Xiaomi started off the Redmi Note series as a budget-friendly smartphone lineup, but over the course of the past two years, the brand has been striving to make its mark in the mid-range market as well. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ was the first Note smartphone from the brand that marked its entry into the mid-range segment. The company is now into the second year of pursuing this strategy, and Xiaomi has stepped up its game with the latest Redmi Note 13 Pro+.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ brings in a number of premium-tier features to the mid-range category, such as a new 120Hz curved AMOLED display with an under-display fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance (a first for the Redmi Note series), and a 200MP camera sensor. I’ve been testing the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ for a few weeks now, and I believe it’s one of the best mid-range smartphones you can buy in 2024. It offers excellent value for the money, bar some drawbacks, such as some software issues, an unnecessary macro camera, and a few other minor quirks.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+

The Best Redmi Note Yet

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is the latest mid-ranger from the Xiaomi sub-brand. It features an expansive 6.67-inch curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Ultra, and, for the first time, IP68 dust and water resistance. This is simply the best Redmi Note yet.

Pros

• Excellent curved AMOLED display with vibrant colors
• Outstanding design with comfortable grip
• IP68 rating at an affordable price
• Impressive battery life with fast 120W charging and charger included in the box
• Solid performance with MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra

Cons

• MIUI has excessive bloatware
• Camera performance doesn’t quite meet the mark
• Runs Android 13 out of the box

Price and availability

Xiaomi introduced the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ in China towards the end of 2023. The series then arrived in India on January 4, 2024, with a starting price of Rs. 31,999 (approximately $380). Now, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ in global markets, with a base price of $400. The base version offers 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the higher-end model, comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The price and the availability for the top-end variant has not been announced yet.

What’s in the box?

Wondering what you get for what you pay? Well, comparing to what brands like Samsung and Apple include in the box, Xiaomi is quite generous. In the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ box, you’ll find a fast 120W charging adapter, along with essential accessories like a silicone case and a pre-applied screen protector. Here’s a detailed list of what’s inside the box of Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus:

• Redmi Note 13 Pro+ smartphone
• Screen protector (pre-applied)
• SIM toolkit
• User guide
• Silicone case
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• 120W charging adapter

Build and design

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

• Dual-curved design: curved front and back create a sleek look
• Ergonomic feel with a comfortable grip
• IP68 dust and water resistance comes in handy

Taking a look at the device, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ feels very premium. The phone features a curved back and a curved front with an aluminum frame holding it all together. While the phone does feel slightly thick at some points (top and bottom), it doesn’t feel bulky in hand thanks to the curved back and front. Really, with these symmetric curves and premium materials all around the device, you would not feel this is a $400 phone.

The overall design is very elegant and minimalist. The top half of the phone is divided into three sections: one containing the individual camera cutouts, while one section houses the flash and “200 MEGA OIS” branding. The third displays the “Redmi” and “AI Camera” branding. There are three colors options to choose from, namely Midnight Black, Moonlight White, and Aurora Purple. The White and Black variants offer a glass back, while the Aurora Purple variant offers a PU Leather finish and packs four brilliant-looking pastel colors for the back.

Moving around the device, you’ll find the power button and volume rockers on the right side, while the bottom features the USB-C port and SIM card slot. The left-hand side is empty, while the top features a microphone, a speaker, and an infrared sensor. Another big change from its predecessor is that Xiaomi has moved on from a side-button fingerprint sensor to an in-display optical sensor, although some may find its placement too low on the screen. Nonetheless, it works as expected and is pretty fast and accurate.

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

Durability is a big focus this time, with the front of the device featuring a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for better scratch protection and reinforced edges on the aluminum frame for enhanced resistance against drops. I (accidentally) had the chance to put its durability to the test as I (again, accidentally) dropped the phone from a height of about 6 feet while taking a photo, and I’m pleased to say the phone survived the drop without any cracks, scratches, or dents. What is particularly new this time is the IP68 dust and water resistance. Xiaomi is bringing a feature that not even a lot of high-end phones, for example, the OnePlus 11, don’t come with.

The only drawback to the design that I could find is that it is prone to smudges and fingerprints, especially if you get the Midnight Black or the Moonlight White variant. The PU leather variant is a little bit better at handling fingerprints, but Xiaomi does include a silicone case in the box in case you need it.

Display

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

• 6.67-inch 1.5K Curved AMOLED display
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 1800 nits peak brightness

Moving onto the display, you get a big, premium-looking 6.67-inch AMOLED display up front that is curved on the two sides. This screen supports up to 120Hz refresh rate and features 2712 x 1220-pixel resolution (1.5K), which accounts to a high pixel density of 446 PPI. One key area where the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ beats the likes of other mid-range smartphones, such as HONOR 90 and vivo V29, is in the brightness, going up to a whopping 1800 nits for HDR10+ playback.

The overall user experience, compared to the previous Redmi Note smartphones, is enhanced by the curved sides, which not only look stylish but also ensure that the phone remains comfortable to hold. The bezels surrounding the display are also minimal, and there are barely any accidental touches. I have to say, this is one of the best displays I have seen and used in a while, especially in this price segment.

