First Impressions
The Xiaomi 13T might show to be common amongst smartphone snappers with the identical Leica co-engineered triple digicam setup as its extra premium sibling, although at a way more pocket-friendly value.
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Leica co-engineered digicam setupThe Xiaomi 13T has a triple digicam setup co-engineered by Leica that ought to ship top-notch pictures and videography. -
Mud and water resistanceWith IP68 mud and water resistance, the Xiaomi 13T ought to survive a dip in a pool or a visit to a sandy seashore. -
Quick chargingAlthough not fairly as quick because the 13T Professional, 67W charging ought to ship a full cost in little over 40 minutes.
Introduction
Xiaomi has simply lifted the lid on the Xiaomi 13T vary – the 13T and its extra premium sibling, the 13T Professional.
Nonetheless, in contrast to most producers that have a tendency to provide the ‘Professional’ mannequin higher digicam tech, that’s not the case right here. As a substitute, the Xiaomi 13T sports activities the identical trio of Leica co-engineered cameras, alongside the identical 144Hz AMOLED show tech, IP68-rated design and all-day battery life, making it a reasonably tempting choice contemplating it is available in at £100 lower than its pricier sibling at £549.
Whereas I’m not but able to ship my ideas on the Xiaomi 13T, I did get an opportunity to go hands-on at Xiaomi’s launch occasion in Berlin, and listed here are my ideas to this point.
Design and display
- IP68 mud and water resistance
- 6.67-inch AMOLED show
- 144Hz refresh price
The Xiaomi 13T is an evolution of the Xiaomi 12T’s design, with a mix of curved corners and flat edges that make it sit properly within the hand.
Apparently, regardless of that includes a lot of the identical tech because the Xiaomi 13T Professional, it’s really barely lighter at 193g – although it’s probably not that noticeable once you choose it up, particularly when mixed with its 8.5mm thickness that may make it really feel slightly cumbersome in comparison with sleeker choices just like the devilishly slim Motorola Edge 40.
Identical to its extra premium sibling, the usual Xiaomi 13T can also be accessible in each glass and vegan leather-based finishes, and it’s accessible in the identical Alpine Blue, Meadow Inexperienced and Black finishes, with the latter solely accessible in a glass end. It additionally boasts the identical top-level IP68 mud and water resistance that ought to shield it from a dunk in a pool or a visit to the seashore.
Basically, what I’m saying is that the Xiaomi 13T and 13T Professional sport the very same design and it’ll be near-impossible to inform the 2 aside at a look.
That development can also be true of the show, with an similar 6.67-inch AMOLED show with a 144Hz refresh price and assist for premium codecs like HDR10+. It additionally matches the Xiaomi 13T Professional and Xiaomi 13 Extremely’s prime brightness of 2600 nits, making it one among, if not the brightest display accessible on the value.
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see simply how nicely that performs in brighter situations than the comparatively dim hands-on space I used to be at.
Cameras
- Leica co-engineered digicam setup
- Equivalent to Xiaomi 13T Professional
- Superior picture and video modes
The cameras are the star of the Xiaomi 13T present, marking the primary time that Leica co-engineered lenses have been utilized in something however Xiaomi’s top-end flagship smartphone line.
Extra particularly, the Xiaomi 13T sports activities the identical 50MP principal, 50MP 2x telephoto and 12MP ultrawide lenses because the Xiaomi 13T Professional. I didn’t get a lot alternative to check out the digicam prowess in a crowded hands-on space, however I’ve spent loads of time with the Xiaomi 13T Professional and, so long as digicam efficiency is similar (which it ought to be) the Xiaomi 13T might have the sting in pictures, particularly at its mid-range value.
Digicam efficiency from the Professional mannequin was spectacular, each in well-lit and low-light situations, with loads of element and vibrancy with out wanting too saturated such as you’ll discover from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23.
In addition to Leica Genuine and Leica Vibrant capturing modes that change the tone and visuals of your photographs, you can also make on-the-fly changes to tone, vibrancy and extra with the viewfinder matching the ultimate product near-perfectly.
There’s additionally stablised 4K@60fps video recording with HDR10+ assist, in addition to the flexibility to file in C-Log – not a giant deal for ‘normies’ however an enormous deal for those who work in video.
I sit up for testing the digicam tech extra as soon as I get a pattern for evaluation, however for a sneak peek, check out my full Xiaomi 13T Professional evaluation.
Efficiency
- MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Extremely
- 67W quick charging
- MIUI 14 primarily based on Android 13
One of many solely variations between the Xiaomi 13T and its greater, dearer sibling is processing energy – although neither ought to be thought of a slouch. The Xiaomi 13T sports activities MediaTek’s Dimensity 8200 Extremely chipset with 8- or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
It’s not fairly as succesful because the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ and 12- or 16GB of RAM discovered within the 13T Professional, I didn’t discover any type of lag or slow-down throughout my hands-on time with the smartphone. The whole lot felt simply as responsive as you’d count on, little question aided by that super-smooth 144Hz refresh price, and duties like snapping pictures had been near-instant.
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see simply how nicely it benchmarks, nonetheless, with equally priced choices just like the Nothing Cellphone (2) boasting the (barely older) flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 that would give it the sting over Xiaomi’s choice.
Cost pace is one other space that varies between the 2 flavours of 13T, with the entry-level mannequin sporting quick – however not precisely 120W — 67W quick charging tech that Xiaomi claims can ship a full cost of its 5000mAh in 42 minutes.
Nonetheless, contemplating we discovered the Xiaomi 13T Professional and its 120W charging to ship a full cost in 33 minutes, I’m slightly sceptical about this declare.
Elsewhere, the Xiaomi 13T comes with the identical flavour as MIUI 14 (primarily based on Android 13) because the Xiaomi 13T Professional and the top-end Xiaomi 13 Professional, which, relying in your emotions on the closely tweaked UI, will both be nice or horrendous.
I personally have blended emotions in regards to the OS – it has enjoyable tweaks like Stay Wallpapers that transition from the AOD to the lock display and residential display with cool animations – but it surely may also be reasonably irritating to make use of at instances, with an method to Android that’ll depart even seasoned Android veterans scratching their heads at instances.
No matter your emotions, Xiaomi’s upgraded long-term promise will see the Xiaomi 13T get 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of safety patches, a proposal solely matched by Samsung within the Android area.
Newest offers
Early Ideas
The Xiaomi 13T could possibly be the extra thrilling smartphone in comparison with its greater brother. Positive, the 13T Professional has sooner charging and sooner processing, however the tech that counts – together with the 6.67-inch 144Hz show and Leica co-engineered digicam setup – stays constant among the many two, although at a a lot cheaper price.
