Xiaomi 13 Lite review

Introduction and specifications

This year’s Lite model from Xiaomi’s digital flagship series is shaping up to be a proper Lite compared to its vanilla 13 and 13 Pro siblings. The “Lite” designation has become associated with less-than-great hardware for those on a budget, and these models often ride the success of their true flagship alternatives in the same lineup. However, this year’s Xiaomi 13 Lite seems like the real deal. There are also quite a few upgrades compared to the Xiaomi 12 Lite.

The display is pretty much the same as last year’s, except that it’s curved this time and the diagonal is still 6.55″, making it a slightly compact mid-range solution. One of the most notable changes, however, is the new chipset. This year, the Lite will be powered by the all-new Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, promising improved efficiency and performance compared to the older Snapdragon 700 series.

For the most part, the camera setup remains the same. Now the 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor heads the setup on the back, which is just as big a sensor as last year’s 108MP. Of course, the main shooter is assisted by the commonly used 8MP ultrawide camera, which is not a surprise.

However, the forward-facing configuration is completely new. The pill-shaped notch is home to a 32MP ultra-wide-angle camera with some advanced features and an 8MP depth sensor for better portraits with bokeh.

Xiaomi 13 Lite specifications at a glance:

• Body: 159.2 x 72.7 x 7.2mm, 171g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back, plastic frame; IP53, dust and splash resistant.
• Screen: 6.55″ AMOLED, 68B colors, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 120Hz, 500 nits (typ), 1000 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7450-AB Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×2.4 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.36 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 644.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2.
• OS/Software: Android 12, MIUI 14.
• Rear camera: wide (main): 50MP, f/1.8, 23mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8MP, f/2.2, 119˚, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm; Macro: 2MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: wide (main): 32MP, f/2.4, 100˚, 1/2.74″, 0.8µm; Depth: 8MP, f/2.3.
• Video recording: Rear camera: [email protected], [email protected]/60/120fps, [email protected]; Front camera: [email protected]/60fps.
• Battery: 4500mAh; 67W cable, 100% in 40 min (advertised).
• Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); Infrared port; single speaker setup.

The battery department also gets a slight bump. The cell is now 4,500 mAh instead of 4,300 mAh and still supports Xiaomi’s 67W fast charging, which also plays well with Power Delivery 3.0. Last but not least, the build quality has also been improved, as the chassis is now built exclusively from glass and metal, while maintaining light weight and design.

But as we all know, it’s not all about specs, so we suggest you continue reading our review to find out more about the Xiaomi 13 Lite.

Unboxing the Xiaomi 13 Lite

The Xiaomi 13 Lite comes with the usual user manuals, the corresponding 67W charger and a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer.

There is also an additional transparent silicone case.