Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Review
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Intro
It rains new Redmi phones in the beginning of 2024! We have five new phones, all in the Redmi Note 13 series, all offering great value for the money, and this here Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (a mouthful!) is the second best in this family of five.
It bets on a capable 200MP main camera, a zippy Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, and a big and sharp 6.7-inch display.
Speaking of the 6.7-inch size, this is part of the common DNA in the Redmi Note 13 series, and others include fast charging and, of course, the MIUI software.
You can find our reviews for the slightly more advanced models in the Redmi Note 13 series below:
- Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G Review (most advanced model)
- Redmi Note 13 Pro Review
- Redmi Note 13 5G Review
- Redmi Note 13 Review (most basic model)
What’s new about the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
- 6.7-inch 1220p AMOLED screen with 120Hz
- 200MP main camera with sensor crop zoom
- 8MP ultra-wide camera, but no telephoto camera
- 5,100mAh battery
- 67W wired charging, no wireless charging support
- 8/256GB model for 400E
Table of Contents:
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Specs
An impressive specs sheet for the price
Let's kick this off with an overview of the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G specs:
| Specs | Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight | 161.1 x 74.2 x 8mm 187 g |
| Display | 6.7" AMOLED 120Hz 1220p up to 1800 nits GGlass Victus |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 |
| Configurations | 8/256GB 12/512GB *LPDDR4X, UFS 2.2 |
| Cameras | 200MP main cam, f/1.65 8MP ultra-wide 2MP macro 16MP front |
| Battery | 5,100 mAh |
| Charging | 67W wired No wireless |
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Design
Clean design and more ports and jacks than you'd expect
Having five different phones, all with a similar camera setup, meant Xiaomi had to get creative with the camera decor.
On the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, the cameras are placed on a single island, raised slightly above the back of the phone.
The device feels well put together, with power and volume buttons on the right, a blank left side, USB-C port and speaker on the bottom, and a 3.5mm headphone jack and IR blaster at the top.
You have IP54 certification, which translates as "splash protection", but the phone should not be submerged under water.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G colors:
- Midnight Black
- Aurora Purple
- Ocean Teal
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Unboxing
Here is what you can find in the box:
- Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G phone with pre-applied plastic screen protector
- 67W charging brick with USB-A output
- Charging cable (USB-A to USB-C)
- Silicone case
- SIM tool
- User manuals
Hey, a case, a screen protector, and a charger all in the box? We wish more phone companies would follow Xiaomi's example here.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Display
We already mentioned all new Redmi phones in this family have a big, 6.7-inch screen with 120Hz and OLED technology.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, however, has 1220p resolution, so its even sharper than the cheaper models in the family.
It also has the newer Gorilla Glass Victus for better protection against scratches and drops (cheaper Redmi Note 13 models come with Gorilla Glass 5 or even 3).
Display Measurements:
The first thing that really pops up is the very high max brightness of nearly 1,200 nits. We measure this at 100% white, which makes this number even more impressive, so this phone has a brighter screen than even many flagships. This makes it great for outdoor use as you can see it easily even under direct sunlight.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Camera
200MP camera that can handle low light situations well
The 200MP main camera is the big highlight
Redmi could have easily skipped that last one: macro photos at 2MP just don't have enough detail and look mediocre at best.
Photo Samples
The 200MP main camera does a very good job in both daylight and night time conditions with clean images that have excellent dynamic range and pleasing, natural colors.
Thanks to the large main camera sensor, you also get very good zoom quality at 2X and 4X, even without a dedicated telephoto camera.
The ultra-wide camera captures lower resolution pictures but quality is also quite decent. The camera gets good marks all around, and is a noticeable step-up from the cheaper non-5G edition of the Redmi Note 13 series.
Video Quality
The Note 13 Pro 5G also supports 4K video (a feature missing on the cheaper Note 13 Pro model).
You get a good amount of detail and pleasing colors, and the quality is surprisingly good even in low light conditions. Stabilization, however, is not perfect. It is good enough if you just hold the phone or if you walk very slowly, but when you start walking at a normal pace it cannot keep up and you would notice quite a bit of jitter.
Unfortunately, once you start recording with the main camera, you cannot switch to the ultra-wide camera in video, which is a big limitation.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Performance & Benchmarks
On par with the Galaxy A54 5G and Motorola Edge 40
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G is roughly on the same level as the big rivals in this space, the Galaxy A54 5G and Motorola Edge 40.
