Xiaomi 13 Ultra Review - Beyond The HYPE! 

Okay some good news and one con off the list! Yes, there is a wind filter option a little hidden away I missed somehow... Many thanks to James twitter.com/Devinarde/status/1655244393123811330

1st time commenting here. I see that you are being honest there is nothing wrong with that, it only goes to show you really care about your viewers and you are giving us more options to choose when buying a phone, laptop or tablets. Thank you for your honesty and help to us.

Mine arrived a week ago and can't talk enough about it. Such an incredible phone

Probably one of the few reviewers i still trust to this point! Keep it up Chris! I hope to see reviews for Poco F5/F5 pro from you!

Thanks for in-depth review! As a fellow Xiaomi 13U owner I have some things that I wanted to add and some I disagree with, not saying you are wrong, just my subjective opinion is different: 1. Going from Xiaomi 11U, this phone actually feels "light". 2. Fingerprint scanner causes issues for me with my thumb. To be fair I have calluses on it. Other fingers are OK, but I don't use them that much to notice if there are issues as well. 3. A bit more about colour profiles - the default "Original colour PRO" is the "best" setting for reference colours. I have compared it against iPad Pro (M1) and this mode seems to be the most consistent with what iPad shows. Compared to 11U, the default presets are a bit less saturated and tend to run more on reddish hue, while 11U appears slightly more green. 4. The thing about brightness is that perception of it is not linear, so having 2000 -> 2600 nit difference is not the same as 1000 -> 1600. So yeah, I agree that it is nothing exceptional (for 2023 flagship). Important thing is that it is legible under sunlight if you pick auto brightness. 5. One thing that I have not heard or seen anyone mention is that you do not have palm rejection zone at the right side in landscape mode (side with USB) , so if you try to shoot one-handed in landscape, sometimes part of your palm touches the screen and makes it unresponsive. Could be skill issue, but again that is how I usually take pictures, so I have to adapt the grip a bit from 11U. 6. This is a stupid one on Xiaomi side - the street photography (fast shot) mode cannot be triggered if you listen to music, because you have to double tap "volume down". You can select it in the app, but the whole point/gimmick is that you get the shot immediately when you pull the phone out. I wish they have added a shutter button. 7. There is a setting to reduce wind noise under Camera -> Audio Settings -> Smart noise reduction. It kind of sucks though anyway. 8. Band 20 (wide area 4G, basically) being absent is an issue if you live in more rural area. Personally I had no issues with speed and connectivity, but I live in a city. So yeah, major thing to consider if you want to import. 9. Also pretty much no-one talks about how good their Gallery app is. The editor is REALLY powerful. Much more so than free version of VSCO, for example. And easier to use than something like Lightroom or Snapseed. 10. One more thing about heating under load. It is mainly on upper side (where the cameras are), so if you play portrait oriented games (like Umamusume, lol) it will be much more bearable than landscape ones (Genshin/Honkai)

It's good to have a tech reviewer not being biased on phone brands. I hope that other tech reviewers will do the same as you do. Kudos!

See my camera comparison with the 13 Ultra Vs S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qwWBVyp6Vus.html 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Unboxing 01:33 - Design, fingerprint reader, and features 04:16 - Variable mechanical aperture or just two-stage? 04:59 - The LTPO 120hz AMOLED screen 07:12 - MIUI 14 performance 09:00 - Camera app and camera samples (see the comparison for more!) 14:42 - The deal breaker 15:33 - Bloatware, updates, widevine cert & camera 2 API 16:36 - Thermal throttling test, Antutu score, and storage speed 17:52 - CPU throttling test and charge time 18:35 - Battery life at 1440p and 120hz 18:50 - Audio with loudspeaker sample 19:53 - Gaming performance 20:45 - Final words with Pros and Cons

Detailed and amazing review as always. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is such a great flagship, despite the minor flaws. Waiting for the global release 🌍

Having the mi10 ultra for the past 3 years which has and still is a great phone I was considering buying the 13 ultra however decided on the Honor magic 5 pro and wow!! what a fantastic device it is and with the early bird discount along with the free gift gs3 smart watch and ear buds it has to be the best bangs for bucks at the moment.... Great review Chris 👌

We appreciate your tech reviews. Keep up the good work.

