Before this year, my experience reviewing Xiaomi phones was limited to the entry-level. While I was positive with last year’s Redmi Note 12, I had problems that would likely not exist with a midrange phone. A year after the Redmi Note series got its first phone with a 200MP camera, we got another substantial upgrade in the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. Priced at P23,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage model, it costs more than its predecessor. Is the most premium phone of the Redmi Note 13 series an iconic upgrade that you should consider? Find out in my full review.
Disclaimer: Xiaomi Global sent over a Redmi Note 13 Pro+ review unit with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage in Midnight Black. It arrived on January 26, 2024, and I unboxed it on January 30, 2024. As of this writing, I’ve used the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ for around three weeks as my main Android phone.
Design and Build
I wasn’t sure when Xiaomi started putting out nice phone designs, but I’m glad we’re here now. The Note 13 Pro+ feels more premium than what it is. Unlike previous Pro+ phones in the Redmi Note series, this phone goes for that all-curved body. (More about the Redmi Note’s first curved display later.) The back itself has this two-tone design that I’m personally attracted to. Unfortunately, this Midnight Black color is so glossy that I can just use this instead of an actual mirror! I rarely use the included case when reviewing a phone, but I just had to for this phone.
Despite my gripes with how glossy it is, this phone is just a joy to hold. It feels good in the hand when using a case! The phone nestles nicely in your hand.
While the phone lacks a headphone jack and a microSD card slot, it has dual SIM support, an IR blaster, and stereo speakers. Having that IR blaster is particularly useful if you need to control multiple appliances at home. I appreciate just how loud the speakers are on this phone. If I didn’t have an alternate way to listen to music in the car, I would just be using this phone’s speakers.
I almost forgot to mention that this is the first Redmi phone to have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. While I didn’t do anything deliberate unlike another phone I previously reviewed, I can rest easy knowing it can take an occasional rain. The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ honestly feels like the gateway to a premium Xiaomi experience in terms of design and build.
Display
Another aspect where Xiaomi brings its premium chops to the Note 13 Pro+ is its display. We’ve had 120Hz AMOLED displays since the first Redmi Note Pro+ phone. This year sees the Redmi Note’s first curved display.
This phone has a 6.67-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2712 x 1220 (Xiaomi calls it 1.5K). Besides the curved display, Xiaomi improved the brightness of this display to 1800 nits of peak brightness. It has support for 12-bit color, DCI-P3 color gamut, and all the common HDR standards (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision). On top of that, it’s more responsive with that 2160Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate. You can also expect this display to help you manage your eye health with 1920Hz PWM dimming along with multiple TÜV Rheinland certifications.
All of those specs mean that you’re getting the flagship display experience. You could argue that the one thing holding it back is not having a QHD+ resolution. That’s honestly a minor thing for me. Watching Netflix on the display of the Note 13 Pro+ is a delight. Those dual speakers with Dolby Atmos support also contribute to a better multimedia experience.
Performance and Software
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is by far the fastest Xiaomi phone I’ve reviewed. (Yes, I haven’t reviewed any flagship Xiaomi phone yet.) This phone uses the MediaTek Dimensity 7200-Ultra processor. Supporting this processor is 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256 or 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. I am using the higher 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant, so I’m experiencing the best possible Redmi Note phone currently available.
In case you need the results from benchmarks, here they are:
Reviewer’s Note: I’m now including the Geekbench 6 scores on top of the AnTuTu benchmark scores starting with this review.
As for my real-world experience, it’s been as smooth as midrange phones can be these days. The Dimensity 7200-Ultra processor is one of the better processors to come out of MediaTek in the past few years. This chip doesn’t cause the phone to heat up much unless I play graphics-intensive games like Honkai Star Rail or Genshin Impact.
Alas, It’s Still MIUI.
Unfortunately, Xiaomi didn’t think to bring its latest HyperOS Android skin, based on Android 14, on this phone out of the box. You would think the company did it for the global launch of the Redmi Note 13 series. Alas, that did not happen. Instead, we get Xiaomi’s current skin based on Android 13: MIUI 14.
Good thing that MIUI 14 feels as smooth as it can be on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. My previous experience with Redmi Note phones has always been in the entry-level. Through all those phones, I thought that MIUI needed more RAM for it to even work properly. After using this phone, my assessment was right. (To be fair, I have yet to check out the standard Redmi Note 13 to see if that assessment still holds.)
