Xiaomi 13 Lite review: Classy mid-range smartphone with an ambitious price tag

Xiaomi has presented its new generation of smartphones. The Xiaomi 13 series replaces the 12th series of last year and is currently available in three versions. In addition to the Xiaomi 13 and the Xiaomi 13 Pro , the manufacturer also offers a Lite version, the Xiaomi 13 Lite.

Officially priced around US$450, it is the cheapest iteration of the series and thus differs significantly from the prices of its sister models, the Xiaomi 13 (~US$850) and Xiaomi 13 Pro (~US$1080). The Xiaomi 13 Lite is technically similar to the Xiaomi 12 Lite in many respects and also falls in the middle class. Only a few major changes have been made, such as the camera setup, for the 108 MP main camera of the Xiaomi 12 Lite has been replaced by a 50 MP camera.

In return, the front camera now sees double with its 32 MP main sensor now supported by an 8 MP depth sensor, which should ensure better bokeh effects. The battery capacity has also increased and is now 4500 mAh instead of the old 4300 mAh. Compared to the low-priced smartphones of the Redmi and Poco series, one immediately notices that the Xiaomi 13 Lite belongs to a higher quality series.

At 171 grams, the Xiaomi 13 Lite is a tad lighter than its predecessor and also feels very good to hold due to its unchanged slim design. Thanks to its glass back, the 7. 3 millimeter flat smartphone feels pleasing in the hands and thus scores additional plus points compared to the Xiaomi 12 Lite , which had to make do with a plastic back cover.

Since the glass back is very susceptible to fingerprints, we recommend using the smartphone in the supplied transparent protective case. This also prevents wobbling on flat surfaces, which is otherwise unavoidable due to the camera module protruding around 2. 5 millimeters from the chassis.

In contrast to the Xiaomi 12 Lite, the Gorilla Glass 5 protected AMOLED display is rounded on the long sides, which is why the display-to-surface ratio is slightly better at 89 percent (Xiaomi 12 Lite: 88%). Because the front camera has two lenses, the camera notch has widened significantly and resembles the “Dynamic Island” of the iPhone 14 Pro models with its pill-shaped outline, which may not appeal to everyone. A protective film is applied to the curved display ex factory.

As with the Xiaomi 12 Lite, the frame of the Xiaomi 13 Lite is made of plastic and holds the front and back together sturdily. Creaking noises can be heard if the slim smartphone is twisted sideways with minimal effort. The display and back cover, on the other hand, prove to be very stable under pressure and can hardly be pressed in.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite is available in three color variants, namely “Lite blue” (like our test device), “Lite pink” and “Lite black”. Xiaomi officially offers the 13 Lite in the EU in only one storage variant: 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2. 2 storage for EUR 400-500, depending on location.

Online, you can easily buy the second storage variant, which also offers 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage space and is hardly more expensive. The smartphone does not have a microSD slot for memory expansion. In addition to an infrared transmitter for devices such as cameras and home cinema devices, there is NFC, Bluetooth 5.

2 and an OTG-capable USB-C port that works at USB 2. 0 speed. However, the stereo speakers of the Xiaomi 12 Lite are no longer available on the successor.

Instead, the Xiaomi 13 Lite has to make do with a single speaker located next to the USB-C port. The Xiaomi 13 Lite runs Android 12 and version 14 of Xiaomi’s in-house MIUI user interface. According to Xiaomi, the smartphone will receive three OS upgrades and four years worth of security updates.

At the time of review (end of March), the Android security patch were from January 1, 2023 and therefore no longer particularly up to date. In addition to the obligatory Google apps and some of the manufacturer’s own tools such as File Manager, Mi Remote Control and Xiaomi Community, some third-party apps are also installed on the Xiaomi 13 Lite. But if you don’t need Audible, Bing, Booking.

com, Facebook, TikTok, Spotify and others, these can be simply uninstalled. The Xiaomi 13 Lite supports all current mobile phone standards, including 5G-Sub6. Owing to broad frequency coverage, which includes 13 5G and 21 4G bands, the smartphone should have little issue connecting to the mobile network at most locations.

Regarding WLAN, the Xiaomi 13 connects to WiFi networks via WiFi 6. Although it cannot communicate via the 6 GHz band, it is still very fast on account of the 160 MHz spectrum. In tandem with our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router, the smartphone achieves stable and, above all, excellent transfer rates, which peak at 1757 MBit/s.

In doing so, the Xiaomi 13 clearly surpasses its predecessor. Other mid-range competitors, such as the Google Pixel 6a and the Samsung Galaxy A53 , cannot keep up with the Xiaomi 13 Lite in the Wi-Fi test. Localization of the Xiaomi 13 Lite takes place via GPS (L1), Glonass (L1), Galileo (E1) and Beidou (B1, B1C).

