The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is getting an international launch – eventually – and for the first time we think we really should think about picking an Ultra up
Xiaomi has released overkill Ultra versions of its flagships for the last few years, but the 13 Ultra marks a sea change for the company in two respects.
Firstly, this is the only Ultra so far to be promised an international launch – we don’t know exactly when or where yet (and it almost certainly won’t include the US), but the 13 Ultra will launch outside of China.
Secondly, this is also the first Ultra I think people really should consider buying. Not just because of its global availability, but because for once this phone represents a well-rounded (albeit OTT) feature set.
This is a compelling uber-flagship to rival Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, instead of a gimmicky concoction intended only to flex the muscles of Xiaomi’s R&D department. If you can afford to drop more than a grand on your next phone, this really should be one of the handsets you consider. Design & build
Enormous, sloped body
Colossal rear camera module
Vegan leather finish
Let’s get the obvious out the way: this phone is big. And its camera module feels, impossibly, even bigger. It’s outlandishly, distractingly large, and routinely sparks questions when people spot me using the 13 Ultra.
I don’t hate the huge camera, but it’s certainly a statement. Xiaomi has actually tried to minimise the effect by sloping the back of the body up so that the phone as a whole is thicker around the camera, slightly masking how much it protrudes.
I was worried this would make the phone uncomfortably top-heavy, and it is a bit, but overall the weight is surprisingly well-balanced. In fact, at 227g, this feels heavy but not unduly so – it’s a few grams lighter than either the S23 Ultra or iPhone 14 Pro Max, and is about the same size as those phones overall.
Basically, it’s big, but so are its rivals – just know what you’re getting yourself into.
One differentiator is that all three colours of the 13 Ultra – white, black, or olive green – come with a vegan leather finish. This is one of a few touches Xiaomi has taken to emulate the aesthetics of classic SLR cameras, and I’m a fan. The grippy finish makes the phone easier to hold – important when it’s this size – and adds welcome durability given its high price point.
The phone’s frame is made from aluminium, and combines flat sides with rounded corners to keep it comfy in the hand. Gorilla Glass Victus on the display and an IP68 rating complete the build, making this one of the toughest flagships around.
Finally, biometrics are handled by a fingerprint sensor built into the display, plus a face unlock option provided by the punch-hole selfie camera. Both work well. Screen & speakers
Spacious 6.73in screen
LTPO OLED with 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate
Punchy, crisp stereo speakers
Given the phone’s sheer size, it’s no real surprise to see a screen to match it. The 6.73in panel here is among the biggest you’ll find, making this as well-suited to productivity as it is to gaming or streaming movies.
Display quality impresses too: Xiaomi has used LTPO OLED display tech, which allows the screen to dynamically scale its refresh rate from a peak of 120Hz all the way down to 1Hz. That nets you the benefits of smooth scrolling and animations when needed, and battery boosts from the screen slowing down when it can.
This is paired with a crisp 1440 x 3200 resolution to produce a display that really is among the best you’ll find. Just about everything looks good on this panel, and if for some reason it isn’t to your pleasing then Xiaomi has included a wealth of colour profiles and settings to help you fine-tune your content.
The stereo speakers are almost as good. With one down-firing and one top-firing the stereo effect is solid, but more importantly there’s plenty of volume and a surprisingly open soundscape, with more sonic separation than I’m used to out of a phone.
This won’t replace your favourite Bluetooth speaker, but it’ll do the job in a pinch, and packs enough power and clarity to soundtrack games and TV shows. Specs & performance
Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip
Up to 1TB storage and 16GB RAM
Excellent networking
The 13 Ultra is, to no-one’s surprise, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. At the time of writing this is the latest and greatest chip you can get in an Android phone, and Xiaomi is out-paced only (and very slightly) by the custom over-clocked version of the same chip found in Samsung’s Galaxy S23 line.
Paired with up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM for the phone’s Chinese launch (though this may vary when it comes out internationally) the phone really flies. This is a total powerhouse, which can drive the latest Android games or multi-task with ease.
Benchmarks tell a similar story.