For simple daily tasks, it all feels nice and zippy, as the Redmi software is well optimized and you do have a decent chip inside.
However, for more intense tasks, you might feel a bit of a stutter here and there, but let's not forget that this is a mid-range phone after all, and its performance is in the ballpark of other mid-rangers.
Performance Benchmarks:
Unfortunately, we could not run the 3D Mark gaming test on this device, due to compatibility issues, but the graphics performance is again similar to the Samsung and Motorola.
We also like that you get 256GB of on-board storage in even the base version here, which is plenty.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Software
You might have heard about the new HyperOS software by Xiaomi, which it advertizes, but unfortunately you will not find that on this phone. Instead, it runs on the older Android 13 with MIUI 14 on top (and will get an update later).
However, we wanted to pay attention to one persistent issue with the MIUI software: push notifications. They simply DO NOT work properly on many apps, as the system will aggressively kill background apps and interfere with notifications this way. In simple terms, you simply will not see notifications on your lock screen from some apps, and they will only appear when you unlock your phone. You can try and tweak battery saving settings for each app individually, but this did not solve the issue for us. Not getting push notifications is super annoying for messaging apps that you rely on, so keep that in mind.
The rivals from most other brands don't have that issue, so that is one unfortunate thing Xiaomi phones do.
For software updates, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G gets 3 years of major OS updates and 4 years of security patches. This means, it will receive:
However, we wanted to pay attention to one persistent issue with the MIUI software: push notifications. They simply DO NOT work properly on many apps, as the system will aggressively kill background apps and interfere with notifications this way. In simple terms, you simply will not see notifications on your lock screen from some apps, and they will only appear when you unlock your phone. You can try and tweak battery saving settings for each app individually, but this did not solve the issue for us. Not getting push notifications is super annoying for messaging apps that you rely on, so keep that in mind.
The rivals from most other brands don't have that issue, so that is one unfortunate thing Xiaomi phones do.
For software updates, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G gets 3 years of major OS updates and 4 years of security patches. This means, it will receive:
- Android 14
- Android 15
- Android 16
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Battery
Solid battery life
With a 5,100mAh battery, this Redmi has slightly more battery capacity than others in the series with a 5,000mmAh cell.
In real life, this phone can last about a day and a half quite comfortably, so we are happy with that level of performance.
To be more specific, we have run our three independent battery tests to see the exact numbers:
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
With a score of nearly 10 hours and a half, the Note 13 Pro 5G aces our YouTube video streaming test and beats the competition by a good margin. Anything above 10 hours is great, so the Xiaomi definitely impresses here.
On our lighter web browsing test, however, we consider scores above 16 hours to be excellent and the Redmi only mustered around 12 hours, so that was a bit of a letdown.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Charging Speeds
That beefy 67W charger really delivers the goods and in just 30 minutes you get a nearly 75% top-up, while a full 1-100% charge takes merely 47 minutes. Great job!
There is no wireless charging speed support, though, in case you were wondering.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Audio Quality and Haptics
Audio quality here is quite decent with a good amount of punch and a clean sound that does not get muffled at higher volumes.
And oh yes, what you see at the top of the phone is indeed a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can easily plug in good old headphones and listen to music without having to worry about charging your earbuds.
Haptic feedback is decent too, but not quite as sharp as on more expensive phones.
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Competitors
The Galaxy A54 5G is the most popular phone in this price range, and then you also have the Motorola Edge 40 which looks stylish.
| DEVICENAME Rivals | Advantages (over Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G) | Disadvantages (vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G) |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (currently sold for ~$400) | No issues with push notifications Longer software support | Slower charging |
| Motorola Edge 40 (currently sold for ~$400) | No issues with push notifications More stylish design | - |
Learn more here:
Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G Summary and Final Verdict
In conclusion, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G feels like a well balanced phone.
We would avoid the cheaper non-5G model as it has a quite slow processor, but this model here we feel is a very good choice.
The camera quality is impressive, charging is super fast, and the performance is zippy too. Not to mention extras like a headphone jack and the big battery.
However, be warned about the push notifications issue with MIUI, and if you can live with that, this phone should definitely be on your radar.
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