Xiaomi 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: The Ultimate Flagship Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Xiaomi 13 offers blazing-fast charging, a brighter display, and potentially better value. However, the Galaxy S23 boasts a more refined software experience, a more established ecosystem, and generally better camera consistency. It's a close call, but the S23 edges ahead for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi 13 | Samsung Galaxy S23 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - International | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA - China | 1, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, December 11 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, December 14 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back or silicone polymer back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.0 mm or 8.1 mm | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 185 g or 189 g (6.53 oz) | 168 g (5.93 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~414 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.36 inches, 97.7 cm2 (~89.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1900 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, MIUI 14 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 - 128GB UFS 4.0 - 256/512GB | UFS 3.1 - 128GB only UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Leica lens, color spectrum sensor, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.49", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.0, 75mm (telephoto), 1/3.75", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.06", 1.12µm | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 8K@24fps (HDR), 4K@24/30/60fps (HDR10+, 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR, 10-bit LOG), 1080p@30/120/240/960fps, 1080p@1920fps, gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, panorama | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1/3.14", 0.7µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, proximity, gyro, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 67W wired, PD3.0, QC4, 100% in 38 min 50W wireless, 100% in 48 min 10W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 3900 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | White, Black, Flora Green, Mountain Blue, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Gray | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
| Models | 2211133C, 2211133G | SM-S911B, SM-S911B/DS, SM-S911U, SM-S911U1, SM-S911W, SM-S911N, SM-S9110, SM-S911E, SM-S911E/DS |
| Price | € 314.00 | $ 237.95 / C$ 336.75 / £ 255.00 / € 322.41 / ₹ 49,990 |
| SAR | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.88 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.30 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 108h | Endurance rating 101h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.8 LUFS (Very good) | -27.0 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 1248260 (v9) GeekBench: 5129 (v5.1) GFXBench: 109fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1231075 (v9) GeekBench: 4950 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Xiaomi 13
- Brighter Display
- Faster Charging (Wired & Wireless)
- Potentially Better Value
- Excellent Performance
- MIUI Software (can be divisive)
- Camera Consistency (slightly less reliable than S23)
- Less Established Ecosystem
Samsung Galaxy S23
- Refined Software (One UI)
- Consistent Camera Performance
- Established Ecosystem
- Premium Build Quality
- Slower Charging
- Higher Price
- Less Bright Display (compared to Xiaomi 13)
Display Comparison
Both phones feature excellent AMOLED displays with vibrant colors and deep blacks. The Xiaomi 13 takes a slight lead with a measured peak brightness of 1254 nits compared to the S23's 1198 nits, making it slightly better for outdoor visibility. Both have excellent contrast ratios (Infinite nominal).
Camera Comparison
The Galaxy S23 generally delivers more consistent and reliable camera performance, particularly in challenging lighting conditions. While the Xiaomi 13's camera hardware is impressive, Samsung's image processing is often preferred for its natural look. Both offer excellent video recording capabilities.
Performance
Both devices utilize the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but the Xiaomi 13 has a marginally higher clocked prime core (3.2 GHz vs 3.36 GHz). In real-world usage, the difference is negligible. Both offer flagship-level performance, handling demanding games and multitasking with ease. The Xiaomi's MIUI might feel slightly less polished than Samsung's One UI to some.
Battery Life
The Xiaomi 13 boasts an incredibly high endurance rating of 108h, suggesting exceptional battery life. The Galaxy S23's active use score of 11:27h is still very good, but the Xiaomi 13 appears to have a significant advantage in overall battery longevity. Charging speeds are a major differentiator, with the Xiaomi 13 offering 67W wired and 50W wireless charging, significantly faster than the S23's 25W wired and 15W wireless.
Buying Guide
The Xiaomi 13 is ideal for power users who prioritize raw performance, fast charging, and a vibrant display. The Samsung Galaxy S23 is a better choice for those seeking a polished user experience, a reliable camera, and seamless integration with the Samsung ecosystem.