Ultra Phone Battle! | Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 

Flagship phones cost a lot of brass these days. The optical zoom is probably the only thing that would make me consider it. Amazing results in both there!

Someone needs to step up to IP69 rating

I have had the S23 Ultra since February, and I have been really enjoying this phone! The speakers are certainly loud enough to hear you clearly when the lawn mowers are right below the window!😅

I picked the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. You can't go wrong when it's offered at 70-75% of the price of the Samsung. I have had it since the second day of its release and it rocks.

Confirmation bias is a very real phenomenon and everyone wants to believe the device they spent money on is the one that's the best but it's always important to keep in mind you owe no brand your loyalty and at the end of the day they sell a product and you buy it, that's where it begins and that's where it ends, simple as. Now, I personally own both the S23 Ultra and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra which also has a 1" sensor. I'd go so far as to say it is currently the best as far as main sensors go as it's been coupled with a variable aperture main Leica lens that can stop down to f4.0 which really goes the extra mile as it's a perfect marriage of the sensor size and the optical hardware to pull all the possible detail at both the optical level and the resolution limits, so my experience may be slightly different from the typical 1" sensors but it shouldn't be too far off. First of all, the Oppo Find X6 Pro+ also mentioned currently is known to produce fake 50mp photos in JPEG, it upscales 12mp photos so if that happens to be anyone's use case scenario, I'd avoid that. RAWs should be okay? The S23 Ultra does fantastic when you consider it has much smaller pixels at 0.6 microns (up to 2.4 at 16-1 12mp binning and 1.2 at 4:1 50mp binning). Truth be told though, the 12mp photos are extremely poor and no amount of settings, file format options or camera assistant tweaks can change that. They're dreadful, soft, noisy and only good for quick shots. It's very apparent that the 16 to 1 pixel binning is pretty awful for ANY detail scenario or genuine photography. The 12.5mp photos on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra destroy the S23 Ultra to the point where it's genuinely shocking. I believe Samsung's gone overboard with the compression of the photos to save space and that strange corner-cutting measure really hurts them when the hardware is so capable. A little known fact is even when .heic photos are taken, which should in fact be better quality despite the smaller file sizes as it also supports 16-bit colour, but they often have much worse quality than the jpeg format. This is because Samsung actually saves and processes the photos internally as jpegs before saving the final output in the .heic container. They've done this completely backwards which is bizarre for a company with the know-how Samsung has, and it's a joke. A 12mp JPEG on my Xiaomi 13 Ultra is usually around 12mb whereas on my S23 Ultra it's around 2mb. Whoever is in charge of the software side of that is really sabotaging the efforts of the engineers who designed the sensors. The S23 Ultra can take phenomenal photos at 200mp in Natural mode aka without all the shitty sharpening and frame-merging applied on top, and results in filmic-looking photos. They really are something to marvel at especially when you consider its main sensor is 80% smaller than the 1" sensors used by its rivals. However, in natural mode any lens flaws are highlighted by the lack of post processing, and it's no word of a lie that I had to exchange my S23 Ultra 9 times to settle on one that did not have a defective lens. This is nothing short of the most atrocious quality control I've ever seen in my life, and unfortunately it's something a lot of consumers don't know. You're all being duped and you don't even know it. Even the biggest RU-vidrs like MKBHD, Linus etc, I challenge you to bring me your S23 Ultra and you'll be shocked at what I'll help you discover. Now, this is in NO way malicious on their parts, they genuinely don't know the lengths Samsung has gone to hide this issue on their latest flagships. I'd be surprised if they were aware as it's not something you would expect of a company this big and established. I'm not even sure if it's maliciousness on Samsung's part or just bad internal communication and fumbling. Long story short, the S23 Ultra can take far superior, natural quality photos than most are aware but it's just hidden and for good reason. Even in 200mp mode, these, too, are hampered by the archaic compression and it's a massive injustice as a 200mp photo is often the same size as a 12mp photo from the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. 50mp RAWs are gorgeous from the S23 Ultra, simply sublime. It can actually go down to ISO 10 even in Manual mode if you adjust it correctly and don't set THAT part manually. That's when the RAW photos are at their best and make you marvel. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra does take far superior low light photos and the size difference of the sensor can't be overcome by software trickery. The RAWs are close but the Xiaomi can recover much more highlights and consequently when ETTR you can pull image quality that results in the same low noise floor as the ISO 10 mode in the S23 Ultra but with slightly sharper results at f4.0. Overall? They're both fantastic devices in their own way and have their strengths and weaknesses. I kept both as they're the respective bests in their field as far as I'm concerned and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is more camera than just phone, although the phone hardware also matches the S23 Ultra and in some cases beats it, while in other fields the S23 Ultra beats it. Nothing speaks elegance like the square bulky uncut gorgeous screen and shape of the S23 Ultra. It means business. But the comfort and look of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and its camera prowess and video playback and screen tuning options are the only pair I've seen that do an OLED mobile display with their marvelous technology justice as it's essentially unlocked and lets you bring out its strengths. The Samsung, by comparison, is more locked down and Apple-esque which I'm not so fond of. I've taken photos with my Xiaomi 13 Ultra portrait wise that the Samsung S23 Ultra failed miserably at. It's no slur towards the S23 Ultra, as it's a fantastic device and using it as my portable gaming streaming outlet strapped to a Gamesir X2 streaming from my 13900K at 6.1ghz paired with a 3090 and 8000mhz CL32 RAM PC makes for a gorgeous experience that destroys the Nintendo Switch and which I enjoy just as much as sitting down in front of my Alienware AW3423DW overclocked to 190hz). Even IF the Xiaomi 13 Ultra's HDR capabilities at said streaming outshines the image quality of the S23 Ultra. The boxy uncut squarish screen of the S23 Ultra has its own unique experience and pleasure seldom matched by any other device. Not to mention that S-pen does wonders for navigating around Windows (and for my ADHD scribbling and jotting life-saving notes)

