The time has come for the successor of the Redmi Note series. As usual, it comes in threes, and the one we’re taking a look right now is the best of them all, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus.
Being the best in the series, its goal is to give you uncompromised features without having to waste every penny you have on a flagship smartphone. The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus seems to have it all on paper, but how does it translate in actual everyday use? Are the big numbers just for show? We’ll find out in our full review.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Specs
- Android 13, HyperOS (Android 14-based HyperOS soon)
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.67-inch OLED display, 2712 x 1220 pixel resolution, 446ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate, 1920Hz PWM dimming
- Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1800 nits peak brightness
- DCI-P3, 12-bit
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
- TUV Rheinland Flicker Free, Low Blue Light, Circadian Friendly certification
- 2.8GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra octa-core processor
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- Mali-G610 MC4 GPU
- 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, non-expandable
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 200-megapixel (f/1.7, PDAF, OIS) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 2-megapixel (macro) rear cameras, dual-LED flash
- Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos
- No headphone jack
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.3
- IR blaster
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
- NFC
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 161.4 x 74.2 x 8.9mm
- Weight: 204.5g
- Colors: Aurora Purple, Moonlight White, Midnight Black
- 5,000mAh non-removable battery, 120W HyperCharge
Design and Build Quality
The frame of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is similar to other sub-flagships we’ve seen before. It looks attractive with its clean colorways and glass back, has curved all around, but isn’t as thin as a typical flagship. But we do prefer it that way as it provides assurance that no compromise was made, especially in the battery department.
What we have here is the Moonlight White color, which has a matte finish beneath the glass, and three shiny rectangles on top that partition the triple camera, the wide multi-LED flash, and the Redmi logo.
What’s interesting is that despite being glass, the fingerprint marks and smudges are barely noticeable, so it stays clean even if you don’t use the clear case, which has a dark gray color.
Its thickness is above average, which has become an advantage as it improved ergonomics. Together with the curved display, rear panel, and the flat frame, the Note 13 Pro Plus provides a lot of grip for shooting photos, playing games, or watching content comfortably.
The device also feels firm and sturdy when we tried flexing it, partly thanks to the frame, which is made of solid metal. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus — which we only used to see on flagships — so it should stay scratch-free. For extra protection, Xiaomi has pre-applied a screen protector. Oh, and it’s also IP68 dust and water-resistant, so it should stay safe against accidental water splashes or in case you drop it in the swimming pool. Just make sure you take it out as fast as you can to prevent potential damages.
Taking a tour, we have the large 6.67-inch AMOLED display on the front. It doesn’t have the thinnest bezels, but it still has an impressive screen-to-body ratio. A clean punch-hole cutout in the middle holds the selfie camera. We also have the fingerprint scanner in here.
The top is pretty busy as we have two microphones for noise isolation on calls, the second speaker, and the IR blaster for controlling your non-smart appliances.
On the bottom, there’s the SIM tray that can hold two nano SIMs, the primary microphone, USB-C port, and the loudspeaker.
The left side is clean, while the right has the volume controls and lock/power switch. The buttons don’t provide the most satisfying click and are a bit hard to press compared to others, but they do the job fine.
On the back, we have a triple camera setup. The ultra-wide lens looks unnecessarily large, as evident by its thick bezel, but I guess it was done for symmetry. In addition, while it doesn’t have a camera island, the lenses themselves are so large that they stick out, and the phone wobbles when you lay it flat on a table.
Overall, we’re pleased with the design of the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus. It feels utilitarian while remaining comfortable to hold and gorgeous to the eyes.
Display and Sound Quality
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has a well-equipped display. It’s a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a decent 2712 x 1220 pixel resolution, 12-bit color, DCI-P3 colors, Dolby Vision support, and 1800-nits peak brightness under HDR. It also received TUV Rheinland certifications for its Low Blue Light emission, Flicker Free, and for being Circadian Friendly.
Display quality is great, as expected. The sharpness and large size bring out the details in HD videos, colors are vibrant with deep blacks, and brightness is ample for outdoor visibility, even in broad daylight.
What we’re really impressed about are the speakers. They provide a balanced sound with clear treble and audible bass, providing depth to vocals and action scenes in movies. Plus, since the huge display provides enough distance between the two drivers, stereo separation is very apparent, which is great for hearing footsteps in shooter games.
Hardware and Performance
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra processor, which is based on a 4nm processor and has a 2.8GHz clock speed. There’s an 8GB/256GB LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage model, as well as a 12GB/256GB variant.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Benchmark Scores
We had no complaints about the performance. It runs fast, loads apps in a jiffy, switching between them is seamless, webpages load fast thanks to 5G, taking pictures is quick, and more.
It was able to handle everything we threw at it just fine with no disruptive lags, which is more than enough that we can say for its price.
It can also run games with finesse. See the list of games below and their graphics settings that we were able to run stably.
- Call of Duty Mobile: Graphics High, Frame Rate Max
- Genshin Impact: Graphics Quality Low (Default)
- Mobile Legends Bang Bang: HD Mode On, Graphics Ultra, Frame Rate High
- PUBG Mobile: Graphics HD, Frame Rate High
- Asphalt 9: Legends
- Farlight84: Graphics HD, Frame Rate Very High, Resolution Medium
Software and User Interface
The review unit we got runs on Android 13-based MIUI 14.0.2 and we’re hoping it will receive the all-new Android 14-based HyperOS very soon.
Right off the bat, we were pretty annoyed by how many notifications were coming out. For one, if you use the Mi Video once, you’ll receive a notification every time it detects that you’ve shot a video. Even the music apps are showing notifications. Sure, they can be disabled, but it’s quite annoying to dig into the settings just for this.
