Xiaomi is known for its Redmi Note lineup and the numbers speak for themselves over the years. The brand is now trying a different approach with the Redmi Notes, especially with the Pro Plus moniker which is really close to the Rs 40,000 range these days. The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has been in our focus since the device was announced and when you browse through its features, you feel this is a solid option and then you see the price tag attached to the product.
And that’s where things get interesting, as the base Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus costs Rs 31,999 going all the way to Rs 38,999 for the highest variant. Now, this is an uncharted territory for the Redmi Notes where you have the OnePlus and Google Pixels in the mix. So, does the new Redmi Note Pro Plus model match up to its premium-ish strategy or come up short? We tested the phone for a few weeks and you’ll find the answer soon.
Screams Premium Everywhere You Look
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus scores high in the design department and the premium upgrades were evident during our time with the device. The glass finish is a given these days, but the curved AMOLED display and the sleek design without compromising on the battery is an understated feature of the phone.
That’s not all, Xiaomi has got everyone excited with the IP68 rating for the device, a first for the brand and even for the segment.
Display Lights Up Bright
The design isn’t the only plus point about the phone as it is hard to ignore the quality provided by the device through its display. The AMOLED screen offers 120Hz refresh rate, supports Dolby Vision and HDR. All these are perfect ingredients to give you a balanced colour output, crisp content and pleasing to the eye.
Using the phone’s display never felt wanting and we thoroughly enjoyed watching videos, or even playing games on it. The beauty has the brawns thanks to the Gorilla Glass Victus protection, another big move for a phone in this segment.
Performance That Keeps You Going
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra chipset with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB RAM which is what we got for the review. The hardware is reliable in every sense. It can handle multitasking with ease, it can manage the load of games at varied settings and the cooling system takes care of the heat passing out to keep it strain-free. MediaTek has done a good job managing the load on the 4nm chip and the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus picks up the good bits and makes it work really well.
Talking about the software, Xiaomi lets us down by continuing to use Android 13 (we’re in 2024 now) out of the box and still no sign of HyperOS for the device. What you get with the old MIUI is bloatware, heavy animations that have its fans but for a phone costing Rs 30,000, we expect a lot more. Also, the OS upgrades will be limited for the phone considering Android 14 is yet to release for the device.
Pro-Camera Does The Trick
Xiaomi has gone with a 200MP main camera yet again for the Pro Plus variant which fared quite well with last year’s Pro model. The primary camera takes all the load of image processing and the details captured with the sensor shows Xiaomi has grown with its focus in imaging and IP tech for cameras.
Having said that, you notice some oversaturation with pictures clicked in low light that have details but the colours were inconsistent. The other two cameras continue to split opinions, especially the 2MP macro sensor and it is high time brands focus on quality than quantity, even when it comes to the number of cameras they plan to offer.
Battery Chugs Along, 120W Charging God-Send
The phone packs a 5000mAh battery which supports 120W wired charging speed. You can easily forget the size of the battery looking at the dimensions and weight of the phone.
But the phone can easily last you for over a day if your usage is average, which includes browning the web, checking out social media apps, light gaming, some music and more. Having the 120W charger bundled in the box means you get the phone back up to speed in around 20-22 minutes which is crazy fast and one of the many reasons people love fast charging.
Does Xiaomi Make A Convincing Jump?
The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has a lot of aspects that we usually cover for a premium device but that’s where we have come to in the past few years. We never thought that a Redmi Note phone would cost over Rs 30,000 but it is happening now. The phone’s design, screen, main camera and the overall performance makes a strong case. However, the software is still lagging, which could make-or-break a phone’s value. If Xiaomi aspires to challenge in the premium range, it needs to upgrade from all corners.
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