Xiaomi 13 Lite misses out on Leica, but still pretty good
Xiaomi released the Xiaomi 13 series with much of its emphasis put on the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro. The highlight of the series falls on its co-engineered Leica cameras, which rightfully makes it a challenger in the mobile smartphone photography market.
Not just that, they tick all the right boxes in a flagship phone: a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, an AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, all-day battery life, industry-leading IP68 resistance, and all the other top-of-the-line works.
Learn more about the legendary Leica cameras fitted onto the Xiaomi 13 Series here.
But amidst the grandeur however is a lesser Xiaomi 13 Lite that seems to lack all the talking points of the Xiaomi 13 series frontrunners. Just how far behind is the Xiaomi 13 Lite compared to its siblings?
Here, we’ll take a quick rundown of the Xiaomi 13 Lite and look at some of its highlights.
Design and colours
A quick look at the rear of the Xiaomi Lite 13 and you’ll notice a difference in the camera modules. Not only does it lack the Leica branding, its triple camera housing is noticeably different than the squarish housing of the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro. Instead, the Xiaomi 13 Lite keeps to a more rectangular housing.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite sports a rounded back more akin to the Xiaomi 13 Pro, but is not built with bio-ceramic material found on the latter.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite comes in Lite Pink, Lite Blue, and Lite Black.
Dual Front Cameras
The legendary Leica name is completely absent from the Xiaomi 13 Lite. Instead, it boasts a dual front camera consisting of a 32MP ultra-wide and an 8MP depth sensor. This IS the phone for the trigger happy selfie snappers. To further enhance this is the Xiaomi Selfie Glow, which are two glow lights for selfies even in dimly-lit environments.
You’ll be able to achieve the soft bokeh effects, though this will be a result of image processing rather than lens optics.
At the rear, you’ll have a triple camera system consisting of a 50MP wide-angle camera, an ultra-wide angle camera with 119 degree FOV, and a macro camera.
In comparison with the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, it misses out on the 1-inch ultra-large sensor, floating telephoto lens, Focal Shift Technology, HyperOIS, and the myriad of Leica features.
Mobile photography enthusiast will surely miss out on these, but casual snappers will do just fine with what’s available on the Xiaomi 13 Lite.
Snapdragon processor and AMOLED display
The Xiaomi 13 Lite stays loyal to Qualcomm, albeit on a slightly older Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is one of the better chipsets for gaming, so you’ll have no problems running graphically demanding games.
As for the display, you’ll be able to draw similarities between the Xiaomi 13 Lite and Xiaomi 13. Both phones pack a FHD+ AMOLED display with 2400x1080px resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The Xiaomi 13 Lite is slightly larger at 6.55″ compared to the 6.36″ of the Xiaomi 13.
Like its bigger siblings, the Xiaomi 13 Lite has Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite only has a peak brightness of up to 1000nits, missing out on the 1900nits on the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Battery and charging
There’s hardly a compromise in battery size and charging for the Xiaomi 13 Lite. It packs a 4,500mAh battery which you’ll find on the Xiaomi 13, as well as the 67W turbo charging.
The only thing missing on the Xiaomi 13 Lite is a wireless charging and reverse wireless charging feature which can be found on the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Pricing and final word
If the Xiaomi 13 Lite seems underwhelming, it’s probably because its outshined by the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro. Away from the dual flagships, the Xiaomi 13 Lite is a more than capable phone and certainly carries its own weight in value.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite will be available from €499, which is about RM2,358. Xiaomi Malaysia has not revealed the official pricing in Malaysia, so you can expect more details to come in in the near future.
