Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series is easily characterized by a sleek design, compact form factor, and an attractive price-performance ratio. This year, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 13 Pro on September 21 in China. With all the hype and buzz surrounding the device, here’s a detailed take on what the users are getting in this year’s Note 13 Pro.  Key Specifications of Redmi Note 13 Pro   Design and Build Quality  The design of the Redmi series has always been something out of the ordinary. The distinct design elements are especially visible on the back of the device. Last year, there was the stardust-like sparkle with the Purple variant. This year too, the users will be getting a marble-like finish with the White variant.  The device holds a 161.2 mm by 74.3 mm by 8 mm dimension with a weight of 187 g. The plastic frame and back aid in an overall lightweight build quality. Speaking of the build, the device is flat on all sides with slightly rounded edges.  Read more: vivo Y17s Review with Price in Bangladesh The camera housing on the back has gotten significantly larger than last year. The design somehow reminded me of the Infinix Note 30. However, the design highlight of the Note 13 Pro has to be its display. The Note 13 Pro is marketed as a mid-range smartphone. At this price point, Redmi has been able to fit in a symmetric punch-hole display with minimal bezel. Coming to ports and buttons, everything is as expected on the Note 13 Pro. The volume rocker and the power button are placed on the side. This year, users will be getting an in-display fingerprint scanner compared to last year’s side-mounted one. The headphone is placed on top of the device with the speaker and Type-C making up the bottom.  The Display  As mentioned earlier, the display is one of the highlights of the Note 13 Pro. There’s a 6.67-inch OLED display on the Note 13 Pro with 68B color, 120 Hz refresh rate, and Dolby Vision. The display boasts an unusual 1.5K resolution with 1220 x 2712 pixels with 446 ppi density.  Read more: 10 Best GPS Trackers for Motorcycles in Bangladesh The uniform bezel design allows for about 89.7% screen-to-body ratio which is one of the highest in this price range. The performance of the display also lives up to its specs. The content on the display looks crisp and sharp with a cooler tone. It also has 1800 nits of peak brightness which makes the display perfectly legible under direct sunlight.  A surprising addition to the panel is the use of the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. It's unusual to see a top-of-the-line display protection tech being used in a mid-range smartphone.  Overall, the display is a strong suit of the Note 13 Pro in terms of both performance and value proposition.  Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Review: Know the Pros and Cons The Camera  There’s a triple camera setup on the Note 13 Pro. The main sensor is a 200 MP one with an f/1.7 wide angle aperture and a 1/1.4” sensor.  It also has multidirectional PDAF and OIS. The main sensor is supported by an 8 MP f/2.2 120˚ ultrawide sensor. And a 2 MP f/2.4 macro shooter.  Not to mention, the configuration of the 13 Pro’s primary sensor is a huge improvement from the ancestor Note 12 Pro’s 50 MP camera. However, the Note 13 Pro’s performance of the main camera is quite average. Though the sensor has a 200 MP count, its resolution is significantly lowered while using the pixel binning technology. Now, a question stands whether the 200 MP sensor is a marketing gimmick.  The dual LED flash is positioned in such a way that the dial of the flash is the same size as that of the macro sensor.  Read more: Symphony Helio 80 Review: Is the hype justified? In daylight, pictures came out great with decent dynamic range. The subject and the background had good distinctions in each shot with sharp focus and details in place. The pictures in bright conditions had a cooler tone to them. The ultrawide sensor also did a better job than the previous generation. However, there is still that slight fish-eye effect around the edges. Other than that, no complaints about daylight photography.  However, things aren’t the same in low-light conditions. Pictures taken in artificial lights suffer from exposure issues at times. There are also noticeable grains and noises in pictures taken with auto mode. Using the night helps to reduce them a bit but depending on the lighting conditions, some shots might come out overexposed.  The videography can go up to 4K at 30 fps and 1080P at 30, 60, and 120 fps. The outputs are decent thanks to the multidirectional PDAF and the OIS onboard. There’s also a generic 16 MP front shooter which is good enough for casual videos and selfies.  Read more: vivo V29 5G Review: Is it a balanced camera phone? Processor and Performance  The processor on the Redmi Note 13 Pro is a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 based on the 4 Nm architecture. This is a slightly toned-down version of the premium midrange 7 Gen chipsets from Snapdragon. The closest comparable chipset to the 7s Gen 2 is the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 6nm which was provided in the ancestor Redmi Note 12 Pro. But even then, the 7s Gen 2 slightly outperforms the Dimensity 1080.  