Late last year, Chinese consumer electronics brand Xiaomi cemented its relationship with Leica when the company launched the camera-focused 13 Series smartphones. Now the 13 Ultra joins the pack to take the flagship spot.
Where last year's 12S Ultra model came packing three rear cameras, including one with a 1-inch Sony sensor, the 13 Ultra adds a fourth module. The 50-megapixel wide-angle main is based around Sony's IMX989 1-inch-type image sensor, boasts a 23-mm focal length with variable aperture switchable between F1.9 and F4.0 and is topped by Leica Vario-Summicron glass. Plus, it comes with optical image stabilization (OIS) for smooth run-and-gun creativity.
Next up in the circular camera island is a 75-mm Leica telephoto feeding light to an IMX858 1/2.51-inch sensor through a F1.8 aperture and also benefiting from OIS. Then there's a 120-mm Leica super-telephoto with the same Sony sensor but having a F3.0 aperture. And the IMX858 makes a final appearance with a 12-mm Leica ultra-wide that features a 122-degree field of view, autofocus and support for macro photography.
A bunch of Leica photo styles and filters have been included, users can record 8K video at 24 frames per second using any of the apertures, and Dolby Vision is available for 4K video at 60 fps. The last piece of the camera puzzle is found in the 32-MP in-display selfiecam.
That 6.73-inch, 3,200 x 1,440 AMOLED display topped by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus offers a pixel density of 552 ppi and comes with 120 Hz of adaptive refresh, 2,600 nits of peak brightness and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and the DCI-P3 color gamut. There's even an in-display heart-rate monitor.
Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset supported by up to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage. The 5,000-mAh battery supports 90-W fast charging when plugged in or 50-W over wireless, and the USB 3.2 interface is zippy enough to manage 4K DisplayPort video output at 60 Hz.
Xiaomi has included a toroidal cooling system that channels liquid to dissipate heat more than three times quicker than traditional vacuum chamber designs, and enables stable 60-fps 4K video recording. The handset also features a nanotech silicone leather back with antibacterial properties, and is IP68-rated for resistance to dust and water.
The 13 Ultra is available in China now, but there's no word on international availability at this time. Pricing starts at 5,999 yuan (which converts to around US$870).
Product page: Xiaomi 13 Ultra