This functions very swifly both indoors and outdoors at an accuracy of 3 meters. We also tested the smartphone’s real world tracking capabilities on a 10-kilometer bike ride, also taking the Garmin Venu2 fitness tracker along for direct comparison. The smartphone does its job very well, recording the route covered almost as precisely, aside from minimal outliers, and is thus ideally equipped for everyday navigation tasks à la Google Maps.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite supports VoLTE as well as Wi-Fi calls and can use two nano-SIM cards as well as one nano-SIM card together with an eSIM. Under testing, the Xiaomi 13 Lite delivered good voice quality. The voices of the callers were reproduced clearly and naturally, and distracting background noise was suppressed quite reliably.

In hands-free mode, a slight echo crept in from time to time, but the otherwise good intelligibility remained so. The Xiaomi 13 Lite uses a dual front camera consisting of a 32 MP selfie camera and an 8 MP depth sensor. This also explains the notch format, which is unusual by Android standards because it is pill-shaped, as it now houses two sensors instead of the usual one.

The selfies make appear decent in good lighting conditions and the 100° viewing angle means that several people can be included in the picture. The 8 MP sensor is responsible for depth information in portrait mode. Under testing, however, it does not really deliver any added value compared to standard selfie cameras.

On paper, the camera setup is a step backwards: Xiaomi omits the 108 MP main sensor of the Xiaomi 12 Lite (Samsung HM2) and installs the well-known Sony IMX766, which has a resolution of 50 MP and shoots 12 MP photos via 4-in-1 pixels. If you want full resolution, you can switch to the 50 MP picture mode. Megapixel specs say little about the image quality, which is also evident in our tests.

The main camera of the Xiaomi 13 Lite has to make do with less than half the MP number of the Xiaomi 12 Lite, but takes better pictures both in daylight and in poor light conditions and is thus far ahead in the mid-range range. The Sony IMX766 captures contrasts and colors well. The colors fade somewhat in low residual light, but the level of detail is still above average, which is particularly noticeable in direct comparison with the Xiaomi 12 Lite.

On the other hand, the main camera delivers only average quality in zoom shots, since photos no longer look very crisp at more than 2x magnification. The maximum zoom level is 10x. The 8 MP ultra wide-angle camera and the 2 MP macro camera fall behind the 50 MP main sensor in terms of quality.

The former does its job quite well, but struggles with blurring towards the edges. The macro camera hardly has any added value owing to its low resolution. Videos are recorded in a maximum of 4K at 30 frames per second, while up to 60 FPS is possible with Full HD.

The recordings are impressive and are reliably stable. Under controlled lighting conditions, the Sony IMX766 of the Xiaomi 13 Lite reproduces colors reasonably realistically. However, the sensor struggles to accurately capture the cyan, darker brown and green tones.

The main camera reproduces the test chart in detail, but still shows blurring towards the edges of the image. On the other hand, the test chart is still fully visible even at 1 lux of residual light. The scope of delivery of the Xiaomi 13 Pro includes a 67-watt power supply, a transparent protective cover, a USB cable (type A to C), a SIM tool, a quick start guide and another leaflet with safety instructions.

Xiaomi provides a 12-month warranty on its smartphone in the EU. This may differ in non-EU countries, so be sure to check with your vendor before purchasing. The capacitive touchscreen of the Xiaomi 13 Lite works at a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz, reacts quickly to inputs and also implements them precisely.

Together with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, this makes for nice and smooth operation. The optical fingerprint sensor located under the display unlocks the Xiaomi 13 Lite quickly and reliably. Alternatively, biometric authentication is possible via the less secure 2D facial recognition method.

Another plus point is the Always-on display, which can be switched on at any time and can permanently display elements such as the time, date and battery level. A one-handed mode can also be activated under Additional settings . There is also the option of measuring the heart rate via a fingerprint sensor.

A measurement takes 15 seconds. The 6. 55-inch AMOLED display of the Xiaomi 13 Lite has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, which ostensibly makes it no different from the Xiaomi 12 Lite .

The refresh rate, which is up to 120 Hz depending on the content displayed, and support for all common HDR standards (Dolby Vision HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG) have also remained the same. Compared to its predecessor, however, the AMOLED display has increased in terms of brightness. It averages 903.

6 cd/m², which is even higher than the Xiaomi 12 Lite, where we measured an average of 772. 9 cd/m². With evenly distributed bright and dark image areas (APL18 measurement), the Xiaomi 13 Lite increases to a maximum of 1036 cd/m².

A maximum of 516 cd/m² is possible when the brightness sensor is switched off. At the lowest brightness level, the luminance is 1. 89 cd/m².

As in most smartphones with OLED panels, the display of the Xiaomi 13 Pro also flickers. Then again, because Xiaomi uses an eye-friendly DC dimming method at 1920 Hz, users who otherwise react sensitively to pulse width modulation should not be bothered by this. Xiaomi’s special DC dimming process, at a constant 120 Hz, is noticeable across the entire brightness spectrum on our oscilloscope.

Small outliers can be seen in the 71-421 Hz frequency range. The AMOLED display of the Xiaomi 13 Lite delivers very precise color representation. This can be brought about by switching from the standard color scheme, Vivid , to Original Color .

