Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro

The Xiaomi 13 Pro launched earlier this year, and back then, we did not know that the ‘Ultra’ model is coming. The Xiaomi 13 Pro had almost all the bells and whistles you could think of, so the ‘Ultra’ model seemed redundant. Well, Xiaomi opted to announce the ‘Ultra’ model after all, and it found a way to make it even more powerful than the ‘Pro’ iteration. That goes for its cameras, more than anything else, but that’s not the only improvement here. In this article, we’ll compare the Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro, to see what’s what.

I’ve reviewed the Xiaomi 13 Pro back in February, and am currently in the process of doing the same with the ‘Ultra’ model. Do note that the ‘Ultra’ still didn’t launch globally, so I’m using the variant made for China. The global model is coming, though, the company already confirmed that. There’s a lot to talk about here, so, let’s get started. We’ll first compare their specs, and will then move to a number of other categories.

Specs

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Design

It’s difficult to differentiate between the two phones when you look at them from the front, but flipping them over reveals major differences. Having said that, let’s start with the front. Both phones have curved displays, and a centered display camera hole. The bezels around the display are thin on both, but not uniform. The physical buttons sit on the right side, and they’re basically in the same place.

Now, on the back, there are a ton of differences. First and foremost, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is made out of metal and vegan leather, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro combines metal and ceramic outside of China, while there is a variant with a vegan leather backplate in China. Still, their backs are entirely different. There is a huge camera oreo on the back of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, while the ‘Pro’ model has a rectangular camera island. They’re also in different places, as you can see.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is thicker in the upper portion of its back, that’s also where its backplate is raised a bit, so that the camera doesn’t protrude too much. That’s not a bad solution by Xiaomi, not at all. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is considerably more grippy than the Xiaomi 13 Pro, not only because of its backplate but because of its flattish sides. The Xiaomi 13 Pro’s sides are anything but flat, so… there you have it. The ceramic model we reviewed is also truly slippery. They do feel entirely different in the hand.

They’re almost the same height, and identical in terms of width. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a bit thicker than the Xiaomi 13 Pro. It weighs 2 grams less than the ceramic Xiaomi 13 Pro (global model), and it’s heavier than the vegan leather Xiaomi 13 Pro variant that is exclusive to China. Both phones do look and feel premium, albeit feel entirely different to handle.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Display

At first glance, it may seem like these two phones have the same display. Well, that’s not exactly the case, even though they’re very similar in many ways. They both include a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO3 AMOLED display. Both phones have a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and support up to 1 billion colors. They also support Dolby Vision, and get truly bright. That brightness is the difference between them, actually.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra goes up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness, which technically makes it a smartphone with the brightest display. The Xiaomi 13 Pro can reach 1,900 nits, which is also immensely bright. You can easily see what’s on the display on both phones, even under direct sunlight. Now, both displays are protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus, in case you were wondering.

Both of these panels are truly excellent. The colors are vivid, the viewing angles great, and their touch response is also quite good. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s panel does technically get a bit brighter, but truth be said, you won’t really notice that difference all that much. Both displays do get immensely bright, and I do believe you’ll be happy with either one, so don’t base your purchasing decision based on brightness numbers.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels both of these smartphones. On top of that, you’ll find up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, and up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside the ‘Pro’ model. UFS 4.0 flash storage is included in both smartphones, except the 128GB storage variant of the ‘Pro’ model, that one has UFS 3.1 storage. So, they have very similar performance-related specs. Does that result in similar performance, considering that they’re sister phones, on top of everything?

Well, yes… it does, at least when it comes to smoothness and overall performance. They’re both extremely snappy in day-to-day tasks, and can handle the most demanding games with ease. I did notice that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra heats up a bit less in my initial testing, but I have to test it out more to confirm. Neither phone gets too hot while gaming, or anything like that, they’re both great at it.

What I did notice is more bugs and annoyances in MIUI 14 on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. It’s worth saying that the phone goes on sale on April 21 in China, and that this is a build of MIUI 14 made for China. I’ve tested the global variant of the Xiaomi 13 Pro, not one made for the Chinese market. Those annoyances I’ve mentioned are mostly related to aspects of the software not made for global markets, so they won’t be a factor once the global model arrives. I’d urge you to wait for the global variant.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Battery

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra comes with a 5,000mAh battery, while the ‘Pro’ model has a 4,820mAh unit. That’s not exactly a big difference between them. Can you feel it in day-to-day use? Well, I’ve only experienced one full day’s worth of usage with the ‘Ultra’, and all I can say at this point is that the battery life does seem promising. The global model may offer different results due to different software, though.

With the Xiaomi 13 Pro, I was able to hit the 8-hour screen-on-time mark consistently, with a bit of juice left in the tank. This Xiaomi 13 Ultra model could even go beyond that, actually, at least based on the first impressions. I’ll have to further test this and report back in a full review, of course. Once again, though, the global model may offer different results.

When it comes to charging, they both offer 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra does support 90W wired charging, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers 120W wired charging. Yes, the Xiaomi 13 Pro will charge faster because of this, but the Xiaomi 13 Ultra charges extremely fast too, so… there you have it. Also, there is a charger included in the retail box with both phones.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Cameras

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has four 50-megapixel cameras on the back. Its main camera is a 1-inch unit from Sony (IM989), with variable aperture. A 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom) is also included, as is a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (122-degree FoV). On top of that, you’re also getting a 50-megapixel “super-telephoto” camera here, aka a periscope camera.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro, on the other hand, also has a 50-megapixel 1-inch main camera, with the same sensor, but without variable aperture. A 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom) also sits on the back, as does a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (115-degree FoV). Do note that the telephoto and ultrawide cameras are not the same on the two phones either. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra offers improvements across the board. Both phones include Leica lenses, though.

So, are there are any differences between them, performance-wise? Well, yes, though you’ll have to wait for the full review to get a detailed look at that. Based on my usage thus far, I’ve noticed that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra adapts to various lighting situations more easily, and it also balances images a bit better when HDR conditions are in question. I’m also enjoying using that periscope telephoto camera on the phone, which was not even present on the ‘Pro’. I can already say that the ‘Ultra’ offers more in the camera department, but we’ll get into details in a full review.

Audio

You will find a set of stereo speakers on both phones. Their positioning is a bit different, though. The main speaker is located at the bottom of both phones, but the secondary one is placed differently. On the ‘Ultra’, it sits at the top of the phone, while the ‘Pro’ model has it under its earpiece grille. Speakers on both phones sound great, to be quite honest. They’re not only loud, but also quite detailed, and even carry over some bass. I’m very happy with the performance of both sets, and they do sound similar.

A 3.5mm audio jack is not present on either phone, so you’ll have to use the Type-C port if you’d like to connect your wired headphones. For wireless connections, do note that both smartphones offer Bluetooth 5.3.