Today I’m talking about the new update, MIUI 13 where Xiaomi added many new features and customization for their phones and I got this new update with Android 12 on my mi11i phone.
Today we all use mobiles but many may not know much about mobile operating systems. But do you know that mobile phones also have an operating system like computers and without that mobile phones are nothing but a piece of metal?
Xiaomi has recently launched the MIUI 13 – the next big software update to its custom Android skin in India and Global markets. This time the latest version of MIUI runs along with Android 12, so it’s nice to have the latest features along with updated Android inside.
Today in India and overseas a large number of users use mobiles made by Xiaomi (Including Redmi, Mi, and POCO). So Naturally, MIUI is one of the most notable and well-designed UI for Android-based Operating systems.
Every year Xiaomi launched a new version of MIUI for their Redmi, Mi, and POCO phones along with system and security updates. This year with MIUI 13 includes a list of new features but here I discussed some of the most worthy features like a redesigned control center, improved performance, new privacy controls, and new wallpapers.
In MiUi 13 you get a new set of Wallpaper, Widgets, a personalized Assistant, Fluency, stability, and new gesture-enabled features to ease your multitasking. Also, you get the Google Dialer and messaging app in the default selection.
With the new Update along with Android 12, Xiaomi claims the MIUI 13 has been designed to offer an enhanced user experience while also improving efficiency and personalization. You have a faster read-write experience and higher background efficiency due to more intelligent processing.
A great deal of work is also done on Privacy and battery life two most integral parts of any mobile phone. Already after using MIUI 13 for almost one month, I’m really happy that MIUI become more stable.
The best part is now there are almost no Ads, no issues regarding App freeze and responsiveness, Core Android 12 integration, Great battery backup, and a richer and smoother experience with the new visual improvements.
New and Improved Features of MIUI 13:
Immediately after the update, you notice that your device performs much better than MIUI 12 because there are tons of Bugs fixed in MIUI 13. So let’s a take closer look at the top new features…
New Control Centre:
The first thing you notice obviously the redesigned control center looks more stylish and easy to use. Xiaomi may be inspired heavily by some other brands but as per the user’s concern, it works perfectly for me.
All the options are well structured and within the reach on every swipe and if you need to access control that’s not in the control center, you can still do so by swiping down from the top of the screen.
Although I received the new Control center with the update many users reported that they are still using the old one, So here I share the plugin of the new Control center.
Just follow the below instruction and you’re done but remember this new Apk only works on MIUI 13 along with ANDROID 12.
- Download the MIUI 13 new Control Centre Plugin
- Install the downloaded APK
- Reboot.
After the update swipes down from the top of your screen to view the new Control Center. You see the brightness bar at the bottom has been moved to the 4 quick settings area at the top. Data usage and Bluetooth toggles were removed. Instead of these, the volume and brightness bar has been added.
Volume and Brightness are the two important parts of your daily use so adjusting them on the go is really helpful. Now you have to swipe left to right for more options in the New control center and I think it’s more reachable than the previous one.
You also add additional cards like Mi smart Play to transfer audio playback across devices and Smart home to manage Mi smart devices directly from the Control center.
New Widgets and Wallpapers:
MIUI 13 brings multiple widgets and wallpapers and they are well curated and look premium. The New dynamic widgets have been added too, they were there earlier too but now they’re dynamic If it is raining then the widget will actually show it raining or Reminder widgets can remind you to drink water.
Eventually, for every app, there is a Widget and along with the older ones like Calendar, Notes, Clock, and Weather, there are new inclusion like Gallery, Photos, Digital wellbeing, Maps, Music, etc. Third-party app widget support is still pending.
The App vault added new widgets that look similar to iOS. The Clock, Weather, Battery, RAM, Photos, and Notes look good but the sad part is you won’t able to set these widgets on the home screen. Xiaomi please enables these widgets for the home screen in a future update.
We have a new set of wallpapers and each and every one of them looks new it’s Android 12 so core apps like google dialler and message apps change the color with every wallpaper change.
Xiaomi has added new static and live wallpapers into its collection although they are only available for specific devices. The new crystalized wallpapers which show crystal formation captured on a microscopic level look great.
The blooming wallpaper when you unlock the phone will actually show flowers blooming, They’ve claimed that these wallpapers have been shot in an 8K time-lapse and have been converted into wallpaper.
Overall in the Wallpaper/theme and Widgets section, there are huge improvements over MIUI 12.5 and undoubtedly it gives your phone a new look and feel. If you’re unable to find live wallpapers for your device download MIUI 13 Live Wallpapers app from the play store and enjoy.
Optimized File Storage and RAM:
The new system compressed the storage by dividing the large files by splitting them into different parts. MIUI 13 uses a new system-level method of managing the ways files are stored on devices.
The fragmentation technique helps the device to maintain maximum read-right speed for a longer period also manages the stored data and improves defragmentation efficiency by up to 60 percent.
According to Xiaomi, the Liquid storage tech helps devices retain up to 95 percent of the read and write speeds even after 36 months compared to other Android OS.
The new Automated memory management also brings a higher RAM efficiency in day-to-day usage. So you find all the open apps kept at the same stage where you left and ready to use when you return to them. Interesting but sometimes MIUI forces to closed apps run in the background but for now works fine.
The new system will analyze how apps use memory and divide a single app’s RAM usage processes into important and unimportant tasks. The trivial tasks are then closed, thereby improving the overall device’s performance.
Focus Algorithms and smart balance:
Its controls the CPU performance by defying the important tasks for faster speeds and higher performance and managing the workload intelligently.
