Xiaomi 13 Ultra review

28 April 2023


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Facts Checker, 29 Apr 2023That's why the Xiaomi 13 Pro with exactly the same mai... moreDxOMark provides a very good insight into what broad category each phone excels in and doesn't, but the overall score is still calculated using their arbitrary formula which isn't very useful to begin with, and you still need to look into the sample photos to figure out what these subcategory scores really mean. For instance - iPhone is notorious for applying excessive sharpening and clarity boost which results in severe ringing artifacts, while Xiaomi's HDR tonemapping sometimes exhibits a halo around the high-contrast edges, but you will never know these details just by looking at the subscores because they are both taken into account under the "artifacts" category. If you're not a fan of oversharpened mess, iPhone is automatically out of your choice, even though it technically scores higher in this particular subcategory and "details" section too.

I've been saying this for quite a while now, but DxOMark is only useful when you know what to look for. Some say it's not to be trusted simply because their phone manufacturers don't get the highest score, while others blindly believe that the overall scores they give are something everyone else should also worship, but in the end, neither is far from being true.

    Aierlan, 29 Apr 2023Well what is a serious source then? Is this website a serio... moreyou said somethings like:

    "...Imagine paying +1.500€ to get bugs, ads and bloatware.."
    "..you have to install 3rd party apps to get decent pics.."
    "..these chinese brands, especially Xiaomi, have so bad software the sensors underperform..."
    "...they gave 4.8/5 to selfie camera yes it's quite a joke I agree..."

    all these comments are simple mere opinions without any trustable and scientific examination tests... at least the youtubers get the phone in their hands before giving mere opinions....

      507AMS, 29 Apr 2023do you believe in the Dxomark results as a serious source??... moreWell what is a serious source then? Is this website a serious source? Are the majority of youtubers a serious source? What makes dxomark less reliable than any other reviewer? Of course there is a conflict of interest for basically all big reviewers as they work with these companies, and are dependent on them to earn money to varying extents. At least dxomark have a standard set of protocols and a transparent scoring system. Have you read their full testing protocols? Most likely not. I think a lot of reviewers could learn a thing or two from their transparency. How many reviewers and review sites explain exactly how they test and how the score is calculated?

      Basically the only reviews you can really trust are from people who buy these phones themselves but unfortunately they are far and few between

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • mE0
        • 29 Apr 2023

        Seeing the purple lens flare on the one night shot leads me to believe the Leica lens branding is a lie. I have an expensive Panasonic Lumix camera with a Leica lens and the flare looks nothing as bad as that. It also looks nicer

          Facts Checker, 29 Apr 2023That's why the Xiaomi 13 Pro with exactly the same mai... moredo you believe in the Dxomark results as a serious source??? do you still believe in fairy tales???

            • F
            • Facts Checker
            • 0p}
            • 29 Apr 2023

            Anonymous, 28 Apr 20234,8 is too high.. I dont know why so high score lately ... moreIt's basically as bad or even worse than Xiaomi 13 Pro (in some things even worse, such as battery life or weight or screen brightness) and it still have some issues with ISP and moreso with selfie and they gave 4.8/5 yes it's quite a joke I agree.

            This phone is not even top 3 right now and it won't even end as top 5 in 2023.

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              • Facts Checker
              • 0p}
              • 29 Apr 2023

              Mr. Anonymous, 29 Apr 2023Apple and Samsung really need to catch up in camera departm... moreThat's why the Xiaomi 13 Pro with exactly the same main sensor and exactly the same ISP is not even top 20 in Dxomark? Way behind both S23 Ultra and 14 Pro Max?? Let's start looking at real results and stop looking at "specs on paper" these chinese brands, especially Xiaomi, have so bad software the sensors underperform.

              You can arrange that by installing GCam but imagine spending 1.500€ in a "camera phone" (which is not, won't even mention that bulky ugly design but you have to install 3rd party apps to get decent pics. And selfie cam is like a 300€ phone selfie.

                • F
                • Facts Checker
                • 0p}
                • 29 Apr 2023

                Automatically discarded. MIUI and MIUI ISP are simple jokes, the worst Android software in Android. Imagine paying +1.500€ to get bugs, ads and bloatware. Because of the ISP the cameras aren't good enough. 1080p selfie and bad battery life.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • 3kL
                  • 29 Apr 2023

                  Zoom 10x? Compared to s23 ultra?

