We first noticed a variable aperture in a telephone with Samsung’s Galaxy S9. It felt gimmicky then, however with bigger sensors just like the one within the 13 Extremely, altering the focal size has extra impression. It is among the causes that the Xiaomi 13 Extremely can seize panorama photographs that look crisp of their entirety with out blurred areas, after which additionally seize shut topics with that pretty blurred background bokeh impact. There’s no use for the devoted portrait mode right here.
The 13 Extremely captures richly detailed photographs. Utilizing the default Leica Genuine model, colours are extra pure than on different Xiaomi telephones, such because the Poco F5 Pro I examined just lately. (There’s a vibrant possibility should you desire colours to pop.) What impressed me most was the depth of discipline, which provides drama and curiosity to outside photographs. I additionally like that the automated macro mode kicks in and does an excellent job with excessive close-ups, and Xiaomi’s evening mode makes essentially the most of low-light scenes. It is nearly unimaginable to dislike the photographs that come out of this quad-camera system.
The one weak spot is the 32-megapixel front-facing digital camera, which tends to over-brighten selfies. The portrait mode struggles with the same old stray hairs, and I discovered that selfies usually look higher in the usual digital camera mode.
The Xiaomi 13 Extremely can report 8K video at 24 frames per second (fps) and 4K at as much as 60 fps. I don’t assume individuals should be recording in 8K proper now, particularly because it means massive video information, and it doesn’t appear to supply an enormous soar in high quality except you zoom in, however the 4K footage is superb. The stabilization does an excellent job of eliminating shakes or strolling motion, and you may monitor topics easily.
The Catch
The Xiaomi 13 Extremely runs Android 13 with a topping of Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 software program interface. That is simply concerning the worst a part of the telephone for me. It’s somewhat too busy and brash for my tastes. It takes time to get used to should you’re coming from a Google Pixel or a Samsung telephone. As a result of my overview unit is the Chinese language model, it had tons of Chinese language apps put in, pop-ups in Chinese language, and Xiaomi apps because the defaults. I needed to dig into the settings to toggle on Google apps, and I used to be capable of set up the Google Play Retailer and the remainder of Google’s extra intuitive software program. This should not be a difficulty if you are going to buy the European model.
Talking of, the European mannequin of the Xiaomi 13 Extremely prices 1,499 Euros (round $1,613), although reductions are possible not far off. At that value, it rubs shoulders with Samsung’s S23 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max. The S23 Extremely retains tempo, and also you would possibly desire the extra useful software program smarts discovered within the Google Pixel 7 Pro, however it’s robust to seek out the rest to match the Xiaomi 13 Extremely. Xiaomi says the gadget will get three Android model updates and 5 years of safety patches, which places it on par with Google, however Xiaomi tends to be slower to roll them out.
I used to be prepared to miss software program points that bugged me with the Poco F5 Professional as a result of all the things else concerning the Xiaomi 13 Extremely is so good. The display screen is close to good, the efficiency is flawless, and the digital camera is excellent. Naturally, here is the half the place I remind you that you just completely need not spend this a lot for a superb telephone, however should you’re after the most effective in each sense of the phrase, the Xiaomi 13 Extremely is an actual contender.
