In our digital and social media world today, we are constantly fed with images on digital and social media spaces. From advertisements to photographs, we are both consuming and contributing to the massive pool of expanding digital imaging landscape. How are your mobile/smartphone photography experiences like? Are there many a times, whereby you would like to have more camera like features and capabilities on your smartphone? Now you can, with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra – A Shot Above for Mobile Photography.
For most smartphones coverage, I would usually publish them on my TGH Technology and Business portal/blog. However for the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is more than just a smartphone, this is a smartphone camera that fits perfectly here, on my TGH Photography and Travel portal/blog.
Xiaomi and Leica Collaboration
The latest result of Xiaomi and Leica’s collaboration in further advancing mobile imaging technology. Powered by a quad camera system with a 1-inch sensor anchoring the main camera, and a variable aperture. It has an ultra-grade WQHD+ display with excellent colour accuracy, along with premium flagship Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 performance, all packed in a classic design, Xiaomi offers all smartphone users an ultimate professional camera experience, in all capabilities.
A Shot Above with Leica Camera Ambassador, Adele Chan
Xiaomi collaborated with Leica Camera Ambassador, Adele Chan, to showcase Xiaomi 13 Ultra camera capabilities through a series of photos and sharing her experience during the local media preview session, part of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra launch campaign in Singapore.
Shot and edited entirely on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the series features Singapore’s beautiful landmarks, people and culture – with photos of popular local architecture, streets and more – encapsulating the theme “A Shot Above”. Follow Adele Chan on her Instagram, as well as Xiaomi Singapore’s Facebook page, to see her storytelling series.
Leica optics – To build the perfect Summicron Lens of Leica in mobile imaging
Inherited from the optical concept of the Leica M series, the Leica optical system of Xiaomi 13 Ultra has the characteristics of compact size, large aperture, high imaging performance, reliability, and durability. The lens adopts an ultra high-order polynomial design, allowing the precision of design to reach a nanometer level, nearing the optical limit. Meanwhile, a multi-layer coating greatly reduces glare and ghosting, presenting stable performance in extremely cold and extremely hot environments.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Quad Camera System
Xiaomi 13 Ultra is equipped with a quad camera system with Leica optical lens covering focal lengths ranging from:
- 12mm (ultra-wide angle)
- 23mm (wide-angle), 75mm (telephoto)
- to the new 120mm (super-telephoto)
- as well as the extra 46mm and 240mm lengths through the In-Sensor-Zoom.
Adding on the full degree of focal length flexibility, the smartphone’s professional camera setting offers variable aperture.
Three of Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s cameras feature an aperture wider than ƒ/2.0, which brings in more light and a soft, shallow depth of field, and allows for shorter shutter times, thus quicker capturing of natural and unmissable moments.
Flaunting an ultra-large 1-inch IMX989 sensor and a new physical two-stop aperture switching between ƒ/1.9 and ƒ/4.0, the main camera offers content creators more freedom in customising the exposures based on different scenarios.
Inspired by the “hyperfocal distance” shooting method commonly used by street photographers, Xiaomi 13 Ultra also brings a new Fast Shot mode that allows taking focus-free snapshots by setting the focus point manually, and later starting and capturing the moment in just 0.8s.
Pro colour restoration capability powered end-to-end from capture to presentation
Xiaomi 13 Ultra has fully optimised the RAW workflow, and more algorithms are migrated to the RAW domain to maximise the dynamic range, details, and texture of the image, thus significantly improving imaging quality. The main camera supports 50MP RAW, bringing a higher imaging resolution, while providing multi-frame 14-bit UltraRAW, which takes the data directly from the computing pipeline, bringing better resolution and high dynamic range. Camera profiles will be created by Adobe, providing a better starting point for post-production.
In terms of display, Xiaomi 13 Ultra sports a 6.73″ pro-grade WQHD+ display with excellent colour accuracy and up to 2600 nits peak brightness. This display is also calibrated according to the new CIE 2015 colorimetry, which supports perfect automatic colour management to ensure accurate and consistent colour presentation across different displays from Xiaomi devices released recently.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra also supports end-to-end experience supported by Dolby Vision®, capturing with vivid colours, astonishing contrast and brightness, along with a panoramic view of rich details in dark and bright areas, while offering users the opportunity to share their own creative content in UGC communities that support Dolby Vision®.