The 5g struggles surprised me. My last phone was the 10 ultra and I now have the 13 ultra(both Chinese roms) and I've had little issues finding 5G reception. In fact I've found the 13 actually finds more 5G then the 10.

Thanks for another comprehensive review. Another bit of false advertising is the first telephoto is 2.6x and not 3.2x. It switches to the telephoto from the main camera at 2.6x and then uses a crop at 3.2x

Thanks for this good review Chris 👌 For the lenses switching while filming for what i saw it can up to 15X using all lenses including 5X periscope if i'm not wrong...

Regarding software, I'm so glad that MIUI is smoother than ever, but it's really unfortunate that the Global versions of their software don't receive the same treatment with optimization. Great video!

Waiting for mine to come 😮 Can't wait to play with it, thanks for the review 😊

As I've understood the 3G limitation is due the fact the chinese version does not have the B20(800mHz) band, which is used in Europe for 4G data signal. Excellent work with these reviews, Chris, you are doing a fantastic job as always! (L.E. - ah..you already mentioned this in the review :) )

I'm a new subscriber here and I gotta say, THANK YOU for pointing out the misleading aperture feature. I think it should be called DUAL aperture instead of "variable" since it only has two apertures unlike the one from Huawei like you said. also, it should say "F1.8 AND F4.0" instead "F1.8 TO F4.0" to make it clear that it can only go to 2 apertures and not in between aperture settings. you're the only RU-vidr who reviewed this phone that actually called that out and I actually thought it has multiple different apertures. THANK YOU

One of my favorite reviewers. Fast info, focused and well presented and, not skewed - these always feel like reviews and not glorified commercials. Excellent.

Very useful analysis with some good insights into the pros and cons that I have not seen from other tech reviewers. Now subscribed to your channel, thank you.

Amazing review as always!!

Excellent review as always.

Always love to visit your honest video for my next smartphone!

Very honest review as usual. Thank you for your honesty. Your deal breakers are not important for me as many of them are linked to the Chinese version. Front facing camera, you are definitely right, but i never use it so not major for me. Performance and battery life are there, cameras too so all good. S23U is way too big for me so i returned it, X90 pro plus no warranty in Europe so eliminated. This is the best option for me to replace my 13 ultra. And with the coming updates it will be just perfect for my use.

after seeing bunch of xiao 13u reviews and i'll never forget to see yours. always the truth!

Getting mine next month can't wait

Incredible amount if detail, your an incredible phone reviewer

If you are a Leica fan this is a must. As a camera it can give you the Leica look in shots which just beats the iPhone hands down.

You put a lot of effort into the videos. It gives me an idea of what will encounter if I actually buy a product. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra looks good to me. Still 1080p front camera is bad but I don't take selfie photos and videos. I wonder what the price will be when it goes on sale in Europe. By the way, I wonder how much it cost you in total with Trading Shenzhen. Thanks for the review Chris.

There are a few reviewers I trust. I can surely trust this guy. Keeps it real. Keep up the good work 👏

不错不错，评价很客观，我正在用着小米13ultra👍🏻

new subs here, watching here from Riyadh, KSA

Well, it's really funny that the Xiaomi F2 PRO, that I own, has 8k either 30 or 24 FPS and I can even zoom it when recording but can't go to ultrawide. Other than that, it has flat screen, still great SD865 and 3.5 mm jack, yeeeeah! My version is 256GB, 8GB RAM, it flies and what can I ask more? Probably better cameras, but anyway it does the job just good enough. I don't know what Xiaomi is doing with new models but I know Chris that you're doing great job, just keep on! 💪🏻👍🏻 You are here one of the rare reviewers worth to watch!

