Xiaomi 13 Ultra was launched in China on Tuesday. The smartphone has quite possibly been the most-awaited release from the Chinese smartphone maker in 2023. Following multiple reports and leaks about the handset’s specifications and design, the company also teased customers with certain details about the handset leading up to its debut. It is equipped with Leica-tuned cameras with high-end custom Summicron lenses. Xiaomi and Leica entered into a long-term partnership earlier this year to optimise image quality on the former’s smartphone offerings. The phone also introduces a ‘Hibernation’ mode, claimed to optimise battery usage when the device has only 1 percent of battery left.
Offered in Black, White and Green colour variants, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is available in three storage configurations. The lowest variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage is priced at CNY 5,999 (roughly Rs. 71,600), while the mid-range 16GB + 512GB RAM and storage variant costs CNY 6,499 (roughly Rs. 77,500). On the other hand, the top-of-the-line 16GB + 1TB variant is priced at CNY 7,299 (roughly Rs. 87,000).
Xiaomi is yet to announce plans to launch the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in markets outside China, including India.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra specifications, features
The newly-launched dual SIM (Nano) smartphone from Xiaomi sports a 6.73-inch AMOLED WQHD+ (3,200 x 1,440) display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, a touch sampling rate of 360Hz, with a peak brightness level of 1,300 nits. It runs MIUI 14 based on Android 13 out-of-the-box.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is powered by a 4nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset along with an Adreno 740 GPU. It comes equipped with up to 16GB of LPPDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage.
The highlight of the device is the camera unit it comes with. The Leica-tuned rear quad camera unit comprises a 50-megapixel 1-inch IMX989 sensor and three 50-megapixel IMX858 sensors. The cameras offer six varying focal lenses and come with customised Summicron lenses by Leica.
The 32-megapixel front camera is housed in a centre-aligned hole-punch cutout at the top of the display. The camera settings also include a Fast Shot mode that is said to be designed for street photography. The mode enables the user to click a picture within 0.8 seconds.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery unit with 90W wired and 50W wireless fast charging support. The wired fast charging solution is claimed to fully charge the handset in 34 minutes.
The company has also introduced a Hibernation mode in the device. It activates when the phone has only 1 percent of battery backup remaining. It enables the phone to stay on for 60 minutes to help connect with others and offers a talk time of 12 minutes. The phone also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and an in-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, according to the company.
