The fight for best Android phone this year is a tight contest. We've got classic favourites like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, new rivals like the Xiaomi 13 Pro and even cut-price handsets like the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which punches well above its weight.
The impending release of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will do nothing to reduce competition in that space. Set to be officially unveiled next week, the 13 Ultra is rumoured to pack a top-tier spec sheet, with particular focus on a premium camera experience.
Now, further details about the camera array have been released on Weibo by Xiaomi themselves, confirming exactly what we can expect. As was already widely reported, the rear of the handset will pack in four 50MP sensors.
The main sensor is a one-inch Sony IMX989, as seen in the 13 Pro and other handsets like the Vivo X90 Pro+. That's joined by a trio of Sony IMX858 sensors, which can also be found in the Honor Magic 5 Pro. Our reviewer recently got his hands on that, and the images it takes are stunning, which bodes well for the Xiaomi.
Those three sensors will cover ultrawide, 3x telephoto and 5x telephoto duties. That's a seriously strong camera array – okay, it's not the 10x I was hoping for, but it's still a useful addition that will offer better shots from distance.
The sheer quality of those secondary sensors is great, too. Often, when a phone packs in a really top-tier main sensor, you can instantly see the difference when shifting to another. That shouldn't be the case here though, and should enable users to capture really fantastic imagery regardless of which sensor they use.
Honestly, I'm really excited by this phone. The level of camera quality has jumped across the board this year, but if this can live up to its specs, it will surely prove to be the best yet.
