In India, 5G is practically an old hat now. Finding a decent 5G phone on the budget side of the spectrum has also started getting better, and Xiaomi is trying to play its part with its latest Redmi 13 5G. It’s the successor to last year’s Redmi 12 5G, following the same track while offering more value. It offers a 108MP primary camera, 33W fast charging, and Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS. We have been putting the Redmi 13 5G through its paces, but can it win the gold this time? Well, let’s find out in our review.
Redmi 13 5G
Rs 13,999
What Is Good?
- Stylish and modern design
- Headphone jack
- Smooth 120Hz display
- Good daylight camera performance
- Long battery life
- Good value for money
What Is Bad?
- Laggy performance
- Bloatware apps
- Average low-light camera
- Dim outdoor brightness
Redmi 13 5G Review: Pricing and Availability in India
| Device | Storage | Price |
|
Redmi 13 5G
|
6GB+128GB | Rs 13,999 |
| 8GB+128GB | Rs 15,499 |
To celebrate its 10th anniversary in India, Xiaomi is offering an extra Rs 1,000 discount on both variants. This offer applies to specific credit and debit cards. Besides, the device will be available on Amazon and Xiaomi’s official website from July 12.
Redmi 13 5G Review: Design and Build Quality
| Specification | Details |
| Dimensions |
Height: 168.6mm, Width: 76.28mm, Thickness: 8.3mm
|
| Weight | 205g |
| Colour Options |
Hawaiian Blue, Black Diamond, Orchid Pink
|
When you first hold the device, it looks like the company has given it a glass back but that’s not the case. It is plastic that tries to look like glass. The device is available in Orchid Pink, a funky Hawaiian Blue with a mysterious pattern, and the light-catching Black Diamond (which sparkles like its namesake). The overall design is quite modern and is surely a head-turner.
Despite weighing 205 grams, the device feels light and comfortable to hold even for extended periods. The Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the front, while the back uses strengthened glass and features the familiar infinite camera design from the Redmi Note 12 series. This includes a prominent ring-shaped flash, which also works as a notification light.
Apart from this, the phone has an IP53 rating. It can handle the drizzles but swimming is definitely out of the question. However, there’s a nifty feature for clumsy users or for those who live life by the pool. The display can still detect the touch input even if your finger is wet. This should also be helpful to people who love listening to music when in the shower.
The Redmi 13 5G also brings back memories by including a 3.5mm headphone jack. This will make budget-minded music lovers who prefer wired headphones very happy.
Redmi 13 5G Review: Display and Audio
| Specification | Details |
| Size | 6.79 inches |
| Type | LCD |
| Resolution |
(2400×1080 pixels) FHD+
|
| Refresh Rate |
120Hz (adaptive sync: 30/48/50/60/90/120 Hz)
|
| Touch Sampling Rate | 240Hz |
| Brightness |
Typical: 450nit / HBM: 550nit
|
| Protection |
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
|
| Certifications |
TÜV Rheinland low blue light, flicker-free, Circadian Friendly
|
| Other Features |
Wet Finger Touch Display
|
The 6.79-inch FHD+ panel offers decent visuals indoors, with the 120Hz refresh rate adding a touch of smoothness. The display produces good colours with decent sharpness, which aids the watching experience. Since it is an LCD panel, the blacks aren’t that deep, but on the bright side, it manages to keep colours balanced. There’s also a Widevine L1 support on Netflix, which is a big plus for a budget phone. We watched Mirzapur S3 and the viewing experience on the phone didn’t disappoint at all.
While content consumption is acceptable indoors, things get trickier when you take the device outdoors. Even during the current cloudy weather — you’ll likely find yourself squinting at the viewfinder or struggling to see the screen even with max brightness.
The Redmi 13 5G sadly features a single-speaker setup. While the audio quality is good with clear and balanced sound, a stereo speaker setup would have elevated the entire experience.
Redmi 13 5G Review: Performance and UI
| Specification | Details |
| Processor |
Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 AE (Accelerated Edition)
|
| Process Technology | 4nm |
| CPU |
2x Arm Cortex-A78 up to 2.3GHz, 6x Arm Cortex-A55 up to 1.95GHz
|
| GPU |
Qualcomm Adreno 613
|
| Operating System |
Xiaomi HyperOS based on Android 14
|
| RAM and Storage |
6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB
|
| Cooling System | Graphite Sheets |
Xiaomi is sticking to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset. However, unlike its predecessor, the company is using the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 AE (Accelerated Edition) this time, a new variant of the same chipset. While the core specifications remain the same, the Accelerated Edition offers optimisation for better performance and battery life.
While all that is good, the performance is a mixed bag. The phone handles basic tasks well but there are instances where we’ve noticed lags and stutters despite not running anything intensive. These jitters appear even while switching between apps, scrolling menus, or during basic navigation. This is not consistent but is something that happens intermittently.