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                    • Anonymous
                    • Bkf
                    • 29 Apr 2023

                    Anonymous, 29 Apr 2023Why is Leica authentic not default? it looks much better. v... moreLeica Vibrant was chosen because it's what a lot of people use for Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • Bkf
                      • 29 Apr 2023

                      YUKI93, 29 Apr 2023It seems that increasing the screen's peak brightness ... moreXiaomi 13 Ultra uses a different display panel compared to 13 Pro so it's expected to see differences.

                      Xiaomi 13 Pro uses Samsung E6
                      Xiaomi 13 Ultra uses TCL C7

                        YUKI93, 29 Apr 2023It seems that increasing the screen's peak brightness ... moreBut the manual brightness and auto peak brightness seem to be lower than the Xiaomi 13 pro according to the measurements here on the review. It also has quite low manual brightness relative to other flagships. Maybe the CSOT C7 screen is not as efficient as the Samsung E6 panel? 108 hours though is also acceptable overall I think. This is on Chinese software too though which might have something to do with it as the global Xiaomi 13 pro was reviewed. This could affect battery life

                          Off topic but, how do you follow users in gsmarena?

                            Personally think the main camera dual aperture and camera system flexibility overall are the main strengths. Also the balanced approach to sharpening at least on the main sensor. However, in reality now a lot of photos preferences will boil down to different tastes. I don't particularly like the Leica approach to saturation and shadows but others love it. Still, the saturation can be easily toned down a bit in a few seconds with the default camera editing app. I don't think there is a best camera phone between this and other flagships like the Oppo find x6 pro, Vivo x90 pro+ and even the Huawei p60 pro. Each has strengths and weaknesses and different styles of images. Having said that I think the Chinese variant of the Find x6 pro has a couple of big advantages over the Xiaomi 13 ultra for anyone in Europe considering importing the Chinese variants. Those are that it supports all Eurpoean bands (e.g. band 20) and it has an international warranty so you can use official customer service from Oppo in basically all countries it officially operates in. For the Xiaomi 13 ultra I think the global variant would be a better option at least for those in Europe, for the full band coverage and official local warranty. Wish some indoor photos in different lighting situations could be added to gsmarena's sample photos. It is always indoors in different lighting where the biggest differences emerge. I kind of feel like the scenarios used for photos could be more challenging e.g. more indoor shots that are not in a very bright room.

                              Nick Tegrataker, 29 Apr 2023The lens has a shallow depth of field so obviously the peta... moreThen I guess this may be the problem. I really miss now that focus stacking in lumia phones, even cheap ones like 520, getting all in focus by blending multiple shots.
                              Even before Lumias went down, app was no longer available. We acquired AI bokeh, but focus stacking would be better, besides getting sharp close up, all-in-focus would be awesome too. After all we would get bokeh and details as well.
                              Not to mention it could be cheaper than to do multi aperture, after all its just sw.
                              Just who will care to do that, maybe huawei?

                                It seems that increasing the screen's peak brightness nits really does take a toll on the battery rating's video and browsing time, which is a shame since this phone has a bigger battery than the 13 Pro while using the same type of screen panel as the 13 Pro.

                                As for the camera, the dual-stage aperture really helps a lot to reduce the field of view and the bokeh. I really love the pink flower shot at f/4.0, it's much better looking than f/1.9. It's about time more smartphone brands start embracing multiple aperture on their flagship phones.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • Mug
                                  • 29 Apr 2023

                                  Ok i'll file some to complain about. The selfie camera punch hole! to this day i dont like them and don't even need the front camera for 99.5% of the time and the rest 0.5% of times couldn't care less if the image is bad. It's for video chat not for front front cover pictures.

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • mE0
                                    • 29 Apr 2023

                                    sightseeing, 29 Apr 2023i love when suddenly everyone becomes an expert :pWell, I am a freelance photographer, actually

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                                      • Zuzuz
                                      • ajZ
                                      • 29 Apr 2023

                                      vrvly, 29 Apr 2023Lens problem causing soft petals feels like lens softness w... moreAre you really understand what are you looking at?!

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • n1c
                                        • 29 Apr 2023

                                        Why is Leica authentic not default? it looks much better. vibrant has too much saturated colour, compared to even Samsung's! And GSMarena's reviewers go by the same status quo that Leica authentic "requires a special mindset". No GSMarena! Stop manipulating and pre-conditioning poeole! That's a lie pushed onto people by OEMs. OEMs give no better alternative to people so they're unaware something better exists!
                                        I'm sure vast majority would prefer authentic/natural look over this overprocessed garbage IF they're given the choice (which they're not given, and even when given like in this phone, GSMarea and other commercially minded reviewers pre-condition people's mind with manipulative sentences). You'll hear same garbage when Sony phones are being reviewed.

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