Phone Comparisons: Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13 (2023)

This time around, we’re comparing two relatively compact flagship-grade phones, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13. The Xiaomi 13 is larger than the iPhone 14 Pro, but still, the difference is not that big at all. These are both great choices for those of you who don’t want to carry around huge phones. Still, the two devices are a lot different, which should make this comparison rather interesting.

We’ll first list their specs, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. The two phones not only look different, but do come with a rather different set of specs, and of course, entirely different software. Let’s get started, shall we?

Specs

Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13: Design

Both of these phones are made out of metal and glass. The iPhone 14 Pro combines a stainless steel frame with a “Corning-made glass” on the back, we still don’t know the details. The Xiaomi 13 combines an aluminum frame with the Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. Do note that the Xiaomi 13 also comes in a silicone polymer variant, which includes a different backplate. In any case, the iPhone 14 Pro is heavier than the Xiaomi 13, and the main reason is its stainless steel frame.

Apple’s compact flagship weighs 206 grams, compared to 185 or 189 grams of the Xiaomi 13 (depending on the variant). The iPhone 14 Pro is a bit shorter than the Xiaomi 13, while it has the exact same width, and the two phones are almost identical in terms of thickness too. Now, the bezels are very thin on both phones, and both devices have a flat display. The Xiaomi 13 includes a display camera hole, which is centered up top. The iPhone 14 Pro has a pill-shaped cutout at the top.

Both phones have flat sides, though they’re more pronounced on the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 Pro also has a flat back, while the Xiaomi 13’s backplate curves into the frame at the very edges, making the phone more pleasant to hold. Both devices do have rounded corners, and rounded display corners too. You will find three cameras on the back of both phones, but with different designs. Apple has its own, easily-recognizable camera island design at this point. Xiaomi came up with something considerably more subtle for the Xiaomi 13 series.

You’re getting an IP68 certification on both devices. They’re both water and dust resistant. The Xiaomi 13 is more pleasant to hold in the hand, and it’s also noticeably lighter at the same time. Both are very slippery, though, so using a case may not be a bad idea. Needless to say, the silicone polymer variant of the Xiaomi 13 is less slippery than the rest.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13: Display

The iPhone 14 Pro features a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2556 x 1179) LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That display is flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also supports HDR10 content, and Dolby Vision too. This panel gets immensely bright at 2,000 nits of peak brightness. We’re looking at a 19.5:9 aspect ratio here, while the iPhone 14 Pro’s display is protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.

The Xiaomi 13, on the other hand, has a 6.36-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display. This panel is also flat, and it has support for both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. It can also get immensely bright at 1,900 nits of peak brightness. The Xiaomi 13’s display has a 20:9 aspect ratio, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass 5 from Corning.

Now, both of these panels are excellent. They’re more than sharp enough, and have excellent viewing angles. They’re vivid, and the blacks are deep. On top of everything, the touch response is really good too. We don’t have any complaints whatsoever, as the displays also get more than bright enough outdoors. If you need a more compact phone for use in direct sunlight, these two won’t disappoint.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13: Performance

The iPhone 14 Pro is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic processor. The phone also comes with 6GB of RAM, and NVMe flash storage. The Xiaomi 13, on the flip side, ships with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. In addition to that, Xiaomi included up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and U FS 4.0 flash storage. Do note that only the 128GB storage model has UFS 3.1 flash storage.

Do these specs equal great performance on both phones? Well, yes, they do. Both smartphones are quite snappy and responsive during everyday tasks. The same goes for gaming, by the way, you can run the most demanding games on both of these phones. Do note that the Xiaomi 13 ships with MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, and it still needs some optimization. But, overall, it’s a great implementation of Android with plenty of customization options. These two phones have entirely different approaches to software, but both of them perform admirably.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13: Battery

The iPhone 14 Pro has a 3,200mAh battery, while the Xiaomi 13 incorporates a 4,500mAh unit. Do note that iOS devices usually need smaller batteries, not to mention that the Xiaomi 13 has a larger display. Having said that, the battery life on both of these phones is good, but the iPhone 14 Pro offers more in that regard. Getting over the 7-hour screen-on-time mark is not a problem at all, while the Xiaomi 13 is in the same ballpark, but not quite there. It’s usually closer to 6 hours of screen-on-time.

Do note that your mileage may differ, though, of course. You are using different apps, have different usage habits, different signal strengths, and so on. So, who knows, you may be able to pull out even more juice from both phones. We’re just glad to see that the Xiaomi 13 is better in the battery life department than its predecessor. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 definitely has something to do with that.

When it comes to charging, these two phones are not even on the same playing field. The Xiaomi 13 completely obliterates the iPhone 14 Pro. It supports 67W wired, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. On top of that, it comes with a charger in the box. The iPhone 14 Pro supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. It does not include a charger in the box.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Xiaomi 13: Cameras

The iPhone 14 Pro packs in a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel telephoto unit (3x optical zoom). The Xiaomi 13, on the flip side, has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom). Both phones provide really good images, actually.

You’ll be glad to hear that Xiaomi managed to considerably improve the handling of white balance with this phone, compared to its predecessor. The Xiaomi 13 actually does a great job in HDR situations, and the photos end up looking pleasant. You can even choose between two shooting modes with different color presets. The images end up looking sharp and vibrant, and also well-balanced. The iPhone 14 Pro tends to provide more true-to-life images, though it still tends to struggle with highlights in demanding HDR situations, but only at times. Other than that, it’s an excellent performer.

In low light, the Xiaomi 13 tends to brighten up the shadows more than the iPhone 14 Pro, but both do a good job. The end results do end up looking different, however. Ultrawide cameras do more than a decent job on both phones, while the iPhone 14 Pro handles portrait photography better, and the same goes for video recording. Overall, chances are you’ll be happy with the performance of both phones.

Audio

You will find a set of stereo speakers on both of these phones. The ones on the iPhone 14 Pro do sound a bit better, though, at least to us. They do seem to have a bit of a wider soundstage. The difference is not that big, though, and both sets of speakers are loud enough.

Having said that, there is no audio jack on either phone. You can use their charging ports to connect your headphones via a cable, though. If you prefer a wireless connection, both devices are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3.