Too many comments already so I am not sure if you will be able too read this, but I have always wondered if your accent is Australian? Great honest review as always!

Thank you Chris, you are my go to reviewer because of your honesty!

Great video as always, but please note that peak brightness values quoted by companies are at very low APL levels and that’s the reason why on a full field measurement you are only seeing 1300nits.

Thanks for the detailed review, and the pros and cons. I was considering trying it, but maybe I'll go with the 13t pro

Can’t wait for the global release, yeah camera maybe a bit fiddly working out what works best for each occasion but once that’s sorted it’s all good.

Used to love these xiaomi phones but I won't use it again because of lack of software update, raise of price and lack of support.

Thanks for the video Chris. You have been looking @ Chinese phones for a long time now, which I appreciate. I'm from the UK so we do get the global releases from time to time. Kindest regards, Richard U.K

Hi Chris, great review! I have to say that you really puzzled me with this b20 band in Spain. I am currently waiting for my xiaomi 13 pro from trading shenzen and after proper research I am sure I wouldn't have any band problems here in my hometown in Poland. The problem is now Spain, which is my frequent holiday destination.. Now I'm thinking about selling it as soon as it comes 😢

The 13 Ultra is undoubtedly a great offering from Xiaomi. But for the price they are asking, you simply expect more. At least match certain aspects , the competition are offering on their top tier flagships! Appreciate the comprehensive and candid review as always Chris! ✌👍

Thanks once more for honest review 👍

Honest review as always chris

Thanks for a good review. Is there a different colour science between the different camera's.

Hey Chris, will you review the POCO F5 Pro? Thank you for your honest reviews like always.👍

Thanks for such an honest review. Can u make a comparison in all camera terms of oppo, vivo, xiaomi, samsung, apple, please! It would be nice to see a fresh review.

Hi, thanks for your precious hard work! What was your favorite between this xiaomi 13 ultra (eu) and the honor magic 5 pro?

Thanks for your reviews

In camera settings there is an audio settings, where you can activate 3d sound (best for ordinary usage) and also you can activate there smart noise reduction - for scene where strong wind is or something like that.

The front camera is just unacceptable for a high-end flagship today.

You're currently the best reviewer, honest, precise and on point... May i ask what's the loudest smartphone speakers in 2023??

I heard that Xiaomi's 120W charging is only compatible with USB 2.0. And since the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a USB 3.2 gen 1 port, then it is currently not possible for Xiaomi to use 120W charging with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

Hello nice review for screentest maybe you can use Dolby Vision Demo to acchieve max brightness.

Hi Chris, do we get the full review of the Oppo Find x6 Pro in the near future? Do you have some insider news for a global release or a rebranding lile Onplus 11 Ultra? Thank for your time!

hello Chris, when you import a phone from tradingshenzhen like this one do have to pay extra money other than the price of it like customs duty for example ?

The stabilization in video looks pretty decent compared to other CHinese flagships. Doesn't seem to have that 'judder' that previous Xiaomi flagships used to have. I'm impressed.

The best reviews

You can find the wind reduction setting by opening the camera app and then tap on the "Settings" option that is inside the camera app, and then scroll down the list of options and then tap on the "audio settings" option, and then turn on the "smart noise reduction" setting.

Not a fan of the panning judder or the quality of the front camera...and the wind noise, personally I wouldnt be interested due to these but your video is great none the less. Nice to see the scenery around Denia.

Been using it for 2 weeks. Totally loving it.

Good to see it get a phone case

Hi Chris, this b20 band thing has put a halt to my buying scheme since I live in France and half the antennas are b20s. That's so sad, but big thanks

How would you compare the cameras to the Xiaomi 13 Pro? Especially the main camera, since it's the main sensor. A comparison video between the non-Pro, Pro and Ultra would be awesome!

