Xiaomi 13 Ultra review

Video quality

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra records video at up to 8K24 with all four rear cameras. 4K resolution is supported at 24, 30, and 60fps on all four rear cameras, too. That also includes the 2x zoom level. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is capped at 1080p resolution, at both 30 and 60fps.

There's an always-on stabilization in all modes on all cameras, including 8K.

Let's get a few things out of the first so we don't have to repeat ourselves a dozen times. Regardless of which zoom level you're at, the 30fps and 24fps modes produce identical quality, while 60fps footage is ever so slightly softer. That's hardly surprising, given that bit rate does not really change with frame rate - 60fps gets the same 50Mbps (on a tripod) or 61-63Mbps (handheld) as both 30fps and 24fps (for 4K resolution and h.264 codec). Xiaomi could have spared a few extra Mbps for the 60fps modes.

8K24, meanwhile, hovers around 105Mbps (again, with the h.265 codec).

Audio is always recorded in stereo at 320kbps.

So, main camera footage in 4K is excellent. The exposure is on point, and the dynamic range is nice and wide with well-developed shadows and highlights despite the clouds not making things easy for the Ultra. We're also getting the same lively color output we had in stills. Detail is very good too, and noise is non-existent.

8K capture is more in the okay category, even with the adjusted expectations for smartphone 8K. We're seeing marginally better definition in some texts in the distance, but it's not significantly improved over 4K. Random textures also don't look particularly appealing. Global properties remain the same as in 4K though, which is nice.

At 2x zoom, we're getting more of an upscaled look, and per-pixel quality isn't great - the 8K capture looks better from up close. The boost in color saturation also makes things go overboard a bit.

The 3.2x zoom camera brings us back on track with some great video quality. As we saw in stills, the Xiaomi does great with consistency from camera to camera when it comes to colors and exposure.

The 5x telephoto brings no surprises either and maintains the overall well-tuned look.

The ultrawide is mostly in line with the rest as well. It's just that the extremely wide field of view and the white clouds pose more of a challenge for its exposure and in its quest to protect the highlights, it's left the shadows a bit too dark. It's not strictly an issue, more of an observation for this particular scene. Pixel-level detail is solid, though even so, the 13 Ultra's ultrawide videos aren't the sharpest around.

Low-light results from the Ultra's main camera are very good, but there's something missing. While they are sharp and there are good levels of detail, we'd prefer a brighter exposure than what the phone delivers - to the tune of about a stop more.

The ultrawide has an even tougher time in the dark - again, on account of its particularly wide coverage. Overall, its clips could be better - they're underexposed and on the soft side.

The tighter frame helps the telephotos, allowing you to shoot just the better-lit parts of a scene. Both do okay with exposure and color reproduction, though both deliver only average sharpness. The 5x's astigmatism is evident in videos as well.

What we can't fault the 13 Ultra for is its stabilization. The main camera and the ultrawide expertly stabilize walking shake, all four cameras stay planted on a subject if you're standing in one spot, and all four pan smoothly. Top stuff!

Here's a glimpse of how the Xiaomi 13 Ultra compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra against the Oppo Find X6 Pro and the vivo X90 Pro in our Video compare tool