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Xiaomi 13 Ultra becomes the OEM's latest smartphone that is super expensive to have fixed

A 13 Ultra teardown gets underway. (Source: WekiHome via YouTube)
A 13 Ultra teardown gets underway. (Source: WekiHome via YouTube)
Xiaomi has just released its official schedule of repair charges for its new 13 Ultra flagship Android smartphone, and they make for potentially pricey reading. A user should be careful with its new and huge Leica-branded "professional" rear camera hump, as getting it replaced costs up to 24% of the device's original price at retail. Then again, that is not even the biggest ticket on the 13 Ultra restoration menu.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is far from an average Android smartphone, even when it comes to taking it apart, as the teardown channel WekiHome has found. Its new rear panel, complete with slightly unusual shape in keeping with its 'pro Leica mobile camera' esthetic, seems resistant to removal with a suction-cup tool as usual, possibly thanks to the frame that curves up around it to an exaggerated degree.

Fortunately, it can be pried up via clips with plastic tools nonetheless. Then again, a 13 Ultra owner would be advised not to lose the silicon-leather panel thereafter, as getting another from Xiaomi might cost them up to 180 yuan (~US$26).

That replacement looks like a bargain, however, compared to the rest of the potential first-party repair costs for the 12S Ultra successor. A replacement QHD AMOLED display costs 1,360 yuan (~US$197), whereas a new set of its headlining quad 50MP cameras would be 1,450 yuan (~US$210).

However, even those super-premium shooters are eclipsed in terms of replacement costs for the 13 Ultra's motherboard: up to 2,560 yuan (~US$372) for the 1TB version: quite some sums to have to think about when shelling out at least 5,999 yuan (~US$870) for a new Xiaomi flagship in the first place.

Furthermore, the OEM adds a "labor charge" of up to 40 yuan (~US$6) on top of each of those servicing options. Fortunately, however, they only apply if the device is out of warranty.

Buy a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on Amazon

Xiaomi's list of 13 Ultra repair costs. (Source: Xiaomi via SparrowsNews)
Xiaomi's list of 13 Ultra repair costs. (Source: Xiaomi via SparrowsNews)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 04 > Xiaomi 13 Ultra becomes the OEM's latest smartphone that is super expensive to have fixed
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2023-04-24 (Update: 2023-04-29)