What I have here are two new phones from the Redmi Note 13 series of smartphones – the lowest end in the family, the Redmi Note 13 4G, and also the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G. Yes, the name is super long.
Now, I know many of our viewers are shopping in accordance to the budget available. And the Redmi Note 13 series covers a rather wide range of budget while offering a lot of differences. So, we’re going to show you the massive difference in the Redmi Note 13 series.
Performance
The first obvious different is the performance. If we’re going to pay more, we’re going to get better performance. The Dimensity 7200 Ultra in the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G is actually quite good. We’re getting around 30fps in Genshin Impact with medium graphical preset – and we can lower the settings a bit and get even better frame rates.
Considering how difficult it is to run this game smoothly even on high-end smartphones, this is considered good. However, the thermal headroom available on this phone seems to be really low and that’s why we were thermal throttling halfway through the gaming test.
As for the Redmi Note 13 4G, the chipset remains the same as the Redmi Note 12 4G from last year – they’re both using the same Snapdragon 685. I mean, it’s an entry-level chipset. We’ve tried Genshin Impact and… it can barely function. I mean you can try to play it using this phone but it will really test your patience.
Screen
Next up is the screen – this is a simple one. Let’s talk about the Redmi Note 13 4G first. It’s using a 6.67-inch OLED screen that has 2400×1080 pixels in resolution and 120Hz refresh rate – pretty much the same one as last year. The color accuracy is surprisingly good as we’re getting virtually 100% for both DCI-P3 and sRGB color gamuts. The maximum brightness though, is at around 950 nits. Honestly speaking, this is quite a good screen.
For the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G, it has a lot of upgrades compared to the last generation. It uses a 6.67-inch OLED screen with 2712×1220 pixels in resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, while also having curved sides.
The color accuracy is not as good, since it only covers 100% sRGB but 90.75% of DCI-P3 color gamuts. The maximum brightness is higher at around 1050 nits. Overall, still a very nice screen. I’m just not a fan of curved screens since it’s impossible to use a tempered glass screen protector. We can only use film or hydrogel screen protectors, which don’t last long.
Software
As for the software, these phones are using the same MIUI 14.0.2 on top of Android 13. Yes, that is correct. These two phones are not running on Android 14 yet.
We won’t be talking about it in today’s video since the overall experience is identical to whatever we had previously, so check this review instead.
Camera
Alright, it’s time for the cameras. Getting a more expensive phone obviously means getting better cameras. Even if the ultrawide and macro cameras are the same, the chipset is different hence the ISP – image signal processor – is different.
To have a look at all the pictures taken with these two phones, watch our video at the top of this review.
Battery life
Alright, what about the battery life? both of these phones use a 5,000mAh battery but they’re going to have different battery life because of two things – the chipset and also the screen resolution.
So with our standardized battery life test, it’s no surprise that the Pro+ 5G does not last as long. In fact… I was expecting more battery life but it is what it is. The Redmi Note 13 4G can last throughout a day’s use without much of an issue whereas we’ll have to be a bit more thrifty with the Pro+ 5G.
Charging speed
Now, the charging speed is where things get interesting. Both these phones come with different chargers and have different maximum charging speeds.
Let’s talk about the Redmi Note 13 4G first. It comes with a 33W charger and can charge from 15% to completion in about an hour.
As for the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G, it comes with a 120W and it charges from 15% to completion in about 40 minutes. However, it doesn’t actually take in 120W by default. We’ll have to go into the settings menu to do that manually – and this is because such high wattages in the long run is not good for your device. Xiaomi knows this, and that’s why we have this notice.
And when we redid our charging test with this boost charging speed turned on, it took only 20 minutes to charge but the temperature is at 45°C already.
Just remember that Xiaomi is using their own proprietary charging standard so if you want to fast-charge your device, you’ll need to use their own charger and cable.
A few more things to mention
And a few more things to mention – both these phones use a USB 2.0 port at the bottom, and an IR blaster at the top.
However, the Redmi Note 13 4G has a microSD card slot but the Pro+ 5G does not. The same goes to the audio jack too.
But one impressive thing is that the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G has IP68 rating. Now that’s a great thing to have.
Which one should you buy?
So at the end of the day – which one should you buy? That depends on you. Obviously, the more expensive one is better but not everyone can afford or need it. At the end of the day, it boils down to your own personal needs.
Where to buy? (Affiliate links)
- Redmi Note 13 4G
- Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G
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