The octa-core processor has a chip design of 4x2.40 GHz & 4x1.95 GHz with Adreno 710 GPU. In the test, the processor was able to run day-to-day tasks smoothly. The gaming results were also pretty good with the Note 13 Pro. PUBG could be run at HDR Extreme which asserts the processor’s capability. Titles like Asphalt 9, Genshin Impact, and COD also ran smoothly initially. It's “initially” because the device tends to heat up after about 30-odd minutes of gaming. Once the thermal throttling kicks in, there are occasional frame drops here and there.  The processor is supported by Android 13 with Redmi’s custom MIUI 14. The global variant would come with Google support but the test unit at hand had the Chinese ROM. There were usual bloatware and ads which hopefully won’t be present at the global variant.  Read more: Best Tablets under Tk 25000 in Bangladesh Battery and Charge Time  The Redmi Note 13 Pro has a 5100 mAh battery onboard with 67W fast charging support. A typical use of the device would last an entire day of use or about 6 to 7 hours of SoT. The fast charging can take the device from 0 to 100% in 44 minutes.  Pros and Cons of Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro  Pros:  ·      Interesting design  ·      Good build quality  ·      Excellent display  ·      Gorilla Glass Victus protection  ·      Great battery  Cons:  ·      An average front camera  ·      Heating issues. Read more: OPPO A58 Review: Is this budget-friendly phone good for photos? Official Price of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro  The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro comes in 5 different storage and RAM configurations in China. They are the 8/128 GB, 8/256 GB, 12/256 GB, 12/512 GB and 16/512 GB. The price of each of the variants is 1499 RMB, 1599 RMB, 1699 RMB, 1899 RMB, and 1999 RMB respectively.  The price amounts to 22790 BDT, 24311 BDT, 25831 BDT, 28872 BDT, and 30392 BDT respectively (1 RMB = 15.20 BDT). These are unofficial prices in Bangladesh. The official prices are expected to differ from the converted price. Verdict  The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro is a worthy incremental update to the highly popular Redmi Note 12 Pro. The updated display, camera, and processor are its strongest selling points. The 7s Gen 2 perfectly complements everyday use as well as the gaming capability of the Note 13 Pro. On the contrary, the front camera could have been updated for a better performance. There’s also the heating issue with intensive use which might be another concern for gaming enthusiasts.  So who is the Note 13 Pro for? It is geared toward those looking for a mid-range smartphone with a good camera, display, and occasional gaming use. It can be a great buy considering all the storage options it brings to the table.  Read more: Top 9 Most Anticipated Smartphones Coming to Bangladesh in October 2023

The Note series from Redmi has historically been their premium mid-range line of smartphones. Last year, the Note 12 Pro+ launched with premium additions to a mid-range processor. This year, the Note 13 Pro+ brought several exciting additions with a fresh new processor. The device was recently unveiled in the Chinese market on 21st September 2023. Here’s a detailed take on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus smartphone.  Key Specifications of Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus   Design and Build Quality  Every year, the Note series brings visible changes to their designs which gives each iteration its unique look. This year, the camera housing has been replaced with a flush back with the camera modules placed directly on the back of the device.  The device comes in at 161.4 mm by 74.2 mm by 8.9 mm dimension with a weight of about 204.5 g. It is on the heavier side thanks to the glass front and an aluminum frame. Read more: Symphony Helio 80 Review: Is the hype justified? The Black and White variant of the 13 Pro+ comes with a frosted finish on the back whereas the Violet comes with a tan leather back with an interesting color choice. There’s also a Camo Green variant for the fans of tactical looks. There are four gradients on the leather back arranged geometrically. It brings a fresh new look which will work best with a clear case or no case at all.  Another design highlight of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is its front. The uniform front bezel has a minimal center punch-hole design. The 89.7% screen-to-body ratio provides a display real estate that can be compared with the premium flagships.  The choice of ports and buttons are as usual with no headphone jack and no extendable storage. The headphone jack was present even in Note 12 Pro+. But unfortunately, the run ends with the Note 13 Pro+. Another noticeable change this year is the switch of the physical fingerprint scanner from the power button to the in-display optical sensor. And the last big upgrade is the IP68 water and dust resistance (1.5 m for 30 minutes) up from the IP53 rating from last year’s Note 12 Pro+.  Read more: vivo V29 5G Review: Is it a balanced camera phone? The Display  The display on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is an OLED one with 68B color, 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and Dolby Vision. By the specs, the display on the 13 Pro+ is stacked. The 6.67-inch display has a 1.5K resolution with 1220 by 2712 pixels. This 20:9 aspect ratio allows for 446 ppi density. The front uniform design of the display is one of the key features that stands out. There’s hardly any device in this price segment that replicates a similar design.  