Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is the latest addition to Xiaomi’s ever-expanding smartphone portfolio. Only a few people may remember, but the Redmi Note smartphone was among the first few launches in India in its debut year – 2014. That reminds me, Xiaomi is celebrating its 10 years in India this year, and the company has a solid start to the year with three new phones –
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ camera sample (1x)
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ camera sample (0.6x)
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ camera sample (4x)
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ Portrait
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ Low-light
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ Low-light
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ low-light
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ daylight performance
The phone performs well in zoom shots, all thanks to the 200-megapixel sensor, and the 2x zoom shots are almost lossless. Where it gets tricky is when you start using the 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera. I’m curious why Xiaomi went with this sensor as it is unreliable, and shots that we got had low details captured. Another disappointment is the 2-megapixel macro camera, which barely produces decent shots, and if you really want photos, try using zoom modes for better photos.
The phone supports 4K videos at 30fps and Slow-motion videos as well. Video performance on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is decent in well-lit conditions, but in low light, I noticed videos getting blurry and some noise levels.
The 16-megapixel front-facing camera works well in daylight. It doesn’t add any artificial smoothing or filters by default, resulting in a more natural look. The skin tone is also more realistic. The selfies taken at night are decent enough to share on social media platforms because these platforms usually compress the image quality. Therefore, you don’t have to worry too much about the quality of the night-time selfies.
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ Review: Battery
Coming to the battery department, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ packs a 5000mAh battery, which is standard for the Note series now after all these years. But, looking at how the form factor has evolved over the years is an interesting journey. Cherry on the cake is 120W HyperCharge, which means fast charging at user convenience.
It is great to see the company shipping 120W adaptors instead of 67W, especially considering the price jump. This also means that the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is among a handful of devices available at around Rs. 35,000, offering over 100W fast-charging speeds. As expected, Xiaomi packs its indigenous Surge P1 chip in the adaptor, a custom chip for charging the battery more efficiently. The company claims the phone can charge from 0 to 100 percent in 19 minutes. However, my experience was slightly different.
While the 120W HyperCharge was an excellent relief for short charging sessions, like when I was late for the office and the phone was at 28 percent, and in about 10-12 minutes, it was 75 percent, and I could use the phone for the rest of the day. From 0 to 100 percent, my charging test results never stood at 100 under 20 minutes. It was either around the 30-minute mark or sometimes longer than that. This could be a unit-related issue, too. But that aside, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is a solid phone when it comes to battery.
With heavy usage, the phone lasted almost a whole day with regular apps open in the background, a couple of hours of gaming, and some streaming on Prime Video. With medium usage, the phone almost lasted for 36 hours. In our video loop test, wherein the device plays the same video in a loop until the battery dies with optimum settings, the phone lasted for about 9 hours and 55 minutes, which was decent.
Redmi Note 13 Pro+ Review: Verdict
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has a lot going for it. Its design, display, and battery life are its most notable features. The primary camera is impressive for its price range, and the addition of 120W fast charging and IP68 rating make it stand out from the competition. Adding IP68 should revolutionise this price category for the highest water and dust rating, usually limited to premium smartphones.
However, the software situation could be better, as the phone comes with preloaded bloatware. The camera performs poorly in low light conditions, and additional sensors are not useful.
The Redmi Note has traditionally been a great value proposition, but this year, this is only true for some models. Thanks to multiple SKUs, Xiaomi offers Redmi Note 13 to everyone from sub-Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 35,000. However, now that it has entered the Rs. 30,000 price bracket, it faces stiff competition from devices like the Pixel 7a (Review). If you prioritise a unique design, a vibrant display, long battery life, and an excellent primary camera and are willing to overlook the preloaded apps for overall performance, then the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is a solid choice.
