Xiaomi is unveiling the 13T and 13T Pro today, two smartphones that will receive more Android updates than prior models. According to Xiaomi’s communications director, Daniel Desjarlais, both will receive four major Android updates as well as five years of security fixes.
The Xiaomi 13T Pro will cost £649 (€799, or approximately $790), while the 13T will cost £549 (€649, or around $669), and both will be available in the UK beginning today. The phones will be offered largely in European markets, although given Xiaomi’s prior smartphone releases, they are unlikely to be officially available in the United States.
A service commitment of four major Android updates and five years of security fixes puts Xiaomi in line with what Samsung guarantees for its latest Galaxy S23 phones and is technically superior than Google’s three major Android upgrades with its latest Pixels. However, there is a major caveat with Xiaomi’s 13T series: they ship with Android 13 from last year out of the box. As a result, at least one of these Android upgrades will be utilized to update phones to this year’s Android 14.
Aside from that caveat, it’s encouraging to see more Android manufacturers provide longer software support for their phones, even if few match the duration of software support Fairphone is pledging for its most current sustainability-focused smartphone.
The 13T and 13T Pro, like previous Xiaomi phones, include a Leica-branded camera system, however there are less hardware innovations this time around. There’s no one-inch sensor like the Xiaomi 13 Pro, nor will Xiaomi consumers get a 200-megapixel sensor this time. (This is most likely for the best.) Instead, both phones include 50-megapixel main cameras with 1/1.28-inch sensors, as well as a 50-megapixel telephoto, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 20-megapixel front camera.
The Xiaomi 13T Pro is driven by a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus processor, while the 13T is powered by a Dimensity 8200-Ultra chipset. Both contain 5,000mAh batteries, however only the 13T Pro can be fast-charged at up to 120W for a full charge in 19 minutes. (The non-Pro 13T has a maximum power output of 67W.)
Both phones feature a 6.67-inch display with a refresh rate of 144Hz, a peak brightness of 2,600 nits (1,200 nits average), and a resolution of 2712 x 1220. They both have IP68 dust and water resistance ratings, however only the 13T Pro supports Wi-Fi 7; the non-Pro 13T supports Wi-Fi 6. Both are available in blue, green, or black.
The Xiaomi 13T Pro will be available in several variants. Its base model comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but there’s also a model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and a third with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Xiaomi 13T comes standard with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but there is also a 12GB RAM version available.
Read More: Xiaomi 12T Pro Review: Key Features, Full Phone Specifications and Prices