Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Review: The Most Premium Redmi Yet
Xiaomi's budget sub-brand Redmi is known for making some of the most affordable phones (only BBK group's Realme can really compete), and Redmi's latest Note series continues that trend with a lineup of phones clearly in that segment. It was intended to attract budget-conscious customers in Southeast Asia or Latin America, as well as parts of Europe. I was interested in the more premium Note 13 Pro Plus as it is Redmi's most premium phone to date.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus features a curved OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and it looks as good as the curved panel on a $1,000 phone. The 2712 x 1200 resolution and 1800 nits of brightness are high marks for a budget Redmi phone.
The back panel of the phone, in my opinion, looks beautiful with its pastel color scheme and artistic pattern.
It features a 200-megapixel camera (from Samsung, with a 1/1.4-inch image sensor), Gorilla Glass Victus protection, and a large 5,000 mAh battery. So far, all these components are premium. Areas where the phone falls short of the average include the mid-range Mediatek Dimension 7200 Ultra chip, subpar ultra-wide-angle camera, lack of a zoom lens or official water resistance rating. IP water. However, the MediaTek silicon is durable enough for everyday use, and the phone's $380 price (converted from the Indian retail price) means you can't complain too much.
The main camera in particular does a good job of capturing images well above its price range, using a 16-in-1 pixel density. The shutter speed is a little slower than the best flagship phones I've used, so there's a bit of blur when shooting at night. But again, I can't complain about a phone at this price.
The battery lasts all day and Xiaomi's software offers some of the smoothest animations on the market. Overall, this is Redmi's most premium phone to date and the closest thing to a sub-$400 flagship phone.