Ultra-fast experience with self-developed heat dissipation technology and Xiaomi Surge Battery Management System
As the annual masterpiece of the Xiaomi Ultra product line, Xiaomi 13 Ultra has the most powerful hardware configuration available, along with a suite of new innovative technologies for a top-notch flagship experience.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra pays tribute to the classic look of Leica’s M camera series with its circular camera module, unibody metal frame and leather texture finish. Weighing 227g (1) and with the unibody metal frame giving more resilience for bending than the previous generation, the smartphone design provides foundation for the entire structure and a more secure grip. Wrapped in a second-generation antibacterial nanotech silicone leather, the back panel of Xiaomi 13 Ultra not only resists fingerprints and smudges, but also is antibacterial and anti-yellowing. Its bacterial inhibition rate can reach as high as 99%, perfect for nearly any environment.(2)
Equipped with the latest Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 flagship processor, which adopts 4nm process technology, Xiaomi 13 Ultra brings superior performance and energy consumption. The smartphone supports RAM up to 16GB LPDDR5x and UFS4.0 storage of up to 1 TB, as well as FBO (File Based Optimization). Xiaomi 13 Ultra also features a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface, achieving DisplayPort video output up to 4K 60Hz.
Thanks to Xiaomi’s self-developed Loop LiquidCool technology, the first landing of an aerospace-grade large toroidal cooling system on a smartphone, Xiaomi 13 Ultra has achieved “one-way conduction” of the internal circulation through the “vapor-liquid separation” structure. This ensures equivalent thermal conductivity more than three times that of traditional VCs, and heat dissipation capacity exceeds 10W. With this powerful and advanced technology, Xiaomi 13 Ultra is capable of supporting stable 4K 60fps video recording without frame rate drop due to temperature.(3)
By pairing a Xiaomi Surge P2 Charging Chip and Xiaomi Surge G1 Battery Management Chip with a 5,000mAh battery, Xiaomi 13 Ultra utilizes a series of battery health functions and is able to estimate the battery life at extremely granular levels. Xiaomi 13 Ultra also adds a new Hibernation mode, which will be automatically triggered when the battery is low, limiting background activities and offering up to 60 minutes of additional standby.(4)
A very short hands on with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra
At the Xiaomi 13 Ultra media launch event in Singapore, I had the opportunity to get a very short hands on with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, testing the quad camera system, user interface and the pro function of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
While my hands on session was very short, it sparked a joy and excitement inside me that I haven’t really experienced in my mobile/smartphone photography for a period of time. I remembered when Leica first entered into mobile/smartphone photography industry when I reviewed the Huawei P9 and Huawei P10 Plus that brought me great joy and fun in mobile/smartphone photography.
The technology and mobile/smartphone photography developments over the years, powered by Xiaomi and Leica collaboration, presented photographers a new joy and era, “A Shot Above” for mobile/smartphone photography in the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
Possibly a smartphone camera that might be on par with a compact digital camera, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is definitely a very exciting prospect and a perfect complement to photographers with their cameras and lenses setup, whether it’s for leisure, serious enthusiast or professional photographer.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be available in Singapore for pre-orders from 24th to 30th June 2023. It’s available in 2 colours – Black and Olive Green.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra is priced at SGD$1,899, and can be purchased via Authorised Xiaomi Stores and partner stores.
During the pre-order period, keen buyers will get a free Xiaomi 50W Wireless Charging Stand worth SGD 79 and a Xiaomi 13 Ultra Professional Photography Set worth SGD 249. Other gifts include a 100GB cloud storage on Google One for 6 months, 1+1 years of extended warranty on the new premium device and 3 months of access to Youtube Premium.
Deals are on a first-come, first-serve basis, while stocks last.
Notes:
- Actual measurements between individual products may vary. All specifications are subject to the actual product.
- Data retrieved from SGS test report.
- Data from Xiaomi Internal Labs.
- Data from Xiaomi Internal Labs. Actual time may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
* Information and pictures courtesy of Xiaomi and APRW *
This Xiaomi 13 Ultra camera is definitely a shot above for mobile photography. It has great features and is very easy to use. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great camera for their mobile photography needs.