Technology

Galaxy S23 Plus vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: which top wins, Korean or Chinese? | Comparative

2023-06-08 19:10:00

We have yet another top-of-the-line duel between Samsung and Xiaomi, but this time we will not bring the most expensive models of each brand, but those that are in the middle of the most advanced line and that seek to deliver the best value for money. In this duel we will see the Xiaomi 13 Pro face the Galaxy S23 Plus. What will be the victor? Let’s find out.

comparative index

Samsung
09 Mar

Xiaomi 13 Pro: top of the Chinese line

Android
27 Mar

design and connectivity

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus

Xiaomi 13 Pro

We started our comparison by analyzing the design of each cell phone and here we have two very different devices that will not raise any doubts at the time of purchase. The Galaxy S23 Plus adopts a more minimalist and flat look, while its rival brings a body full of curves and a giant block for the rear cameras.

Samsung’s cell phone is the more compact and lightweight of the two, even though we have devices with a metal body and a premium finish. It’s good to see that Xiaomi has incorporated IP68 certification, the same as on the Galaxy, which guarantees resistance once morest water and dust. In addition, there is Gorilla Glass Victus protection on both, with the S23 Plus coming with the latest generation.

On the front we see thin edges on both with a hole for the selfie camera at the top. The Xiaomi 13 Pro better explores the frontal area due to the curvature of the glass. The biometric reader is hidden under the screen, being ultrasonic in Galaxy and optical in Xiaomi. Regardless of the technology employed, we have a good response time for both.

In connectivity we have state-of-the-art Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in both, as well as 5G and NFC connectivity. The Xiaomi 13 Pro still has an infrared emitter as an extra and has faster wireless charging than the rival.

We start with one point each.

best construction	Both
Better protection once morest scratches	Galaxy S23 Plus
more modern look	Galaxy S23 Plus
Is the slot hybrid or dedicated?	None
Best notch solution	Both
Best biometrics solution	Both
Best endurance certification?	Both
Which is more compact and lightweight?	Galaxy S23 Plus
Tem NFC?	Both
Theme Wi-Fi 6?	Both
more advanced bluetooth	Both

Multimedia software

Bodies

The Xiaomi 13 Pro has the largest screen with 6.73 inches once morest the rival’s 6.6 inches. It also stands out in Quad HD + resolution, which results in a sharper image than the Galaxy’s Full HD +.

As much as the two adopt AMOLED panel, we have different technologies. The Chinese model comes with a screen with Dolby Vision support and the ability to reproduce one billion colors. The Galaxy only supports HDR10+ and has a more limited color gamut, despite displaying beautiful images.

In terms of brightness, we can declare a tie, but the S23 Plus has the Vision Booster feature that boosts saturation in direct sunlight and improves visibility outside the home. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has an LTPO-type panel that reduces speed to 1 Hz and greatly reduces consumption on static content such as when using Always on Display.

Point for the Xiaomi 13 Pro on screen.

best screen technology	Both
Best screen brightness	Both
more colors	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Best screen resolution	Xiaomi 13 Pro
bigger screen	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Better screen-to-body ratio	Xiaomi 13 Pro
High Hz screen?	Both
Best scratch protection?	Galaxy S23 Plus
Overall screen quality	Xiaomi 13 Pro

As

The three sound outputs on the Xiaomi 13 Pro ensure a great experience with movies and music. The upper speaker has less power because it is smaller than the main speaker, but this does not affect the balance between bass, mids and highs. There is support for Dolby Atmos to equalize the sound and leave it to your liking.

Galaxy only has two sound outputs when using the call speaker as a secondary channel. The power is a little below the rival, as well as the ability to reproduce bass, despite still having a good balance between the main sound frequencies. The Samsung model also comes with Dolby Atmos support and full equalizer.

In any case, victory for the Xiaomi 13 Pro.

Sound is stereo?	None
Does it have P2 input?	None
Greater frequency balance	Both
sound power	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Do headphones come in the box?	None

Software

Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with Android 13 modified by MIUI 14. The system is responsive, flows smoothly and responds promptly to any touch. We have the various features present in MIUI as is known from other devices that enhance the customization power while bringing cool extras like a floating menu for quick shortcuts.

The Galaxy S23 Plus also comes with Android 13, but modified by One UI. The advantage once morest the rival is the greater support for system updates. While Xiaomi promises three versions of the little robot for its top of the line, Samsung guarantees an extra version, in addition to five years of security updates.

Samsung’s software also has high customization power, going even further with the use of the Good Lock tool. There is also the Samsung Dex which enhances productivity by turning the phone into a PC.

Point for the Galaxy in software.

Well-updated system?	Both
Will you receive more updates?	Galaxy S23 Plus
Which system or customization has more and better features?	Both
Is there a 5G mobile network?	Both
More fluid software	Both

Performance

Another point in common between our duelists is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip combined with 8 GB of RAM. It is good to remember that the Xiaomi 13 Pro has a more expensive version with 12 GB of memory, which is the one we tested. However, the two ended up even in our multitasking-focused speed test, which shows that the extra amount of RAM didn’t make a difference.

