The Xiaomi 13T Pro Smartphone aims to bring flagship-level performance and camera quality to a more affordable price point. After testing the 13T Pro for over two weeks as my daily driver, I can confidently say this phone punches above its weight. The 13T Pro packs some seriously impressive hardware and camera tech that rivals phones double the price. But it’s not perfect — MIUI still needs some polish, and there are a few missing features I’d expect in a 2023 flagship.
Premium Hardware Without the Price Tag
When you pick up the Xiaomi 13T Pro smartphone, the build quality immediately feels premium. The textured glass back looks slick in Black and has a nice grippy feel—the phone comes in Black, Meadow Green, and Alpine Blue. Despite the huge camera module, the phone avoids overly large camera bumps thanks to the thick 10.9mm chassis.
At 206g, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is a bit heavy, but that gives it a sense of durability, unlike those super-light phones that feel like they’ll shatter at the slightest drop. You also get IP68 water resistance, a rarity in this price range. It has a great feel to it, and although it is heavier than competing phones, it feels great to use, and the design looks fantastic, reminding me of the early iPhone 4s with its clean edges and concept.
Looking at the front of the phone, the 6.67” curved OLED display is gorgeous, with slim bezels all around. The 1220p resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits peak brightness, and HDR10+ support make everything look crisp and fluid. It’s essentially indistinguishable from $1000+ flagship screens. Honestly, I am amazed at how good the Xiaomi 13T Pro looks, especially considering this is a more budget-friendly option.
Performance is snappy thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chip, which benchmarks close to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Combined with 12GB of RAM, you can easily juggle multiple apps and play graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact smoothly. Every game I threw at the phone ran flawlessly, beating out some of the big contenders of 2022, with everything looking smooth, fluid and visually striking thanks to the screen.
Leica-Tuned Cameras That Don’t Disappoint
The Xiaomi 13T Pro features a triple camera system developed in collaboration with Leica, known for their high-end optics. This gives the Xiaomi 13T Pro flagship-level camera quality at a more affordable price point. The star of the show is the massive 1/1.28″ 50MP main sensor, which is capable of capturing a ton of light and detail. It’s paired with a fast f/1.9 aperture lens co-engineered with Leica.
Photos in daylight showcase vibrant, accurate colours and crisp details. The Xiaomi 13T Pro holds up remarkably well for low light shots thanks to the large sensor, with less noise than phones like the Pixel 7 Pro or even the Pixel 8 Pro. I was genuinely amazed at how well this phone held up in testing and the fact that Xiaomi managed the Leica branding for their less expensive option. This is truly a shooting powerhouse on a budget, delivering fantastic results.
“Xiaomi has released a phone that offers everything you could want at a price that is hard to compete with.”
The 2x telephoto camera allows for nice optical zoom and portrait shots. The natural background blur from the longer focal length makes portraits really pop. Autofocus is quick and accurate across all three cameras. My main complaint is the lack of autofocus on the 12MP ultrawide camera. Autofocus would have given it more versatility for landscapes and close-up shots. But the quality is still excellent in daylight.
Video quality is also a highlight, with smooth stabilization and vibrant colours in up to 4K resolution. The three-camera setup offers great flexibility for video work. Slow-motion recording is also possible at 1080p. In the camera app, you can switch to Leica’s colour science by activating the Leica Authentic profile. This provides more lifelike colours and tonality in keeping with Leica’s heritage. For content creators, Xiaomi has released a phone that offers everything you could want at a price that is hard to compete with. While I love the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the Xiaomi 13T Pro offers a fantastic range of features that few phones in its price range can match.
Gaming and Performance
As I mentioned earlier, the Xiaomi 13T Pro smartphone packs some serious firepower under the hood with MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 9200+ chipset. This octa-core beast delivers flagship-level performance on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, based on benchmarks. Real-world usage is just as impressive — everything I threw at the 13T Pro simply flew. Apps open instantly, multitasking is a breeze, and UI navigation is stutter-free.
Gaming is where the 13T Pro really flexes its muscles, thanks to the upgraded Immortalis-G715 GPU. Graphics-intensive titles like Honkai: Star Rail run smoothly at max settings with consistent 60fps frame rates. The phone doesn’t break a sweat and maintains cool thermals even during extended gaming sessions.
In fact, the 13T Pro’s sustained performance is better than some more expensive phones, including ones from Apple. Apple’s chip may post higher benchmark scores initially, but it is prone to throttling after 10-15 minutes of intensive 3D gaming. The Xiaomi 13T Pro does not suffer from this issue—I played Genshin Impact at max graphics for over 30 minutes, and performance remained rock-solid with minimal frame drops.
