The Leica Side of the Xiaomi 13 Pro

It might boast some incredible specs such as a 2K AMOLED display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS4.0 storage, 120W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, and much more, but what makes the Xiaomi 13 Pro REALLY special are its cameras. Or to be even more specific, the Leica flavour of its cameras.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is a product of the collaboration between Xiaomi and Leica, one of the biggest names in photography. And unlike some camera and phone brand collaborations that have been relatively nominal, this one goes beyond the Leica branding on the camera unit on the back of the Xiaomi 13 Pro. There is a lot of Leica inside the Xiaomi 13 Pro, making this one Leica-ble phone. Pun intended. 

The Leica side of the Xiaomi 13 Pro comes to the fore and can be experienced in these six features in particular: 

Leica lenses on all three rear cameras, including that one-inch sensor 

The Xiaomi 13 Pro (like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 12 Pro), comes with three 50MP sensors on the back. The main sensor is a Sony IMX 989 one-inch sensor, the first time a sensor of this size has been seen in a phone released in India. Apart from that, there is a 50MP ultrawide lens and a 50MP telephoto lens. The sensors are from Sony, but what makes them special is the fact that they come with Leica’s legendary Vario-Summicron lenses on them, which Leica calls “Professional Lenses.” The one-inch sensor enables to capture of more detail, but it is the lenses that enable the cameras to bring the famous Leica photographic experience to the Xiaomi 13 Pro.

Each of the cameras has been especially tuned in collaboration with Leica, bringing the brand’s distinct colour science to the device. The hardware itself is capable of great photography but it is the Leica lenses that add a special Leica topping to what is already a very tasty photographic pizza. (a point to note is that the Leica colour science and lenses are present only on the rear cameras – the 32MP camera in front seems relatively free of the Leica influence). 

A floating telephoto lens that also does macro

While all three lenses on the back of the Xiaomi 13 Pro come with Leica lenses, it is the telephoto lens that is really special. It is what Leica terms a “75mm Leica floating telephoto camera,” the first time the lens has been seen on a phone. The lens comes with a special focal shift technology that changes from 10cm to infinity – the lens literally moves forward and back! You get 3.2x optical zoom and a very impressive digital zoom. But what is really fascinating is that unlike other camera systems in which the ultrawide sensor is used to take macro (close-up) photographs, in the Xiaomi 13 Pro, it is this Leica floating telephoto camera that is used for macro duties.

It might not get as close as some other macro cameras (some of which let you get within 2-3cm of the subject), but on the flip side, you get very high-quality 12.5MP images (the default shooting image size of the sensors) with razor-sharp focus, thanks to the shifting focal length. The presence of OIS on the sensor also means that you get steady images in low-light conditions and even high-quality macro videos. Incidentally, you can get even closer images from the ultra-wide sensor on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, 

Two photographic styles, for realistic and (slightly) popping colours 

The Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with two distinct photographic styles, each of which imparts a different kind of colour signature to the photographs taken by the cameras on the rear of the Xiaomi 13 Pro. These are the Leica Vivid and the Leica Authentic. Users wanting the typical Leica colour signature with greater stress on realistic and life-like colours can opt for Leica Authentic. However, if what you are seeking is slightly more vivid and popping colours (what we call “oversaturated”) can go for Leica Authentic.

Both these options are available at the top of the camera app and you can opt for either colour mode while shooting in normal, portrait or even in night mode. A point to keep in mind is that even Leica Vibrant is relatively realistic as compared to some of the supersaturated, dazzling red-green-and-blue shades we get from many smartphone cameras.  Our recommendation is to stick to Leica Authentic and use Snapseed for more vivid shades if that is your preference. 

The Master Lens System for four types of portrait shots 

Perhaps the most spectacular Lecia-specific feature of the Xiaomi 13 Pro comes in the form of its Master Lens System which provides you with four very distinct portrait image styles. You can of course, also go with the default portrait mode, which is a very good one. Tap on the tiny disc icon on the left of the viewfinder, however,  and you will get options to take a snap in 35mm Black and White, a 50mm Swirly Bokeh, a 75mm Portrait and a 90mm Soft Focus mode, all of which we suspect are a result of that floating telephoto camera that we discussed earlier. Each of these modes adds a totally different touch to your photography. 

The 35mm Black and White brings the classic black and white look that Leica is known for, and is great for street photography with its ability to capture textures. The 50mm Soft Focus Swirly Bokeh mode is perfect for classic portrait shots with sharply outlined subjects with very realistic bokeh that seems to be a result of lens movement rather than software artistry, The 75mm Portrait mode is great for subjects that are relatively close, where is the 90mm Soft Focus is perfect for shots where you want a smaller portion of your picture in focus while the rest is blurred out. The 35mm Black and White and 50mm Swirly Bokeh lenses are the best options in our book, with the 75mm and 90mm options needing a little more work. A point to remember is that you can switch from Leica Authentic to Leica Vibrant colours in all these modes. 

Leica filters for a touch of Leica to everyday snaps

The Master Lens System gives you special Leica shooting options, but only when you are in portrait mode. If you want something similar while shooting in normal mode, tap the star icon in the lower right corner of the camera app. As in other Xiaomi phones, this will give you access to a number of shooting options. What is different about the Xiaomi 13 Pro is that you get four filters that are specially designed by Leica – Leica Neutral, Leica Vivid, Leica Black and White High Contrast and Leica Black and White Natural. You can shoot using these four filters from any of the three cameras at the back, and can also use these filters with any picture stored on the device.

Interestingly, however, these filters are not available when you are shooting selfies, although you can apply them to the selfie after having snapped it. And yes, you still have the option of choosing Leica Authentic and Leica Vivid styles while shooting using these filters, so you actually add even more Leica to your snap. Of the four filters, we like the two Black and White ones the most, not just because of Leica’s legendary track record in black and white photography but also because of just how well they handle those two colours. Black and White High Contrast is particularly adept at adding richness to black and white without ever quite going over the top – a superb default option for normal photography for Leica fans, we think. 

Leica frames for those “shot on a Leica” feels

A number of the photographs that are being used in the marketing of the Xiaomi 13 Pro come with prominent black or white borders with Leica and Xiaomi 13 Pro branding on them as well as information about the photograph, such as the time, location, and lens setting used. It looks very classy and snazzy and if you like them, there are two ways of getting this Leica touch to your photographs on the Xiaomi 13 Pro. You can add them to the images already on the phone by choosing the edit option in the Photo Gallery app and then opting for AI. Once there, choose Art Framing, and choose from any of the six frame options. The other way is to get the frame from the get-go by going to Camera in the device Settings, choosing Watermark and specifying Leica Watermark there. 

If you want just a Leica watermark without the frame and other details, simply pick Device Watermark. The problem with choosing a Leica Watermark, however, is that you have no control over the kind of frame that will be chosen, although you can change that later in the photo gallery. Interestingly, the Leica Watermark option will not work when shooting through the selfie camera, but you can add it from the Photo Gallery. Actually, you can add the Lecia Frames to any picture in the photo gallery, even if it is taken by another camera and downloaded to the device, which is not really fair. Still, those frames are great for folks who love those “shot on a Leica” feels. Just remember that only the first frame in the AI list has the iconic Red Leica logo in it – fortunately, it is also present in the frames when you set the camera on Leica Watermark! 

And one more thing…LISTEN to the camera

When you take a snap with the Xiaomi 13 pro, do not just look at the picture you take or are about to take, but also listen to the sound the camera makes when it captures the image. That slightly metallic shutter click that you hear is what you hear from a Leica camera!