Xiaomi releases Leica-powered smartphones

KUALA LUMPUR: Xiaomi finally launched the new Xiaomi 13 series for the Malaysia market today.

The phone is the first series that Xiaomi co-engineered with Leica for the global market.

Xiaomi’s product marketing head, Abi Go, said the Xiaomi 13 series focus on the overall user experience.

Co-engineered with Leica, it features a 1-inch sensor to boost photo quality.

“The Xiaomi 13 Pro features a curved display while the Xiaomi 13 has a flat display, which gives it a better hand feel experience,” she said.

LEICA CAMERA

Both smartphones have a triple camera setup featuring Leica optical lenses.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro’s Leica Vario-Summicron 1:19-2.2/14-75 ASPH camera system covers focal lengths from 14mm to 75mm, a 23mm wide-angle main camera with ultra-large 1-inch IMX989 sensor, a 75mm floating telephoto camera and a 14mm ultra-wide angle camera.

The phone’s IMX989 sensor produces shots with high dynamic range, colourful images with distinct contrast and detail. Meanwhile, the 75mm telephoto utilises a floating lens design to get a 10cm to infinity focal range, which is great for portrait shots and close-ups.

Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 13 has an optical zoom range of 0.6x to 3.2x, with a 75mm telephoto lens.

Both smartphones offer various camera setting options such as the master-lens system, enjoy different photography styles – Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look – as well as features such as Leica Filters, Leica watermark, and the Leica shutter sound.

Xiaomi’s Imaging Engine, much like Xiaomi ProFocus, offers strong computational photography capabilities among all Xiaomi flagships.

Both devices allow manual adjustment in pro-mode, as well as excel at videography with their vivid colours, sharp contrast ratios, and rich details, 6K Ultra Night Videos, and utilise the HyperOIS video stabilisation.

SPEEDY PERFORMANCE

Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the phones also offer Wi-Fi 7 support with the Qualcomm FastConnectTM 7800 Mobile Connectivity System.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro features a High Band Simultaneous (HBS) Multi-Link technology, while the Xiaomi 13 features a Dual Band Simultaneous (DBS) Multi-Link operation.

Battery-wise, the Xiaomi 13 has a 4,500mAh battery with 67W wired turbocharging as well as 50W wireless turbo charging while the Xiaomi 13 Pro features a 4,820mAh battery with 120W HyperCharge that could get your phone to 100 per cent in 19 minutes.

SIMPLE DESIGN

The Xiaomi 13 comes in Black, White and Flora Green, while the pro version is available in Ceramic White and Ceramic Black.

The Xiaomi 13 has a flat-screen design and edges, with 1 2.5D curved back design while the Xiaomi 13 Pro features a 3D-curved ceramic body.

The Xiaomi 13 features a 93.3 per cent screen-to-body ratio and 1.61mm ultra-thin bezels, and a chin. It is also equipped with a 6.36 GHD+AMOLED display

The Xiaomi 13 Pro, meanwhile, sports a 120Hz WQHD+ AMOLED display with a 6.73 screen.

It can achieve 1,200 nits brightness, and 1,900 nits peak brightness as well as utilising its TrueColour display for getting accurate colours.

The device also supports by Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Atmos.

It is IP685 dust and water resistance.

SERVICES

Both devices will offer 3 generations of Android system updates with 5 years of security patch updates.

Users will get 6 months of free trial for Google One cloud storage of up to 2TB, and 6 months of Youtube Premium with ad-free access to Youtube and the Youtube Music app.

Besides, Android’s digital car key feature support will let users share their car keys with their loved ones for unlocking, locking, and starting the cars.

Users will also get 1 out-of-warranty repair without labour cost in the first 12 months post-purchase.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Xiaomi 13 series will be available from March 8, 2023, from authorised Xiaomi stores, offline Xiaomi retailers, and online at Lazada and Shopee official stores. Preorders are available from Feb 27, 2023.

The Xiaomi 13 is available in a 12GB+256GB variant while the Xiaomi Pro comes in 12GB+256GB as well as a 12GB+512GB variant (limited).

The phones are priced at RM3,499 and RM4,599 respectively.

NST