Redmi 13 5G Review: Impressive 5G Phone, But Needs Improvement

The Redmi 13 5G is currently one of the most affordable 5G smartphones from the brand in India. Xiaomi’s effort to democratise affordable 5G technology in India has been ongoing for some time. The Redmi 13 5G is available for under Rs 15,000, and the recent Xiaomi-Qualcomm partnership for the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chipset may bring this price even lower. Priced at Rs 13,999, the Redmi 13 5G features a glass back, a 108MP camera sensor, Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 accelerated edition, and more. But does this make it the best budget 5G smartphone? Read our review to find out.

Design and Display

The Redmi 13 5G has an eye-catching design that feels premium at a budget price. The Crystal Glass design looks stunning in the Orchid Pink color. The Hawaiian Blue is another vibrant color option to consider, while the Black Diamond variant is ideal for those who prefer a simpler look. It is one of the few phones in the budget segment that features a glass back.

There are two large rings and a smaller one on the back. The large circles house the camera sensors, while the small ring has a circular LED light that doubles as a flashlight when needed.

A hybrid SIM slot is located on the left, and physical buttons are on the right. Xiaomi has included a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR blaster on top, with a microphone, type-C port, and speaker grille at the bottom.

The device weighs 205 grams yet feels lightweight in hand. The Redmi 13 5G is IP53 rated, meaning it offers limited protection against dust particles, but using it in the rain could be risky.

The Redmi 13 5G boasts a 6.79-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with thick bezels around it. The display is vibrant, sharp, and decent to use. It sports a wet-touch feature, allowing you to use the device with wet hands. It supports Widevine L1 certification, meaning you can stream HD content on OTT platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.

The combination of HyperOS fluidity and a 120Hz refresh rate makes the Redmi 13 5G display smooth to use. Additionally, it has an Adaptive Sync Refresh Rate, allowing it to switch from 30 to 120Hz depending on app usage to save battery life.

Xiaomi claims that the Redmi 13 5G display has a peak brightness of 550 nits. However, during our testing, we found the screen to be extremely dim in outdoor conditions, though it was adequate indoors.

The Redmi 13 5G has a mono speaker that performs adequately, but I recommend plugging in earphones for the best audio experience.

Performance

The Redmi 13 5G is powered by an accelerated edition of the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, based on a 4nm fabrication process. The chipset is paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. It has a hybrid SIM slot, allowing you to use a microSD card to increase its overall storage to 1TB.

Regarding benchmark scores, the Redmi 13 5G scored 3,79,442 on AnTuTu, which is considerably lower than the approximately 5 lakh score of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset found in the iQOO Z9x. On Geekbench, it achieved 956 in single-core and 2203 in multi-core performance.

In real-life usage, the Redmi 13 5G handles basic tasks smoothly. However, when multiple apps were running in the background, it started to struggle. BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile performed decently on low graphics settings, but the gameplay deteriorated when set to high graphics.

The Redmi 13 5G runs Android 14-based HyperOS out of the box and comes pre-loaded with multiple bloatware apps, including Netflix, Snapchat, PhonePe, and Facebook. These apps take a couple of minutes to uninstall. This is my first time using a HyperOS-loaded smartphone, and the experience has been pleasant so far. HyperOS offers a range of customisation features and smooth animations, though the device does receive annoying pop-up ads at random times. Xiaomi claims that the Redmi 13 5G will receive two years of software updates and four years of security updates.

Battery

The Redmi 13 5G features a 5,030mAh battery that lasts a day with moderate usage. By moderate usage, we mean scrolling through Instagram reels and X feeds, using the browser, watching videos on YouTube, and playing BGMI for about 30 minutes. The device comes with a 33W charger in the box, which charges the battery from 1 to 100 percent in 1 hour and 3 minutes. The iQOO Z9x, in a similar price segment, packs a 6,000mAh battery with 44W fast charging support.

Camera

The Redmi 13 5G features a dual rear camera setup consisting of a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera. Honestly, an 8MP ultrawide lens would have been a better replacement for the 2MP macro sensor.

The 108MP primary camera clicks excellent pictures in daylight, possibly one of the best in its price segment. The details and colors are well-reproduced, but the Dynamic Range is where the phone falters. I took the Redmi 13 5G to Hauz Khas Fort in Delhi, and it captured the greenery, historical monuments, and lake very well with proper details and natural colors. I also spotted a moving peacock in this pleasant weather, which the device captured nicely.

While capturing human subjects, I noticed that the phone struggles to control the overall white balance and distorts the natural skin tone, smoothing the skin and making it look artificial. The portrait mode detects subjects edge by edge and effectively blurs the background.

The 13MP selfie camera is decent but smooths the skin by default. The skin tone is hit or miss—sometimes it overexposes the skin, while other times it captures it very well.

In low-light or night conditions, the Redmi 13 5G takes pictures with noise and softness. I felt that the images could have been sharper and more detailed.

Overall, the 108MP primary sensor performs well, but the front camera could have been better tuned.

Verdict

The Redmi 13 5G is a well-balanced device in its price segment. For someone looking for a 5G phone under Rs 15,000 with a good rear camera, decent display, and long battery life, the Redmi 13 5G is a solid choice. However, there is room for improvement in performance, the front camera, and the user interface. If you are looking for a phone with better performance, the iQOO Z9x 5G might be a better option.