After debuting in China in December 2022, the instead of two models (13 and 13 Pro), Xiaomi also launched a third, the Xiaomi 13 Lite. Starting in 2018, Xiaomi began to launch a Lite version of its flagship smartphones. These models fall under the mid-range category but cost significantly less than their flagship siblings.
The Xiaomi 13 Lite continues that trend, being a cheaper version of the Xiaomi 13 but with a bunch of tradeoffs. However, there are also some interesting features it has that may make it appeal to buyers than its more expensive sibling. For example, the Xiaomi 13 Lite is the bigger of the two smartphones — its 6.55-inch display towers above the Xiaomi 13's 6.36-inch screen.
Xiaomi 13 vs Xiaomi 13 Lite: Display & Performance
Both phones have an FHD+ (2400 × 1080) AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The display of the Xiaomi 13 is a higher quality, new generation E66 OLED which can reach a peak brightness level of 1900 nits compared to the Xiaomi 13 Lite's 1000 nits. Furthermore, it has an adaptive refresh rate and adaptive reading mode. Both phones Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The Xiaomi 13 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm's top chipset for 2023 flagship smartphones, and it is paired with 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
In contrast, the Xiaomi 13 Lite is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a mid-range chipset announced in May 2022. The phone has 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and can be purchased in 128GB or 256GB storage options. Sadly, it uses the much older and slower UFS 2.2 storage type.
Xiaomi 13 Vs. Xiaomi 13 Lite: Camera, Battery, & Charging
The Xiaomi 13 is also the better phone with respect to camera configuration. It has a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3.2x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide angle camera. Like the Xiaomi 13 Pro, it boasts Leica camera technology and can record in 8K. Up in front, it has a single 32MP for selfies.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi 13 Lite has a 50MP Sony IMX766 camera, the same primary camera on the back of the Nothing Phone (1) — though unlike the Phone (1), it doesn't have optical image stabilization. The Xiaomi 13 Lite also has an 8MP ultrawide angle camera and a 2MP macro camera. On the front and in a pill-shaped cutout in the display are a 32MP ultrawide angle camera and an 8MP depth sensor. The phone also has two LED lights in front which Xiaomi calls Selfie Glow for taking selfies in low light. Both phones have a video teleprompter feature that allows s to paste their video script and read from the camera app while recording too.
The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Lite both have a 4500mAh battery and 67W fast wired charging. The Xiaomi 13 also s 50W wireless fast charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. Both phones ship with a charger in the box. The two phones also have for Dual SIM Dual 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, Dolby Atmos, Face Unlock, and an in-display fingerprint scanner but only the Xiaomi 13 has stereo speakers and Wi-Fi 7. Unsurprisingly, neither smartphone has a headphone jack.
Xiaomi 13 Vs. Xiaomi 13 Lite: Software & Price
The Xiaomi 13 has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. It also ships with MIUI 14 based on Android 13 while the Xiaomi 13 Lite runs MIUI 14 based on Android 12 out of the box. Xiaomi will provide three generations of Android upgrades and five years of security updates for the Xiaomi 13, but there is no such information available for the Xiaomi 13 Lite.
The Xiaomi 13 has a starting price of €999 (~$1,058) and is available in Black, Flora Green, and White, while the Xiaomi 13 Lite starts at just €499 (~$528) and will be sold in Black, Blue, and Pink. Still, one can't help but think the Xiaomi 13 Lite's price tag is a bit on the high side when compared to what it has to offer.
Source: Xiaomi