Xioami has done a lot of improvement within a few years. If xiaomi can keep this pace undoubtedly it will be the king in future.

My favourite is the Galaxy Ultra as its the one I've got... Seriously they are all Beasts Samsung just edges it in my opinion in having a well rounded device and better support... Guess thats why it costs extra

Both have done a brillant job . Both are loaded with pixels , Both are good enough for most of the everyday photography we do , one has more tele photo but the other one has variable aperture . At the end of the day it boils down to which phone is more bang for the money as samsung is expensive but will give you more resale value and updates ...xiaomi being cheaper gives you more value for money and you can side load anything to it if u want with more customisation and you know what they say money saved is money earned . ( previous phone was mi 10t pro now have s23u)

xiaomi shots look super natural

Xiaomi❤❤❤

Thanks for this! Great review again!! Made my decision! While the S23U has a slightly better picture contrast, the look, price and other features of the X13U have sold it to me! I've previously owned the X11Pro and even then, it was the best phone I'd ever had so the 13U will undoubtedly be amazing! 😍

I loved the design of xiaomis flagship last year, not a fan of the large circular camera bump/lens. I've always been a fan of miui though

Rocking that Oshi No Ko wallpaper I see. Super GOATed

3:57 the right use of ultrasonic finger print sensor is just touching it not hard pressing

One thing that pisses me of with Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup is how they removed the Qualcomm APTx feature that they had in their older generations. Like for what reason?? Kinda happy that Xiaomi has it still.

Great video as usual. Please test more Android controllers, like the Gamesir X2 Pro, for example.

I think many phone reviews seem to overlook that anyone buying a top end flagship will not be really feeling the back of the phone. The wise ones will get some sort of protective case.

No one seems to point out the biggest downside of S23 Ultra: its ultra low PWM frequency at 240 HZ, compared to Xiaomi's 1920Hz at low brightness and DC dimming at high brightness. This makes a big difference with someone who uses their phone for a prolonged period, as low PWM frequency can cause eye strains and harm eyes in long term.

Both great, but neither will tempt me away from my mi11 ultra. I quite like the idea of an s pen though.

Your face seems sometimes out of focus. Were you shooting with auto focus or fixed focus? Maybe it's a better option to use auto focus with face detection on a great auto focus camera such as the latest lineup of Sony A series cameras.

But which one has the better tech/customer support? That's more important to me right after camera quality

Looking to potentially upgrade to one of these in December but atm I'm still very satisfied with my Sony Xperia 5 ii, good to be able to enjoy your current phone whilst watching top uncle spurt content 👍

As always the highlight of the video is the Ruby wallpaper

Samsung actually has something called Game Plugins, it's kinda buggy but it sometimes proves useful

I've got the S23 Ultra and it's a great phone. My only issue is the S pen recognition

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Is it difficult to buy Xiaomi Ultra in the states? Without paying full price can I trade in a Samsung Flip 4? Which website is best to get one?

No phone will not be compared Against Samsung S23 ultra. It is the king of 2023

Hey, Chris. Love your content man. Can you play the Sumeru region when testing genshin cuz it's the most graphically demanding region on the game. Thanks, man.

