Xiaomi 13 Pro Battery Life Overview
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is equipped with a 4,820mAh battery, which is slightly smaller compared to many competing flagship phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which features a typical 5,000mAh battery. Despite the smaller battery capacity, the Xiaomi 13 Pro demonstrates impressive battery performance. Its power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor combined with MIUI 14 software optimization results in a battery life that comfortably lasts through a full day of heavy usage without the need for midday recharging. In a battery rundown test with adaptive refresh rate enabled, the Xiaomi 13 Pro lasted approximately 12 hours and 25 minutes, slightly outperforming the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which lasted around 12 hours and 22 minutes under similar conditions. Real-world daily use, including web browsing, playback streaming, social media, photography, gaming, and video watching, typically leaves users with about 25-30% battery remaining by the end of the day, demonstrating solid endurance for various intensive tasks.
Charging Speed and Efficiency
The Xiaomi 13 Pro supports super-fast charging technologies. It features 120W wired charging that can fully recharge its battery from zero to 100% in about 22 to 27 minutes depending on the review source. This charging speed is among the fastest available in mainstream flagship smartphones, surpassing Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra, which generally charges slower (the S23 Ultra supports 45W wired charging). Additionally, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers 50W wireless charging, which also ranks highly for speed compared to many competitors. The device also supports 10W reverse wireless charging, allowing it to charge other compatible devices wirelessly. However, users must use Xiaomi's dedicated wireless charging pad to achieve maximum wireless charging speeds.
Galaxy S23 Ultra Battery Life Overview
The Galaxy S23 Ultra, featuring a larger 5,000mAh battery, is a flagship device known for its balanced battery performance. Despite its larger battery capacity compared to the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the S23 Ultra's endurance is comparable but slightly behind in some synthetic battery tests. The S23 Ultra's battery life is generally reported to last a full day with mixed usage, including web browsing, media consumption, and gaming. However, it does not outperform the Xiaomi 13 Pro in endurance benchmarks that emphasize web browsing and adaptive refresh rate scenarios. The S23 Ultra's battery performance is good but can vary based on display settings like refresh rate and resolution usage.
The Samsung device supports 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, which is slower than Xiaomi's charging speeds. Its fast charging speeds are competent but not class-leading, meaning that it takes longer to reach a full charge than the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Wireless charging speeds are also notably slower, affecting convenience for users who rely on wireless charging options.
Battery Efficiency and Optimization
The Xiaomi 13 Pro benefits from its more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and MIUI 14 software optimizations, which lead to better energy management despite its slightly smaller battery capacity. Users report excellent battery longevity even during sustained gaming or streaming sessions with minimal thermal throttling or overheating affecting battery drain. The phone's ability to last a full day under heavy use, with the option to quickly top up with fast charging, reduces battery anxiety for many users.
In contrast, Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Exynos variants depending on the region, and runs One UI built on Android, which also offers efficient power management but does not seem to achieve the same subtle balance of performance and battery life seen in the Xiaomi 13 Pro during direct comparisons. Samsung's software optimizations are strong, but its battery tends to drain slightly faster in intensive use cases partly due to the higher-resolution display and larger battery demands.
User Experience in Daily Usage
Daily user experience with the Xiaomi 13 Pro consistently highlights its battery life as a standout feature. Typical users comfortably get through a full day and sometimes closer to a day and a half on a single charge, especially if adaptive refresh rate settings and power-saving modes are properly managed. Rapid 120W charging allows quick top-ups that alleviate typical "battery anxiety" â that concern about the battery running out during the day. The combination of fast wired and wireless charging makes the Xiaomi 13 Pro convenient for users who require quick turnaround times between charges.
Users of the Galaxy S23 Ultra also report solid day-long battery life, but with somewhat slower charging speeds, the convenience factor of quick recharging is not as strong as Xiaomi's device. The S23 Ultra's battery life is consistent and dependable, but higher screen brightness, refresh rate, and resolution capabilities can lead to relatively faster battery depletion under heavy use. This can sometimes necessitate more conservative battery-saving measures or additional charging during the day.
Summary of Main Differences
The Xiaomi 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra both offer flagship-level battery performance with some marked differences:
- Xiaomi 13 Pro has a slightly smaller 4,820mAh battery compared to the S23 Ultra's 5,000mAh.
- Xiaomi 13 Pro has a marginally longer runtime in adaptive refresh rate battery tests (12h 25m vs. 12h 22m).
- Xiaomi 13 Pro supports much faster wired charging at 120W, compared to the S23 Ultra's 45W.
- Wireless charging speed on the Xiaomi 13 Pro is significantly faster (50W vs. 15W).
- Both phones last comfortably through a full day with heavy usage, but Xiaomi is often praised for better power efficiency due to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and MIUI optimization.
- Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a slightly larger battery and excels with a highly capable display and ecosystem integration but falls behind Xiaomi in pure charging speed and sometimes in battery endurance during sustained use.
Overall, Xiaomi 13 Pro tends to edge out in battery life and charging convenience, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a competitive battery with a larger capacity but slower charging speeds.
These findings provide a nuanced comparison for anyone weighing the battery experience between the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra in 2025.