Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: One-minute preview

While it was Motorola that popularized the clamshell form factor when it appeared back in the mid-1990s, in the smartphone era it's been Samsung that has steered the ship with regard to what a clamshell foldable smartphone looks like and is capable of.

In the three short years in which the Galaxy Z Flip line has cemented its place among the best foldables, we've seen the rapid evolution of both the form factor itself and Samsung's specific approach, with this year's Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 offering some overdue refinements to combat fresh-faced competition in a race where Samsung once ran unopposed.

Looking at the evolution of its foldable lines up to this point you certainly couldn't call the company complacent, but the main upgrades that the Z Flip 5 brings to the table give us the impression that, for the first time, Samsung is playing catch-up to newcomers to the foldable space such as Oppo and the aforementioned Motorola. But caught up it has.

The Z Flip 5 – like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 which launched alongside it at July's Samsung Unpacked event – offers one important and overdue upgrade over its folding forebears: when you close the phone its two halves finally fold perfectly flat against each other, with no gap. Despite the near-wizardry that phones with folding displays such as these are seemingly imbued with, in order for past Flips and Folds to bend in two, Samsung has always had to make an allowance for the radius of the bend placed on each device's main screen, and that has resulted in a wedge-shaped profile with a visible gap through the middle of their folded forms.

Now, both the Flip 5 and Fold 5 echo the numerous rivals that already boast such a silhouette, making them markedly thinner without compromising on what still remains a rarity in the foldable space – IPX8-certified water resistance.

Beyond its new slimmed-down profile, the Flip 5 arguably has a bigger upgrade to shout about than its larger folding sibling, thanks to a significantly larger outer screen that now dominates the exterior of the phone. A bigger display on the outside allows for more functionality without having to open to phone up, meaning email triage, quick-reply messaging and checking your notifications without diving into the full-screen apps is more accessible than it ever was on the stamp-sized outer screen of the Flip 5's predecessor.

There's still a dual 12MP camera setup on the outside, as with last year's Flip; however, the bigger external cover display also makes for a far more visible viewfinder, meaning that framing shots when you've set the Flip 5 down on a flat surface to capture photos with friends is easier than ever.

The last major upgrade to speak of has to be the chipset, with the same exclusively-tuned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy that Samsung and Qualcomm collaborated on for the Galaxy S23 series which launched at the start of the year also making an appearance here (it also powers the new Fold 5 and Galaxy Tab S9 series).

Also like the S23 line – namely the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra – there's no longer a 128GB storage SKU to speak of. Instead, you have the choice of 256GB of 512GB of internal space, with the price starting at £10 less than you would have paid for the equivalent storage on last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the UK, and Australian customers paying the same. Meanwhile US customers pay the same as they would have for a 128GB Flip 4 ($999.99), making the phone an even better deal Stateside.

With the key upgrades out of the way, let's dive into details of Samsung's most sophisticated Z Flip yet.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Price and availability

• Pre-orders from July 26, on sale August 11
• Available from $999.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,649

In an impressive display of self-confidence, Samsung actually let fans register their interest for pre-orders before the Flip 5 had even been announced, pairing the experience with the promise of pre-order bonuses which vary by region.

In the US, buyers can expect $50 of Samsung Credit on their pre-order, and save up to $540 when they bundle a Z Flip 5 (or Fold 5) with a Galaxy Tab S9 series and / or a Galaxy Watch 6. In the UK those who order multiple new products launched at the July Unpacked event can stack a similar credit deal – meaning savings of up to £150 – along with a free upgrade to the 512GB Flip at no extra cost. In Australia, buyers who pre-ordered get AU$100 off their purchase or can instead grab a 10,000mAh battery pack, worth AU$59.

Pre-orders themselves kicked off during Unpacked, on July 26, with the Z Flip 5 on sale from August 11.

As you'll see from the table above, US customers get the best deal, being asked to pay no more than they would have last year for a 128GB Z Flip 4, UK customers pay £10 less than they would have for an equivalent 256GB Flip 4 (making the double storage pre-order bonus all the more worthwhile) and pricing remains unchanged relative to storage between generations in Australia.

