Xiaomi 13 Ultra rear cameras set a new shooting standard for smartphone photography

Xiaomi today announced the Singapore launch of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, its premium equivalent of the flagship Xiaomi 13 series (which consists of the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro).

As mentioned in its China-only launch earlier this year, the 13 Ultra has the same flagship-grade Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, but it takes the photography chops far beyond its Pro and regular variants. You can hit this link if you want to see the rest of its core specifications.

Here, we will look at how the Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s rear cameras go beyond components to be a compelling choice for photography enthusiasts.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra rear cameras

You get four rear cameras, starting with a 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor on its 50MP main camera (4-in-1 pixel binning). Additional features on it are its f/1.9-4.0 variable aperture and an advanced version of stabilization (HyperOIS), both of which will give you a variety of focal lengths and steady photo-taking.

Others are a 50MP ultra-wide camera with 122° FOV, which supports 5cm macro photography, a 50MP telephoto lens and OIS, and an additional 50MP super-telephoto lens with OIS that goes up to 10x zoom.

Together, you get a zoom range of 0.5x to 10x that’s almost guaranteed to give you great shooting versatility that will be clear and sharp in both outdoor or low-light conditions. Xiaomi calls these “all-range snapshots” and “all-range nightshots”. That’s 12mm, 23mm, 75mm, and 120mm. Suppose you’re willing to use the in-sensor 2x zoom feature (which digitally crops in-sensor to get a 2x closeup). In that case, it also adds 46mm and 240mm shooting ranges to the imaging kit (120mm equivalent sits at the 5x optical zoom point, while its simulated 240mm gives 10x zoom).

These are all paired with “upgraded” Summicron lenses, although Xiaomi didn’t really specify what those upgrades are (since the 13 Pro also uses Summicron lenses).

Being the top-end phone variant also meant that Leica’s optimisations were present on this device. You get the same Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look photographic styles, along with a powerful set of Master-lens shooting styles that give you 35mm Documentary, 50mm Swirly bokeh, 75mm Portrait, and 90mm Soft Focus shots.

For users who like plenty of control over their final results, the phone offers 14-bit UltraRAW support, so you can go ahead and post-process the shots in professional, full-featured photo-editing software. This is in addition to 50MP RAW support, and both RAW support uses Adobe camera profiles.

Yes, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s rear camera housing is indeed big, but that are several good reasons for that. Not only does the Android smartphone come with a comprehensive imaging toolkit, but it also offers further compatibility with extra accessories (more on that below) to make it an alternative to shooting on compact cameras.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra price, availability, pre-order bonus in Singapore

Xiaomi 13 Ultra officially retails at S$1,899 in Singapore. You can find it at official Xiaomi stores and retail partner outlets. The pre-order period is between 24 and 30 June 2023.

If you pre-order the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the pre-order bonus comes with a free 50W wireless charging stand (worth S$79) and a special Xiaomi 13 Ultra Professional Photography Set (worth S$249).

Other gifts are a 100GB Google One cloud stage for six months, 1+1 years of extended warranty on the 13 Ultra, and three months of YouTube Premium. All deals are also on a first-come-first-served basis, while stocks last.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra Professional Photography Set is the most interesting pre-order gift item offered by the brand. In some other territories, the set is purchased separately and it’s not readily available. It comes with a protective case that’s compatible with its camera grip (that packs a wireless connection to its two-stage shutter and zoom jog dial). There’s also a 67mm adapter that lets you use standard camera lens filters or the provided lens cap on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s massive camera housing.

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