Eric Zeman / Android Authority
Xiaomi is well known as a midrange player, with its Redmi and Poco brands being the company’s bread and butter in terms of shipping volume. But the company has also long offered flagship phones, and the Numbered Series (formerly Mi) is its most important flagship line. The company launched the Xiaomi 12 series in global markets in early 2022, but what does it have in store for the Xiaomi 13 family? There are quite a few unconfirmed details at the moment, but here’s everything we know about the new flagship lineup.
Will there be a Xiaomi 13 series?
Eric Zeman / Android Authority
Xiaomi has released a family of flagship smartphones every year for years now, so it’s all but guaranteed we’ll see the Xiaomi 13 – more most likely a Pro variant – in 2023. Xiaomi has also launched the more compact 12X alongside the 12 and 12 Pro earlier this year, so we’re expecting a Xiaomi 13X alongside the 13 and 13 Pro.
Will it really be called the Xiaomi 13? Well, that’s just a guess for now. But the company has already changed things. More recently, it dropped the “Mi” prefix, so the Mi 11 was replaced by the Xiaomi 12. Going back even further, the company skipped the Mi 7 name in favor of the Mi 8 moniker.
When will the Xiaomi 13 be released?
Kris Carlon / Android Authority
- Xiaomi Mi 9 — February 20, 2019
- Xiaomi Mi 10 series — February 13, 2020
- Xiaomi Mi 11 series — December 28, 2020
- Xiaomi 12 series — December 28, 2021
Xiaomi has not confirmed the existence of the Xiaomi 13 series, let alone a release date. But a look at previous Xiaomi releases, seen above, gives us an idea of what to expect.
It’s a safe bet that we should see the phones by February 2023 for the latest. But the company’s decision to launch the latest two generations at the end of December means we could very well see the same thing happen with the Xiaomi 13.
It looks like the Xiaomi 13 might launch in late 2022, but first in China.
It’s also worth noting that the launch dates above are primarily for China. Global markets could be a few weeks to months behind if it is not a simultaneous deal between China and the world. For example, the Xiaomi Mi 9 was launched in Europe on February 24, 2019. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 12 landed in Europe on March 15.
A rumor from tipster Weibo Digital Chat Station suggests that we could even see a November launch for the Xiaomi 13. That would be much sooner than before, likely following the launch of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which also happens in November. .
What features and specifications will the Xiaomi 13 series have?
Zarif Ali / Android Authority
Here’s what we know about the Xiaomi 13 family so far based on leaks and educated guesses.
Design
We haven’t seen many reliable leaks regarding the design of the Xiaomi 13 series. Perhaps the most notable leak so far has come from the TechGoing exit. The post got an apparent render of the Xiaomi 13 Pro. It’s obviously not the standard model, but it gives us a possible idea of what the standard model might look like. Look at the image below.
Specifications and Features
Perhaps the most obvious feature we’re expecting is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, as Xiaomi’s flagship phones are usually among the first to adopt the new high-end Snapdragon silicon.
Leaker Digital Chat Station reportedly claimed that the vanilla Xiaomi 13 would gain QHD+ resolution and an LTPO OLED display. The standard Xiaomi 12 missed out on this feature, while the Xiaomi Mi 11 did indeed gain a QHD+ display. So anyone can guess at this point.
A Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC seems like a no-brainer for the Xiaomi 13.
There’s no word yet on battery capacity for either phone, but a certification listing apparently shows wired charging speeds of 67W for the standard model. This would be in line with the current vanilla flagship. Truth be told, we’re happy with that power if it means Xiaomi can deliver excellent battery health while charging at those speeds. Meanwhile, a certification listing for the Pro model shows 120W charging speeds, in line with the Xiaomi 12 Pro.
We’re not sure of all the camera-related specs just yet, but it seems obvious that the Xiaomi 13 series will offer Leica branding. However, Weibo tipsters pointed to a one-inch main camera, likely landing on the Pro model.
Xiaomi’s latest vanilla flagships haven’t offered a telephoto lens, but hopefully that will change this time around. However, the Pro model has generally offered a telephoto lens, so it stands to reason we’ll see that option on the 13 Pro.
What will be the price of the Xiaomi 13?
- Xiaomi Mi 10 -Rs. 49,999 / €799 / £699
- Xiaomi Mi 11 — €749 / £749
- Xiaomi 12 — €799 / £749
- Xiaomi 12 Pro — €999 / £1,049
There’s no word on pricing yet, but we can speculate based on the prices of Xiaomi’s previous flagship phones. The Xiaomi 12 received a €50 price hike in Europe over the Mi 11, while UK prices remained the same. However, the Xiaomi Mi 10 was actually £50 cheaper than the Mi 11 in the UK but €50 more expensive in Europe. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 12 Pro has taken the series to a much higher price bracket.
Anyway, it stands to reason that we will see similar prices for the Xiaomi 13 series. Could we even see a price drop with the new phones? Well, we wouldn’t bet on it, but hopefully Google’s aggressive pricing with its Pixel series will spur equally aggressive discounts from OEMs like Xiaomi.
Xiaomi 13: what we want to see
The flagship Xiaomi Mi series has gone from strength to strength over the years. It started out as an affordable flagship range, but has since become your typical high-end series, taking on Apple, Google and Samsung.
The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro will likely pick up where the standard Xiaomi 12 series left off in early 2022. But here’s how the Chinese brand can deliver a better product.
Water resistance
Eric Zeman / Android Authority
One of the most disappointing omissions for the Xiaomi Pair 12 was the lack of water resistance. That’s a big departure from rival flagship phones, which offer IP67 or IP68 ratings for full water resistance.
We really want to see Xiaomi bring that to its future flagship release, then. And the company can’t easily pull out a OnePlus and claim that IP ratings are very expensive while even cheaper devices like the Pixel 7 offer a high level of intruder protection.
Improve zoom capabilities
Eric Zeman / Android Authority
The vanilla Mi 10, Mi 11 and Xiaomi 12 all lack telephoto lenses, despite the Mi 9, Mi 8 and Mi 6 having them. The Xiaomi 12 Pro had a telephoto lens, but it was limited to a measly 2x optical zoom.
We hope to see the Chinese manufacturer reverse this trend and offer a telephoto lens on the Xiaomi 13 to offer better quality zoom. But if Xiaomi decides not to use a telephoto lens, we hope the company comes up with top-notch image algorithms for close-range zoom. In the meantime, we’d like to see a more impressive tele zoom on the Pro model.
A more competitive price
Xiaomi’s core Mi range were once affordable flagship phones in the best sense of the word, offering excellent value for money. But the game has changed in recent years and established players (Google, Samsung) and other Chinese brands (OnePlus, Realme) are arguably offering better value for money these days.
Just take a look at the launch price of the Xiaomi 12 in Europe, which is €799 (~$805). It’s €150 more expensive than the Pixel 7 on the market. We wish the Xiaomi 13 could compete against Google and Samsung by offering a much more competitive price.
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