Check out our rundown of the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 deals for the latest offers on this next-gen foldable and its launch partner.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Specs

As with the last Z Flip, Samsung lets you customize the finish on the Flip 5, not to mention there are some Samsung.com-exclusive colorways that you won't find from other retailers.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Design

• Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
• IPX8-certified
• 2mm thinner when closed, compared to Z Flip 4

There aren't all that many clamshell foldables currently on the market, but the Galaxy Z Flip series sports the most defined aesthetic makeup, with the Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4 being the most like-minded of the run so far.

The Z Flip 5 has plenty of familial traits too, if you're familiar with the last two generations of Samsung's signature clamshell; with a polished color-matched (with most colorways, at least) Armor Aluminum frame, relatively tight radii at its corners and a flat back – save for the dual circular camera lenses jutting out of the top left corner.

With the display placement on the last two models, the cameras sat vertically (the ultra-wide underneath the main sensor) but in order to accommodate the new greatly-expanded cover display on the Flip 5, they now sit laterally. The phone doesn't have the same two tone finish of its predecessors either; with the cover display ensuring that the top half of the Z Flip 5's back is now a glossy black (when the screen's off), regardless of colorway.

Speaking of colors, Samsung has stuck with a similar pastel palette to previous generations, however, saturation looks to have been reduced across the board, meaning in some lighting, it's hard to tell what color the finish of the phone is at all – is that the new signature 'mint' finish, or just white?

Thankfully, there are a few bolder options to choose from, especially if you aren't sold on the four default hues – mint, lavender, graphite and cream. As with previous generations there are a number of Samsung.com exclusives to choose from: blue, green, gray and yellow, which I haven't seen in person but look to be bolder finishes by comparson.

Beyond new colors and a rebalance of visual contrast in the design (brought on by that new larger outer screen), the big hook of opting for the Z Flip 5 over its predecessors – from a design perspective, at least – is the revised water-drop hinge, which lets the phone finally fold flat when closed, resulting in a significantly slimmer profile than the Flip 4. 2mm might not sound like much but in the hands and, more importantly, in the pocket, you'd notice the difference if you could compare the two side by side.

Despite reworking the series' most complicated mechanism, Samsung has instilled the Flip 5 with the same reassuringly sturdy Flex Hinge feel that you'd find on the previous generations and, as before, you can position the phone between 75 degrees and 115 degrees to enable Flex Mode, which optimizes UI placement when placing the phone down on a flat surface and viewing it with the screen angled within that range; great for watching shows while you're busy in the kitchen or want to sit back hands-free while on a video call.

Samsung has also managed to retain the phone's IPX8-certified water resistance – a standout durability feature that most rivals can't rise to meet the Z Flip 5 on. There's also talk of improved dust resistance, although Samsung hasn't confirmed this in an official capacity, meaning durability on paper is similar to the Flip 4, albeit with the guarantee of newer Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – as introduced on the Galaxy S23 series.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Display

• 6.7-inch Full HD+ (2640 x 1080) AMOLED main display w/ adaptive 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate
• 3.4-inch 720 x 748 60Hz AMOLED cover display
• Almost 80% larger cover display than Flip 4

Compared to prominent rival Motorola, Samsung has proved consistently reluctant to expand the size of the cover display on its recent clamshells between generations, plateauing at 1.9-inches for the two entries prior to the Flip 5.

This year, however, it's finally decided to make the jump and cover the majority of the upper half of the phone's back with pixels; a screen size increase of almost 80 percent. This means functionality of 'Flex Window' – as Samsung calls it – has been greatly expanded, with familiar experiences like a variety of clocks, a calendar and timers on all hand, as well as third-party support (for things like Spotify and Google Stocks) that's likely to keep growing beyond the 13 available at launch, now the phone is available. The added size also allows for a full QWERTY keyboard typing experience, so you're no longer relegated to quick replies-only when responding to messages without opening the phone up.

The Samsung Labs menu in the phone's settings also lets you enable unsupported apps to be run on the Flex Window, bringing functionality more in-line with what the last two generations of Motorola Razr have been capable of.