Disappointed that no one has review the XM13U with the camera pack and some polarizer / ND filters installed.

Can i know where u get ur wallpapers ... love them ❤

Xiaomi, well known as budget phone from china, no matter how good and premium they are....with 1" sensor Xiaomi clearly win here but not by far. Can u imagine if Samsung then adopted the same sensor size? By the UI and UX itself, One UI is much more clean, intuitive, cuztomizable and mature compared to MIUI.

Did I miss it or didn't you mention the prices of them? So, what are they in the UK?£?

I'm only here for the James Corden disses .. the phone content is an added bonus 🤣

Xiaomi for me. Unfortuntely the Ultra is not available in Switzerland ... Again 🙄

I'd of liked to know if the Xiaomi 13 Ultra supported battery safer features (stop at X charge, disable fast charge/wireless charge etc) and also if the Xiaomi supported video out or an equivalent to DEX. I use these features and my previous Xiaomi did not support any of them, which is why i jumped over to samsung. Would be nice to see these features included in your reviews in the future.

Great content as always, cheers! Im still very happy with my Redmi note 10 pro coming from a Huawei P30 Lite. And i love the fact that it has 2 simcard-slots and a microSD slot as well. Dont really get why many of todays phones doesnt have it, its only going to make the tray a bit longer.

Both are great obviously. I personally prefer the Xiaomi, i just don't get along with samsungs oneui, i think it is way too cluttered and it looks childish with these bubbly square icons blegh. Miui looks cleaner and overall more cohesive to me, takes the good parts from iOS ( for example the awesome control Centre is way better to me than samsungs ) and mixes it up with Android goodness 🤟

hello I am a new subscriber to your RU-vid channel and I want to know where I post or get the wallpapers for your videos which are usually anime.

Where do you get your wallpapers in your thumbnails?

The Xiaomi 13 pro definitely seems like a better option,a friend has it and the photos are amazing. The ultra is probably even better.

What is the name of that character in 0:42 i want that background so badly

Very good review and comparison. I like the xiaomi 13 ultra design. Samsung makes a good job too. But anyway I bought the xiaomi 13, because is the perfect size for me,and that camera department is decent enough,and the flat display is perfect. The only big difference between this two ultra devices, are the cameras,and software. But they are too expensive for me unfortunately.

i came to watch the video just cuz of the wallpaper

Hi. Can the phone screen share via wired connection to the tv?

Great comparison. Have read we may not be getting the 13 Ultra in the UK. Are you offer some clarity on this, Chris?

Does S23 Ultra have the same issue with S22 Ultra green lines popping out of nowhere on screen? Still deciding on these great two phones. Please help. Thank you!

The display looks more vibrant on the galaxy and you got the mighty spen and fantastic one ui so lol

Many thanks ❤

Hello! I've been driving a Samsung Galaxy S8+ for the sixth year, I'm already thinking of changing it and I'm wondering if I should get a Galaxy S23Ultra or a Xiaomi 13 pro, which would be better?

Uncle Spurt secretly has a huge man love crush on James Corden.

s23 ultra señores el mas balanceado, buenas camaras, buen video, buena selfie, buen zoom buena sonido, buena bateria

You only recently tested the Xiaomi, which in theory means you used that camera more often. A decent battery comparison test on the camera front would include the exact amount of time and specs, not "S23 Ultra is my daily driver and I used the camera twice today to snap 2 photos, and Xiaomi is the new kid on the block and hammered it down for the purpose of a review!" sort of deal.

As a long-time Galaxy Note user I can say that its design is really good but not comfortable in the hands. That rectangular edges may look great but no way comfortable to hold.

I work with a big Tech Sales Company and something to consider is that you have an Samsung Note(Ultra)for Years.And all the big Customer complaints are with Xiaomi.

12:55 hahaha someone has the brass tacks to acknowledge this

Hey Chris. Weird question, but how's that chair treating your behind? Chair here is getting pretty knackered (GT Omega model) and for this one in particular some drunk must've made it as it had metal wires poking through the surface and out of the chair which they didn't want to cover under warranty and classed as normal wear and tear. Which it obviously isn't as I got another (older) chair that shows no signs of doing this. Needless to say with such poor customer support I'm not looking to replace the chair with another one from the same brand. So how's yours holding up and how's it been?

How many softwares updates Xiaomi 13 ultra have received compared with the s23 ultra? lol

Xiaomi❤

Yop, it's decided. If Xiaomi will get somewhere in Europe close to me I'm going there. I'm buying that. Both are impressive but there's something about Xiaomi that's weirdly better. Well except the selfie cam.

