But worth the wait

A Xiaomi 13 Pro (Image credit: Xiaomi)

Two of the best phones of 2023 could launch in the first half of the year, with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra expected on February 1, and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra likely to land sometime after that, however, the latest leaks suggests we might be waiting longer than expected for this noteworthy Galaxy S rival.

According to Digital Chat Station (opens in new tab) – a reputable leaker – posting on Weibo (via NotebookCheck (opens in new tab)), the Xiaomi 13 Ultra probably won’t land until after March, with another user replying that it will likely launch in early April.

That would give Samsung a clear runway of around two months before Xiaomi’s S23 Ultra rival lands, and perhaps even longer for most of the world, as that April launch might only be for China – with other regions possibly getting the Xiaomi 13 Ultra even later, based on what Xiaomi does for some of its phones.

This incidentally means that we probably won’t see the Xiaomi 13 Ultra at MWC 2023 – which is a massive trade show that kicks off on February 27.

Still, some other Chinese handsets could be landing sooner, with Digital Chat Station saying in the same post that they expect the Oppo Find X6 series and the Honor Magic 5 line to be announced in late February or early March, which would line up with MWC.

Analysis: the Xiaomi 13 Ultra could live up to its name

There’s an expectation that phones with ‘ultra’ in their name will be cutting-edge, feature-packed devices, and from what we’ve heard of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra it could certainly be that.

We’ve heard, for example, that it might have a quad-lens camera; complete with a one-inch sensor for its primary snapper (much like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 12s Ultra), which should help it take superb photos.

It’s also sure to match or better the Xiaomi 13 Pro in most other areas, and that phone has already been unveiled. So we know then that we can expect at least a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, likely a large QHD+ screen, and extremely fast charging; as the Xiaomi 13 Pro can charge at up to 120W.

So if you want one of the best Android phones and aren’t sold on Samsung, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra could be worth waiting for.

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