Xiaomi 13T Pro review

Introduction

Xiaomi's mid-cycle flagship refresh is now live, and the new T lineup will be remembered for bringing the "co-engineered with Leica" camera and finally bridging the gap between the Number and T series. They are also the first waterproof Xiaomi T phones. Today, we will be reviewing the Xiaomi 13T Pro model, which upgrades the standard 13T with a faster chip, faster charging, 8K video capturing, and Wi-Fi 7.

The Xiaomi T lineup arrives like clockwork - weeks before the Chinese premiere of the Xiaomi 14 series. The T devices are not necessarily updates over the regular models, but they do offer a cherry-picked set of features, which usually target maximum performance or complete camera experience. This year, we got the latter.

The Xiaomi 13T Pro is an IP68-rated smartphone with a familiar Xiaomi13-eque design. You can have it with either glass or eco-leather back. Its centerpiece is the 6.67-inch AMOLED display of 1220p resolution with support for dynamic 144Hz refresh rate, 12-bit color depth, and Dolby Vision.

Xiaomi has put the Dimensity 9200+ chipset in charge of the 13T Pro, which is the best MediaTek SoC on the market. The phone has 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS4.0 storage, the fastest available on the market right now.

The Leica-powered rear camera setup should be one of the most interesting bits on the Xiaomi 13T Pro. There is a large 50MP primary with OIS, another (smaller) 50MP camera with a 2x zoom lens, and a 12MP ultrawide camera with a fixed focus. The main camera on the 13T Pro supports up to 8K24 video capturing, while the same imager on the 13T maxes out at 4K60.

The Xiaomi 13T comes with Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, a nice compliment to the Dolby Vision screen.

Finally, the 13T's 5,000mAh battery supports 120W fast wired charging, and according to Xiaomi, a full charge should take only 19 minutes.

Xiaomi 13T Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.2x75.7x8.5mm, 200g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back or silicone polymer back, plastic frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.67" AMOLED, 68B colors, 144Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 2600 nits (peak), 1220x2712px resolution, 20.01:9 aspect ratio, 446ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 9200+ (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.35 GHz Cortex-X3 & 3x3.0 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Immortalis-G715 MC11.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 13, MIUI 14.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.28", 1.22µm, PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/1.9, 50mm, 1/2.88", 0.61µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 1/3.06", 1.12µm.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 4K/1080p@30fps HDR10+, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; 10-bit LOG, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, HDR10+.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 120W wired, PD3.0, QC4, 100% in 19 min (advertised).
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

The Xiaomi 13T Pro brings some nice firsts for the series, like the more advanced camera and the IP68-rated design. But it also keeps one dated legacy feature and probably the only potential setback we can foresee - the 20MP Quad-Bayer selfie camera. C'mon, Xiaomi, whenever this archaic thing goes, it'd still be too late!

And now that we said our peace, it's time to unbox the Xiaomi 13T Pro.

Unboxing the Xiaomi 13T Pro

The Xiaomi 13T Pro arrives in a thick paper box, the opposite of the eco-friendly puny boxes of Apple, Samsung and Sony. It contains the phone itself and a thin protective film already applied on its screen.

Inside the paper compartment you will find a transparent soft case and some paperwork.

Finally, there are the 120W GaN brick and the USB-A-to-C cable at the bottom of the box.