The panel then delivers exemplary color reproduction with DeltaE values of well under 3, although it only uses the sRGB color space. In the standard Vivid setting, on the other hand, the much larger DCI-P3 color space is used. The Xiaomi 13 Lite performs very well outdoors thanks to its viewing angle stable and bright AMOLED panel.

Even on sunny days, it still has enough brightness reserves to ensure good readability. Optionally, you can deactivate the auto-brightness in the display settings and switch on a sunlight mode instead to squeeze out the maximum brightness from the panel. For graphics acceleration, the SoC uses the Adreno 644 GPU, which is said to be around 20 percent faster than the pixel accelerator integrated in the Snapdragon 778G 5G.

In the synthetic benchmarks, the Xiaomi 13 Lite performs better than the Xiaomi 12 Lite , but the performance advantage is not significant, like in the synthetic benchmarks. The Xiaomi 13 Lite is convincing in terms of browser performance, but not faster overall than the Xiaomi 12 Lite. The UFS 2.

2 storage delivers high transfer rates and is clearly superior to that of the Xiaomi 12 Lite , especially in sequential writing. The Xiaomi 13 Lite also performs much better in the 4 KB random reads and writes. The Adreno 644 GPU of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 , in conjunction with a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz, ensures good gaming performance on the Xiaomi 13 Lite.

However, it is unable to fully utilize its 120 Hz screen in our three test games PUBG Mobile, Subway Surfers and Armajet. Using our Gamebench test tool, the Xiaomi runs PUBG Mobile at HD/Ultra and at HDR/Ultra at a largely stable 40 fps (the Ultra HD and UHD settings are currently not supported). In the graphically undemanding Subway Surfers, the smartphone is limited to 60 fps, although it could deliver significantly more here.

Armajet, which sets a frame rate limit of 90 Hz, is also throttled. In operation, Xiaomi’s mid-range phone always stays cool and only heats up to a maximum surface temperature of 34. 1 °C, even under full load.

The energy-efficient Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 ensures that temperatures always remain moderate under the hood. 3DMark’s Wild Life stress test provides proof of this. The Xiaomi 13 Lite achieves stability of over 99 percent both in the moderate 3DMark Wild Life scenario and in the more demanding Wild Life Extreme scenario.

This test scenario is consistently upheld at the same speed over the entire series of measurements without any significant performance losses. Two become one: While the Xiaomi 12 Lite was still equipped with stereo speakers, the Xiaomi 13 Lite only has a single speaker, although it also supports Dolby Atmos. The sound image is nevertheless quite thin, with a strong emphasis on the trebles.

Wired audio devices can be connected via USB-C adapter. Bluetooth 5. 2 and all common Bluetooth codecs are available wirelessly (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC and LDAC V1-4).

The power consumption of the Xiaomi 13 Lite is low in a class comparison. In all load scenarios, the smartphone gets by on little energy and is even able to undercut the economical Xiaomi 12 Lite . The scope of delivery includes a 67-watt power adapter, with which the 4500 mAh battery can be quickly charged.

In our test, it took 56 minutes to recharge the battery from 0 to 100 percent. 50 percent is achieved after 16 minutes. The Xiaomi 13 Lite has a solid battery life and is practically as enduring as its predecessor.

Times of almost 14 hours in simulated web surfing and almost 20 hours in video playback are not runtime records, but will ensure that users can comfortably get through the day on one battery charge. The Xiaomi 13 Lite is a good mid-range smartphone that is able to hold its own against many upper-range models in terms of looks and build. The stylish and slim design of the smartphone is not the only impressive aspect; its internal components are also praiseworthy.

Like the Xiaomi 12 Lite , the camera is one of the highlights, although the number of megapixels in the sensor has shrunk from 108 to 50 MP. Then again, the Sony IMX766 in the Xiaomi 13 Lite takes significantly better photos and is one of the best smartphone optics in the mid-range range. The Xiaomi 13 Lite convinces as a good mid-range smartphone, but is still a little too expensive for the performance it offers.

The many advantages that distinguished the Xiaomi 12 Lite have remained: a slightly brighter AMOLED panel with 120 Hz and an Always-on function, fast charging at 67 watts and good battery life. The change from the Snapdragon 778 5G to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 , on the other hand, is rather unspectacular as the overall performance has improved only marginally. Points of criticism of the Xiaomi 13 Lite include the mono speaker, especially since stereo speakers are installed in the predecessor.

The wide selfie camera notch is not bound to please everyone either, as will the fact that the smartphone only comes with Android 12. Alternatives to the Xiaomi 13 Lite include the Samsung Galaxy A53 and the Google Pixel 6a . Interested buyers can check prices and shipping costs directly via Aliexpress , which offers a global version of the smartphone in a wide variety of currencies.

For example: This list is not exhaustive. Of course, the Xiaomi 13 Lite may already be available for purchase in your country from local resellers/distributors at cheaper prices. Either way, these examples can serve as comparison values.

Prices are as of 12. 04. 2023 and are subject to change.

.