2023 seems to be the year when one-inch smartphone camera sensors became the talk of the town. Xiaomi got the year going with its flagship, Xiaomi 13 Pro. which came with a one-inch main sensor. Now, Vivo has come to the big camera sensor party with a one-inch sensor on Vivo X90 Pro. Both phones come with premium design, flagship-level hardware, and claim to be as much a proper camera as smartphones. And both have premium price tags as well.
So if you are looking for a flagship that sports a one-inch camera sensor, which of the two phones should you go for? Let us try to work that out for you.
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Design
They might have flagship specs and high price tags in common, but in terms of appearance, the Vivo X90 Pro and the Xiaomi 13 Pro are totally different. Both phones are made using premium materials and come with curved AMOLED displays in front.
However, it is the rear panel that makes them very different. While the Xiaomi 13 Pro has a bio-ceramic back with a square-shaped camera enclosure, the Vivo X90 Pro has a circular camera enclosure with a metallic band below it on a vegan leather back.
Both are bulky phones, but the Xiaomi 13 Pro is the more compact one of the two at 162.9x74.6x8.4mm against 164.1x74.5x9.3mm, but the Vivo X90 Pro is actually lighter at 213 grams as against the 229 grams of the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Both phones come with protection on their display — Xiaomi 13 Pro has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, while the Vivo X90 Pro has Schott Xensation Alpha. Both phones also come with IP68 dust and water resistance and metallic frames.
Which one you prefer is really going to be a matter of taste. The Vivo X90 Pro's circular camera enclosure with that metal band does give it a slightly more camera-like look, but the Xiaomi 13 Pro looks very classy too.
We are going to hand this to the Vivo X90 Pro but by a very slim margin. Those who prefer conventional phone design are likely to prefer the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Winner: Vivo X90 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Display
Both the phones come with large and bright AMOLED displays. Although the Vivo X90 Pro has a larger 6.78-inch display as compared to the 6.73-inch one on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the latter has a higher resolution at 3,200x1,440 pixels (QHD) as compared to 2,800x1,260 pixels (FHD+) on the Vivo X90 Pro.
Xiaomi 13 Pro has an LTPO display, while the Vivo X90 Pro does not.
Finally, while both displays come with 120Hz refresh rates, the Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with an adaptive refresh rate which means the refresh rate can drop down to as low as 1Hz, depending on the content being shown on the display.
On the other hand, the Vivo X90 Pro can switch only between 120Hz and a more standard 60Hz. Both displays are bright and vibrant, but the Xiaomi 13 Pro has a clear edge here with its higher resolution and adaptive refresh rate.
Winner: Xiaomi 13 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Processor and RAM
This is one of the biggest differences between the two phones. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship processor, while the Vivo X90 Pro runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chip, although it also has a dedicated V2 imaging and display chip.
Both phones come in a single RAM and storage variant — 12GB RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage. In terms of performance, there is not too much separating Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Dimensity 9200, but the Snapdragon chip does get slightly higher benchmark scores.
We are giving this to the Xiaomi 13 Pro, but it is a very narrow call.
Winner: Xiaomi 13 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Cameras
For many, this is the deal making-or-breaking point between the two phones. Both phones have been marketed with the cameras as their USP. And both have the 50-megapixel Sony IMX 989 one-inch sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) as their main camera, although the Vivo X90 Pro has a larger aperture at f/1.75 as compared to f/1.9 on the 13 Pro.
The other cameras are, however, very different. The Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with a 50-megapixel floating telephoto camera with OIS and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, while the Vivo X90 Pro has a 50-megapixel portrait camera with OIS and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera.
Both phones have cameras with big-name tie-ups: Xiaomi with Leica, Vivo with Zeiss Optics. In terms of performance, they are both superb and frankly among the best we have seen on phone cameras. The colour signatures of both are, however, very different. The Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with the typical Leica handling of dark shades, with deeper contrasts, and excels in monochrome mode. The X90 Pro, on the other hand, tends to be a little more realistic, almost to the point that some snaps seem a little dull.
The purist would have a tough time choosing between the two, but we suspect a lot of mainstream users might prefer the richer colours on the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Both cameras are excellent in low light photography, although the Vivo X90 Pro is a little more aggressive in trying to make things more visible (the larger aperture might be playing a role here too), while the Xiaomi 13 Pro does not go overboard trying to light up the night.
For videos, we felt that the Xiaomi 13 Pro gave slightly better results than the Vivo X90 Pro, especially in terms of capturing sound.
Both phones come stacked with a number of portrait shooting options — the Xiaomi 13 Pro uses the floating lens to provide special Lecia effects while the Vivo X90 Pro has a whole array of portrait mode effects from Zeiss and some from Vivo too, including cine-flare and cinematic style.
