Xiaomi Mi 9 SE vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: A Generational Leap?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra utterly dominates the Mi 9 SE across nearly every metric. While the Mi 9 SE offers a budget-friendly option, the 13 Ultra's superior camera, performance, display, and charging capabilities make it the clear winner for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi Mi 9 SE | Xiaomi 13 Ultra |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40 - Global | 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, LTE | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - China | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, February 20. Released 2019, March | 2023, April 18 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2023, April 21 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), eco leather back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 147.5 x 70.5 x 7.5 mm (5.81 x 2.78 x 0.30 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 | 155 g (5.47 oz) | 227 g (8.01 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~432 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~522 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.97 inches, 87.5 cm2 (~84.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.73 inches, 108.9 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, HDR | LTPO AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1300 nits (HBM), 2600 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver) | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM712 Snapdragon 712 (10 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 616 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 11, MIUI 12.5 | Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, HyperOS |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM |
| UFS 2.0 | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, 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) |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), 1/4.0", 1.12µm, PDAF 13 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.12µm | - |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps, gyro-EIS | 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 | 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/3", 0.9µm | 32 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1/3.14", 0.7µm |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 24-bit/192kHz audio | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive |
| Infrared port | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, 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 2.0, OTG | 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 (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, proximity, gyro, compass, barometer |
| Virtual proximity sensing | Virtual proximity sensing | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 18W wired | 90W wired, PD3.0, QC4, 100% in 35 min 50W wireless, 100% in 49 min 10W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 3070 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Violet, Blue, Gray | Black, Olive Green, White, Orange, Yellow, Blue |
| Models | M1903F2G | 2304FPN6DC, 2304FPN6DG |
| Price | About 460 EUR | € 797.98 / $ 389.69 |
| SAR | 1.39 W/kg (head) 1.39 W/kg (body) | - |
| SAR EU | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) | 0.99 W/kg (head) 1.00 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -93.5dB / Crosstalk -93.5dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 73h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | - |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 86dB / Noise 79dB / Ring 87dB | - |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 180057 (v7) GeekBench: 6017 (v4.4) GFXBench: 14fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | - |
| OUR TESTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -93.5dB / Crosstalk -93.5dB | - |
| Battery | - | Active use score 10:09h |
| Battery (old) | Endurance rating 73h | Endurance rating 108h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | 637 nits max brightness (measured) | 1207 nits max brightness (measured) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 86dB / Noise 79dB / Ring 87dB | -26.0 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 180057 (v7) GeekBench: 6017 (v4.4) GFXBench: 14fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1268538 (v9) GeekBench: 5049 (v5.1), 5556 (v6) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
- Compact size
- Affordable price
- Decent performance for everyday tasks
- Good battery life (endurance rating)
- Outdated chipset
- Lower display brightness
- Basic camera system
- Slow charging
Xiaomi 13 Ultra
- Flagship performance
- Exceptional camera system
- Bright and vibrant display
- Fast charging (wired & wireless)
- Premium design
- High price
- Large size
- Potentially complex camera interface
Display Comparison
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display (1207 nits vs 637 nits) and likely better color accuracy and viewing angles due to its modern panel technology. While the Mi 9 SE's contrast ratio is nominally 'infinite,' it's unlikely to match the 13 Ultra's real-world performance. The 13 Ultra also likely has a higher resolution and refresh rate.
Camera Comparison
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra's camera system is a flagship-level powerhouse, likely featuring a larger sensor, advanced image processing, and multiple lenses for versatility. The Mi 9 SE's camera is adequate for basic photography, but it simply can't compete with the 13 Ultra's capabilities in terms of detail, dynamic range, and low-light performance.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the 13 Ultra is a monumental upgrade over the Snapdragon 712 in the Mi 9 SE. Expect drastically faster app loading, smoother multitasking, and significantly improved gaming performance on the 13 Ultra. The 13 Ultra's CPU architecture is also far more efficient.
Battery Life
While the Mi 9 SE has a surprisingly high endurance rating (73h), the 13 Ultra's active use score (10:09h) and even higher endurance rating (108h) suggest superior battery optimization and efficiency despite its more powerful components. The 13 Ultra's significantly faster charging (90W wired, 50W wireless) is another major advantage.
Buying Guide
The Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is ideal for budget-conscious users who prioritize a compact size and decent performance for everyday tasks. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is for photography enthusiasts, power users, and those who demand the latest and greatest technology, regardless of price.