Xiaomi 13 Lite arrives with Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, Icelandic dual front camera

The Xiaomi 13 series launches into new markets today and gains a new member, the Xiaomi 13 Lite. This is a sequel to the latest 12 Lite, this installment brings performance and camera improvements. The ‘lite’ name clearly marks it as mid-range, but on the plus side, it’s only half the price you’d pay for a Xiaomi 13 (not to mention the Pro model).

The new model is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, which offers 20% more GPU and 30% more AI performance compared to the Snapdragon 778G inside the 12 Lite. However, Xiaomi has not updated RAM and storage and is still using LPDDR4X and UFS 2.2. Two configurations are available, 8/128 GB and 8/256 GB. The phone comes with MIUI 14 out of the box, but note that this particular version is based on Android 12.

Moving on to the camera, the Xiaomi 13 Lite uses the 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor that we’ve seen in a number of high-end phones. 1/1.56″ sensor with 1.0µm pixels (2.0µm with binning enabled) and combined f/1.8 aperture can capture 123% more light than 108MP sensor with f lens /1.9 on last year’s 12 Lite.

The 8MP ultra-wide camera (1/4” IMX355) with a 119° field of view and 2MP macro camera are apparently unchanged from last year.

The 32MP selfie camera has made a new friend, an 8MP depth sensor. The pair live in an island-style camera hole in the screen. The depth sensor will be used for more natural bokeh effects in selfies. The camera also has a FoV of 100° and will automatically adjust the shot framing for group shots.

Yes, the overall design was based on the Civi 2, but there are some hardware differences. For example, the Civi has a dual 32MP camera on the front and only one of the two has a 100° lens. Also, it has a 20 MP ultra wide camera.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite has a 6.55-inch curved AMOLED display. It’s a 12-bit panel with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support and can render 68 billion colours. It uses 1920Hz PWM dimming and has a typical brightness of 500 nits, peaking at 1000 nits.

This display has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels (20:9) and operates at a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz. It is protected by a curved Gorilla Glass 5. There is also glass on the back (not GG), the frame is plastic. The phone has an IP53 rating for resistance to dust and splashing water.

The battery has been improved slightly since last year and almost matches the battery of the Xiaomi 13. It has the same 4500mAh capacity (+200mAh on the 12 Lite) and the same 67W wired charging support, which can reach 100% in 40 minutes. There’s no wireless charging here, though.

There are a few things left to mention, including Dolby Atmos for audio, as well as wireless connectivity, which supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC (note: NFC is not available in some regions). It is a dual SIM phone with 5G support, thanks to the Snapdragon X62 modem.

The new Lite phone lives up to its name and tips the scales at 171g, it’s also 7.23mm thick. Colorways available at launch are Lite Blue, Lite Pink, and Black. Its basic 8/128 GB version costs €499 and availability starts on March 8.