Xiaomi crops telephoto camera to 13 Ultra to achieve claimed focal length

Xiaomi crops the image of one of the telephoto cameras of the 13 Ultra smartphone in automatic mode. The specs page states that the phone has a 75mm lens, but tests show that it is a 60mm lens in 35mm equivalent.

As a result, the zoom is not 3x compared to the primary camera, but approximately 2.5x, as shown. a test by independent reviewer Juan Carlos Bagnell. The camera turned out to shoot photos at 60mm in raw mode, while the automatic mode produces 75mm photos. The software appears to digitally zoom in the image slightly with that telephoto camera. The phone has two cameras with telephoto lens. The other is a periscopic zoom lens with 120mm in 35mm equivalent.

The ‘middle’ zoom lens is according to the specs a 75mm lens. According to Bagnell’s images, the fact that it is not a true ‘3x lens’ is also visible in the software, which switches to that lens at about 2.5x. Xiaomi has not placed a disclaimer anywhere that the telephoto lens in fact has a different angle of view than the manufacturer claims.

Xiaomi has not yet responded to the issue. Bagnell’s observation comes from a 58-minute video review of the cameras of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. It is only available to Patreon supporters of the creator. He also points out other criticisms, such as the new design of the app, which requires more clicks for the same actions compared to its predecessor. The camera also has difficulty focusing in specific situations. The 13 Ultra is an expensive smartphone that focuses on the cameras. The phone has four 50-megapixel sensors on the back.