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Xiaomi has announced quite a few devices yesterday. It announced the Xiaomi Pad 6 series tablets, and the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 fitness tracker. The star of the show was the company’s new flagship smartphone, though, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. That device arrived to the office today, and I managed to use it briefly, just to give you my initial impressions. So, this is essentially the Xiaomi 13 Ultra first impressions / hands-on article, if you will, as it will take some time to properly check out this smartphone. The review is coming, though, of course.
First and foremost, do note that the variant that arrived is made for the Chinese market. Even though the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is coming to global markets, the device did get announced in China yesterday. Therefore, the company shipped us a sample made for the Chinese market. The software on the global variant will be a bit different, and includes Google Play Services. Therefore, I’d definitely recommend that you wait for the global model, even though Google Play Services can be sideloaded here, with ease. Regardless, I won’t be talking about the software here, just the hardware.
The device is not small, but it feels great in the hand
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is not a small phone. Despite that, I was quite surprised after I pulled it out of the box. It was way more comfortable than I hoped it would be. In fact, it was way more comfortable than the Xiaomi 13 Pro, at least in my opinion. Every single Xiaomi 13 Ultra model comes with a vegan leather backplate, or as Xiaomi refers to it “second-generation nano-tech material”. This backplate feels almost like paper, but with a bit more grip. It makes the entire device way more grippy than the Xiaomi 13 Pro, which is as slippery as it can be. That’s mostly thanks to its ceramic backplate, though. Another thing to note is that this nano-tech material is antibacterial too.
“nano-tcch material” on the back is not only grippy, but it has antibacterial properties too
That “nano-tech material” on the back doesn’t extend to the sides of the phone. It’s moved closer to the middle, but not by much. The phone’s back is actually partially made out of metal, as that metal curves towards the side. It’s all a part of the same chassis, I’ve never seen an approach like this. In any case, the vegan leather backplate is higher in the upper portion of the phone’s back, than it is in the lower portion. Why? Well, because of the cameras. Xiaomi included four 50-megapixel cameras here, including a 1-inch sensor for the main camera, which makes this camera oreo protrude quite a bit. In order to alleviate that, Xiaomi raised the vegan leather backplate in the camera surroundings. This is also a nice approach, and it hides the thickness nicely.
The phone feels really nice in the hand. It doesn’t cut into your hand at all, despite the fact it has mostly flat sides. Those sides are tapered a bit, and those curves do help with the comfort. It actually feels like you have a good grip on the phone when you hold it, it’s nowhere near as uncomfortable to hold as most phones with curved displays are. Speaking of which, yes, it does have a curved display. I’ve always found that having flat sides helps with the grip on phones with curved displays, and that’s the case here as well.
The device includes a Type-C 3.2 port, and even an IR blaster
You will find a Type-C port at the bottom, which is flanked by a speaker grille, and a microphone, and a SIM card tray. At the top, there are two microphones, an IR blaster, and a second speaker. The variant that Xiaomi shipped our way is all black, except for the gold trim around the camera island. That actually makes for a really nice design detail, in my opinion. A display camera hole is included on the front, and it’s centered towards the top of the display. The phone does have weight to it, but it’s not too heavy. It weighs 227 grams, and the top side is heavier due to those cameras. The difference is not that noticeable, and it’s not something that will bother you while you’re using the phone. The weight distribution is actually well done, despite the fact there are four large cameras in the upper portion of the phone.
Two color options are expected to be available globally
I have to admit, I was hoping we’ll get the green version of the device (officially called ‘Olive Green’), as that one looks great in my opinion, but this black model is also nice looking. It looks very stealthy, and if you’re in that sort of thing, there you have it. Speaking of which, it seems like the black and green models will make it to global markets. Those two models were listed in the company’s global marketing materials, while the white variant was not mentioned. That model will remain exclusive to China, it seems. Do note that things may change by the time Xiaomi launches the device globally.
Overall, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra feels great in the hand, and I really enjoyed my initial time with it. I’m looking forward to testing out those cameras, of course, and seeing how the phone feels overall. I’ll be sideloading Google Play Services on this model, until the global version launches. You can take a closer look at the phone, if you want, just check out the gallery below.
