The name Xiaomi 13T can be broken down into two "segments" – "Xiaomi 13" refers to the flagship that premiered at the beginning of this year, and "T" was likely an abbreviation for "cheaper".
Is it worth buying the Xiaomi T?
Xiaomi T series phones have been hitting stores for a few years, and the philosophy behind them is always quite similar: they are supposed to offer the quality known from full-fledged flagships, but at a lower price. Actually, this is how the entire Xiaomi brand used to operate, but those good old days are probably gone – they've conquered what they wanted and rested on their laurels.
Of course, you can't suddenly start selling exactly the same thing cheaper, unless we're talking about yesterday's bread rolls at the bakery, for example. The 13T is poorer than the regular Xiaomi 13 in terms of a few features and is less powerful, but I have to admit that the manufacturer has chosen brilliantly which features of the original could be slimmed down or amputated so that very few people would notice.
What's worth noting in the Xiaomi 13T?
Water, for example, can be noticed on the 13T, because as the first in the history of Xiaomi T, it received IP68 water resistance certification. None of its predecessors could boast cameras signed by the legendary Leica company either.
Of course, just as inlays on an axe don't make a warrior, a logo of some small company under a sensor the size of a fingernail doesn't automatically mean fantastic photos. However, Xiaomi clearly wanted to emphasize their focus on camera quality – and it really shows!
I was surprised by the exceptionally consistent color reproduction across all three lenses on the back – the main, ultrawide, and telephoto lens for portraits with 2x zoom. The photos from all of them look very similar – as if we were changing lenses on a regular digital camera, which is rare for smartphones. The main camera also performs brilliantly at night – in my opinion, it's not significantly inferior to much more expensive iPhones from this year. It's a shame the front camera doesn't have autofocus, but I also really like the selfies. I haven't tested all the smartphones in the world, but among those that I've had in my hands and which premiered this year and currently cost less than PLN 3000, this one is the best for photos.
It's not just the camera that delivers
Photos also look attractive on the phone's screen. It's an OLED with an almost devilish 6.67-inch diagonal, with HDR support, 144 Hz refresh rate, and a built-in fingerprint reader. It's bright, shows vibrant colors – absolutely top-notch. I also can't complain about the speakers – an audiophile wouldn't cry when selling, but they play well.
A plus is also the long update support for the smartphone – 4 years of new Android versions and 5 years of security patches. Such numbers are usually reserved exclusively for the most expensive devices on the market.
What's missing in the Xiaomi 13T?
So where are the compromises? Well, I don't like the style of the casing itself, with its glossy (though not in every finish version) back, a large camera island, and a plastic frame. But then again, almost everyone puts their smartphone in a case 10 seconds after buying it. The performance isn't as high as in more expensive flagships (on par with the best phones from two years ago), but I only noticed a slight difference compared to models costing over 5000 PLN in games. Wireless charging is missing. The cameras can't record videos in 8K. Just minor things.
And that's probably the point. The 13T has been stripped of features whose absence in the manufacturer's most expensive smartphone would be embarrassing, but 90% of people don't really feel them anyway – it's just "it has to be this way for this money". And for the price that the 13T costs, which is currently 2999 PLN, it doesn't have to be.
The phone works well, movies look great on it, it lasts long (a day), charges quickly (40 minutes), takes nice pictures – I think this covers the requirements of almost everyone and then some. A balanced, sensible smartphone for a balanced, sensible (is that what they were known for?) Viking. Vikings who want to stand out more should also check out the Nothing Phone (2), and for those who love playing games on their smartphone, I recommend the Poco F4 Pro.
Check out our review of the Nothing Phone (1)