In benchmarks we have mixed results. Galaxy gets bigger numbers in some tests and Xiaomi wins in others, like AnTuTu. In terms of games, we can also declare a tie, as both can run any game for Android at maximum graphic quality without stuttering or overheating.

Points for both in performance.

Who does better on the opening test?	Both
Who wins in the most demanding games?	Both
Who has the best benchmark numbers?	Both
What is the most up to date processor?	Both
Which has better RAM/CPU balance?	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Which has more storage?	Both

Battery

Xiaomi’s cell phone has the largest battery with 4,820 mAh once morest the rival’s 4,700 mAh. The larger screen with higher resolution seems to have taken its toll as the battery life was below the Galaxy S23 Plus in our standardized test. It was a difference of almost three hours with the Korean model reaching close to 29 hours of autonomy.

And in terms of reload time, which one is the best? While Samsung still continues to cover its cell phones with slow charging, Xiaomi sends its device a powerful 120W charger that takes less than half an hour to fully fill the battery. The Galaxy S23 Plus, on the other hand, spends more than an hour in the socket.

We will give each one a point.

Which has more battery?	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Which recharges faster?	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Which lasts longer according to the TC battery test?	Galaxy S23 Plus
Does it have wireless charging?	Both

Cmeras

We have three cameras on both phones. The main one has a 50 MP sensor on both, while the ultra-wide and telephoto lens also has the same resolution on the Xiaomi 13 Pro. The Galaxy comes with a 12 MP ultra-wide camera and a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom once morest the rival’s 3.2x. In theory it seems that the Chinese model takes the win, but which one really captures the best photos and videos?

The Xiaomi 13 Pro takes good photos, but overdoes the post-processing and tends to weigh down on the contrast, which makes the shadows even darker. HDR is not as efficient as that of the Galaxy S23 Plus and ends up resulting in dark photos once morest the sun.

The ultra-wide camera takes good daytime shots on both, but the Galaxy S23 Plus is better at night shots with this wider camera and also the main one. Optical zoom also tends to result in slightly sharper images on Samsung’s cell phone, while macros come out better on Xiaomi due to the ultra-wide autofocus.

Victory for the Galaxy S23 Plus in cameras.

Best rear camera set	Xiaomi 13 Pro
Best photos of the day	Galaxy S23 Plus
best night photos	Galaxy S23 Plus
most versatile set	Both
best ultra wide	Galaxy S23 Plus
best telephoto lens	Galaxy S23 Plus
best macro	Xiaomi 13 Pro
best depth	Galaxy S23 Plus

Photos captured with the Galaxy S23 Plus

Which is better for selfies? Xiaomi brings the highest resolution with 32 MP once morest just 12 MP from the rival. There’s a little trick here though: the sensor compresses four pixels into one, which would result in 8MP photos, but then upscales to 32MP. This results in selfies with less sharpness than the Korean rival.

Other than that, the Xiaomi 13 Pro nails the dynamic range and skin tone. The Galaxy S23 Plus also does well on these points and suffers less from noise at night, in addition to having a more efficient portrait mode in general.

In this way, one more point for the S23 Plus in cameras.

Best front camera set	Galaxy S23 Plus
Front camera records in 4K at 60 fps?	Galaxy S23 Plus
best selfie	Galaxy S23 Plus

Photos captured with the Xiaomi 13 Pro

Both manage to shoot in 8K, but the Xiaomi is limited to 24 fps and the Galaxy reaches 30 fps for superior fluidity. With the front, it is also Samsung’s cell phone that takes advantage of shooting in 4K once morest only the rival’s Full HD.

In terms of quality, we have clearer videos with less noise at night on the Galaxy S23 Plus. Both feature good image stabilization and snappy focus. In sound capture, it is the Korean model that stands out with cleaner audio that suffers less from wind noise.

We closed the camera with one more point for the Galaxy.

Does it have optical stabilization?	Both
Does it have electronic stabilization?	Both
agile focus	Both
Does it record 8K at 30 fps?	Galaxy S23 Plus
Does it record 4K at 60 fps?	Both
Best audio capture	Galaxy S23 Plus
best video quality	Both
Best features for recordings	Both

priests

The Galaxy S23 Plus hit the domestic market in February 2023 for R$7,000. The Xiaomi 13 Pro has not yet been officially launched here, but it can be imported for close to R$ 4,500, which is the price of Samsung’s rival found in offers currently. If you decide to buy the Xiaomi model at national retail, you will end up paying more.

With that, we close the comparison with the last point for the Galaxy S23 Plus.

Which had the best launch price?	Galaxy S23 Plus
Which has the lowest current cost?	Galaxy S23 Plus

9.1
Hardware

7.1
Cost Benefcio