Xiaomi has launched the Redmi 13 5G with several upgrades, which include a new 108MP camera, 33W fast-charging and a smoother 120 HZ refresh rate screen. But is that enough to help Redmi remain the king of budget phones?
The phone comes with a good design for the price point and that means… bezels can be overlooked. What is striking is the glass back, which is something refreshing for the category. Holding the phone, it’s a biggish device but that’s what most people are looking for. The company has thrown in Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and also a 3.5mm headphone jack. But at 205g, it’s on the heavier side.
The display is large and colour accurate but there is a fair amount of bloatware
The 6.79-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display comes with with 120Hz refresh rate and 550nits brightness. Yes, the level of brightness could have been on the higher side, especially when you are out in the sun. On Redmi 12 5G the refresh rate topped at 90Hz. Despite being an IPS display, it has good viewing angles and the same goes for colour reproduction.
Despite the price point, there is IP53 protection; some water shouldn’t damage the phone. In the price segment, Redmi will face competition from the likes of Samsung Galaxy M34 and CMF Phone 1, especially the AMOLED display from Samsung.
The display on the Redmi phone is worth noticing because it’s perfect for streaming video content. The bottom-firing speaker gets loud enough if you are not using a headphone but I wish Redmi had gone with a stereo speaker.
Bigger sensor
In the camera department, there are two lenses — 108MP and 2MP macro. The primary camera has improved drastically over that of last year, offering bright photos and there is hardly any lag. Even while zooming in beyond 3x, I was happy with the quality of the photos. You get sharp and detailed images while the colours are not overpowering. Besides good dynamic range, night photography is better than ever before. The 108MP sensor can gather more light, so shots taken under uneven lighting appear bright.
A sample shot taken using the Redmi 13 5G
The macro lens? All brands should do away with this useless sensor. Videos are restricted to 1080p@30fps but it’s nothing extraordinary.
Should you buy it?
Keeping the show running is the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (accelerated edition) chipset. Last year, it was the same processor without the words “accelerated edition”. Still, you get better benchmark results and in everyday usage, apps work well and switching between apps doesn’t pose a struggle. The phone is meant to help you power through social media apps and YouTube. For casual gamers, it’s not a bad show.
It’s good to see Redmi going with Xiaomi HyperOS and Android 14. Plus, there are two OS upgrades and three years of security updates. The HyperOS experience is smooth and that makes a difference in the budget category. I am not surprised to see the high degree of bloatware on the phone but you can delete all of it.
The primary rear camera has a 108MP sensor, which is an upgrade over the 50MP lens seen in its predecessor
The phone does a fantastic job in the battery department. The 5030mAh battery easily lasts a day and a half. Charging the phone doesn’t take much time (around 75 minutes for a full charge), thanks to the 33W charger.
The appeal of Redmi has always been pricing. If you add a few thousand bucks, you can fetch something like a Samsung phone with an AMOLED screen.
Is this phone for you? If you only want to stream films, scan social media and use the camera now and then, it surely does a good job. Redmi 13 5G offers an impressive price-to-features ratio and it will help the brand dominate the budget category.
At a glance
Device: Redmi 13 5G
Price: Upwards of ₹13,999
High notes
Impressive processor for the pricing
Good choice of camera sensor
Excellent battery life and charging speed
Muffled notes
Bezels are on the thicker side
Phone is very slippery
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Samsung Galaxy M34 and CMF Phone 1