Speaking of the Razr, or more specifically the recent Motorola Razr Plus 2023/Razr 40 Ultra, while both have gone big on their cover displays this year, Motorola's iteration looks to be ahead of the curve, wrapping pixels all the way around its dual camera system, while the Flip 5's Flex Window skirts around the cameras, leaving a little more bezel; not that you'd know from the press images, where the darkest areas of the wallpaper conceal the cover screen's true boundary, in the same way Apple tried to hide the notch on the iPhone Xs' press images when it first launched.

It's a small aesthetic quirk that helps differentiate these two top-tier clamshell foldables but when we're talking about phones where design is one of their key selling points, it feels like a distinction worth highlighting.

While there's a lot to talk about with the cover display, the Flip 5's main screen is comparatively more pedestrian, at least in the sense that it's seemingly unchanged from the main screen on the last Z Flip: a 6.7-inch Full HD+ (2640 x 1080) 'Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display' (Samsung's marketing team was clearly left unsupervised with that one), with an adaptive refresh rate that can scale from a silky-smooth 120Hz, all the way down to 1Hz, for optimum power consumption.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Software

• Runs Android 13 on top of One UI 5.1.1 out the box
• 4 years OS updates + 5 years security updates

If you're coming from an existing Samsung phone, One UI 5.1.1 (atop Android 13) on the Flip 5 should feel wholly familiar, with both Google Play and the Galaxy Store at your disposal, and in fact a number of Google and Samsung apps sitting side by side (most of the latter can be uninstalled or hidden if they're duplicates you don't intend on using).

One UI has a distinct aesthetic that differs from more stock builds of Android, from its use and placement of color to the squircle icons throughout your home screens and app drawer. Of course, Samsung wants to give users a little added value beyond a new coat of paint and its own app store, so you'll also find features like Edge Panels – granting access to favourite apps or contacts, and even app pairs, so you can jump into split-screen multitasking (particularly enjoyable on the Flip 5's tall display) with a single tap.

The Flip being the Flip, there's also Flex Mode to consider, which lets you place the phone down on a flat surface partially open (between 75 degrees and 115 degrees) at which point supported apps will shift to the upper half of the display, so they're more easily viewable, while controls will appear on the lower half. If you're streaming a show, for example, you'll be able to play/pause, scrub, skip forward or back in time and change the volume, all without obstructing what's on-screen. There's even a one-touch screenshot button and you can turn it into a computing-style trackpad, complete with mouse cursor.

One aspect of the software experience that Samsung has instilled within its top-tier phones and even its mid-range entries is practically unmatched long-term software support (particularly in the Android camp). This means the Z Flip 5 will benefit from four years of OS updates post launch and an additional year of security updates; that's more than practically all of the other best Android phones and means better long-term value and usability for buyers.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Cameras

• 12MP primary and ultra-wide rear cameras
• 10MP hole-punch selfie camera
• New main lens with reduced lens flare
• New FlexCam third-party optimizations

It would appear that the cameras at play on the Z Flip 5 ape those of its predecessor exactly; with a 12MP primary sensor sporting 1.8μm pixels, an f/1.8 aperture and OIS (optical image stabilization), accompanied by a 12MP ultra-wide snapper with 1.12μm pixels, an f/2.2 aperture and a 123-degree field of view. The front-facing 10MP hole-punch selfie snapper reads the same as well, with 1.12μm pixels and an f/2.2 aperture, so are there any upgrades to consider here? Some but only minor.

Samsung says the lens on the main 12MP sensor is new and less-prone to lens flare that would otherwise wash-out and reduce contrast in shots, with most of generational improvements to image quality coming straight from the new silicon at the phone's heart, provided by Qualcomm.

Improved multi-frame processing with the chipmakers AI Object Aware Engine, should do a better job of processing depth and detail in images, digitally-zoomed shoots shout retain more detail too, while skin tones and low light performance are also touted as areas of focus and improvement all of which will likely be hard to judge without side-by-side testing with the Flip 4 but sound great, in theory.

