The Xiaomi 13 Ultra went official yesterday. While the phone is still unavailable in the United States, I watched the live stream and everything Xiaomi offers. Even though I will not be upgrading or jumping ships, I fear for Samsung, Apple, and the rest of the smartphone industry because what Xiaomi has done is nothing short of redefining smartphone photography and establishing a testament that other smartphone manufacturers cannot lag and deliver rehashed camera systems.
Don't get me wrong, I love the camera on my Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the iPhone 14 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Pixel 7 Pro are among the best cameras you can find in smartphones. But aside from the iPhone 14 Pro, the rest of the devices did not see a big jump from their predecessors. For instance, the Galaxy S23 Ultra brought a larger 200-megapixel sensor, but at heart, you are still getting a camera that will produce identical results to last year's device. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra, on the other hand, brings a 1-inch sensor in the palm of your hand and some really neat tricks that more or less redefine smartphone photography.
Why the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a threat to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro when it comes to photography
Now, let me be clear. Xiaomi did not reinvent the wheel with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. They have presented us with something inherently better, not just on paper but in real-life scenarios, as well. The primary camera on the phone is a Sony IMX989, a sensor currently found in just five smartphones, and not a single one is from Samsung, Apple, or Google. The 1-inch-type sensor has a lot to offer, and Xiaomi has added a variable aperture, which allows the sensor to work at f/1.9 or f/4.0. Again, this is nothing new as it has been done before, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra is also rumored to pack a similar feature, but the last time we saw something like this was back in 2018. Aside from the 1-inch sensor, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra also offers three 50-megapixel sensors that take care of telephoto and ultra-wide requirements.
So, what makes Xiaomi 13 Ultra's camera unique? If you managed to sit through the live stream, you might have noticed that the company did not mention AI or computational photography once. Something that has been at the heart of many smartphone cameras, including some of the best phones such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Pixel 7 Pro, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and even the iPhone 14 Pro with its Photonic Engine. Yes, the Leica partnership is there with some tuning and whatnot, but Xiaomi went the extra mile and shared some samples with us that look as close to real life, especially when you compare them to other phones. Have a look at them below.
Now, computational photography is excellent--harnessing the power of AI to make pictures look even better than they are is good, and almost every camera and smartphone camera processes an image to some extent. But what's different about the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is just how little it processes the image, making it look closer to real life in terms of colors and detail.
All the cameras manage to capture stunning details, highlights, and shadows, with excellent dynamic range
Have a look at this sample image provided by Xiaomi below.
Based on the EXIF data, the image was taken last month using the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, but I shared it to highlight just how good the dynamic range in the image looks. Every single detail, highlight, and shadow is spot on. It does not matter if you are looking at the background or the foreground, not a single element of this picture looks like it is blown out or underutilized.
The picture above is another excellent example of how the Xiaomi 13 Ultra's camera performs. At f/1.9, you can expect some softness, but the actual subject is completely in detail with a nice, shallow depth of field. The shadows and highlights look brilliant, and the colors look balanced.
Now, the picture above has to be my favorite. For one, I love pictures taken in low light, and another reason is that despite the settings that Xiaomi has used on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the picture came out looking exceptional. You can easily pick out every single detail in the pictures, the colors are nicely balanced, and the entirety of the image looks well shot.
Fans of portraits would be pleased to know that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a master at that, as you can see in the above picture, taken using the telephoto camera. This is taken using the 5x periscope camera, and honestly, the amount of detail in the picture is insane. I wish my Galaxy S22 Ultra could take such pictures with this many details.
Below are some more samples showing the prowess of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra's camera.
If these pictures have proven anything, it is that the cameras on Xiaomi 13 Ultra are taking the battle to the big giants like Apple and Samsung. For years we are seeing smartphone manufacturers push minor upgrades to their cameras in the name of innovation, but things are now feeling stagnant, and honestly, I am hoping they change.
The phone is currently available for purchase in China, with a global launch happening sometime later this year. If you are looking for the best smartphone for photography, I would suggest picking up the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, as it will take care of the shutterbug within you.
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