Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G review: Well-rounded mid-range phone

Last week, Redmi, a subsidiary of Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 13 series the company's first smartphones of the year 2024.

It comes in three variants-- a regular Redmi Note 13, Note 13 Pro and Note 13 Pro+-- Prices ranging between Rs 17,999 and Rs 35,999 in India.

I had the opportunity to review the Redmi Note 13 Pro. I used it for close to a week and here are my thoughts latest phone from the house Xiaomi.

Design, build quality and display

As noted in my first impression article, the Redmi Note 13 Pro is a fantastic-looking phone, particularly the coral purple model.

It flaunts a triple-colourway camera module at the top left corner and the rest has a premium glass cover finish and does a fabulous job of repelling dirt and sweaty fingerprint smudges on the back. Also, there is just a lone Redmi engraving at the bottom left corner.

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G.

And the top left corner, it has a beautiful rectangular camera module in a tri-colourway. Besides coral blue, Redmi also offers the device two other options-- arctic white, and midnight black. They are also pretty-looking phones too.

The device features a bright display flushed flat with hard sturdy metallic rails around the edges. On top, it has Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus to safeguard from scratches when kept with coins and pens in the pocket or in the backpack. Add to that, the company pre-fits high-quality see-through protective sheet, which acts as a second layer of protective shield.

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G.

It comes with the IP54 rating, meaning the device can survive accidental water splashes and even a moderate rain, but should not be exposed to it for long. If the device becomes unresponsive due to any water damage, the customer cannot claim any free service or component replacement under warranty.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro comes with a free cover case in the retail box. This way, the company has ensured the device lasts longer and serves the customer for several years.

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G with the cover case.

Compared to its predecessor, it has a slimmer bezel. The Redmi Note 13 Pro flaunts a fantastic 6.67-inch 1.5K OLED (2712 x 1220p) display with a screen-to-body ratio of 94 per cent and a pixel density of 446 ppi (pixels per inch).

It supports dynamic refresh rate (30Hz/60Hz/90Hz/120Hz), Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. It is a fine device to consume multimedia content for several hours without any worry or strain. Also, the colours of the motion picture reproduced are good; watching a movie on the big screen of the Redmi Note 13 Pro is a delightful experience. Also, I did not have to squint my eyes to read the news or view messages outdoors.

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G.

It boasts an in-display fingerprint sensor. It works fine provided the finger is dry and clean.

It also features an infrared sensor, dual-SIM slots, and a 3.5mm audio jack, which has become rare among smartphones.

Performance

It is powered by 4nm class Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 chipset (with 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 x 4 cores + 1.95GHz Cortex-A55 x 4 cores) with Adreno 710 GPU, 8GB/12GB LPDDR4 RAM, and 128GB/256GB storage (UFS 2.2).

The device is a smooth performer. During the entire review period, the Redmi Note 13 Pro never showed any sign of lag-ness. It supports all major graphics-rich games.-

Android 13 -based MIUI 14 OS and comes with a whole lot of apps. In addition to Google core applications, there are Facebook, Amazon, Spotify, and Snapchat, and others are games, which most people don't play much.

Thankfully, the base model comes with 256GB storage; the user-available storage is more than 220GB and is more than enough to install most of the owner's favourite apps and upload lots of photos and videos without any feeling of anxiety about running out of storage space anytime soon.

Also, the company has confirmed that the device will get three major Android updates (up to 2026) and will receive the latest Android 14-based Xiaomi HyperOS soon. And, it is eligible to get four years of security software support.

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G.

It comes with a 5,100mAh battery with 67W charger. The device can deliver two full days under normal usage.

With extreme usage including hours of binge watching mulitmedia content and playing long gaming sessions, it was able to deliver a full day of battery life.

With just 15 minutes, it can power up the phone from zero to 50 percent within 15 minutes of charging. And, it can reach the 100 per cent mark in under 40 minutes.

Does the charger come with the device or have to be purchased separately? Like the cover case, the company also offers the 67W charger for free with the device's retail box.

It supports 5G cellular service offered by Reliance Jio and Airtel in India. With the Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF system, it can support up to peak download speed up to 2.9 Gbps.

It has Qualcomm FastConnect 6700, which ensures faster data transfer between devices via Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, dual-band: 2.5GHz & 5GHz) and Bluetooth v5.2.

Photography

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample (Zoomed in with editing app to review how good the minute details are captured)

The new Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G comes with feature-rich camera hardware. It boasts a triple camera module-- main 200MP sensor ( 1/1.4-inch Samsung HP3 sensor, f/1.65, OIS: Optical Image stabilisation, ) + 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide angle camera (f/2.2) aperture, 2MP macro camera (f/2.4) with LED flash on the back.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

In natural sunlight, it lives up to the hype. It takes brilliant photos with details captured well. The purple flower, unlike on other phones, retains the colour and does not come off with a blue hue.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

Also, you can see how the edges around the petals have been accurately captured without any smudges.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

When snapping the photos, I didn't initially notice the honey bee hovering near the flower.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample (Zoomed in with editing app to review how good the minute details are captured)

I noticed only when I saw photos on the computer's big screen. The body of the insect is nicely captured and the fast-moving wings can still be partially seen. [FYI: Bee Wings flap around 200 to 230 times a second to stay in the air].

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

The close-up shots taken with macro mode work as advertised. The images are really pretty.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

In the night mode, the phone manages to get all the details perfectly. Also, the device manages to retain the darkness of the sky and also does a fantastic job of balancing the light output from lamp posts of Terminal 2 of Bengaluru's International Airport.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro also excels in ultra-wide angle mode. The vast area of the lake (in Jakkuru) is beautifully captured with the tall building in the background.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

It also supports 2X, and 4X Zoom with little loss of photo quality. But, beyond 6X, the photo begins to accumulate noise. It can support up to 10X digital zoom.

It also supports 12 video filters and also a dedicated macro video recording option, which ensures finer details of the subject in close range are captured beautifully in the media.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

For creative reels and shorts content, the Redmi Note 13 Pro offers a Kaleidoscope feature. It has six templates for short films.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

On the front, it houses a reliable 16MP camera for selfies and video chat. It boasts superficial AI Beautify mode, which allows users to adjust facial features such as skin tone, complexion and even the size of the eye, and chins to make the subject look better, worthy to be used as a Display Picture (DP) on profile and shared on social media platforms.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

It can record 4K videos at 30 frames per second (fps), full HD 1080p at 30/60/120fps. Thanks to Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS), the device does pretty decently to get a stable video recording.

Redmi Note 13 Pro's camera sample.

It also supports slow-motion videos up to 1080p at 120 frames per second (fps). There is an option for 720p at 120fps speed too.

Final thoughts

For its price, the Redmi Note 13 Pro is a well-rounded phone with all the right features to deliver a really good user experience. It has a solid build quality, an amazing camera and extremely good battery life.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G is available in three configurations— 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage— for Rs. 25,999, Rs. 27,999 and Rs. 29,999, respectively.

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G.

It is being offered in three colours— arctic white, coral purple and midnight black colours.

The company is offering limited-time discounts up to Rs 2,500 via select bank cards and exchange deals. Also, prospective Redmi Note 13 series buyers can claim Redmi Watch 3 Active for Rs 1,999 against MRP Rs 2,999.

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