Xiaomi 13 Ultra, co-engineered with Leica unveiled: All you need to know
The strategic cooperation between Xiaomi and Leica in the global imaging field has taken another crucial step: By further upgrading the Summicron lens for mobile imaging in the optical system, offering "a coming-of-age ceremony in mobile imaging".
Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the latest result of Xiaomi and Leica's collaboration in further advancing mobile imaging technology, debuted today at the Xiaomi 13 Ultra Launch Event. Flaunting a quad camera system centring the main camera with a 1-inch sensor and a variable aperture, an ultra-grade WQHD+ display with excellent colour accuracy, along with premium flagship Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 performance, all packed in a classic design, Xiaomi offers smartphone users seeking a professional camera experience, the ultimate in all capabilities.
Leica optics, to build the Summicron Lens of Leica in mobile imaging
The strategic cooperation between Xiaomi and Leica in the global imaging field has taken another crucial step: By further upgrading the Summicron lens for mobile imaging in the optical system, offering "a coming-of-age ceremony in mobile imaging".
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Inherited from the optical concept of the Leica M series, the Leica optical system of Xiaomi 13 Ultra has the characteristics of compact size, large aperture, high imaging performance, reliability, and durability. The lens adopts an ultra-high-order polynomial design, allowing the precision of the design to reach a nanometer level, nearing the optical limit. Meanwhile, a multi-layer coating greatly reduces glare and ghosting, presenting stable performance in extremely cold and extremely hot environments.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra is equipped with a quad camera system with Leica optical lens covering focal lengths ranging from 12mm (ultra-wide angle), 23mm (wide angle), 75mm (telephoto), to the new 120mm (super-telephoto), as well as the extra 46mm and 240mm lengths through the In-Sensor-Zoom. Adding on the full degree of focal length flexibility, the smartphone's professional camera setting offers variable aperture. Three of Xiaomi 13 Ultra's cameras feature an aperture wider than ƒ/2.0, which brings in more light and a soft, shallow depth of field, and allows for shorter shutter times, thus quicker capturing of natural and unmissable moments. Flaunting an ultra-large 1-inch IMX989 sensor and a new physical two-stop aperture switching between ƒ/1.9 and ƒ/4.0, the main camera offers content creators more freedom in customizing the exposures based on different scenarios.
Inspired by the "hyperfocal distance" shooting method commonly used by street photographers, Xiaomi 13 Ultra also brings a new Fast Shot mode that allows taking focus-free snapshots by setting the focus point manually, and later starting and capturing the moment in just 0.8s.
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Pro colour restoration capability powered end-to-end from capture to presentation
Xiaomi 13 Ultra has fully optimized the RAW workflow, and more algorithms are migrated to the RAW domain to maximize the dynamic range, details, and texture of the image, thus significantly improving imaging quality. The main camera supports 50MP RAW, bringing a higher imaging resolution, while providing multi-frame 14-bit UltraRAW, which takes the data directly from the computing pipeline, bringing better resolution and high dynamic range. Camera profiles will be created by Adobe, providing a better starting point for post-production.
In terms of display, Xiaomi 13 Ultra sports a 6.73-inch pro-grade WQHD+ display with excellent colour accuracy and up to 2600 nits peak brightness. This display is also calibrated according to the new CIE 2015 colorimetry, which supports perfect automatic colour management to ensure accurate and consistent colour presentation across different displays from Xiaomi devices released recently.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra also supports end-to-end experience supported by Dolby Vision, capturing vivid colours, astonishing contrast and brightness, along with a panoramic view of rich details in dark and bright areas, while offering users the opportunity to share their own creative content in UGC communities that support Dolby Vision.
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Ultra-fast experience with self-developed heat dissipation technology and Xiaomi Surge Battery Management System
As the annual masterpiece of the Xiaomi Ultra product line, Xiaomi 13 Ultra has the most powerful hardware configuration available, along with a suite of new innovative technologies for a top-notch flagship experience.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra pays tribute to the classic look of Leica's M camera series with its circular camera module, unibody metal frame and leather texture finish. Weighing 227g¹ and with the unibody metal frame giving more resilience for bending than the previous generation, the smartphone design provides the foundation for the entire structure and a more secure grip. Wrapped in a second-generation antibacterial nanotech silicone leather, the back panel of Xiaomi 13 Ultra not only resists fingerprints and smudges but also is antibacterial and anti-yellowing. Its bacterial inhibition rate can reach as high as 99%, perfect for nearly any environment.
Equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship processor, which adopts 4nm process technology, Xiaomi 13 Ultra brings superior performance and energy consumption. The smartphone supports RAM of up to 16GB LPDDR5x and UFS4.0 storage of up to 1 TB, as well as FBO (File Based Optimization). Xiaomi 13 Ultra also features a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface, achieving DisplayPort video output up to 4K 60Hz.
Thanks to Xiaomi's self-developed Loop LiquidCool technology, the first landing of an aerospace-grade large toroidal cooling system on a smartphone, Xiaomi 13 Ultra has achieved "one-way conduction" of the internal circulation through the "vapour-liquid separation" structure. This ensures equivalent thermal conductivity more than three times that of traditional VCs, and heat dissipation capacity exceeds 10W. With this powerful and advanced technology, Xiaomi 13 Ultra is capable of supporting stable 4K 60fps video recording without frame rate drop due to temperature.³
By pairing a Xiaomi Surge P2 Charging Chip and Xiaomi Surge G1 Battery Management Chip with a 5,000mAh battery, Xiaomi 13 Ultra utilizes a series of battery health functions and is able to estimate the battery life at extremely granular levels. Xiaomi 13 Ultra also adds a new Hibernation mode, which will be automatically triggered when the battery is low, limiting background activities and offering up to 60 minutes of additional standby.⁴
New Xiaomi ecosystem products
Announced with Xiaomi 13 Ultra is Xiaomi Smart Band 8, which features a high-resolution 1.62” full AMOLED screen and new metal texture frame, additionally offering different material straps which can be easily changed with a single click. Xiaomi Smart Band 8 also offers a variety of accessories that allow affixing the device to shoes or necklaces. In addition to offering fast charging, the device also has improved battery life. With a new light sensor, Xiaomi Smart Band 8 supports automatic adjustment according to ambient light intensity. Also launched today are Xiaomi Pad 6 Series, Xiami TV Master Mini LED 86-inch, and Mijia PIPI Desk Lamp.
With all-metal bodies, Xiaomi Pad 6 and Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro feature an upgraded 11-inch flagship display with 2.8K resolution and are powered by Snapdragon 8+ processor. Equipped with an exceptionally large 8,600mAh battery and 67W fast charging, along with new software features that enhance the overall user experience, Xiaomi Pad 6 is a perfect device to use for office use, especially for online meetings.
Pricing and availability
Xiaomi 13 Ultra will first be available for sale in Mainland China starting on April 21 and will be available in various international markets in the next few months. The device will be available in three colours:
- Black
- White
- Olive Green.
The handset is available with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage capacity and is priced at RMB 5,999, another variant is 16GB RAM and 512GB storage which has been priced at RMB 6,499, and the third variant is 16GB RAM and 1TB storage has been priced at RMB 7,299.
Xiaomi TV Master Mini LED 86-inch is priced at RMB 14,999. Xiaomi Pad 6 series is available for sale starting from RMB 1,999. Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is available for sale starting from RMB 249, Mijia PIPI Desk Lamp is priced at RMB 499.