Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Are the Leica phone cameras worth it?

Design & Specs

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

1/7

First impressions matter, and the Xiaomi 13 Pro pretty much nails it with a sleek design that blends style and durability. The phone boasts a curved 6.7-inch display, offering ample real estate for browsing and watching shows.

The glass back of the 12 Pro has been swapped for a ceramic one, which offers the phone more durability. However, ceramic tends to attract fingerprint smudges, which were especially visible on the black version we were sent for review. Snapping on a phone case, which I typically do for most of my phones (for fear that they will slip through my butterfingers), would easily solve the issue by providing both grip and protection.

When you first pick the phone up, you’ll notice its hefty weight of 229g; it’s one of the heavier smartphones of this size. The rear camera setup, a result of Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica, is undeniably large and protrudes noticeably with a flat top – this is unlike recent iPhones or Samsung phones, which each have lenses protruding out individually.

Camera

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

2/7

Photo: Shooting on Leica Vibrant mode (left) and Leica Authentic mode with 0.6x wide-angle lens (right)
I’ll dive into the cameras first before reviewing the phone’s performance, given how much focus the company has offered to the 13 Pro’s camera technology with the expertise of Leica.

Let's start with the main camera, which boasts a 1-inch sensor, the same size found in traditional DSLR cameras. This larger sensor captures plenty of light, resulting in vibrant and colourful images.

With Leica's influence, the camera provides multiple modes to choose from, including Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic. The latter offers true-to-life colours with impressive accuracy, while the vibrant mode enhances colours for eye-catching images.

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

3/7

Photo: Shooting on optical zoom lens (left) and night mode (right)
Going to a concert and stuck at the back? This phone will be your new concert buddy with its zoom capabilities. The Xiaomi 13 Pro's telephoto lens offers a 3.2x optical zoom, allowing it to capture detailed shots even from a distance. The 50MP ultrawide lens maintains high detail levels and a versatile field of view, making it suitable for various scenarios. Night mode on the Xiaomi is also worth a mention, delivering natural-looking brightening effects without sacrificing details or introducing excessive noise.

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

4/7

Photo: Testing out portrait mode outdoors (left) and indoors (right)
The camera's software-based portrait mode provides an attractive background blur, though edge detection can sometimes be hit or miss. Nonetheless, the phone produces well-exposed shots with clear details and excellent dynamic range.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a suite of features for both photography and videography enthusiasts. These include 8K video recording, 4K video at up to 60fps, 4K night mode video, and 10-bit RAW photography. The manual controls when shooting on raw are easy to toggle and adjust, and the flexibility to adjust settings such as ISO, shutter speed, and white balance, which allows one precise control over every aspect of a photo would definitely satisfy any photography enthusiast.

Performance

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

5/7

When it comes to the performance, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and default 12GB RAM. Translation: in terms of performance, the 13 Pro is pretty flawless for typical day-to-day use. The phone’s powerful processor effortlessly handles web browsing, video streaming, social media, and even gaming without any stuttering or overheating issues.

Battery-wise, Xiaomi is currently one of the best in the game. The phone was able to comfortably last a full day – I typically ended my days with 50 percent, give or take. With super-fast 120W wired charging, I was able to charge the phone to full in under 30 minutes.

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

6/7

When it comes to the software experience however, Xiaomi still falls short against its other Android competitors. The phone is based on Android 13, but with Xiaomi’s own user interface, the MIUI 14 skin, over the top. This means that there are slight differences compared to other Android-based phones, such as new icons, an inconsistent notifications preview, and a redesigned Settings menu that was rather confusing to navigate.

The phone also comes with plenty of pre-installed apps such as Facebook and TikTok, and strangely. Solitaire and the Opera browser. That’s a lot of apps that eat up precious space in your phone, though at least these can be uninstalled.

The bottom line

7/7

Understandably, the Xiaomi 13 Pro might not be the most approachable device with its steep price tag, but ultimately, it does stand as a formidable contender in the smartphone market with its impressive performance, excellent battery life, and blazing-fast charging speeds.

While the phone may not have the most refined software experience, the hardware capabilities make it a compelling choice for those seeking a powerful and feature-packed device. The phone's Leica cameras are also top-notch, delivering excellent results across all four lenses.

If you’re a fan of the brand, it’s a worthy purchase, especially if you’re looking for unrivalled camera technology and performance-driven hardware.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro retails at $1,599 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage) and $1,699 (12GB RAM, 512GB storage). Find out more about the specs here.