
As you may know, Huawei was denied business with American companies at the height of the company’s success. Regardless of the reasons, the time of the Huawei ban seemed right bizarreto say the least, and it certainly prevented the Chinese giant from becoming the firm number one phone maker in the world.
Xiaomi is now the new Huawei…
Xiaomi 13 Pro will be the cheapest flagship phone with the 1-inch Sony IMX 989 sensor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and ultra-fast 120W charging.

The cheapest phone with a 1-inch camera sensor is coming soon…
Let’s start with the phone that will be released this month, and the one that more European, British, Indian and other customers will be able to afford – the Xiaomi 13 Pro!
Thanks to a recent leak, we already know more or less the appearance of the upcoming Xiaomi 13 Pro! Honestly, it’s nothing to write home about – a curved screen reminiscent of the Pixel 7 Pro and a massive camera island at the back with iPhone 14 Pro-like lens setup… But it’s inside that matters!
Of course, the other major highlight, and what most phone camera enthusiasts will be drawn to, is the fact that the Xiaomi 13 Pro is expected to bring back the game-changing IMX 989 1-inch primary camera sensor from the. Xiaomi 12S Ultra and the upcoming Xiaomi 13 Ultra! Xiaomi surprised everyone here, because the phone world expected the IMX 989 to be exclusive to the most expensive Android flagship phones, which will certainly apply to other brands like Oppo and Vivo.
Xiaomi gets early access to the IMX 989 because the company co-developed the sensor with Sony. It is believed that Xiaomi will receive a commission of IMX 989 sales, starting with upcoming phones such as the Oppo Find X6 Pro and Vivo X90 Pro+.
The “humble” 13 Pro from Xiaomi will compete with the most expensive phones from Apple, Samsung, Google

This is the Xiaomi 13 Pro!
Not surprisingly, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is expected to be the most affordable phone with the new Sony IMX 989 1-inch sensor inside and that’s… a big deal!
Xiaomi 13 Pro rumored specifications
- 6.7-inch, E6, 2K, 120Hz LTPO display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Surge C2, P2 chip
- 8/12GB RAM and 128/256/512GB storage
- Rear Camera: 50MP (1″ IMX989 with Leica color science) + 50MP (UW) + 50MP (Tele) / Front Camera: 32MP
- 4,800 mAh battery, 120 W fast charging
- Android 13, MIUI 14
Attention, Samsung and Apple! Xiaomi 13 Ultra could be the best flagship phone of 2023, and there’s not much you can do about it…

The camera capabilities of Xiaomi 12S Ultra are scary and so will be with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra!
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra, on the other hand, is expected to be a different beast of a phone!
As mentioned, the 13 Ultra should be the first globally released super-premium Android flagship to take on the iPhone and Galaxy since the last such phone – one of my absolute favourites, the Huawei P30 Pro. The “catch” is that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is expected to arrive in Q2 2023. Anyway, judging by the class-leading Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra, the wait should be worth it…
Of course, the main selling point of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra over Samsung and Apple phones will be the same 1-inch Sony IMX 989 sensor from the 12S Ultra and 13 Pro. But apart from that, we expect a new zoom system and even a new 50 MP ultra-wide shooter, which should take the camera experience to the next level!
As discussed in a previous story, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra with its Leica-branded 1-inch sensor is already running circles around phones like the Pixel 7 Pro when it comes to certain shooting scenarios, so if I were Apple, Samsung or Google, I’d be worried. .
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is expected to be a conservative upgrade over the S22 Ultra, focusing on a 200 MP primary camera instead of something. bigger and better (literally and figuratively). On the other hand, my iPhone 14 Pro is a great device, but as the Apple story often says, it’s far from special, playing it safe when it comes to hardware updates.
The big question mark here is the price of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. Of course, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra did not launch worldwide, while the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra did (for a short time), and it came at a price of € 1,200, or the same as the iPhone 12 Pro Max, then.
Goodbye, Huawei! Welcome, Xiaomi! Now, let’s make Apple and Samsung nervous (again)!

Turn on!
Everything seems to be coming full circle, because with all the innovative hardware expected to come to the Xiaomi 13 series (mainly focused on camera and charging), Xiaomi picks up right where Huawei left off in 2019…
Back in 2019, the Huawei P30 Pro gave us the first modern version of a periscope zoom camera and unrivaled night photography, and now the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is ready to deliver a similar level of camera innovation, bringing the first Android pigtail phones with 1. -inch sensor to the global scene! We’ve been waiting for this for ages!
The appearance of another premium Android flagship on the global scene should make Samsung, Apple and Google nervous, which will be great for us, the consumers. Back in the day, Huawei’s super-aggressive approach to hardware updates pushed the entire industry forward, and hopefully, Xiaomi’s similar strategy will have a similar effect…
As a proud owner of a Huawei P30 Pro, I am really excited about the imminent arrival of the Xiaomi 13 Pro and even more excited to see what the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is hiding. Unfortunately, US buyers won’t get to taste the goodness of the Xiaomi 13 series, but you have to get used to missing out on amazing Android flagships from China by now…