Xiaomi 13 Pro first impressions: Leica-engineered camera set-up is exciting

• Xiaomi 13 Pro features a 1-inch camera sensor with a 75mm floating telephoto lens.
• The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
• The smartphone is available only in one variant.

Xiaomi has finally brought its flagship smartphone, the 13 Pro, to India. While the smartphone is an upgrade over the 12 Pro, its Leica co-engineered camera is making the headlines.

Unlike China, Xiaomi is introducing only the top-of-the-line 13 Pro here, not the regular 13 variants. Moreover, the smartphone is launched only in a single specification - 12GB RAM paired with 256GB of internal storage.

I have been using the Xiaomi 13 Pro for a while but can't share my detailed thoughts and observations yet. I do have some initial thoughts about the phone. Read on to find out more.

Unboxing
Xiaomi 13 Pro comes packed in a heavy box, which adds a premium appeal. There is a 13 Pro branding up front with a text reading - co-engineered with Leica on the bottom. Making it clear how proud Xiaomi is of the partnership.

Unboxing the phone, we are greeted with some paperwork, a TPU case, a SIM ejector tool, and a screen guard. Yes, considering most of us have difficulty finding one for curved displays, Xiaomi has served customers by providing one in the box. I won’t suggest applying it yourself.

We have the device wrapped and neatly placed on the second deck. We have the 120W charger on the lowest deck and a USB Type-A to C cable. Note that getting a charging brick in the box has become a luxury on premium phones, so that’s a major plus.

You can check out our unboxing here.

Design & Display

Holding the Xiaomi 13 Pro for the first time, I can definitely feel a heft to it over the 12 Pro. This is a chunkier device but well executed. The smartphone has an amalgamation of curved edges on the side and a flat top and bottom. This glass sandwich design has an aluminum frame holding the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus front and a ceramic back.

It is available in two variants ceramic white and ceramic black. I liked the black one a bit more since it had a textured finish. The ceramic white, while looking premium, is a fingerprint magnet.

On the back, we have the triple camera set-up with a protruding camera bump. There are no surprises, considering it houses the hero 1-inch sensor and an ultra-wide and telephoto sensor. There would be a Leica branding here if it wasn't obvious already.

We get a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display here with a max refresh rate of 120Hz. The display also supports Dolby Vision HDR along with HDR 10+ and HDR.

While I can’t reveal much about my experience using it yet, it has impressed me so far.

The peak brightness on display is 1900 nits which, according to Xiaomi, is essential to enjoy the pictures you will click from the device. The display also houses the fingerprint sensor.

The smartphone comes with a dual speaker set-up that supports Dolby Atmos.

Software & Performance

The Xiaomi 13 Pro runs on Android 13 out of the box paired with MiUi 14 skin. The brand has promised three years of Android updates and five years of security updates on the smartphone.

As for the processor, it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is the brand’s flagship SoC this year. Xiaomi

is offering the 13 Pro only in one configuration in India where we will see 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Users also get an option for expanding virtual RAM by 7GB.

It packs in a 4820 mAh battery which supports 120W of Xiaomi hypercharge. The brand claims the smartphone can go from 0-100% in 19 minutes. It also supports 50W of wireless turbocharging.

Camera

This primary camera is a 1-inch IMX989 sensor, with an f/1.9 aperture. It sports Leica VARIA-SUMMICRON engineering. The sensor also supports Xiaomi’s pro-focus for better photography.

The video recording prowess is also solid where-in the camera can record 8K video up to 24fps. You can also record up to 4K videos at 30fps in Dolby vision. The camera also supports the ultra-night vision for better low light photography.

Then we have the 75mm floating telephoto 50MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization. It features focal shift technology.

Finally, there is a 14mm Leica 50MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 115˚ field of view.

The camera app also sees some serious changes on the 13 Pro, with two photographic styling - Leica authentic look and Leica vibrant look.

The selfie camera here is a 32MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture. The selfie camera also sports a night mode and a portrait mode. You can record 1080P videos up to 30fps from the selfie camera.

Initial Impressions
On paper, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a massive upgrade over the 12 Pro, with a new camera system and an upgrade in processor. The revised design, along with the materials used, also makes the device an exciting proposition. Also, the fast charging with a charging brick in the box makes it an interesting alternative.

So far I have used the smartphone for three days, and I am most impressed with the package Xiaomi has offered here. However, there are some rough edges which I will talk about in my full review.