Battery Experience
The thing that impressed me the most with the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is my battery experience with it. While it has the same 5000 mAh battery as a lot of the midrange phones out there, its secret weapon is Xiaomi’s 120W HyperCharge. To get that insane charging speed though, you’ll have to enable it in the phone’s settings. That kind of charging speed also heats up the phone more. For me, I would take that trade-off if it means charging the phone from 0 to 100% in under 30 minutes!
How’s the battery life? Based on the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test, it’s honestly average for a midrange phone. I’ve seen other phones score better than that for cheaper. In my real-world use though, I can easily go through a full day of use. Whether it’s a YouTube-heavy day or scrolling through social media with a Pokémon UNITE session or two, I can count on this phone to last. If I wanted to, I could go through a day and a half with light use.
Cameras
I always wondered if the 200MP ISOCELL HP3 sensor is any good. On paper, having more pixels means you get more resolution. Unfortunately, this is not the main thing that would result in good photos. From the size of each pixel to the image processing, there are more factors to consider. Since I haven’t used this phone’s predecessor, I can only say how good the cameras are on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+.
The Note 13 Pro+ has three rear cameras: that 200MP ISOCELL HP3 main camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. I’m still not sure why Xiaomi still bothers to use that 2MP camera, to be honest. I would rather see two cameras with a better ultrawide camera. This phone also has a 16MP front camera for all those selfies. Are the photos from this phone any good? Let’s check them out!
Click on the photos for full-resolution versions!
Rear Cameras
Let’s just ignore that 2MP camera. The 200MP main camera on the Note 13 Pro+ produces good photos overall. With support for taking photos using the DCI-P3 color gamut, you get to see a lot of colors in said photos. It’s nice to see that even the 8MP ultrawide camera also gets some love in the color department. You only lose detail due to the low megapixel count.
The standout photos I got from the 200MP main camera are the shots using 2x and 4x zoom. The detail on the “ttec” logo is impressive considering this is just using the middle pixels of the main camera’s sensor.
With enough light, indoor shots also look good in most situations. Even in varying degrees of lighting, I can get a good photo with little to no editing needed.
Night Shots
Another impressive thing about the 200MP main camera is how it performs at night. Even the results of taking zoomed-in photos are good for the most part. Unlike in brighter light, you do get noise in the zoomed-in photos but they are usable.
The best way to showcase the photos coming out of the main camera is to show off food photos! The main camera impressed me in this department.
Front Camera
The 16MP front camera of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ produces decent to good selfies. I do recommend that you have access to good lighting since it’s not as good in low light.
Should You Buy the Redmi Note 13 Pro+?
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ provides a lot of the flagship smartphone experience in a midrange phone. From the high-resolution 120Hz curved AMOLED display to its IP68 rating, a lot of people don’t need to spend flagship phone money to get some flagship phone features. While the 200MP main camera performs well, the other cameras of this phone hold it back. It also doesn’t help that we only get MIUI 14 instead of Xiaomi’s new HyperOS.
At P23,999, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ gives me 80% of the flagship experience at a midrange price. I just wish Xiaomi didn’t compromise on the software and cameras to get to that price.
Pros
- Premium design and build quality
- IP68 dust and water resistance rating
- 1.5K 120Hz curved AMOLED display
- The Dimensity 7200-Ultra processor paired with up to 12GB RAM is a nice performance combo
- Seeing 512GB of storage in a sub-P25,000 is great for storing more photos and apps
- 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security updates
- Very fast 120W charging + good enough battery life with its 5000 mAh battery
- Good 200MP main camera for many situations
- Decent 16MP front camera in bright light
Cons
- The Midnight Black color is so glossy that it can act as my mirror
- Comes with MIUI 14 based on Android 13 instead of HyperOS
- Why does a camera-centric phone STILL have a 2MP macro camera?
- No 4K video recording in the front camera
The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ retails for P23,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant. That variant is available in Xiaomi Stores and authorized retailers nationwide. You can also get it online via e-commerce partners Shopee and Lazada. There’s also an online exclusive 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for P20,999 that’s available in Shopee and Lazada.
