Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G review: the software lets it down

Xiaomi offers a total of five different Redmi Note 13 models. For the test, I have the second-best model in my hands with the 13 Pro 5G. Compared to the best Pro+ model, it’s less waterproof, has slower charge and has a different mid-range chipset. On the other hand, the Pro – without + – has a 3.5 mm socket for headphones. You can find all the differences in the series here:

Display is top notch

Design is a matter of taste, but the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G doesn’t look as cheap as its price. The workmanship is decent and the edges around the display are narrow.

You’re not missing anything when it comes to the screen. The 6.67-inch AMOLED display achieves a maximum refresh rate of 120 hertz. The 2712 × 1220 pixels ensure a density of 446 pixels per inch (ppi) – a smartphone display is considered sharp to the human eye from around 300 ppi. The highest brightness of 1,800 nits only applies to a small image area under HDR conditions, but the display is also bright enough for everyday use in the sunshine.

The AMOLED is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, the third-best protective glass from Corning. Its casing has been awarded IP54 certification. This means it’s protected against dust and splash water. Rain shouldn’t be a problem, submersion isn’t a good idea. Sealing the 3.5 mm connection for headphones would’ve made the smartphone more expensive.

Enough power without rushing ahead

Xiaomi has kitted the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G out with a mid-range chipset. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 in my test device is supported by eight gigabytes of RAM. There’s also a more expensive version with twelve gigabytes of RAM, which also doubles the internal storage space from 256 to 512 gigabytes.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 has enough power for everyday use. The 13 Pro 5G loads apps quickly, has a user interface with smooth animations and saves photos quickly so I don’t have to wait to take the next picture.

In the benchmark results, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G ranks in the mid-range segment. However, it’s noticeable that its performance is below that of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 in the HTC U23 Pro – especially in graphics tests. The smartphones are closer together in PCMark’s «Office» simulations. Though, there is one exception:the Galaxy A15 with the Helio G99 from Mediatek clearly trumps the Xiaomi, but remains behind the similarly expensive Nothing Phone (2a) with the Dimensity 7200 Pro.

At 5,100 mAh, the Redmi Note’s battery has a capacity that’s currently widespread for smartphones. In the PCMark Work 3.0 battery test with full display brightness, the 13 Pro 5G lasts a total of 8:30 hours. An average duration in comparison – neither particularly short nor particularly long.

The Phone (2) can charge with up to 67 watts. A suitable power supply is included in the box.

Only the main camera is good

The main camera of the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G has an impressive resolution of 200 megapixels. Xiaomi uses this to offer a supposedly lossless 2x and 4x digital zoom. Even without zoom, the images only reach full resolution in a special recording mode. However, it doesn’t include many customisable features or options. In automatic and most other shooting modes, the images have a resolution of 12.5 megapixels. In a process called pixel binning, 16 pixels are combined into one. In theory, this should provide higher light sensitivity and therefore better image quality. But that doesn’t always work.

The ultra-wide-angle camera, on the other hand, always delivers images with a resolution of eight megapixels. The third camera in the group only provides additional data for blurring portrait shots. And even if there were a mode for macro shots, at two megapixels, you can’t expect good pictures from it.

Colour and contrast

If you’re a tourist with the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, you can take wonderful pictures in the sunshine. The colours shine and contrasts are well balanced. The level of detail is high, but doesn’t cover all areas with a lot of depth in the image.

Wide angle and zoom

The ultra-wide-angle camera has almost identical colour reproduction to the main camera. However, the images taken with it are somewhat less detailed and more blurred as a result.

If I use the advertised digital zoom, the picture quality is fine. An extra telephoto lens still achieves better quality, but isn’t available in this price range yet.

Tenfold zoom is the maximum. Traces of digital enlargement are unmistakeable here.

Portrait

Portrait mode separates a person from the background and makes it blurred. However, the colour representation isn’t natural despite deactivated embellishments and filters. My sweater is actually green – see the selfie below.

Night time

Night mode significantly brightens the images from the main camera and also slightly increases the sharpness. Yet, at the same time, it captures most of the darkness.

With the ultra-wide-angle camera, on the other hand, the effect of night mode is less obvious, but still recognisable. The atmosphere of the night remains stronger here.

Selfies

The front camera delivers selfies with 16 megapixels. I expect decent pictures at this resolution. I’m also happy with their colour. However, the level of detail could be higher. Nevertheless, it should be enough for sending via messengers.

A night mode is also available for selfies in the dark. It brightens the images slightly, but can’t prevent them from being pixelated and blurred.

Many advertising apps and few updates

Xiaomi uses its own MIUI 14 user interface on the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G. The Xiaomi 12 runs Android 14. Any adjustments are mainly of an optical nature. There are also some apps from Xiaomi itself. That’s fine and, as usual with Android, I can make many changes to my liking.

What annoys me, however, are the countless pre-installed apps from third-party providers – especially games. They’re easy to uninstall, but I haven’t seen such a flood of advertising for a long time.

Another minus point: Xiaomi isn’t promising any more than a major update for the Redmi Note. And the smartphone may have already received this with the switch from Android 13 to 14. Unless Xiaomi means the update to MIUI 15. The manufacturer also doesn’t make any clear statements regarding security updates for its mid-range devices.