We’re also not a fan of how swiping left notifications doesn’t close them and instead switches the whole notifications tab to the Control Center. You can only swipe right to close notifications. Your muscle memory can adapt to it, but can be annoying at first if you’re new to MIUI.
We’ve also spotted a bunch of bloatware and unnecessary pre-installed apps. Fortunately, a lot of them can be uninstalled, but we wish they weren’t there in the first place.
Other than that, everything else seems fine. We like the comprehensive app drawer that may look overwhelming at first but can be handy once you get used to it. There are categories above to help you narrow down what app you’re looking for. The first two rows are your app suggestions, which we found can intelligently tell what app we want to use.
The app drawer is so packed it has dedicated settings if you want to further customize the experience.
Always-On Display wallpapers and Notification Effects are also here to take advantage of the AMOLED display.
The Face Unlock and in-display fingerprint scanners worked with no problems during our time with it. You can even pick between the different preinstalled fingerprint animations in the settings.
Xiaomi’s Memory Extension is buried inside the settings. You can set the space the RAM borrows from the internal storage to 4GB, 6GB (default), 8GB, or turn it off.
The Memory Extension settings are under Additional Settings > Special Features. Also here is the heart rate scanner, which utilizes the display’s in-display fingerprint scanner.
Like most Xiaomi phones, the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus uses Google Keyboard, which is our favorite as it’s the most used in the industry, so we’re very familiar with it. Plus, it has quick access to emojis, gifs, and is very customizable.
Meanwhile, the camera app has a lot of room for improvement as it desperately needs better organization.
Without a doubt, the interface on the Note 13 Pro+ needs a lot of improvement. But unlike hardware, problems like this can be easily fixed by a proper software update.
Camera Quality
Probably the main highlight of the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus is its ultra-sharp 200-megapixel main camera. This one has a large 1/1.4-inch size, with a bright f/1.65 aperture, optical image stabilization, and 16-in-1 pixel binning.
This large sensor makes for a lossless zoom in case you want to take the whole image now and decide how you want to crop in later. In our tests, it did crop really well and was able to retain an amazing amount of detail.
You can also check the whole sample image below and the difference between the 200MP mode and the normal photo mode when zoomed in.
As for the rest of the normal photos, we’re noticing weird color renditions on some of the shots even when we looked at them on a different screen. They look pale and lack apt vibrancy. However, there are shots where everything looks fine with accurate colors.
The software also did a great job at making sure the dynamic range was well-tuned. Exposure and contrast are neat, too.
We’ve noticed the same occasional color issues in low-light shots. Still, when it gets it right, it does it really well as the ample exposure really shows off nice colors. Also thanks to the ultra-sharp sensor, wide aperture, and OIS, shots at night look bright while staying sharp and detailed.
From the 200-megapixel, we slide down to the 8-megapixel ultra-wide. The drop in resolution is quite staggering, but considering the price, it’s really hard to complain.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ ultra-wide sensor also takes good photos. The shot looks weirdly terrible on the camera app but develops into a better one after some processing in the gallery. The colors are nice, the dynamic range is fine, and the sharpness — although not the best — is acceptable. Low-light shots are passable, too, thanks to the abundance of post-processing.
The 2-megapixel macro camera provides decent shooting distance, which can be handy if you’re, say, a coin collector. Well, basically anything if you’re fond of shooting close-ups. Sharpness is fine for its use but don’t expect too much from the color quality.
Finally, the 16-megapixel front camera takes nice selfies with a lot of details and nice exposure even in low light. However, it suffers the same color issues, possibly due to poor white balance setting.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has one of the best camera hardware in its price range, let’s just hope the weird issues are fixed by a software update as soon as possible.
Battery Life and Charging
The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has a 5,000mAh battery. That’s the standard size in most midrange smartphones today.
On PCMark’s battery test, it was able to last for 12 hours and 50 minutes before dropping to 20% from 100%. That’s about the average score for similarly priced devices we got on this test.
Longevity is even better in real-world use. We were able to end the day with still about 15-20% of juice left. That’s with taking a lot of photos and videos on our recent trip, watching videos offline while on the plane, swiping through social media, and replying to a lot of messages.
If you’re a heavier user, then you may have to charge the device much earlier. Thankfully, the device ships with an ultra-fast 120W charger — it’s so fast even some flagship phones don’t have it.
In our test, a 15-minute charge from being completely dead managed to take us to 41%. 30 minutes and we’re already at 80%. A full charge took only about 45 to 48 minutes.
Verdict
Is the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus one of the best phones in its price range? The answer is an easy yes. It has everything you’d need if you’re in the market for a snappy, feature-packed smartphone without the price of an actual flagship device.
It boasts a utilitarian but comfortable design, a roomy and colorful display, a reliable battery that lasts a day or two, excellent camera hardware, a snappy performance that swiftly handles basic tasks and gaming, and of course, an ultra-fast charger out of the box.
However, Xiaomi still has some work to do. There are annoying notifications and other UI quirks, plus the camera app desperately needs organizing and the post-processing of the images needs refinement. All these issues can be easily fixed by a software update, so we hope they iron it out soon.
Bottom line is the Redmi Note series proved that they are still a go-to for those who want to get the best value out of their money.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus pricing and availability in the Philippines
The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G is available in a 12GB/512GB variant for a price of Php23,999 It will be available in the Philippines starting January 16 and will come with a free Xiaomi Smart Band 8 until the 25th.
There will also be a special 8GB/256GB model that will have a Shopee Exclusive Early Bird promo price of Php18,999 (from Php20,999) from January 16 to 25.
Pros
- Comfortable, utilitarian design
- Large, fast, and vibrant display
- Snappy performance
- Robust battery life with ultra-fast charging
Cons
- Physical buttons could be better
- Annoying UI quirks, software needs improvement
- Camera app and post-processing need work