“The Xiaomi 13T Pro smartphone packs some serious firepower under the hood with MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 9200+ chipset.”
The excellent cooling system deserves credit here. Xiaomi has implemented an advanced vapour chamber and multi-layer graphite sheets to keep thermals under control. This is shown in stress tests where the phone maintains peak performance for longer durations. I am honestly amazed at how much Xiaomi packed into this little phone, with it going toe-to-toe against bigger flagships and coming out on top.
Gaming is further enhanced by the gorgeous 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a silky smooth 144Hz refresh rate and 1200 nits peak brightness. HDR10+ support delivers vibrant visuals, and the dual speakers with Dolby Atmos provide an immersive audio experience. These are the little extras that make it not only powerful and smooth but also a phone that makes gaming fun and exciting, giving a truly immersive experience on the go.
MIUI 14 Still Needs Some Polish
I have been really impressed with the 13T Pro, but there are issues with the OS, especially if you are coming from Google or Samsung—the phone ships with MIUI 14, based on Android 13. Xiaomi’s software has improved over the years but still feels cluttered compared to stock Android, Samsung OneUI, and OxygenOS.
There’s no app drawer by default (although it can be turned on if you want this experience), so all your apps are scattered across multiple home screens. Pre-installed bloatware apps like AliExpress and WPS Office are annoying to see on a premium device. The theming engine also feels dated now, with countless themes that look bad in comparison to the default look that the phone ships with.
On the plus side, there are plenty of customization options for the always-on display, animations and more. The dynamic island notification popup is well-implemented, and the quick settings/notification shade is very customizable. Performance is also snappy thanks to the high-end hardware, but stability isn’t perfect. I experienced a few random app crashes and system hiccups during my testing, which shouldn’t happen on a flagship. Hopefully, software updates will smooth things out.
Long Battery Life and Insanely Fast Charging
The Xiaomi 13T Pro packs a large 5,000 mAh battery, which is a slight upgrade over the 4,820 mAh cell in the 13 Pro. In my testing, this big battery easily lasted through a full day of heavy use with screen time of over 7 hours. With more moderate use, you could stretch it to 1.5-2 days per charge.
While the battery life is solid, it’s the insanely fast charging that really stands out. The Xiaomi 13T Pro supports a blistering 120W wired charging, thanks to Xiaomi’s HyperCharge technology. The 120W GaN charger is even included in the box, which isn’t always a given nowadays.
To put it plainly, I’ve never experienced charging speeds like this before. From completely dead, I timed the Xiaomi 13T Pro charging to 59% in just 15 minutes, and it only took 20 minutes to go from 0 to 100%—Xiaomi’s claim is spot on, and that is something I did not think possible.
I am not sure how long the phone will sustain these charging speeds or if it could degrade over time, but Xiaomi has exceeded my expectations, at least in testing. To hit these crazy fast charging speeds, you must enable Boost Charge mode, which allows 120W charging with the screen off. This prevents overheating. Out of the box, charging is limited to 60-80W, so while still fast, is a bit more on par with many other smartphones on the market.
During my testing, the phone only got slightly warm when using the 120W HyperCharge. Xiaomi has also included optimized charging to help maintain long-term battery health. The only real downside is the lack of support for wireless charging, which is disappointing for a 2022 flagship. But with charging this fast, I doubt most people will care. The Xiaomi 13T Pro battery and charging combo are easily one of the phone’s best features, and I just wish wireless charging hadn’t fallen by the wayside, as I know a lot of people who still love it, especially at night.
Should You Buy the Xiaomi 13T Pro?
At around $700 USD, the Xiaomi 13T Pro gives you a lot for your money. The hardware and cameras match or beat phones double the cost. Performance is excellent across the board, and MIUI has come a long way despite some lingering issues. Xiaomi has outdone themselves, and released a phone that delivers in the areas that matter, even if some gripes still remain—I still feel wireless charging should be standard on any phone looking to be a flagship.
For shoppers wanting flagship-level specs without the premium price, the 13T Pro is easy to recommend. It’s a better overall value than the Pixel 8 Pro or Galaxy S23+, in my opinion. The software needs more polish to really compete with OnePlus and Samsung, though. If you want the absolute best cameras or software refinement, spend extra for the Pixel or Galaxy. But most people will be very happy with what the Xiaomi 13T Pro offers for hundreds less. Unless you take a ton of selfies, this is one of the best Android values of 2023.
