Like last time, Redmi kicks off the new year with one of its legacy series — the Note. This series is synonymous with value-for-money smartphones for the masses. While we have seen bumps in the price of these devices, technological upgrades have always accompanied them.
The latest and priciest offering in the series, the Note 13 Pro Plus, comes with a much-needed design revamp, a curved display, water resistance, and more.
With the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra at its heart, the Note 13 Pro Plus has great potential. But, with the ever-growing choices and competition in the market, can the smartphone stand out? While you will have to wait for the full review of the device for an in-depth answer, let’s look at my first impressions of the device.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus First Impressions: Pricing and availability in India
The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has three different storage and RAM variants. The phone will go on sale starting January 10th and will be available on Flipkart and Mi Store. Redmi also has ties with ICICI Bank for a maximum of Rs 2,000 discount using a credit or debit card. You can also avail an extra Rs 2,000 exchange bonus.
- 8GB RAM and 256GB storage: Rs 31,999
- 12GB RAM and 256GB storage: Rs 33,999
- 12GB RAM and 512GB storage: Rs 35,999
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus First Impressions: Inside the Retail Box
For the Note 13 series retail box, Redmi has chosen a nostalgic approach — with a bright red outer covering that reminds me of the Redmi 5 from back in the day. The unboxing experience is pretty straightforward, and inside the box, you will find:
- User manual
- Back case
- Sim ejector tool
- Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus
- 120W charging brick
- USB Type-A to USB Type-C charging cable
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus First Impressions: Design
The Note 13 Pro Plus gets a design overhaul and a fresh new coat of paint. Compared to its predecessor, the phone has a more ergonomic and premium design. It is available in three colour options: Fusion Purple, Fusion Black, and Fusion White — clearly something is fusing.
I have the black variant with me, and it sports a glass back — which is extremely slippery, so slapping on a case should be the first thing when you get the phone. The purple hue gets the vegan leather treatment and looks stunning.
This variant has a mix of vibrant colours that immediately warrants your attention. The individual camera modules protrude slightly, causing table wobbles. At 207 grams, the phone is on the heavier side of the scale, but this is partially because of the use of glass.
The Note 13 Pro Plus features a USB-Type C port, speaker grille, and a SIM tray at the bottom, while an IR blaster, secondary speaker, and a microphone cover the top portion. You get the volume rockers and power button on the right side of the device. The phone also comes with an IP68 water and dust resistance, which is impressive.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus First Impressions: Display
Unlike last year, the Note 13 Pro Plus has a curved display, which adds to the premiumness of the device. The phone tackles accidental touches on the edges of the display using a simple touch-ignoring algorithm, this can be tweaked within the settings.
The 6.67-inch AMOLED panel has a peak brightness of 1800 nits. It has a refresh rate of 120Hz for smooth scrolling and 1.5K resolution. Content consumption on it was enjoyable, we will get into more details about the colours and overall experience in the full review of the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus First Impressions: Cameras
The phone follows almost the same camera setup as its predecessor with a triple-lens module. The 200-megapixel camera has been retained, but this time, with an ISOCELL HP3 sensor. The primary camera is said to offer imaging improvements over last year — while initial experience is good, we will be testing that claim rigorously.
You also get an 8-megapixel ultrawide angle camera, and sadly, the 2-megapixel macro camera still makes an appearance here. On the front, you get a 16-megapixel shooter for selfies.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus First Impressions: Hardware
The Note 13 Pro Plus is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra SoC, which makes its debut in India. Since it is the eldest sibling in the series, you get an LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The phone runs MIUI 14 based on Android 13. Redmi has confirmed that the Note 13 Pro Plus will receive an update for HyperOS.
Inside, you get a 5,000mAh battery, which can be instantly juiced up using the retained 120W brick — the numbers are crazy, but whether they translate well in real life too, we will get into that in the review soon.
Initial Thoughts
On first impressions, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus feels like a cautious upgrade over the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus (Review) — but the design overhaul, display advancements and an increase in performance metrics might entice a lot of people. However, the phone starts at Rs 31,999 — which is the first time the Note series will break the Rs 30,000 price barrier.
This segment opens the Note 13 Pro Plus to a myriad of competition, especially from performance-focused smartphones such as the iQOO Neo 7 Pro and the OnePlus Nord 3. That said, it will be interesting to see if the all-rounder approach of the phone will interest more people.
If the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has piqued your interest and you want to know whether it is a worthy buy, stay tuned to MySmartPrice for a detailed review.