FlexCam is the Flip 5's party piece when it comes to photography and that larger cover display makes capturing content even easier. Samsung has worked to improve third-party camera experiences when using FlexCam, so while your Flip 5 is set down on a flat surface ready to record the action, you can capture directly to the likes of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok.

As with previous generations, you don't need to open the Flip 5 up to grab high-quality selfies using the phone's main camera either, with the ability to switch between the main and ultra-wide, shoot video and choose between a natural and a warm tone finish on your shots – a pleasing level of versatility that's always accessible, it would seem.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
• 8GB RAM (LPDDR5X)
• No 128GB model, only 256GB or 512GB this year (UFS 4.0)

As with the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra this year, Samsung has bid farewell to the base 128GB storage model found on the last few generations of Z Flip, leaving you with just 256GB and 512GB to choose from. As the pricing hasn't really changed in markets like the UK and Australia, this means the barrier to entry for owning a Z Flip is higher than before, even if you're getting at least double the storage out the gate.

Unlike the Z Fold 5, which gets 12GB of RAM – likely to support its focus on productivity and multitasking – the Flip 5 comes with 8GB RAM, regardless of storage configuration. In an effort to raise performance across the board, though, the phone boasts the latest LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.0 storage and the same tailor-made Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset first seen in the S23 series that collectively promise a one-two punch of faster performance and greater power efficiency, which is great for a phone which still sports a relatively small battery.

Beyond raw power, which the Flip 5 looks to have plenty of, the 8 Gen 2 SoC is also the main driving force behind the phone's camera improvements and battery life promises, so it'll be interesting to see just how much of a different it makes compared to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 that powered its predecessor.

Hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Battery life

• 3,700mAh battery (same as Flip 4)
• 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 4.5W reverse wireless charging

Like the Flip 5's main display and camera sensors, the battery tech on offer seems unchanged from that found in the Galaxy Z Flip 4; a 3,700mAh cell that supports up to 25W fast wired charging.

While that's disappointing at first blush, concessions have to be made for the fact that Samsung has managed to make its latest clamshell foldable 2mm thinner, without affecting battery capacity – one of the first things that's often affected when the dimensions of a device change between generations.

This, paired to the more efficient chipset, RAM and storage should, in theory, result in better longevity compared to the Flip 4, which although it managed to last all day, delivered a sub-par 4 hours of screen-on time per charge in our tests.

Foldables seem far more likely to be experience greater variance in usage and power consumption compared to your conventional candy bar smartphone, primarily because of their dual-screen setup. On the one-hand the outer display is larger than it's ever been for a Z Flip, however, in the past that would have led to most users to resort to the larger primary display to carry out important actions not possible from the tiny cover screen. With the Z Flip 5, however, with so much more screen real-estate and functionality on offer from its cover screen, will users find fewer reasons to open up the phone and use the main, presumably more power-hungry display We'll have to test this theory out for ourselves come the full review.

First tested July 2023

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Two-minute preview

The wait felt long but Xiaomi is finally bringing its latest flagship line – the Xiaomi 13 series – to international markets. The best phones on the global stage, like the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, have a new contender to worry about; one that doesn't mess around, based on my initial time with the Xiaomi 13 Pro.

Although it's intended as a direct successor to Xiaomi 12 Pro, one of the 13 Pro's biggest selling points (that new Leica-branded camera system) is actually a direct continuation of the technology first seen in the China-exclusive Xiaomi 12S Ultra that we encountered later into 2022, in August.

Our first taste of the company's newly-minted relationship with the optical wizards at Leica, mated with Sony's sizeable 1-inch IMX989 sensor and Xiaomi's own image processing, proved to be a recipe for success; impressing reviewer Basil Kronfli, who described the 12S Ultra as "the best camera phone I've used."

With such lofty praise, the 12S Ultra's absence from the international market felt like a crying shame, making the Xiaomi 13 Pro's fresh international release all the more significant.

That killer camera setup, features a trio of 50MP rear sensors, including a 3.2x telephoto with a floating lens arrangement. The Xiaomi 13 Pro also comes with a ceramic-backed body, plus Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile chipset, with faster and more efficient memory and storage than its predecessor.

