reaching 1.920 Hz.
Performance
The device is powered by the latest processor Snapdragon 8 Gen2 of Qualcomm, and even the basic model of the series has 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and you have the possibility to choose one of three storage options: to 256 GB, 512 GB or even 1 TB. Xiaomi 13 Ultra also supports speeds USB 3.2 for faster file transfer.
Battery and charging
It is equipped with a battery at 5,000mAh which Xiaomi claims will be enough to provide you with more than a day of autonomy, which is certainly acceptable for a Smartphone of this category.
The device has support for both wired and wireless charging, with the wired charging to be at 90W, and can give you charge at 50% in just 11 minutes while a full charge takes just 34 minutes.
Η wireless charging is at 50W, and just in 19 minutes can charge the battery at 50%, while a full wireless charge lasts 49 minutes.
For the safety and protection of the battery during charging, Xiaomi has provided the device with the Surge P2 and G1 chips developed by the company itself. Xiaomi has also integrated a special extreme battery saving mode that starts as soon as the battery drops to 1%, and gives you 60 minutes of use or you can use the remaining action to make one 12 minute phone call.
Epilogue
The Xiaomi 13Ultra it is an amazing phone in the field of photography. Xiaomi instead of focusing only on the typical specifications that a flagship has, on Xiaomi 13Ultra focuses on something more important: the real experience of a professional camera on a Smartphone.
Having an innovative design that makes the phone look like a camera with its colors Leica, is something that many will appreciate, and perhaps the Xiaomi 13Ultra to become the new benchmark for smartphone camera performance.
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