To put it simply, I was thinking about another phone called realme 11 Pro+ while writing this script for the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. These two phones are quite similar. They both have fake leather back covers, 200-megapixel main cameras, and they both cost around $300. We don’t have the realme 11 Pro+ with us anymore, but we still have the test data. So, can the Note 13 Pro+ be better than a phone that came out four months ago? Let’s find out.
Performance & Gaming
Usually, if a Redmi Note doesn’t have a ‘T’ in its name, it’s not very powerful. But this time, the Note 13 Pro+ is better than expected in terms of performance. It’s not as strong as the Note 12 Turbo, but it’s better than last year’s 12 Pro+ and realme 11 Pro+. The Note 13 Pro+ should provide a good gaming experience, but the difference in frame rates isn’t as big as the scores suggest. In fact, the gaming experience feels about the same.
So, did the Dimensity 7200-Ultra in the 13 Pro+ help? Not really. But if you want to shoot smooth 4K videos, the EIS support makes a difference, and the realme 11 Pro+ can’t do that.
Camera
Like the realme 11 Pro+, the Note 13 Pro+ replaces the telephoto camera with a high-megapixel main camera, which is great for a mid-range phone. The HP3 sensor is excellent, even though it doesn’t take 200MP photos, it’s still one of the best.
Here are a couple of things you should know: first, if you need to take a photo from a distance, try to zoom in before taking the picture, rather than cropping a 200MP photo afterward. Manual zoom looks much sharper in these cases. Second, when it’s dark, avoid zooming in more than 2 times, or the photo quality will suffer. Third, night mode improves the dynamic range but not the sharpness, so use Auto mode for sharper zoomed photos. Lastly, there’s a noticeable issue with purple fringing in the main camera, which seems to be a bug in the Note 13 Pro+’s software.
Display
The display on the Note 13 Pro+ has improved thanks to better panels from TCL. It’s one of the best screens in its price range, with high brightness and accurate colors. It also has eye protection features and certifications from TÜV Rheinland. But personally, I’d prefer a flat screen over a curved one, as curved screens often have greenish edges.
Design
We didn’t see the vegan leather version of the Note 13 Pro+ in the unboxing and hands-on videos, but now we have it. Some people might find this Note 13 Pro+ the most beautiful Redmi phone ever. However, the vegan leather seems softer, and you might notice some vibration from the back cover when the volume is high. It’s not a big issue, though. The Note 13 Pro+ also has a special 2-in-1 speaker motor, which saves space and provides better bass and volume.
Battery & Charging
The Note 13 Pro+ can fully charge in just 23 minutes thanks to its 120W charging, but it only has a slight advantage over the realme 11 Pro+ in the first 15 minutes. However, this better performance might come at the cost of worse battery life, or it could be due to optimization issues. So, as of now, the 13 Pro+’s battery life isn’t considered excellent.
Conclusion
In short, the Note 13 Pro+ is a great phone to buy. There’s not much to complain about except for slightly lower performance and battery life compared to some other phones. But that’s expected with budget phones. It offers better performance than the realme 11 Pro+, better speakers, and it’s IP68 certified. So, between the two phones, I would recommend the Note 13 Pro+.
Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqiUQqq6IXU