Weekly poll: can the Xiaomi 13T and 13T Pro lure you in with a great value for money proposition?

2023-10-08

The Xiaomi 13 series was strong out of the gate, but pricey too – the global versions started at €1,000 for the Xiaomi 13 (8/256GB) and €1,300 for the Xiaomi 13 Pro (12/256GB). This week saw the launch of the 13T duo – the phones are not as capable as the main 13 series, however, they are a good deal cheaper too.

The Xiaomi 13T is €650 for an 8/256GB phone, the Xiaomi 13T Pro goes for €800 for a unit with extra RAM and the same amount of storage, i.e. 12/256GB. So, both of them have lower MSRPs than their non-T siblings. The price of the old flagships has fallen since launch, of course, but not nearly enough to close the gap to the T-phones.

With that in mind, let’s have a quick overview of what you’re getting. For a more detailed look, we will soon have a Xiaomi 13T Pro review, the 13T review will soon follow as well. Both phones have 6.67” 144Hz HDR-enabled displays with 1,220 x 2,712px resolution, both with very high brightness (2,600 nits) and Gorilla Glass 5. Both phones are rated IP68 for dust and water resistance.

They share the same cameras too, a 50MP main (1/1.28” sensor, 1.22µm pixels, OIS), 50MP 50mm portrait cam and a 12MP ultra wide, all with Leica-branded features. However, due to the different chipsets there is a difference in video capabilities – the Pro model does 8K at 24fps and 4K at 60fps while the vanilla 13T tops out at 4K at 30fps.

Speaking of, the Xiaomi 13T has a Dimensity 9200+, a 4nm chipset, which takes the fight to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 if not quite the Gen 2. The vanilla model has the Dimensity 8200 Ultra. Both are 4nm chips from TSMC’s fabs, but the 9200+ has a definitive advantage in CPU and GPU performance.

The only other worthwhile difference between these two is in charging speed – both have 5,000mAh batteries, but the Pro model goes up to 120W, while the 13T does 67W max when charging. That makes it twice as slow to hit 100% charge (42 minutes compared to 19 minutes), though for some the difference in practice may be small.

What do you think of the Xiaomi 13T? Vote below or you can scroll through some potential alternatives that we’ve laid out below.

How about the Xiaomi 13T Pro? Is it better or worse than the vanilla 13T in terms of value for money?

The Galaxy S23 FE isn’t here yet, which leaves the Galaxy S23 and S23+ to hold down the fort – and both cost more than the 13T duo, even after months of price cuts. Note that Xiaomi promises to match Samsung’s update schedule – 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches. The S23 pair has the better chipset, but the screens are lower resolution (FHD+), lower refresh rate (120Hz), dimmer (not that 1,750 nits is dim) and their batteries are much slower to charge.

The Nothing Phone (2) is powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, so it’s competitive with even the 13T Pro. And it’s cheaper to boot, you can have a 12/5212GB phone for less than a 12/256GB 13 Pro. The screen is lower resolution (FHD+) and lower refresh rate (120Hz), but at least it’s an LTPO panel (the brightness is 1,600 nits). This one stands out with a 50MP ultra wide camera, but it lacks a tele lens of any kind. The battery is a bit smaller than the Xiaomi’s at 4,700mAh and wired charging is slower (45W, full charge in 55 minutes), but there is wireless charging too (15W, 130 minutes to full). The dust and water resistance rating is a mere IP54, however.

A Poco F5 Pro also has an 8+ Gen 1 chip and is even cheaper. The 6.67” display on this one has proper QHD+ resolution, beating all the models above. The refresh rate (120Hz, LTPS) and brightness (1,400 nits) are lower and the camera isn’t great with a basic 64MP main module, 8MP ultra wide and no tele. The battery is a bit bigger at 5,160mAh and supports both 67W wired and 30W wireless charging, the dust and water protection drops down to IP53.

The Motorola Edge 40 Pro packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (the slower variant, unlike the Galaxys) and is a bit cheaper than the 13T Pro. It has a 6.67” 165Hz display (FHD+ resolution, LTPS) and a more competitive camera than most phones listed above – 50MP main (1/1.55”, OIS), 50MP ultra wide and 12MP 2x tele, plus a 60MP selfie camera. The 4,600mAh battery boasts 125W wired charging (full in 23 minutes, so it’s not as efficient as the 13T Pro) and 15W wireless. This one at least has a proper IP68 rating.

The iPhone 15 Plus is still living in a 60Hz world, but its 6.7” display is a bit sharper than the Xiaomi 13T pair (though not as sharp as the Moto). The 2023 model features a 48MP main camera, a first in the family, however, as we found out this is no replacement for a proper zoom lens. This phone is very, very expensive, it’s the priciest on this list without even accounting for RAM and storage. That’s Apple for you. But with USB-C on board, stellar software support, a great app and accessory ecosystem plus features like MagSafe (Qi 2 is coming to Androids soon-ish), maybe it’s time to switch teams.