The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G is priced below Php 10K, and it comes in a sweet spot for budget phones with higher-tier specifications. It is the base model of the Redmi Note 13 line of smartphones and has the de facto job of introducing the line to a broader number of its intended consumers. It may not disappoint as it shapes up to give good value with its well-rounded specs that include an AMOLED display with 120Hz, up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, 108MP rear camera, 5000 mAh battery, and more.
The phone also features a considerable redesign from the last generation. It includes IP54 ingress protection, making it splash and dust-proof. In this review, we'll take a deep dive on the smartphone's features, capabilities, and how it performs in everyday use. If you're toying with the idea of having a new phone, this might help you decide on your next purchase.
Pros
- Stunning AMOLED display with High Refresh Rate
- Refreshing New Design
- Capable 108MP camera
- Great Phone for Selfies
Cons
- No HDR Playback
- Ultrawide camera needs improvement
Unboxing
The Redmi Note 13 comes with a standard Xiaomi white box. It has a pretty good set of inserts, including the paperworks, case, SIM eject tool, USB-C cable, and the 33-watt wall adapter. We also made a short video of our unboxing experience. You can check it right after the jump.
Design
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G comes from a different melting pot than last year's Note 12. The smartphone now features a refreshed design with high quality plastic backing which mimics a glass-like finish. I have the Ice Blue variant of which the back panel is quite reflective when subjected to a light source. This colorway shifts between blue and grey tones depending on which angle you look at it. It's also quick to pick up fingerprints. While smudges are less visible on the Ice Blue model, I could only imagine how they accumulate in the Midnight Black variant. There's also a Mint Green and Ocean Sunset options should you need a pop of color in your device.
The camera lenses are now placed individually in contrast to last year's collective camera module, which is quite a good thing in my opinion. The frame, also in greyish blue, complements the back panel very well. It has a satin texture which helps on the grip, making the whole phone easy on the hands.
The front panel features a hole-punch design with a center-aligned provision for the selfie camera. The side bezels are thin, with the top bezel being slightly thicker but still relatively slim. The chin bezel is also impressively thin which contributes to overall sleek design.
There's no physical fingerprint scanner embedded on the power button. The unlocking can be done using the in-display sensor which I think is quite zippy. Accompanying the power button on the right side is the volume rocker - these buttons are quite clicky too! The top has the microphone, secondary speaker grille, IR blaster, and the 3.5-mm audio jack. The bottom is a home to the SIM tray, USB-C port, microphone, and the main speaker grille.
The design of this phone is pretty functional for a candybar phone. It's easy to use and has subtle curved backing for easier grip. The inclusion of IP54 seals the deal in terms of this phone's design. I love to see this kind of feature being included in budget-friendly smartphones.
Display
The Redmi Note 13 4G boasts a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. The screen packs a Full HD+ panel with 2400 x 1080p resolution. The screen has an impressive peak brightness of 1800 nits; this means that outdoor use does not pose any problem at all. On top of that, it's also certified flicker free by TUV Rheinland.
The display quality is quite exceptional for a sub Php 10,000 smartphone. It offers deep blacks and bright whites; and the AMOLED panel registers accurate colors with adequate contrast. I enjoy streaming my favorite shows and watching YouTube videos with this screen. Viewing angles are also good enough to share the screen with friends and family.
Likewise, the display is treated with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection, and it could definitely withstand everyday wear and tear. Moreover, the refresh rate works well; the screen drops to 60Hz when the display registers static content. You can choose between the 120Hz and the 60Hz refresh rate modes depending on your needs. I choose the latter everytime I need to conserve the battery. Unfortunately, the panel does not support HDR playback; however, you can stream in 1080p with its Widevine DRM L1 certification.
Performance
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 chipset. If it rings a bell, that's because it's also the same processor that powers last year's Redmi Note 12. This chipset is developed in a 6-nanometer process and packs an octa-core CPU of up to 2.8GHz speeds.
Our review unit has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can also get this at 6+128GB and 8+128GB configurations. In addition, this smartphone uses UFS 2.2 mobile storage which is fast enough for its price.
In real-time usage, the Redmi Note 13 4G is quite smooth in dealing with my daily tasks. Sure, I experienced occasional hiccups but it's nothing that I'd be worried about. I had lengthy gaming sessions with this handset, particularly with the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang title. The settings default in High Graphics and High Frame Rate. Genshin Impact is playable in low graphics settings, while shooting games like Call of Duty Mobile and Garena Free Fire run smoothly with this handset.
For extensive gaming sessions, the Redmi Note 13 4G does not have heating issues. There are times that it will get slightly warm when subjected to continuous load, but it's not something that bothered me. There are two SIM slots with one being a hybrid, which means you'll have to choose between SIM or microSD. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.1, and NFC. This smarpthone also proved to be a great multimedia companion due to its stereo speakers which has a balanced mix of bass, low and high-frequency ranges.