Got mine from TradingShenzhen 3 days ago and I love it!! 4K: For overcoming stock 1080p selfi camera you can use open camera or (even better) mcpro24fps to get 4K selfi video and MUCH better exposure ballence. But 4K selfi is capped at 30fps. But there is night and day difference between 1080p vs 4K selfi video... Note the absence of band 20 4G in EU which means no 4G coverage in the mountains and near boarders...5G works perfectly. I see no difference in data coverage compared to any other phone to be honest. Google pay works and also all other Google services besides Android auto Also note that you will not be able to connect Samsung Galaxy watch 5 or 5 pro to this phone...Xiaomi watches work perfectly and NFC payment is possible via Xiaomi pay (I use it with curve and my Revolut credit card which is linked to my debit VISA).

With updates, is it actually possible to fix the front camera's white balance or make the end quality better, regardless if it is lock in for 1080p?

*For Honkai: Star Rail, benchmark here:* The Xianzhou Luofu > Exalting Sanctum > Synwood Pavilion (warp point at the top) This game is extremely hard on GPU in their latest map and should become the new gaming benchmark for the next generations of flagships.

If it was for me, I would take the Samsung K Zoom camera system with a single 20MP sensor and variable physical aperture, updated to the 2023 phone design and specs. I would trade a little bit of thickness on the camera module, to have a perfect single camera with a 18-200mm lens. I wish some brand had the guts to build a similar phone. Now, even if you have 3x50MP lenses, you don't have a seamless transition when you record a video, because each sensor is different in size and specs.

Peak brightness is only in a local part of the screen, not the whole screen... The 1080p selfie cam and overexposure is for chinese taste (beauty effects). Although i do prefer a well exposed face in selfie videos, even if that means a white background. I suspect the global rom is less prone to overexposure

Still have the Mi 11 Ultra and i can zoom from 0.6x all the way to the 5x sensor in the auto video mode in 4k30

For pure photography perspective/ for stills .. Huawie p60 pro or 13 ultra? Pls advice

I am on the wait list for the P60Pro. I like HarmonyOS but only rely on Google less than some; I use an iPhone as a second phone, proving there is life outside Google. My Chinese Mate 20X is on Harmony 2.0 and is smooth, with excellent battery life and few sacrifices. I want to support another player. I will wait for the global Xiaomi 13 Ultra for judgement on this phone.

Personally, selfie 4k is quite overrated, definitely good to have, but not that useful for many. Majority use it for video call purposes which barely even hit 720p quality.

How. Is the cooling system within the phone like?

Buenas tardes, que te parecería una comparativa entre el Xiaomi 13 ultra y el Honor magic 5 pro ? Crees que el Honor quedaría por detrás a nivel fotográfico ? Muchas gracias !!!!!!

22:28 wait, what do you mean it's not support Android Auto ? Isn't you can download the app if there's no included by default?

you should be able to switch through the lenses with 4k30 🤔 try it again please. someone told meh that and on my 12s ultra i can do it too. Thx for the test :)

Which phone is the best for photos do you think or what’s your top 3?

How do you cut a part of a photo and paste into another????

they should make the screen a little bit bigger for power users like the s23 ultra

A very good, detailed review from trusted reviewer. I've made my conclusion about this phone and it's simple - NOT WORTH IT! It is just the same as many others, one more over $1k smartphone. I'd rather buy $280 Pixel 6a which worth every cent spent on it. Thanks!

Can u plz tell me about xiaomi 13 ultra phone overheating issue while recording videography and photography. How long can you make videos continuously without overheating? 13:21 13:22

Is the leather back of the phone easily get chipped off or removed?

