Xiaomi unveiled MIUI 13 late last year for Chinese Xioami smartphones but the global version of the software is just starting its rollout. Alongside the announcement of its new global Redmi Note 11 lineup, Xiaomi shared an official update list for the first quarter of this year.
MIUI 13 Features
The latest user interface will have improved privacy featured and enhanced security and will also allow multiple Xiaomi devices in one network to cooperate like never before, including phones, tablets, TV, smart wearables, smart home devices, and the XiaoAI voice assistant.
Privacy is a crucial concern for smartphone users, so Xiaomi implemented a three-step verification process, although it sounds like it could work in certain regions. The base layer is facial recognition, followed by a watermark reading of the user’s ID, and then there’s a so-called “electronic fraud protection”.
MIUI 13 Security features
Facial recognition is upper-body recognition. The user sets its face, but the phone records everything from the waist up, so other people with different body structures won’t be allowed in, even if they have a similar face.
The “electronic fraud protection” has a record of websites and devices that might bring malware. Also, there is a full phonebook of numbers that will be saved as nefarious, and the user of the phone will be informed before he accepts the call.
MIUI 13 new font
Xiaomi also brought a new font for the MIUI 13, called means. It is commercially free for download, and people will install it. It is a sans-serif font that simplifies letters, signs, numbers. Removing the ornaments is one thing, but Xiaomi also made the font more symmetrical, both in spacing and the appearance of characters.
Looks-wise, not only the font but the colors are also changing. All phones on MIUI 13 will receive new wallpaper options, where flowers will bloom from one side of the screen when powered. There are also plenty of widgets redesigned to align better in a grid.
MIUI 13 widgets
Another significant change for MIUI 13 is the availability on other devices. Xiaomi developed MIUI 13 Pad, which is designed for tablets, despite having a modest number of models. It is specifically developed to work on big screens, and while there’s no word whether the Mi Mix Fold will get it, we think it should because the accent here is multitasking.
According to the company, over 3000 apps were already developed to support the feature. It will come with Pad-specific gestures such as dragging, pinch-to-resize, drag-and-drop, or opening an app directly into a small window.
MIUI 13 for the whole ecosystem
The big question is when the MIUI 13 be available? The Xiaomi Mi 11 and 11T families will be the first to get it, including the Lite versions. The Redmi Note 10 series are also on the list as well as the Note 11 lineup obviously, which will have it at launch.
The Redmi Note 8 (2021) and the Redmi 10 are also in as well as the Xiaomi Pad 5 tablet.
It’s important to keep in mind that Xiaomi’s MIUI latest iteration isn’t necessarily tied to the latest Android version. And since Xiaomi didn’t explicitly mention anything about Android versions, one would assume that not all phones on the list are getting Android 12 as part of the update.