For charging, we get the same impressive 120W wired, 50W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging as before, but this time paired to a larger, 4,820mAh battery. Nice.

Although the verdict is still out on whether this is one of the best Android phones of the year, it certainly has the makings of a great flagship device, one that I can't wait to sink my teeth into for a full review, so don't forget to check back soon for a final verdict.

In the meantime, read on for my hands-on experiences with the Xiaomi 13 Pro, and if you're curious about its smaller-but-still-potent launch sibling, we also have a hands-on Xiaomi 13 review for you to enjoy too.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Price and availability

Both the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro were first unveiled for the Chinese market back on December 11 2022, however, fans globally have had to wait until the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, where on February 26, the phones released globally, accompanied by the addition of the Xiaomi 13 Lite.

Although a global release, with Xiaomi's absence from the US and Australian markets, you likely won't see the phones available unless purchased through gray market channels in each region.

Prospects in the UK are (ironically) sunnier for the Xiaomi 13 Pro's availability, with Xiaomi itself, along with 'official retail channels' and local retailers, like Currys and Argos, stocking the phone from March 14.

In the UK, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is priced at £1,099 (approximately $1,310 / AU$1,950), undercutting the aforementioned iPhone 14 Pro Max and S23 Ultra by £100 and £150, respectively, but falling short of the recently-released OnePlus 11, which packs the same chipset and relies on the expertise of Hasselblad for its camera credentials instead of Leica.

For context, the standard Xiaomi 13 costs £849 (approximately $1,015 / AU$1,510) and the Xiaomi 13 Lite comes in at £449 (approximately $535 / AU$800), in the UK.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Specs

In China, you'll find the Xiaomi 13 Pro with more memory (8GB or 12GB), storage (128GB / 256GB / 512GB) and finish (blue or ceramic white, black or green) variations than the rest of the world, while most international markets serve the phone up with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, along with ceramic white or black finishes. UK buyers only have a single 12GB RAM, 256GB storage option in ceramic black to choose from, but I'm not complaining.

Why Xiaomi pairs down the variety of 13 Pros customers can opt for overseas – especially in the UK – is unclear, but at a guess it's that the company can't guarantee sales in the same way it can in its homeland.

Like the Galaxy S23 series, the Xiaomi 13 Pro also benefits from the latest in memory and storage technology; with faster and more power efficient LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage (up from LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 on the Xiaomi 12 Pro).

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Design

• Elegant ceramic finish
• Sizeable camera bump
• Fingerprint magnet

Unlike previous generations, the Xiaomi 13 series isn't quite as consistent across models, aesthetically speaking.

The 13 and 13 Pro both sport a pillowed back (hewn from Gorilla Glass in the case of the 13 and ceramic in the case of the Pro), as well as a prominent squircle Leica-branded camera bump. And what a bump it is; the Pro's, in particular, has to make room for that huge 1-inch sensor and two OIS systems, meaning it rises high off the phone's back.

In truth, it's unapologetic, which I admire, and while it perhaps doesn't look quite as elegant as the Xiaomi 12 series' camera modules, it's an undeniable statement; representing the phone's power and photographic prowess.

The 13 and 13 Pro also stand apart from one another with the latter's use of a rounded aluminum frame (not unlike the OnePlus 11), to the standard model's decidedly iPhone 14-like flat polished edging. Oddly enough, the Xiaomi 13 Lite most closely emulates Xiaomi 12 series design language out of the three new phones.

The ceramic black back (pictured) of the 13 Pro is cool to the touch, while its rounded form makes this fairly large phone sit comfortably in the hand; although that polished finish is no-less susceptible to fingerprints and smudges than glass (even the included flexible transparent case holds onto them too).

At 229 grams, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a heavy device too – even for its size. Sure, it's not as weighty as the S23 Ultra (234 grams) or the latest Pro Max iPhone (240 grams) but it's in the same ballpark, for sure. It's rounded form is IP68 dust and water resistant too, which is appreciated.

