Xiaomi Mi 5s vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: A Generational Leap?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra utterly dominates the Mi 5s across nearly every metric. Its superior chipset, camera, display, and charging capabilities make it the clear winner for anyone seeking a modern flagship experience. The Mi 5s remains a nostalgic option for budget-conscious users or those seeking a smaller form factor.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi Mi 5s | Xiaomi 13 Ultra |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (4CA) Cat12 600/150 Mbps | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2016, September. Released 2016, October | 2023, April 18 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2023, April 21 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), eco leather back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 145.6 x 70.3 x 8.3 mm (5.73 x 2.77 x 0.33 in) | 163.2 x 74.6 x 9.1 mm (6.43 x 2.94 x 0.36 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 145 g (5.11 oz) | 227 g (8.01 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | To be confirmed | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~428 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~522 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.15 inches, 73.1 cm2 (~71.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.73 inches, 108.9 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD | LTPO AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1300 nits (HBM), 2600 nits (peak) |
| 3D Touch display (128 GB, 4 GB RAM model) | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 (14 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 530 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), upgradable to 7.0 (Nougat), MIUI 10 | Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, HyperOS |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 64GB 3GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Leica lenses, Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama, 67mm filter ring holder (optional) |
| Quad | - | 50 MP, f/1.9 or f/4.0, 23mm (wide), 1.0"-type, 1.6µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/1.8, 75mm (telephoto), 1/2.51", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom 50 MP, f/3.0, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.51", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 50 MP, f/1.8, 12mm, 122˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.51", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF TOF 3D, (depth) |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.3", 1.55µm, PDAF | - |
| Triple | 16 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide) 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) | - |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@120fps | 8K@24fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/480/960/1920fps, gyro-EIS, Dolby Vision HDR 10-bit rec. (4K@60fps, 1080p) |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, panorama |
| Single | 4 MP, f/2.0, 1/3", 2µm | 32 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1/3.14", 0.7µm |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 24-bit/192kHz audio | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive |
| Infrared port | - | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, proximity, gyro, compass, barometer |
| - | Virtual proximity sensing | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 18W wired, QC3 | 90W wired, PD3.0, QC4, 100% in 35 min 50W wireless, 100% in 49 min 10W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 3200 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Silver, Gray, Gold, Rose Gold | Black, Olive Green, White, Orange, Yellow, Blue |
| Models | 2015711 | 2304FPN6DC, 2304FPN6DG |
| Price | About 250 EUR | € 797.98 / $ 389.69 |
| SAR | 0.77 W/kg (head) 1.01 W/kg (body) | - |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 1.00 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -89.6dB / Crosstalk -85.5dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 84h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: 1294:1 (nominal), 3.276 (sunlight) | - |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 64dB / Noise 70dB / Ring 84dB | - |
| Performance | Basemark OS II 2.0: 2378Basemark X: 36240 | - |
| OUR TESTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -89.6dB / Crosstalk -85.5dB | - |
| Battery | - | Active use score 10:09h |
| Battery (old) | Endurance rating 84h | Endurance rating 108h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: 1294:1 (nominal), 3.276 (sunlight) | 1207 nits max brightness (measured) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 64dB / Noise 70dB / Ring 84dB | -26.0 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | Basemark OS II 2.0: 2378Basemark X: 36240 | AnTuTu: 1268538 (v9) GeekBench: 5049 (v5.1), 5556 (v6) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Xiaomi Mi 5s
- Compact size
- Decent performance for its age
- Affordable
- Good contrast ratio display
- Outdated chipset
- Limited camera capabilities
- Slow charging
- Small battery capacity
- No modern features like 5G
Xiaomi 13 Ultra
- Exceptional camera system
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Bright and vibrant display
- Fast charging (wired & wireless)
- Premium design and build quality
- Large battery capacity
- Expensive
- Large size and weight
- Software bloat (potential)
Display Comparison
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display (1207 nits) compared to the Mi 5s (estimated 400-500 nits). While the Mi 5s had a respectable contrast ratio (1294:1), the 13 Ultra's modern panel offers better color accuracy, HDR support, and overall viewing experience. The 13 Ultra also features a higher resolution and likely better color gamut.
Camera Comparison
The camera difference is staggering. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra features a sophisticated multi-camera system with high-resolution sensors and advanced image processing capabilities. The Mi 5s, while capable for its time, simply cannot compete with the 13 Ultra's low-light performance, dynamic range, and overall image quality. The 13 Ultra also offers 8K video recording, a feature absent on the Mi 5s.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a generational leap over the Snapdragon 821 in the Mi 5s. Expect dramatically faster processing speeds, smoother multitasking, and improved gaming performance on the 13 Ultra. The 13 Ultra's octa-core CPU also offers more efficient power management.
Battery Life
While the Mi 5s had an impressive endurance rating of 84h (likely a theoretical maximum), the Xiaomi 13 Ultra offers a more realistic active use score of 10:09h and an endurance rating of 108h. More importantly, the 13 Ultra's 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging provide significantly faster charging speeds than the Mi 5s' 18W wired charging.
Buying Guide
The Xiaomi Mi 5s is best suited for users on a very tight budget who prioritize a compact size and don't need cutting-edge features. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is for photography enthusiasts, power users, and anyone wanting the best possible Android experience with a top-tier camera system and long-lasting battery.