Xiaomi 13 Ultra: What's new in camera smartphone co-engineered with Leica

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi on April 18 unveiled its third-gen premium smartphone with an imaging system it co-engineered with Leica. Named Xiaomi 13 Ultra, it is not just a smartphone with a camera system but a full-fledged camera in smartphone form factor. It essentially means the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is heavily focused on imaging features, but does not cut corners on smartphone capabilities. Below are five things new in the Xiaomi 13 Ultra:

50MP quad-camera set-up

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has four cameras on the rear, each carrying a 50-megapixel sensor of different configurations. The primary wide-angle camera sensor boasts hyper stabilization tech powered by optical image stabilization and electric image stabilization, eight-piece aspherical lens combination, and pixel-binning technology. It is mated with a 50MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with support for auto-focus, which enables macro photography (up to 5cm). The other two sensors are telephoto with OIS.

1-inch primary camera sensor size

Xiaomi was the first to introduce a 1-inch camera sensor in smartphones and the legacy continues with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. It sports a 1-inch camera sensor in the primary camera on the rear.

Wide focal length coverage

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s multi-sensor camera system covers multiple focal lengths, ranging from 12mm (ultra-wide angle), 23mm (wide angle), 75mm (telephoto), to the 120mm (super-telephoto). Besides there is an extra 46mm and 240mm lengths through the in-sensor-zoom.

Variable aperture

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra introduces variable aperture in smartphone camera systems. It is not the first smartphone maker to bring this tech in smartphones, but Leica partnership helps it get the most out of it. It is the primary camera sensor, which supports a physical two-stop aperture switching between f/1.9 and F/4.0.

RAW at native resolution

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra supports 50MP RAW from the primary camera sensor. Besides, there is support for multi-frame 14-bit UltraRAW, which takes the data directly from the computing pipeline for better resolution and high dynamic range.

Dolby Vision

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the second Xiaomi smartphone capable of recording videos in Dolby Vision format.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is limited to China, but it has a younger sibling with an equally exciting imaging system co-engineered with Leica and is available for purchase in India. Click or tap here to read the Xiaomi 13 Pro review.