Xiaomi said, “dynamically allocates system resources based on usage scenarios, making the system more fluid and responsive. Without Focused Algorithms, smartphone processors distribute resources across all of your apps relatively equally.”
Smart Balance is another great feature that improved the battery life by intelligently distributing battery resources so you can get the most out of flagship hardware for longer. MIUI 13 gives you 10% to 15% more battery life in heavy to moderate usage.
Advanced Privacy Protection:
This time they focus more on privacy which matters more today because of online fraud and data breaches are happening more these days. A bunch of security features announcements have been done although most of them are China-specific.
Xiaomi has added new privacy-focused features, like face verification protection, privacy watermarking, electronic fraud protection, and a protection lab. And all these features are tested and certified by industry-certified experts.
The new face verification not just captures your face but also scans the upper body as well, so it’s a little bit more secure than the previous method. the privacy watermarking will let you add a watermark to your images or scanned documents to prevent misuse.
Electronic fraud detection will identify websites and devices that might bring malware and warn you not to open them. They have created a special database through which they match the data and are aware of the malware. It also encrypts the data as per your choice and hides your private information for personal use.
Camera and Gallery improvements:
The Camera app is more responsive and capture time really improves when you press the shutter. The inclusion of and Dynamic shot option lets you take motion-like pictures and works perfectly.
In videos, there is a new option called Shoot with screen off lets you turn off the display after 3 minutes of inactivity while shooting a video. It’s a nice way to preserve battery, especially for those who take videos for a longer period of time.
Gallery app is also redefined by inserting two options at the bottom where you choose to watch all photos or just camera images. With the gallery app, you get an option to either see all pictures or just the one shot with your camera and there’s also a third recommended tab from where you can access collages or the video editor.
The recommended section that was previously on the three dots menu is now moved into a new tab, which has certain options like Collage, Clip, Video editor, and so on. This section also includes Memories just like in Google Photos and other apps containing images.
Other MIUI Improvements:
Apart from the new features, there are tons of improvements and small features integrated into MIUI 13 and I think some of them really enhance your experience.
1. The Magic Centre:
It’s a useful feature if you have multiple Mi Products at your home so you can control all of them under one roof. Mi TV, Home devices can be controlled where you can watch videos on TVand can send the same into your phone, you can drag the icon on TV and it’ll pop up on your TV. You can also listen to music on Mi home with just a drag.
2. New MI SANS Font:
A new font is introduced that looks nice with a bolder style that simplifies letters, signs, and numbers, as well as automatically adjusts the height of hyphens to uppercase and lowercase letters.
I feel this could help us keep the font sizes smaller because it looks more legible a good call considering they are going with more quad HD panels on their flagships.
3. One-Handed Mode:
One-handed operations also get a welcome change in MIUI 13. Earlier you have to swipe on the Home screen to enable the one-hand mode and sometimes with gestures on it’s a miss or hit.
Now the old method applies when the navigation buttons are on and when you use gesture you have to swipe just above the home slider from top to bottom to enable it.
4. Battery Management:
Now you can toggle between three modes in the battery saver like save battery, balanced, and performance mode which obviously heats up your device more. There is also an ultra saver option available if you need maximum phone usage with minimal features.
5. Mi Sidebar:
The new sidebar feature is very useful if you want to access a particular app in between your other works. Now you can attach the sidebar to the home screen and open any apps in the floating window for quick access. The Sidebar feature is customizable and supports up to 10 apps.
6. The Clock App:
We have a new clock screen with the MIUI 13 update, You can now add your sleep schedule to remind you to go to bed, and it also tracks your sleep and present you your stats.
Now the system includes a Morning report to include a lot of very useful information such as the weather in your alarm. It is a pretty good extension if you’re keen on keeping a healthy and organized sleep schedule.
7. Privacy Protection Lab:
This feature is still not available in Global ROM and we expect may be included in future updates. The privacy protection lab has the options to protect your clipboard, enable approximate location, and require approval when apps request your phone number information.
Already you get this MIUI 13 update along with Android 12 for some new device and it’s a big update greater than 3 GB but after using this for over one month my personal experience is pretty satisfying. Although Xiaomi is very slowly rolling out the update for other devices but never the less its a good move because the update is pretty stable.
Now take a look at the Xiaomi and Redmi devices getting the MIUI 13 update this year…
MIUI 13 Updates for eligible POCO devices in India:
Below is the First batch of POCO phones to receive the MIUI 13 update in India.
- POCO M4 Pro
- POCO M4 Pro 5G
- POCO X3 Pro
- POCO F3 GT
Personal Opinion about the update:
The custom-made MIUI 13 is one step ahead of its predecessor and with the new Android 12 this feels more stable and at the same time, we get all the good features of Android.
Great work done in Customizations and look, MIUI 13 looks very stylish with the addition of new widgets and live wallpapers. The RAM optimization and storage-related issues are solved and you feel a stable UI even if you use tons of Applications.
Another great move is now you saw very less Ad’s in the Mi-specific apps, and it’s been one of the annoying things in the past with MIUI. In my Mi 11i, I found almost zero Ads pops up after the update and most of the Xiaomi-made Application are now removable.
Although custom-made UI’s are always heavy than stock Android and is a personal preference for an individual. At the same time, MIUI always offers me something more and saves lots of time searching for those utilities in the play store.
Another important part is battery life where you definitely find a huge improvement in MIUI 13, I personally get one hour of extra screen on time after the update and they resolve all the heating issues as well.
That’s it, the new update is huge In many ways, but now I want to hear from you what you think about MIUI13 with Android 12. what’s your favorite feature so far and what’s your experience been like on your phone? throw your feedback in the comment section below!