In the camera section, when you're videoing yourself, your t-shirt looks greener in the Xiaomi shot and bluer in the Samsung shot. I'd love to see a picture of the phones resting on said t-shirt at the 14:16 timecode.

Samsung need to bring back rounded corners 😕

Man s23 ultra has insane dynamic range ,nothing comes close..

I love my Mi 11. I'm thinking of a, new blower. Sadly the Mi 13 still has usb 2 speeds wired and 1080p front video. The Sammy just has these 2 features upgraded and I miss these on my Mi 11. Oh and the s pen on the Sam for shits & giggles.

who doesnt love MOTU HE-MAN , excellent review , i love u mate you are one of my favs ~!!!

It all comes down to the price.

You should pick Saturated mode on the Xiaomi so it's fair to the S23 Ultra Vivd mode

According to the findings of a study, finger arthritis has grown dramatically since smart phones grew larger.

I still have the mi8 bought on a trip in china…still working great! Xiaomi makes great phone!

Love to have the xiaomi but it is actually coming to the uk? Have samsung ages ago but not feel the effort from them love to try xiaomi but only would go for the ultra

Testing the camera on HMS Belfast 😳🔥

Did I miss it or did you Not Mention the prices of each?

Ultra. Phone. Battle. ! Xiaomi. 13. Ultra. VS. Samsung. Galaxy. S23. Ultra

I used Xiaomi 12S Ultra. It was a really great phone. So I can say I'm out of my mind. I'm currently using the Galaxy S23 Ultra and I'm wondering if I should replace it. am i satisfied? Yes very. do you think it's worth it?

Imagine Samsung with a one inch sensor.. they got the processing on point only limited by their smaller sensor.

Getting my mi13 ultra next month can't wait

Still more than happy with my trusty young Poco F3 8/256 running miui14 on droid13

Xiaomi 13 Ultra for me

that is an insanely peak wallpaper, you should read the manga!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Is Always Best 😍😍😍

It's Xiaomi for me but I'm warming towards the Samsung as a result of experiencing the S21FE. Currently the Xiaomi 12T is my handset but upgrading to the 13T, Pro or Ultra is on the cards

which phone is better camera wise Xiaomi 13 ultra or Vivo x90 pro?

Summary: -Best phone: Samsung S23 Ultra -Best value: Xiaomi 13 Ultra

My biggest issue with MIUI is that it's such an iOS ripoff. Would be an automatic win for me is it was stock Android or something similar.

"Quite literally'' where do you get your Wallpapers from?

I thought I read you can install this G box which allows you to install Google etc?

Could you please make a video comparison now? 4k and 8k.

Xiaomi 13 ultra is the best in but they just need to match Samsung's four year updates instead of three years

It was much helpful to get the Xiaomi 13.

What's the PWM of the Xiaomi. The Samsung is horrendous at 240HZ, returned mine, Thank you

You forgot to mention that the s23 Ultra has bypass charging available which xiaomi does not... that guarantess worryless gaming without worrying about killing or damaging the phone battery.

UI - Samsung Camera - both doing good (up to your preference) Display - both good Sound - both good (XiaoMi Dolby Atmos may not support certain app such as music app or video) Other features: S-Pen - Samsung ✅ Multi task window - Samsung ✅ Intuitive - Samsung ✅

I bought xiaomi 13 ultra and I wanted sell my s23 ultra but I didn't do that silly decision. Camera is not good as is described by RU-vid oh my gosh zooming and quality of pictures is blurry also video not comparative with s23ultra so I just sold 13 ultra and leave xiaomi

Can you tell us the about the wall paper name and description on the mobile

Why Chinese front camera look like budget phone 🤦

Really BIG FAN!

😂“Like James Corden's face vs a huge f mallet..... “ Bollix

I got an s23 plus. I would have loved the extra screen space on the ultra but the curved screen is just a complete deal breaker, completely stupid with the case and without a case it's like holding a bar of soap in the shower, except for the fact that if you drop it it wil smash into a million pieces. I've still got my mate 20x and that form factor is still way ahead of anything that exists today.

My Samsung Galaxy does not sound echoey from the speakers. You are maybe using Movie setting from Dolby Atmos. It makes it sound echoey. I use Automatic setting from Dolby Atmos. And it sounds very normal.

Xiaomi ate Samsung in most of the categories, but the selfie camera is only one issue in Xiaomi, but the rest Xiaomi slayed Samsung by miles.