Watch the first images of the 1-inch phone camera threat that promises to destroy the iPhone and Galaxy S23 Ultra

If there’s a phone that has the advanced camera tech, hardware chops, and marketing clout to beat the Galaxy S23 Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and Google Pixel 7 Pro, it has to be the one. -the.

Finally, you also get an ultra-wide lens, and all of these cameras are covered by Leica’s Vario-Summicron brand, where the Vario part means zoom and the Summicron part means it’s the best possible lens quality. .

Xiaomi 13 Pro main camera samples

These official samples shot on the Xiaomi 13 Pro suggest that this camera goes beyond current flagships like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Galaxy S22 Ultra, and Pixel 7 Pro.

This powerful 1-inch type sensor impresses in a variety of conditions, but photos simply stand out in low light. The 23mm f/1.9 lens has a fairly fast aperture and wide look which makes it very versatile.

The first photo actually shows the bartender preparing a fireworks cocktail. This effect is achieved by sprinkling cinnamon powder and is beautifully captured by the Xiaomi 13 Pro.​​​​

Xiaomi 13 Pro 75mm Telephoto Shots

Interestingly, the Xiaomi 13 Pro uses a 75mm focusing distance for its telephoto lens, which is around 3.3X zoom compared to the main shooter.

And that’s not the only one: the majority of phone makers in China are replacing their flagships with telephoto lenses with 2X to 3.5X zoom, which seems to be the sweet spot and trend for 2023.

For Xiaomi, this is a change from the 12S Ultra which was equipped with a 5X zoom telephoto lens. We imagine this new, shorter zoom range is just more versatile as people use zoom levels in this range more often, and we imagine it can also be used for portrait mode shots, unlike a 5X or 10X long range zoom camera.

It’s no coincidence that we start the gallery above with this nocturnal hair salon photo. One of the advantages of such a zoom lens is that it can actually be used in low light conditions. Some zoom cameras like the 10X zoom shooter on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example, simply can’t be used in dark conditions because they require more light.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: close-up photos with the new telephoto lens

And here is a demonstration of this amazing 4 inch zoom capability of this new telephoto lens.

You really can get photos that few would guess were from a smartphone.

You have an excellent amount of detail and with this zoom you inevitably get some separation with a creamy, blurred background which adds to the artistic value of the photos.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: design and specs

Ok, we talked about the cameras, but what is the Xiaomi 13 Pro?

It is of course a flagship phone and here is a brief summary of the specs:

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the first Qualcomm chip to support LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, and the storage alone will bring a marked improvement in speed. UFS 4.0 is supposed to bring a huge leap forward in read/write speeds, in addition to allowing the actual chips used to be smaller. Expect double the speeds of UFS 3.1, with UFS 4.0 hitting up to 4200MB/s read and 2800MB/s write. This type of flash memory would be the biggest upgrade in the field in the last three years.

Additionally, Xiaomi’s CEO confirms that there will be a ceramic model, pictured above. It’s a beautiful “field green” color and the ceramic has the advantage of being more scratch resistant than regular glass. It’s rare to see anything different from glass in mainstream flagships, so this is an added feature that just shows the level of care that goes into making this product.

Finally, this white model should feature tempered glass, if you prefer this more classic design choice. We love the clean white color, gives the phone a very nice aesthetic.

Xiaomi doesn’t sell its phones in the US, and we doubt that will change anytime soon, but of course it will be possible to import the phone for those more curious.