I was so annoyed with Xiaomi's MiUI that got rid of my Mi 11 Ultra after 3 months of use. I though I would never go back to a Xiaomi until I gave it another go with the 13. MiUI 14 is definitely a lot more polished than before and the Chinese ROM feels significantly less intrusive interms of bloatware and other features. With that said you still need to set you default web browser as something else as the OEM blocks a lot of websites to 'adhere to the government's internet policies'

Few things that seemed to have changed since this video: There is now "Smart noise reduction" for wind, I've not tested it but the example demo says it works so... it's in the camera settings, scroll a lil to video and there's audio settings 4K 30fps lets you swap between all lenses in video, 60 and 8k 24 still doesn't allow it though, unsure if this changed or was just a hidden away thing Weird things about it: The 3.2 telephoto seems to actually be 2.6 (59.8/60mm not the listed 75mm) so goodjob Xiaomi for lying about that If you change volume buttons to be zoom instead of shutter it only applies to photo not video?? Surely it would make sense to have smoother video zooming, hopefully gets updated The whole "Auto adjust lens" system is just odd, would recommend turning it off unless you want it to randomly swap to the main when you're doing 5x The double tap (either volume or power) can be used to instantly take photos to the point you won't be noticed, I hate shutter sounds but that version should have a shutter sound Western websites list the battery as 5000Mah but Wondamobile says 4900 whilst in this video the battery application used said 4880 A lot of Western apps have updates on "GetApps" (Chinese) but not on the Playstore which seems odd, idk if it is though Other SMS apps seem to not function properly (specifically Messages (By Google), suddenly my carrier is charging me for doing things I always do Edit: added more to weird things

Had 2 Xiaomi phones in the past, and I won't go back to MIUI, because of all that bugs. Loving my Nothing Phone 1!

Should people get this one or wait for the global launch? Whats the difference (apart from the chinese versions having alot of bloat apps)?

12:32 the dog is bold.😼

I went with oppo find X6 Pro and i am glad i did. That missing band 20 was deal breaker for me too( i live in EU). And both have similar camera performance, maybe oppo is better in some categories. shame that Oppo didnt go to global market, it can shake market little bit. In my country there is only 3 brands that dominated market Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, not lot of options and competion is allways good. Xiaomi top tier phones in my country are extremely overpriced, sometimes even pricier than Apple,Samsung. 350€ more than china versions from trading shenzhen

I was going to ask a question about that 1-inch sensor and if it is any good for night sky astrophotos. I got my answer at 14:13 But would still like your opinion with regards to that. Thanks for the video.

Strange is has wide angle front selfie, but no wide angle video recording on front cam

Bro,Realme gt Neo 3 or iq 9 se.which one is better camera phone, please replay......., I want buy one of that

the internet say that the 1920Hz PWM, that is pretty good in comparative of any high Samsung phone.

does anyone have a problem with the ultra wide lens not auto focusing most of the time and getting a blurred image?

Hi Chrish, so what do you prefer between s23 ultra vs xiaomi 13 ultra in terms of screen, performance and camera? It would really help me to purchase my new phone.

Why does it have 2 telephoto lenses? One has 3.2x and one has 5x optical zoom. I mean, you can just use the 5x zoom lens to do a 3.2x zoom, right? Could someone enlighten me of what I could be missing from this?

many thanks for this honest review ... do you think that a global version of it will have LTE Band 20 ? tradingshenzen offers Xiaomi 13 pro for 777 Euro do you think it is a good deal ?

24fps is terrible for video on most devices, most screens refresh at 60hz or other multiples of 30hz. 24fps means you get 1-2 frames being held twice as long every second on a regular 60hz screen. Making it look terribly stuttery. Movie and TV can do it because TV's will switch their refresh rate to match the content (not to be confused with variable refresh rate, this isn't seamless)

As a global rom user on the redmi note 10 Pro it would be nice to have a Chinese global rom so we can get the extra functionality

Unsure if youre in the US but if you are, how does the phone work for you? Also, i thought the global version wasnt released yet

Better than the honor magic 5 pro?