Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Full Specifications Compared

Xiaomi recently dropped a new flagship smartphone in China. The Xiomai 13 Ultra is the latest smartphone in the company’s 13 series and brings a few updates over the Xiaomi 13 Pro. But it isn’t the only ‘Ultra’ smartphone out in 2023.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has set the bar for the ultra-premium smartphone in 2023 with a top-tier camera system, chipset, display, software, and battery life. But how does the Xiaomi 13 Ultra stack up against Samsung’s top dog, the Galaxy S23 Ultra? Let’s find out!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra Price, Availability

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra costs 5,999 CNY (roughly Rs 71,500) for the base 12GB/256GB model. Meanwhile16GB/512GB and 16GB/1TB variants will set you back CNY 6,499 (roughly Rs 77,555) and CNY 7,299 (roughly Rs 87,000), respectively. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra price in India starts from Rs 1,24,999 for the 12GB/256GB configuration.

Additionally, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also comes in 12GB/512GB and 12GB/1TB versions that will set you back Rs 1,34,999 and Rs 1,54,999, respectively. As of now, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra India availability hasn’t been confirmed yet, but if the phone does arrive in the country, it could feature a starting price upwards of Rs 80,000.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra Camera System

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra features a quad-camera setup on the back with a 50 MP Sony IMX989 1-inch primary camera sensor, a 50 MP Sony IMX858 ultrawide unit, a 50 MP Sony IMX858 telephoto shooter with 3.2x optical zoom, and a third 50 MP Sony IMX858 sensor with 5x optical zoom. There’s OIS on all camera sensors expect the ultrawide, while Xiaomi has also added a 3D TOF depth sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also features a quad-camera setup with a 200 MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 primary camera sensor, a 12 MP ultrawide unit, a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a second 10 MP telephoto shooter with 10x optical zoom. Samsung also offers OIS support on all camera sensors except the ultrawide.

Up front on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a new 12 MP selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF and an f/2.2 aperture. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a traditional 32 MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. Both the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra can shoot 8K video at 30fps or 4K video at up to 60fps. However, the S23 Ultra can do 4K at 60fps on the front camera as well.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Performance

Both flagship phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, although Samsung uses a custom version of the chip labelled Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy that has slightly higher clock speeds than the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. On the other hand, Xiaomi uses LPDDR5X RAM as opposed to LPDDR5 RAM on the S23 Ultra. Xiaomi also bring advanced cooling to the 13 Ultra.

On the software front, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boots Android 13-based OneUI 5.1 out of the box. Samsung promises four years of major OS updates and five years of regular security updates as well. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra boots Android 13-based MIUI 14 out of the box. With the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the company promises three years of software updates and five years of security updates.

The S23 Ultra packs a 5,000 mAh cell with 45W charging support and up to 15W wireless charging support. However, Samsung doesn’t include a charging adapter in the box. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra Display

The S23 Ultra is equipped with a 6.8-inch QHD+ (1440 x 3088 pixels) LTPO Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 500 ppi. The screen boasts an adaptive refresh rate and is capable of scaling between 1Hz to 120Hz. The Samsung S23 Ultra also boasts a peak brightness of 1,750 nits and HDR10+ support.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra sports a 6.73-inch 2K (3200 x 1440 pixels) AMOLED LTPO AMOLED display. The screen also features an adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz to 120Hz. The panel boasts a peak brightness of 2,600 nits and supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Build

The Galaxy S23 Ultra features Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back and an Armor Aluminum for the frame. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra, on the other hand, uses Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and an eco-leather back, while the frame is made from aluminium. Both phones have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.