These days, inflation has caused price hikes for many tech gadgets. But surprisingly, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is still quite affordable and is even cheaper than its predecessor, starting at RM2499. This is indeed a rare case for a newly launched phone, but is it good? To read if the Xiaomi 13T Pro is worth it or not, read our full review below.
Design - More beautiful than before
To be honest, the Xiaomi T series often has a rather bland design. Perhaps Xiaomi didn't prioritise design for this series so the phones can be sold at more affordable prices. Fortunately for the Xiaomi 13T Pro, the design looks more pleasant than before, albeit not as fancy as other flagship phones. It does feature a glittering glass back, so fingerprint smudges are hard to see on this green model.
In our opinion, the better-looking colourway is the blue one with a vegan leather back that makes it look more premium. Not only does the vegan leather skin prevent fingerprints all over the back, but it also provides a better grip on the phone. The camera bump is quite prominent but is not too thick.
This is called Meadow Green
Nothing on the left side, just the volume rockers and power button on the right
The usual placement for the speaker grille, USB C port and SIM card tray
Despite being its best-looking iteration, the Xiaomi 13T Pro uses plastic frames. Overall, we have to say it still looks like an upper mid-range phone. The frames' sides are flat, while the four corners are slightly curved. It's also worth mentioning that this is the first Xiaomi T series phone with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
Tech specs and features - Just like any other flagship phones
Below is the list of official Xiaomi 13T Pro specifications:
- Chipset - MediaTek Dimensity 9200+
- RAM - 12GB or 16GB (LPDDR5X)
- Storage - 256GB, 512GB or 1TB (UFS 4.0)
- Display - 6.67-inch AMOLED (144Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, 2600 nits peak brightness, DCI-P3 colour gamut, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 glass)
- Cameras - Leica Vario-Summicron 50MP (main) + Leica 50MP (telephoto) + Leica 12MP (ultrawide) and a 20MP front camera
- Features - RAM Expansion, 8K 24fps video recording with OIS+EIS stabilization, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, IP68 water & dust resistance rating,
- Connectivity - 5G, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, Wi-Fi 6 and dual-SIM
- Battery - 5000mAh (with 120W HyperCharge fast charging)
- Operating System - MIUI 14 based on Android 13
Some details on the specs
The display colours are top-notch
A highlight feature of the Xiaomi 13T Pro is none other than the large AMOLED display. According to the specs sheet, it has all the necessary features like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, which makes video streaming a visually pleasing experience. On top of that, the high 144Hz refresh rate makes it super smooth. You can also set it to 60Hz if you prefer a lower battery consumption. The peak brightness is also high, so you can see the screen even under the sunlight.
There are a couple of memory configurations for the Xiaomi 13T Pro. On top of that, you can add 4GB, 6GB or 8GB of RAM via virtual RAM Expansion. In total, you can push it up to 24GB. It's a bit extreme because 12GB of RAM alone is enough for most apps, but at least you have the option. By the way, there's no microSD slot available. We recommend picking the 512GB or 1TB variants if you really need more storage.
MIUI 14 UI
Notification space (left) and Quick Settings (right)
The MIUI OS is notorious for having bloatware. Thankfully, MIUI 14 doesn't have a large amount of junk, so you don't need to waste time uninstalling unwanted apps. Most importantly, the Xiaomi 13T Pro will receive major Android updates for four years, alongside security updates for five years.
Performance - Excellent camera functions (mostly)
As the Pro variant, the Xiaomi 13T Pro met our expectations in handling graphics-intensive games. We put it through Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact (up to 60FPS), and PUBG Mobile (up to 90FPS) at the highest graphics settings. All three games ran well without any significant problems. Additionally, the phone never felt too hot in our hands, with the temperature always under control.
3DMark
Geekbench
Gameplay footage on the Xiaomi 13T Pro
Charging time is usually around 25 minutes
The 5000mAh battery can last more than a day, depending on your usage. While testing the phone, we found that we usually still have 20% left by the end of the day. Xiaomi claimed it would only take 19 minutes to fully charge the phone. But from our experience, it usually takes closer to 25 minutes. It's still fast, but not as fast as the figure advertised by Xiaomi. Be aware that if you use the phone while charging, the charging rate will be lowered to reduce the heat generated.
The main draw of the Xiaomi 13T Pro is none other than the camera. As you may know, Xiaomi is using Leica camera technologies, and this phone has two main photographic styles - Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant. Leica Authentic produces colours that are as natural as possible, whereas the latter produces brighter and better colour contrast. We personally prefer Leica Authentic because it's not too bright or artificial-looking.
Choosing Leica Vibrant or Authentic (left) and Leica Filters (right)
Both photographic styles can be used for all three rear cameras. The phone can produce excellent night-mode images with less noise, but the processing effect can sometimes take a while. As great as it sounds, the same cannot be said for the front camera, as the images tend to look a bit bland.
The front camera has no access to the Leica photographic styles. Moreover, the portrait mode wasn't that great, as the separation between the subject and the background felt off. This wouldn't be an issue if this was a mid-range phone, but not in a flagship phone like the Xiaomi 13T Pro. Anyway, take a look at these photos below yourself.
Leica Authentic (left) and Leica Vibrant (right)
Main camera
Ultrawide camera
Selfies
Night mode
Video sample from the Xiaomi 13T Pro
Conclusion - Great price for a Leica-powered phone
While the Xiaomi 13T Pro may not be as luxurious as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, we think this phone is still pretty good. With a starting price of RM2499, it's a worthy device to consider without punching a hole in your wallet. Apart from the mediocre front camera and portrait mode, there isn't much to complain about, so we can see ourselves using this phone for a long time.
At this starting price, there are not many phones that can face the Xiaomi 13T Pro. The OnePlus Nord 3 5G (RM2199) comes close, but its specs aren't really up to par. In fact, the only phones that can challenge this unbelievable price are 2022 phones that already have price cuts.
Before we end, below is a recap of the prices for each model. Which one would you pick? Also, what do you think of the Xiaomi 13T Pro? Let us know in the comments on our Facebook page and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more reviews like this.
- 12GB + 256GB: RM2499
- 12GB + 512GB: RM2699
- 16GB + 1TB: RM3499
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