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

As for the colors, they are vibrant and vivid, and the HDR playback is just fantastic — Redmi Note 13 Pro+ supports Widevine L1, so you get the best playback on apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video. You can adjust the colors in the display settings, but I went with the recommended Vibrant setting and never had to change it again.

Overall, the large, expansive screen is a delight to use. Not to forget, it’s also easy on the eyes thanks to features like TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light, Flicker-Free, and Circadian Friendly certifications.

Specifications and Performance

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series has been known for offering impressive hardware without breaking the bank, and the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus continues that tradition. This phone is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 7200 Ultra chipset, which is built on an efficient 4nm node process architecture. It features two Cortex-A715 cores clocked at 2.8 GHz and six Cortex-A510 cores running at 2 GHz, while Mali-G610 handles the graphics.

The phone ran smoothly, as expected, and there was rarely anytime I experienced hiccups during my normal day-to-day use, which involves a lot of texting, scrolling through social media apps, surfing the internet, checking emails, making calls, and some light gaming. Speaking of gaming, this device handles it quite well. Gameplay is generally smooth, with minimal dropped frames — although I did note that it became a little warm on prolonged usage.

The company also offers plenty of storage on the base model (256GB), which is good to see. However, I would still recommend considering the top-end variant, since it comes with 12GB of RAM, which would be better for things like multi-tasking, and then there’s also the future-proof assurance of 512GB of storage.

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

In terms of benchmarks, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus delivers similar performance to devices like the vivo V29 Pro and outperforms the Samsung Galaxy A54. On Geekbench 6, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus achieved a single-core score of 1123 and a multi-core score of 2618. This is comparable to the vivo V29 Pro, which scored 1,209 in single-core and 3,962 in multi-core. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A54 lagged behind with a single-core score of 977 but a comparable multi-core score of 2760.

Coming to the software, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ runs on MIUI 14 out of the box, which is based on Android 13 (not Android 14, contrary to the Android skin’s deceiving name). Although Xiaomi has unveiled its brand new HyperOS, what it calls as the “human-centric operating system designed for the Human x Car x Home,” you don’t get it on this device.

MIUI 14, as usual, runs smoothly and offers a lot of customization options. However, I found myself a bit frustrated with the amount of bloatware that I had to remove from the device after the initial setup – there was quite a bit of it. Thankfully, I didn’t face any memory management or battery optimization quirks on this phone, and apps stay in memory and delivered notifications quite promptly. Xiaomi promises to provide three Android OS updates for the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, but since it already runs on Android 13, you’ll technically receive only two more latest Android versions.

Camera

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

• 200 MP primary camera with OIS
• 8MP ultra-wide camera
• 2MP macro camera

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ comes with a 200MP primary camera with an f/1.65 aperture and 1/1.4-inch sensor size. This sensor supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and employs 16-to-1 image binning, effectively reducing the image to 12.5MP for a larger pixel size. In addition to this, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ offers an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, you’ll find a 16MP selfie shooter.

The primary camera’s performance, in daylight, is quite good — you get a great dynamic range and accurate color reproduction with little to no noise. You have the ability to capture 200MP shots, which are great in detail. Moreover, in the 200MP mode, there’s a handy 2x feature for optical-level zoom, although the phone does support up to 4x digital zoom.

Surprisingly, even in low-light situations, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus beat my expectations, producing shots with impressive color reproduction and minimal noise. It couldn’ capture the fast wiggling tail of my pet dog in artifical lighting, but this is expected at this price point. The 8MP ultra-wide sensor provides decent results in daylight, though there is a noticeable color shift. As for the 2MP macro sensor, its usefulness remains questionable, again.

You can check out the camera samples I took with the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ down below. Unfortunately, I couldn’t upload the 200MP shots due to our CMS’ limitations, but you can view and download them from Google Drive using this link.

Camera Samples

Battery

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

Now, moving on to what I absolutely love about the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus — its battery life. The phone features a big 5,000 mAh battery, which easily lasts through a full day of use. No matter what I threw at it, I ended up the day with at least some juice left. The Dimensity 7200 Ultra chipset, apart from being powerful, surprisingly proves to be energy-efficient, making the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ one of the best mid-range phones in terms of battery life.

And, if somehow you manage to kill this device during the day, you can quickly top it up with the included 120W charger. This charger can take your Redmi Note 13 Pro+ from 0 to 100% in just about 21 minutes. This means you don’t even need to charge your device in the night — a quick top-up during the shower in the morning should mean enough battery for the whole day.

I wish more companies followed Xiaomi in offering such battery setup — outstanding battery life and extremely fast charging, and not compromising on one or the other.

Final Verdict

Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia

So, what’s the final word on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus? Is it worth buying? Well, if you’re in the market for a mid-range smartphone that gives you great value for your money, then the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is an excellent choice. It offers a premium design with a comfortable grip and in-hand feel, an absolutely gorgeous display, a capable processor, and fantastic battery life with fast charging, all for just $400.

Yes, there are some things holding it back, such as bloatware in the software, slightly underwhelming camera performance, and not running the latest Android version. However, if you can look past these issues and want an overall amazing device for an affordable price, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus is the mid-ranger to beat.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is the latest mid-ranger from the Xiaomi sub-brand. It features an expansive 6.67-inch curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Ultra, and, for the first time, IP68 dust and water resistance. This is simply the best Redmi Note yet.