The display performance was also great. The OLED panel was able to churn out deep blacks with sharp contrasts. There were no noticeable color shifts even though the device curved on both edges.  Outdoor visibility is also great on the Note 13 Pro+ thanks to the 1800 nits of peak brightness. Xiaomi also used Gorilla Glass Victus on the front which provides an improved scratch and crack resistance.  Read more: Honor Pad X9 Review: Is it worth buying? The Camera  There’s a triple camera setup on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. The main sensor is a 200 MP f/1.7, (wide) with a 1/1.4" lens. The main camera is complemented by an 8 MP f/2.2 sensor with a 120˚  field of view. There’s also a 2 MP macro shooter on board. The sleek horizontal flash bar In essence, the main sensor does all the heavy lifting for the device. Even then, using a 200 MP sensor on a mid-range smartphone is a bit of an overkill because the smartphone can’t really shoot 200 MP raw.  There are several initial thoughts after testing out the camera. Firstly, it is better to zoom in on a photo while clicking rather than cropping the image. The initial zoomed-in pictures provide better contrast and sharpness compared to the cropped ones. Read more: OPPO A58 Review: Is this budget-friendly phone good for photos? Secondly, the night mode works well to improve the contrast and the dynamic range but not the sharpness. For better sharpness, the auto mode works better than the night mode in low-light scenarios. There’s also this purple fringing issue while taking pictures directly against a light source. However, this is something that will probably be solved with an update.  The videography on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is 4K at 24 or 30 fps as well as 1080P at 24, 30, and 120 fps. The videos appeared to be sharp with good stabilization and exposure in well-lit environments. The quality falls a bit indoors but that’s expected given the lighting conditions.  There’s a 16 MP front shooter good enough for video calls and casual selfies. Read more: OPPO A78 Review: Is it a balanced mid-range phone? Processor and Performance  The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ comes with Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Ultra based on a 4 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor has a chip design of 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510 with Mali-G610 MC4 GPU onboard.  In terms of performance, the Note 13 Pro+ is an upgrade over the 12 Pro+. Typically, the Pro+ editions are slightly less powerful than the Turbo editions. It remains to be seen how the 13 Pro+ fares against the 13T.  In the test, the 13 Pro+ showed consistent results. The 1136 and 2664 scores in the single and multi-core GeekBench 6 assert satisfactory results. Games like Genshin Impact, PUBG, and Asphalt 9 can be run in the highest graphics settings. But there were some occasional frame drops here and there. The device comes in the highest storage configuration of 16GB RAM and 512 GB of internal storage. On the OS front, the device is powered by MIUI 14 based on Android 13. MIUI 14 has come a long way from its bloatware-filled days. However, it’s still not on par with stock Android and anyone coming from outside the MI ecosystem might need some time to get used to it.  Read more: Xiaomi Redmi K60 Ultra Review: A Gamer's Delight Battery and Charge Time  The battery on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is 5000 mAh. The standard battery capacity is complemented by a 120W fast charging system which can take the battery to 100% in 19 minutes. However, the battery runs out quickly while playing high-definition multiplayer games. Pros and Cons of Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+  Pros:  - Stylish and innovative design  - Sharp display  - Great camera  - 120W fast charging  - 5G enabled  Cons:  - Underperforming processors  - Reduced screen time. Read more: Best Tablets under Tk 25000 in Bangladesh Price of Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+  The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is available in three configurations – 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 16/512GB respectively. The prices of each of the variants are 1899 RMB, 2099 RMB, and 2199 RMB respectively. The price roughly translates to 28,969 BDT, 32,020 BDT, and 33,545 BDT respectively (1 RMB = 15.26 BDT). However, the price in Bangladesh may grossly differ once it becomes officially available in Bangladesh.  Verdict  The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is an incremental update to last year’s 12 Pro+. It gets a lot of the things right like the camera, battery, desi,gn, and display. On the flip side, the processor doesn’t perform on par with other premium features of the device. And, its battery life may disappoint the users. Overall, the Note 13 Pro+ as a whole is a great mid-range smartphone. For anyone looking for a casual daily driver with an amazing display and great camera, the Note 13 Pro+ can be an easy pick.  Read more: Top 9 Most Anticipated Smartphones Coming to Bangladesh in October 2023