Xiaomi 13 Pro Review: Should You Buy This Phone Instead of the Samsung Galaxy S23?

On this week's episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss the recently launched Xiaomi 13 Pro and how it fares against the competition.

Advertisement
Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 10 March 2023 18:59 IST

Xiaomi 13 Pro is the first flagship phone to debut in India with Leica's 75mm floating telephoto lens

Xiaomi 13 Pro — the Chinese smartphone manufacturer's first flagship phone to launch in India in 2023 — went on sale in India for the first time on Friday. This year's high-end smartphone comes with a hefty price tag compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 12 Pro. However, it also comes with a range of notable hardware upgrades. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is the first handset from the company with Leica-tuned cameras to debut in India. It is also equipped with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC under the hood.  

On this week's episode of the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital, guest host and Reviews Editor Roydon Cerejo talks to Reviewer Pranav Hegde, who spent more than two weeks with the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Hegde also travelled to Barcelona for the recently concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, where Xiaomi launched its latest flagship smartphone. We discuss the latest Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphone, from its camera specifications to how its latest-generation hardware performs with Xiaomi's MIUI software.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is the first flagship phone to debut in India with Leica's 75mm floating telephoto lens. This handset is equipped with a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50-megapixel 1-inch Sony IMX989 primary sensor. At the moment, there aren't any other smartphones with a 1-inch camera sensor in India. It also features a 50-megapixel floating telephoto sensor, and a 50-megapixel wide-angle sensor. We discuss the camera performance of all three cameras on the latest episode.

Advertisement

Xiaomi 13 Pro First Impressions: New Heavyweight Flagship

You also get other flagship-grade specifications on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, such as Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, along with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The handset sports a 6.73-inch 2K OLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz. This means it is on par with other high-end smartphones launched earlier this year.

Hardware specifications on a smartphone are only as good as the software it runs on, and thankfully, Xiaomi's latest high-end handset is equipped with a lean version of MIUI 14, minus any bloatware. You can also expect to see updates through Android 16, plus two years of security updates. 

Advertisement

Thirty Minutes With Xiaomi India's Muralikrishnan B — an Orbital Exclusive

This phone doesn't have an official IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, unlike the Xiaomi 13 Pro model that was launched globally. On the other hand, the company has stated that the handset conforms to IP68 standards. Unlike the OnePlus 11 5G, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers support for wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. This means you can charge the phone wirelessly at 50W using Xiaomi's proprietary standard, or slowly with the more widely supported Qi standard.  

Advertisement

You can listen to all of that in detail and more in our episode by hitting the play button on the Spotify player embedded above.

If you're new to the Gadgets 360 website, you can easily find the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital on your favourite platform — be it Amazon MusicApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsGaanaJioSaavnSpotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Advertisement

Don't forget to follow the Gadgets 360 podcast wherever you're listening. Please also rate us and leave a review.

 
REVIEW
  • Design
  • Display
  • Software
  • Performance
  • Battery Life
  • Camera
  • Value for Money
  • Good
  • Excellent build quality
  • Versatile camera setup with impressive features
  • Top-notch display
  • Powerful performance
  • Good battery life, 120W fast charging
  • Smooth software experience
  • Bad
  • On the heavier side
  • No official IP rating in India
  • Software support not as competitive as rivals
 
KEY SPECS
Display 6.70-inch
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Front Camera 32-megapixel
Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel
RAM 12GB
Storage 256GB
Battery Capacity 4820mAh
OS Android 13
Resolution 3200x1440 pixels
NEWS

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Here's How Much the Motorola Signature Could Cost in India
  2. Oppo A6 5G Launched in India With 7,000mAh Battery at This Price
  3. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra May Arrive in Six Colourways
  4. Oppo Reno 15 FS 5G Launched With 6,500mAh Battery, Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC
  5. Moto G67, Moto G77 Specifications Leaked; Could Launch Soon
  6. Redmi Turbo 5 Max Charging Details Revealed; Pre-Orders Open in China
  7. SpaceX Adds 29 More Starlink Satellites in Rapid Falcon 9 Launch From Florida
  8. Here Are 5 Things You Should Know About Sony's New Deal With TCL
  9. Realme 15T Review
  10. Amazon Great Republic Day Sale: Top Gaming Laptops Under Rs. 1 Lakh
  1. The Art of Sarah OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch This Korean Mystery Thriller Series Online?
  2. Ram Charan’s Peddi OTT Release Confirmed: What You Need to Know
  3. Realme Neo 8 Pricing Details, Memory Configurations Leaked Ahead of Launch
  4. Microsoft Will Reportedly Launch Ad-Supported Free Xbox Cloud Gaming Tier This Year
  5. Bitcoin Price Drops Under $90,000 as US Inflation Concerns Weigh on Sentiment
  6. Redmi Note 15 Pro, Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G India Launch Delayed, Tipster Claims
  7. Oppo Reno 15 FS 5G Launched With 6,500mAh Battery, 80W Fast Charging and Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC
  8. Samsung Qi2 Power Bank for Galaxy S26 Series With 15W Wireless Charging Leaked Online
  9. Oppo Find X9 Ultra Design Spotted in Real-Life Images With Bigger Telephoto Kit
  10. OpenAI’s First Mystery AI Device Is Reportedly an Audio Headset, Not an AI Pen
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.