In our Geekbench 6 Benchmark, the Redmi Note 13 gathered 1526 multi-core and 477 single-core scores in our CPU test. Likewise, it posted 390 in OpenCL GPU test.
Camera
There is a 108MP camera sensor at the rear panel. This is the commonly-used Samsung HM6 sensor present in majority of the mid-range phones nowadays. This sensor utilizes a 9-in-1 binning process with the 108MP to produce default 12MP photos. The main camera is coupled by an 8MP OmniVision ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. Flipping the device, we have a 16MP selfie camera.
In daylight, the main camera produces quality shots with good overall detail. Shots do not look overly processed and greenery subjects look natural. Contrast is quite okay in most shots, and colors are accurate and not saturated. The dynamic range is also good enough in most parts of the photo.
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| Sample Photo: Daylight Shot |
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| Sample Photo: Daylight Shot |
You can also take full resolution shots of up to 108MP which results to more detailed photos that look natural. However, the file size is pretty huge; I'd rather use the default setting to save up space. The camera also allows you to take 2x and 3x zoomed photos. The phone only uses digital zoom since it does not have a telephoto lens; the large 108MP sensor makes this happen. Zoomed shots are quite clean with sharp contrast; colors are also slightly muted with slight noise build up.
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| Sample Photos: 1x Zoom vs 2x Zoom |
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| Sample Photos: 1x Zoom vs 2x Zoom vs 3x Zoom |
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| Sample Photos: 3x Zoom |
The ultrawide camera takes photos with less details and brightness. I feel like the phone would be better off if this sensor was left in the cutting room to save cost.
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| Sample Photos: Ultrawide Shots |
Selfies from the 16MP camera are quite impressive. Xiaomi phones, in general, produce good front camera shots with lots of customizations. Selfie shots have lots of detail with uniform skin texture. Its portrait mode also offers excellent subject detection and background blur.
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| Sample Photos: Selfie vs Portrait |
I was surprised with the low-light shots as they're quite good. At night, the rear camera captures likable photos with satisfactory details. It also excels in exposing dark areas while managing highlights and light sources. Of course, I can still see some noise build up and muted colors, but this is quite forgivable. On the other hand, the phone is only limited to 1080p video at 30fps.
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| Sample Photo: Low-light |
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| Sample Photo: Low-light |
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| Sample Photos: Low-light 1x Zoom vs 2x Zoom vs 3x Zoom |
Software and Battery
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G runs with MIUI 14 that is based on Android 13. The phone is included in the planned upgrade to the new Xiaomi HyperOS down the road. The MIUI 14 is buttery smooth and offers lots of customizations. And though, the MIUI is one of my favorite Android skins, there are still a number of pre-installed apps and bloatwares. Apart from that, everything is quite nice in terms of icons, accents, and overall user interface. The system menus are consistently flat and simple.
On the get-go, you'll have the option to use virtual buttons or gestures for navigation. I used the latter, and I hide the navigation pill at the bottom to add more simplicity. Palm rejection is also on point. Other favorites are still here: the edge lighting notification, the app drawer, the customizable Always-On-Display, and more.
As for the battery, the Note 13 4G packs a 5000 mAh battery with 33-watt fast charging support. We have a very efficient chipset which manages the battery very well. The battery could easily last a day of use if you're a moderate user. In our PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test, the Redmi Note 13 4G tallied an impressive 19 hours and 30 minutes.
In our battery charging test, we completely recharged the drained unit in 1 hour and 46 minutes. Details follow:
- 60% in 48 minutes
- 80% in 1 hour and 5 minutes
- 100% in 1 hour and 46 minutes
Should You Buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G?
My experience with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G is quite positive. This is a very dependable smartphone that does not require you to spend much of your hard-earned money. I'm largely impressed with the new design, slim bezels, and solid build quality. The phone's performance is smooth and could handle multitasking very well.
The display is also very good for multimedia consumption. Likewise, the stereo speakers elevate the experience. What puts me off is the lack of support for HDR playback. Battery life is above average; and both the selfie and rear cameras are great for everyday use.
If you're in the market for a new smartphone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G is an excellent purchase. It offers great value for its price.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G Specs
- 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 120Hz, 1800 nits (peak), 395 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 (6 nm)
- 2.8GHz Octa-core processor
- Adreno 610 GPU
- 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM, 8/128GB, 8/256GB
- Triple rear cameras: 108MP, f/1.8 main camera with PDAF + 8MP, f/2.2, 120˚ ultrawide + 2MP, f/2.4 macro
- 16MP, f/2.4 front camera
- Hybrid Dual SIM (nano-SIM)
- 4G LTE
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth v5.1
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
- Fingerprint (under display, optical)
- MIUI 14, based on Android 13
- 162.3 x 75.6 x 8 mm, 188.5 grams
- 5000 mAh, non-removable battery w/ 33W wired charging
- Mint Green, Ice Blue, Ocean Sunset, Midnight Black