Although more colorways would be welcome, the fact that it's only available in black in the UK isn't all that bad, as it best complements that large camera bump and serves up the most tasteful appearance overall (fingerprints permitting), in my opinion.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Display

• 6.73-inch 'AdaptiveSync Pro' AMOLED display w/ exceptional brightness and viewing angles
• Dynamic 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate. 240Hz touch sampling rate
• Gorilla Glass Victus front

Brightness was one of the big wins for the Xiaomi 12 Pro's display,  especially during video playback, and that's what's seen the biggest upgrade. The Xiaomi 13 Pro's screen now tops out at a beaming 1,900nits, up from 1,500 previously.

To the eye, while brightness is undeniably impressive, I was also surprised by the screen's exceptional viewing angles, which appear to show minimal brightness drop-off or color distortion, even at extreme angles.

Beyond these key traits, the 13 Pro serves up a viewing experience similar to its predecessor, set behind a layer of protective Gorilla Glass Victus.

The 6.73-inch 20:9 E6 AMOLED 'AdaptiveSync Pro' display boasts a dynamic 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, with a 240Hz touch sampling rate that's ideal for gaming. The WQHD+ resolution at this size also ensures that it's sharper than most rivals' screens, with a pixel density of 522ppi.

Xiaomi's MIUI software also serves up plenty of control over the viewing experience, which itself is flexible enough to support various display standards; from Dolby Vision to HDR10+. What's more, it comes with SGS Eye Care certification, which means the 13 Pro's screen is equipped to ensure less eye fatigue than some competitors' displays (likely possible through included technologies like its 1920PWM dimming and adaptive reading mode).

There's also a perfectly responsive optical in-display fingerprint sensor, however, the face unlock enabled by the punch-hole in the top-center of the screen is even more eager to unlock the phone at some impressive angles and distances.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Software

• Runs Android 13 on top of Xiaomi MIUI 14 out the box
• 3 years of OS updates, 5 years security updates
• Duplicate apps aim to add value

Xiaomi's MIUI has long pulled away from the established Android user experience you'll find on phones like Google's own Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, with a layout and behavior that, on the surface, is more reminiscent of Apple's iOS.

Swiping down from the top right reveals the quick settings menu, while pulling from the top left corner brings in your notifications. There's no apps drawer by default, and Xiaomi also favors three-button navigation as standard. However, both of these interface choices can be reverted, to reinstate the drawer and favor gestures instead, by altering settings.

In fact, MIUI 14 running atop Android 13, as it comes on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, is heaped in customization; with a theme store that can change everything from the wallpaper to apps icons, plus the ability to swap out UI animations and more.

There are also a fair number of third- and first-party apps that stand alongside the expected gamut of Google apps, including Chrome, Google Photos, Google Maps and the like. The third-party entries, for the most part, feel like spam (I don't need Booking.com at my beck and call), but can thankfully be uninstalled.

As for the first-party apps, while there are a fair number of duplicate offerings to Google's pre-installed suite of service, Xiaomi does try to offer a little added value. Xiaomi's web browser, for example, has a number a nice additional features not found on Chrome, like a built-in video downloader.

There are also characterful elements that add a little zest to what is otherwise and conventional user experience, like the way storage used is represented by a virtual liquid that sloshes around on-screen and reacts to how you move and rotate the phone in your hand.

Xiaomi's also continuing its respectable commitment to software support for its flagship devices, and both the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro arrive with up to three years of subsequent OS release updates and five years of security updates. That's on-par with Google Pixel and a year less than Samsung and OnePlus, in terms of OS support, but still, pretty good.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Cameras

• First Leica-branded triple rear camera setup for Xiaomi, globally
• 50MP f/1.9 main camera w/ OIS, Sony IMX989 1-inch sensor and Leica Vario-Summicron ASPH 23mm lens
• 50MP f/2.0 'floating' telephoto camera w/ OIS and 3.2x optical zoom
• 50MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera w/ 115° FoV

If you're willing to embrace the Xiaomi 13 Pro's not-insignificant camera bump, you'll be gaining what looks to be a formidable trio of 50MP sensors, tuned in partnership with the camera masters at Leica.