While gaming on the Redmi 13 5G is possible, it has limitations. Titles like BGMI ran well on low graphics settings, but pushing it further to demanding presets caused frame drops and lags, which hindered our gaming experience. BGMI can go up to HD and High graphics, reaching up to 40.2 fps, and a minimum of Smooth and Ultra, dropping to 29.4 fps.
For Call of Duty: Mobile, the maximum graphic quality is Very High with High, peaking at 40.2 fps, while the minimum is Low quality with High fps, going down to 21.9 fps. However, the lag was also noticeable on Call of Duty: Mobile. Even basic actions like running or picking up items caused minor jitters at low graphic settings, causing frustrating moments. Of course, the Redmi 13 5G is not a gaming device, so lesser intensive games such as Subway Surfers and more should run swiftly. Here’s how it performed against its rivals like Moto G64 5G, Vivo T3x 5G, and Realme NARZO 70 5G.
This is Xiaomi’s first budget phone running HyperOS, offering plenty of customisation options. With Xiaomi’s library, you can personalise your lock screen, fonts, icons, wallpapers, themes, and more. If you enjoy customising your devices, the Redmi 13 5G is sure to meet your expectations.
While the overall software experience is good, there are some pre-installed apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, and WPS, along with some ads in the UI. If these apps are not of use to you, they can be uninstalled. On the bright side, the Redmi 13 5G promises two years of Android updates and four years of security patches, which is a plus for a budget phone.
Redmi 13 5G Review: Cameras
| Specification | Details |
| Rear Camera |
108MP Pro-Grade AI Dual Camera, Samsung ISOCELL HM6 Sensor
|
| In-Sensor Zoom | 3x |
| Sensor Size | 1/1.67” |
| Pixel Size |
0.64μm (9-in-1 Super Pixel: 1.92μm)
|
| Aperture | f/1.75 |
| Lens | 6P |
| Rear Camera Features |
Night mode, AI auto night mode, Macro, Panorama, AI watermark, Beautify, HDR, Google Lens, Voice shutter, Art framing, Sticker, Film filters
|
| Rear Video Recording |
1080p at 30FPS, 720p at 30FPS
|
| Front Camera | 13MP |
| Front Camera Aperture | f/2.45 |
| Front Camera Features |
Film filters, Panorama, Timed burst, AI beautify, HDR, Selfie timer, Screen soft light/Flash, Palm shutter, Voice shutter, Add timestamp on photos
|
| Front Video Recording |
1080p at 30FPS, 720p at 30FPS
|
The Redmi 13 5G cameras are one of the device’s key heroes. The primary camera shines in good lighting with a balanced dynamic range, accurate colours, and good detail. It also keeps the saturation level under check and doesn’t go overboard with the colours, which can be the case with some budget phones.
However, the camera’s performance in low-light conditions is not as strong, which was somewhat anticipated. While well-lit indoor scenes can still manage some detail and colour accuracy, in the absence of adequate light, it drastically lowers the shutter speed to let more light into the photos. This is quite natural, but slight movements can produce blurry images.
Portrait mode offers a surprising win in daylight, with reasonably accurate edge detection around your subject. It also keeps skin tones fairly accurate. But the situation is not that admirable in low-light portraits.
Moving on to the selfie shooter, bright conditions produce flattering photos with good skin tone preservation and details. While there are instances of high contrasty selfies, there’s nothing to worry about here. These images are good to go on your Instagram stories.
Redmi 13 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging
The Redmi 13 5G packs a 5,030mAh battery, which offers decent optimisation for everyday use. With typical tasks like browsing, texting, calling, and social media scrolling, you can expect to comfortably reach the end of the day on a single charge.
However, push it with more demanding activities, and the battery life takes a bit of a hit. We also ran the PCMark battery test, and the Redmi 13 5G lasted 13 hours and 30 minutes, which is on par with what we got on the itel S24, Google Pixel 8a, and Realme P1.
The good news is that charging is relatively speedy. During our testing, the device went from dead to 45% in just half an hour, and it took 1 hour and 13 minutes to charge fully.
Verdict
So, should you buy the Redmi 13 5G? The short answer is “Yes.” It has a great FHD display, good battery life, and capable cameras. If you’re looking for a 5G phone under Rs 15,000, the Redmi 13 5G is worth considering. However, consider getting the higher variant with 8GB RAM for slightly more longevity.
The large, colourful display is good for movie geeks, and the cameras capture dependable photos in daylight. The long battery life and fast charging are also pluses. However, there are a few compromises too. The budget-oriented processor stumbles under heavy multitasking or demanding games, and the software experience can be slightly annoying with spammy notifications.
However, if you want a cleaner software experience, the Moto G64 might be a good choice. And, if you are after better optics and overall good performance then the Vivo T3x and Realme Narzo 70x 5G are also worth considering.
Tested by Shubh Bhushan
