The year 2023 started slowly for me, with the Pixel 7 Pro remaining unchallenged in my pocket until late summer. But things happened in July and August and the Google phone was needed elsewhere, so I temporarily it ended with the
Xiaomi 13Pro
Ro! I had shouted dibs on the Ultra before me, so I opted for the Pro. Not much of an adjustment, I thought, since the Pro had more or less the same main camera (1-inch sensor, minus the dual aperture ) and a telephoto lens that had its own superpower – super-close-focusing, which didn’t reach Ultra.
The 13 Pro replaced the Pixel without any problems, thanks to the high level of customization of MIUI. It was actually a step forward in many ways, especially in charging speed, but also in battery life, at least in the way I used it. An unexpected improvement in my quality of life came from the laptop’s ceramic back, which made the case unnecessary, thus easing the burden on my pockets.
A few quiet months passed and suddenly we were in iPhone season. I managed to convince myself that a year after I last had one, I needed to buy an iPhone. That’s how I ended up with a
iPhone 15 Pro
The tiny iPhone Pro for 2023 felt even smaller than the 13 Pro as I remembered it, and a properly compact premium phone has always been what I insisted I wanted (not to mention the hulking Pixel 7 Pro and its oversized silicone case ). Indeed, a size comparison between the 15 Pro and the 13 Pro shows only marginal differences in bulk, not to mention the new one is thicker, but this year’s model is indeed lighter than the last iPhone I have had and also equally premium.
For a while I continued to delude myself that I could live with an iPhone. The handling feel was supposed to overcome the daily struggle to endure what must be the most backward operating system in existence. Every now and then I returned to that article I wrote two years ago while I was still on my honeymoon with the 13 Pro, hoping to direct my attention to the positives. It worked for four weeks, you might say a month, but it fails to convey the urgency with which I expelled the 15 Pro from my life.
The 13 Pro is back, only not the iPhone but the Xiaomi.
Xiaomi 13Pro
It turned out that in the meantime no one had shown any interest, the office’s activities were concentrated on Galaxies and whatnot. With Xiaomi I felt right at home and the transition was smooth, as my days have been since then.
A minor logistical hiccup at one point meant spending some time with the 13T Pro, where a newfound appreciation for flat displays made me question my satisfaction with the curved-edge 13 Pro. I decided to ignore this sentiment, a choice made easier by the fact that T means “not a real flagship” in Xiaomi’s nomenclature, and the shelves in the office are too full of flagships to use Ts.
In the midst of the joy of daily driving the 13 Pro, came a few test units that weren’t so easy to dismiss. One of the most notable among these was the
Oppo Find N3
You could call it the OnePlus Open if you prefer, depending on how Oppo’s presence in the market aligns with your position, but the gist is that there’s finally a truly capable cameraphone that also folds into tablet form. On several occasions in the past I’ve tried to give a foldable a chance, and until now they’ve always sacrificed imaging capability in one way or another.
I have to admit that I still don’t need an 8-inch square display in my life, so a large foldable remains wasted on me. That said, I can really appreciate Open/Find N3 for the unusual combination of features it offers. And maybe fight with others in the office for the Find X7 Pro once this thing shows up. (Seriously, though, let’s all agree on a draw as the most civilized option from now on.)
In all honesty, another top-notch cameraphone that visited my desk for a few days of review has really tested my loyalty to the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
vivo X100Pro
The latest in a range of industry-leading photo-taking devices (which also have cellular connectivity), the X100 Pro does everything Xiaomi does, makes it better, and does more. However, the irreconcilable differences with Funtouch OS make it a no-brainer for me. Or someone else said it before me, maybe I should work on sharpening my reflexes.
Xiaomi 13 Ultra
Ultimately, though, my top 5 for 2023 must end (or, rather, culminate) with the Xiaomi that I wasn’t able to get.
The Xiaomi Ultras have been a level above everything else every year: the cameraphone with otherworldly features that is so good that Xiaomi can only make so many of them, and they rarely make it outside of China. The 11s did, and this year’s 13s also had an international release, but they remain barely more common than unicorns.
There are never too many 50MP sensors on a phone, but maybe 4 is an acceptable number. The 1-inch main camera is better than other 1-inch cameras because it can change the aperture, while a 3x telephoto AND another at 5x is better than having to choose between 3x OR 5x. I realized that the almost flat display is better than even a significantly curved screen. It’s a good thing that a faux leather back isn’t better than a ceramic one, otherwise I’d be left with nothing to hold onto to defend the 13 Pro on my nightstand.
So here’s my list, a little banal perhaps, but it’s certainly not my fault that smartphones have transformed above all into cameras, and that’s where the race has concentrated.
An iPhone has managed to fool me once again, both for the camera and for something more elusive: let’s hope it’s the last time. A live one here is unsurprising, given the X-series’ past, while a foldable capable of taking photos is more of a novelty, long overdue.
But it seems like I like Xiaomi more now.
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