While the Xiaomi 12S Ultra was the first phone to leverage Xiaomi's Leica partnership after the camera company's previous collaboration with Huawei came to an end, the Xiaomi 13 series is the first of the company's devices to launch internationally packing Leica-supported camera tech.

Beyond the branding on the back and the elaborately-named 'Vario-Summicron ASPH' lens setup, Leica's involvement also carries across to the software side of things too. You have the choice of shooting in 'Leica Vibrant' or 'Leica Authentic', with Vibrant pushing contrast and color saturation, while Authentic intended to yield more true-to-life imagery; something I'll be putting to the test come the full review.

What Xiaomi's calling the 'master-lens system' makes picking the right lens for the the intended result easier and more akin to rifling through a bag of physical lenses, while the 'Xiaomi Image Engine' is in place to deliver less shutter lag than previous entries and faster autofocus on subjects, even if they're in motion.

There's also the option to shoot in Pro mode, which allows for 10-bit RAW DNG capture, with color profiles on hand, created by Adobe.

50MP across the board ensures a greater level of consistency when shooting the same scenario using all three of the phone's rear lenses, however, that huge one-inch Sony sensor's ability to combine four pixels into one larger 3.2μm binned-pixel should make for some excellent low light shooting, supported by an OIS (optical image stabilization) system called 'HyperOIS' and an 8P lens configuration for greater clarity and reduced reflectivity.

The 50MP telephoto sensor, with its 3.2x optical zoom, also sounds impressive, thanks to its floating lens construction – which should prove particularly helpful when capturing portrait shots.

There's also 8K video capture at 24fps on the table, along with Dolby Vision-compliant 4K video capture at 30fps, with promised enhancement for recording at night.

It's also worth mentioning that there's a 32MP front-facing punch-hole camera, set into the top of the display, that supports HDR and portrait shooting too.

If it isn't already obvious, the cameras are a huge part of what defines the Xiaomi 13 Pro experience and there's a lot to dig into, for which I'll be serving up camera samples and a complete evaluation come the full review.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Performance and audio

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
• Connectivity includes the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard
• Powerful stereo speakers

Both the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro run Qualcomm's latest and greatest mobile SoC – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. While not the tuned variant exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy S23 series, even in its standard form, it's already proven its potential as one of the best pieces of silicon on the market; offering notable gains in performance, graphics and gaming, and AI computing.

As mentioned earlier, the global 13 Pro can be had with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage, both of which boast greater read and write speeds, as well as improved power efficiency, compared to the RAM and storage in last year's Xiaomi 12 Pro.

Connectivity includes 5G, with dual SIM support, NFC and support for the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard and speeds.

On the audio side of things, Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi 13 Pro alongside the Buds 4 Pro true wireless buds, which can connect over the phone's Bluetooth 5.3 connection, while integrated stereo speakers boast Dolby Atmos support. In practice, there's a definite bias towards the down-firing speaker, but volume and overall clarity seem strong, based on my initial impressions.

Hands-on Xiaomi 13 Pro review: Battery life

• Larger 4,820mAh battery than predecessor
• 120W wired fast charging (charger in box)
• 50W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging support

A lot of the Xiaomi 13 Pro's size and weight presumably comes from the new, high-capacity, higher-density 4,820mAh battery it has to find room for.

Like its predecessor, Xiaomi has seen fit to grace the 13 Pro with an impressive set of numbers when it comes to charging: 120W 'HyperCharge' fast wired charging, plus rapid 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging (compatibility permitting) that's collectively faster than pretty much any other phone that supports all three technologies.

Xiaomi quotes a rapid recharge time of only 19 minutes to 100% over wired charging, and the Surge charging chip onboard keeps watch over the recharge process to make sure things stay cool, stable and safe, and battery health over time remains as good as it can be.

By comparison, the standard Xiaomi 13's 67W fast wired charging promises to reach 100% in 38 minutes, which is still very respectable and both entries in the series stand head and shoulders above both Apple's and Samsung's newest flagships, in terms of quote recharge time. As for real-world performance, you won't have to wait long to find out from us whether Xiaomi is true to its word.

First tested February 2023