Those wanting a greater variety in this regard would prefer the Vivo X90 Pro. The Xiaomi 13 Pro, however, has a 3.1x optical zoom as compared to the 2x optical zoom on the X90 Pro. Xiaomi 13 Pro also has 70x digital zoom as compared to 40x on the Vivo X90 Pro, though neither is really much good beyond 15x to 20x, after which there is just too much noise and pixelation.
In terms of ultrawide, we got way more detail on the Xiaomi 13 Pro's 50-megapixel sensor as compared to the 12-megapixel one on the Vivo X90 Pro.
In the selfie camera department, both phones come with 32-megapixel cameras, and deliver very good results, although neither is capable of shooting 4K video, which might disappoint some.
Which is the better camera set-up is totally a matter of taste.
Those wanting out-and-out realism and lots of shooting options and effects might prefer the Vivo X90 Pro, while those wanting slightly richer dark shades and a typical Leica look (especially in monochrome and in street photography) will prefer the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
We are going to give this one to the Xiaomi 13 Pro mainly because of the floating portrait lens and the additional zoom, as well as the more detailed ultrawide sensor, but the difference between the two phones in the camera department is a very small one.
Winner: Xiaomi 13 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Gaming and Multimedia
When it comes to gaming, there is not much separating the two phones. Both have excellent displays, powerful processors and stereo speakers. We found both phones handling games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile without too many problems.
Pixel peepers might feel that the higher resolution display of the Xiaoi 13 Pro gives it an edge, but most folks are unlikely to notice the difference. In terms of sound, we felt that Xiaomi 13 Pro's speakers delivered better audio quality although the X90 Pro's had higher volume.
Both phones are very good for watching videos and shows as well. We are scoring this one to the Xiaomi 13 Pro for its higher resolution display and support for Dolby Atmos in the sound department (which the Vivo X90 Pro lacks), but the difference is again a small one — some might even prefer the slightly larger display of the Vivo X90 Pro.
Winner: Xiaomi 13 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Software
Both the Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Vivo X90 Pro run on Android 13, but the similarity ends there.
Whereas the Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with Xiaomi's MIUI 14 interface on top of Android, the Vivo X90 Pro comes with Vivo's FunTouch OS 13.
Which one you prefer is a matter of personal choice — Xiaomi has been working to declutter MIUI and give it a more minimalistic look, while Vivo prefers a feature-rich experience, giving users more options.
There is a bit more bloatware on the Vivo X90 Pro and that costs it this round, but as with so many others, it is a close call.
Winner: Xiaomi 13 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: General Performance
When it comes to everyday general performance, involving tasks like browsing the Web, messaging, mail, and keeping track of social networks, both phones are very evenly matched.
Both also handled calls equally well and come with 5G support. The Vivo X90 Pro's slightly bigger form factor makes it a little less convenient to use but then the Xiaomi 13 Pro's weight can be an issue as well.
Both phones also come with in-display fingerprint scanners that work smoothly. We are calling this one a tie.
Winner: Tie
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Battery Life and Charging
Both devices come with almost similar-sized batteries — the Vivo X90 Pro has a slightly larger battery at 4,870mAh as compared to the slightly smaller 4,820mAh one on the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
The phones come with support for 120W charging, with a 120W charger in the box that can charge the phones from zero to full in 25-30 minutes.
Both also have support for 50W wireless charging and support for wireless charging. Rounding off the similarities is their battery life — both will get you through a day of heavy usage.
We expected the Vivo X90 Pro to have an edge here thanks to its lower resolution display and slightly larger battery, but perhaps the Xiaomi 13 Pro's adaptive sync and slightly smaller display even things out. This round is a tie.
Winner: Tie
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Price
Both phones come in a single storage and RAM variant — 12GB+256GB. And both have premium price tags as well.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro, however, has a clear edge here with a price tag of Rs 79,999 while the Vivo X90 Pro is more expensive at Rs 84,999. Given the similarities of the devices, there is only one winner here.
Winner: Xiaomi 13 Pro
Vivo X90 Pro Vs Xiaomi 13 Pro: Which One To Go For?
It is a closely contested fight in most parameters but the Xiaomi 13 Pro's lower price tag and higher resolution display give it an edge over the Vivo X90 Pro. It, however, needs to be stressed that the two phones are neck and neck in most departments and a lot of people might actually prefer the more stand-out design of the Vivo X90 Pro.
In terms of photography, it is a battle between Leica's monochrome and dark shade mastery against the more realistic hues and portrait flair of Zeiss. It is a very tough choice to make, but the lower price makes us give this one to the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
That said, whichever one you choose, you can be assured of having one of the best camera phones in the world right now.