Xiaomi 13: what we know so far and what we want to see

Xiaomi 13: what we know so far and what we want to see

We expect the Xiaomi 13 to be the next series of flagship phones from Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, and it could land soon, with an announcement before the end of 2022 looking like a distinct possibility.

Is it really the Xiaomi 13, even if this number brings bad luck to some? We imagine: Xiaomi is based in China, where 13 is not the unlucky number (four is).

We still don't know much about the Xiaomi 13 itself, but there has been a major leak detailing the Xiaomi 13 Pro, which you can find below.

But as the company's next true flagship phone, the Xiaomi 13 is naturally where our thoughts drift, not least because it will be a great competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14.

This article is where we'll list the big leaks or rumors as they happen, and you'll also find a wish list of what we want to see on the Xiaomi 13.

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Xiaomi 13 release date and price

Xiaomi 12

(Image credit: future)

Xiaomi often launches its new flagship phones at the end of the year in China, but it waits until February or March before they're available worldwide, and that's just for the "main" phone, the Lite and Ultra versions, which sometimes they are often released later.

For that reason, it's hard to pin down a vague release window for the phones, let alone a more concrete release date, but it's likely we'll start hearing leaks giving us more information before too long.

A leaker believes it will launch in November 2022 in China, which could hint that its release elsewhere could be early as well.

This coincides with an early Xiaomi 13 leak, coming from a fan website called Xiaomiui, which found model numbers for four upcoming Xiaomi flagships (two of which are Chinese versions of the other two). He claims that these are for the Xiaomi 13. and Xiaomi 13 Pro, further suggesting that finding these model numbers suggests that the phones will launch earlier than expected.

Because Xiaomi's phones are family owned, there will be a range of mobile phones hitting different price points. You can expect a Lite version for budget users, a mid-priced 13T series towards the end of 2023, and the Xiaomi 13, 13 Pro and 13 Ultra will likely be premium phones, the Ultra with a super high price tag.

Xiaomi 13 news and leaks

We've now gotten our first look at what the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro might look like, thanks to unofficial renderings from a trusted source. You can see some of them below.

In the case of the standard Xiaomi 13, the design looks like a mix of the Xiaomi 12 and iPhone 14, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro shown here has a much more curved design, thanks to its curved screen.

A small number of specs were also included with these renders. The Xiaomi 13 will apparently have a 6.2-inch screen, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro will reportedly have a 6.65-inch one, plus a 50.3MP main camera, dimensions of 163.0 x 74 x 6mm (increasing to 8.8mm at the end). ). rear camera bump), and will come in shades of black, white, pink, and green.

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An unofficial render of the Xiaomi 13An unofficial render of the Xiaomi 13 (Image credit: OnLeaks / Compare Dial)An unofficial render of the Xiaomi 13 ProAn unofficial render of the Xiaomi 13 Pro (Image credit: OnLeaks/Zoutons)

Elsewhere, Digital Chat Station, a leaker with a strong track record, said that the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, will come on Android 13, and the larger of the two (probably the Pro) It will also have a 2K screen, which would indicate that this is an iterative update over the Xiaomi 12 equivalents, unless there are other updates lurking in other areas.

A more detailed leak has since surfaced, but it only concerns the Xiaomi 13 Pro. This phone will apparently have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, up to 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, 2-inch 6.7K display, 4800mAh battery with 120W charging and will apparently run Android 13.

It is also said to have a 50MP main camera with a massive 1-inch sensor, along with a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP telephoto lens, and a 32MP selfie snap.

Xiaomi 13: what we want to see

Here's our wish list for the Xiaomi 13, taking a look at the company's previous phones and other things going on in the mobile industry.

1. A telephoto lens

The Xiaomi 12 camera hit

(Image credit: future)

Xiaomi tries to position its phones as champions in photography and videography, but the lack of a telephoto lens really hampers its abilities in those departments.

Telephoto lenses are normally used for zoom photography, but they are also great because they create a more attractive effect of depth and also allow you to get closer to subjects without having to move. These two reasons are as important to film as they are to photograph.

Although Xiaomi sometimes includes telephoto lenses in its high-end phones, the standard Xiaomi 12 did not have any, and neither did the Lite and T versions. But we wish Xiaomi would commit to using zooms more widely so that its phones really have a chance to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S series.

2. A lower minimum price

Xiaomi offers Lite versions of its flagships for people who can't afford the more expensive family members, but it doesn't launch them at the same time. You often have months to wait for a budget alternative, and usually around six months for the T version, which is a mid-range version of the flagship.

To give fans of budget phones something to buy right away, we'd like to see the standard Xiaomi 13 start for less than $749 / $749 that the Xiaomi 12 started at. It doesn't matter if it's a Xiaomi 13X (there was a 12X but it didn't go on sale globally), we just want a mid-range phone to see us through to the T-series.

3. Cleaning software

We've been complaining about Xiaomi's Android MIUI fork since the beginning of recorded history, and while fixes have been made (and Xiaomi is no longer the worst offender), the smartphone's operating system still isn't perfect.

One of the issues we run into is bloatware, as business phones often have some third-party apps pre-installed that you usually end up removing. The other problem is that the phones can often have quite buggy software, with features crashing or failing more often than competing phones.

For the Xiaomi 13 to be a true flagship to compete with the Galaxy and iPhones of the world, Xiaomi needs to make MIUI a clean, high-end operating system that comes with useful extra features and doesn't crash all the time.

A Xiaomi 12 Pro from the front in someone's hand

(Image credit: LaComparacion)

4. Design improvements in progress

The Xiaomi 12 was the first Xiaomi flagship to really turn heads: it had a slightly textured back, came in beautiful pastel colors, and used a two-tone design that gave it a cool look.

We'd like to see Xiaomi continue this trend of making attractive smartphones, perhaps with bolder color options (we're always fans of red or gold devices), or with an improved camera that stands out more.

5. A simultaneous release

While the Xiaomi 12 series launched in China in December 2021, it wasn't until a few months later that it went on sale in the rest of the world; by then, the hype over the phone had died down after its initial debut.

Xiaomi isn't the only company launching early in China, and it's not the only company suffering from this hype train derailment.

This is especially the case with Xiaomi trying more and more to be a bigger player in the phone space: Huawei only became a giant when it realized that it had to launch its product with great fanfare for the whole world, not just for one region.

With that in mind, we would like to see the Xiaomi 13 launched and launched for all regions of the world in one go, as Samsung and Apple are doing. We don't want to miss out on the phone before it goes on sale.