realme UI 5.0
realme 13 Pro 5G Review: Monet Inspired Competitive Mid-Range Phone
realme has an impressive track record when it comes to mid-range smartphones. At the start of the year, realme launched the 12 Pro which generated quite a buzz with its stylish design and value-for-money proposition. Just six months later, realme announced the release of 13 Pro on 30th July 2024. The 13 Pro brings even more features with the same aggressive pricing strategy. And it all begs the question, is the realme 13 Pro the best value-for-money mid-range phone of 2024? Let’s find out.
Key Specifications of realme 13 Pro 5G
Design and Build Quality
realme has always prioritized the design and build quality of their smartphones. And if you have any doubt about it, the 13 pro is Swiss SGS 5 stars rated in the drop protection category. Just like last year, the 13 Pro also boasts a design that can easily rival any flagship out there. The brand has collaborated with the MFA Boston to create Monet-inspired elements in the 13 Pro. The engraved camera ring and the frosted textured back are a clear testament to that.
The dimension of the device comes in at 161.3 mm by 73.9 mm by 8.2 or 8.4 mm depending on whether you go for the vegan leather or standard option. The weight is also pretty manageable at either 183.5 g or 188 g.
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Ports and buttons are all in their usual space. However, just like the 12 Pro, the headphone jack and the card slot are missing on the 13 Pro as well.
The device will be available in three colorways, Monet Gold, Monet Purple, and Emerald Green. The 13 Pro is also IP65 water and dust-resistant.
The Display
The display on the 13 Pro is an AMOLED panel with 1B colors and 120Hz refresh rate. The resolution of the panel comes in at 1080 by 2412 pixels with 394 ppi density. The display also gets considerably bright at 600 nits typical, 1200 nits HBM, and 2000 nits of peak brightness.
Realme also claims to have achieved 20,000 levels of auto brightness and 2160 Hz PWM dimming to ensure optimum output at every lighting scenario.
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The near edge-to-edge screen is good enough for a 93% screen-to-body ratio. Additional features include a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut Pro-XDR tech to ensure accurate color reproduction.
The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i so you can rest assured about its durability.
The Camera
There’s a dual camera setup on the realme 13 Pro. The main camera is a 50 MP, f/1.9, 26mm wide-angle shooter with a 1/1.95" sensor size. The secondary camera is an 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 112˚ ultrawide shooter with a 1/4.0" sensor size. The front camera is a 32 MP, f/2.5, 22mm wide-angle shooter.
realme has gone hard with AI this year. In addition to standard AI features like video and photo enhancements, there’s native object removal support, a directional audio enhancement feature on videos, and a Hyperimage+ feature for perfect backlit portrait shots. realme has also collaborated with Oscar-winning visual effects master Adam Valdez to fine-tune and perfect each of the features.
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The performance is near about what realme claims it to be. Pictures taken in daylight came out great with good details and dynamic range. The portrait mode was consistent with edge detection and bokeh effect, keeping things natural looking. The wide-angle shooter also performed similarly with slight softness at times. The front camera also produced decent social media selfies every time.
The dedicated night mode works pretty well with balanced exposure and details. It doesn’t blow up the subjects too much which is a great thing. realme seems to have perfected the balance where it doesn’t look artificial yet detailed enough for a crisp image.
The videography on the 13 Pro is rated at 1080p@30fps.
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realme P1 5G Review: New Mid-Range Line-up
Launching the P Series, realme introduced their new mid-range smartphone lineup with 5G support. Since last year there have been rumors about the launch of a fresh mid-range line-up. Finally, the P1 and P1 Pro had their global release on 15th April 2024 in India. The P1 brings the familiar realme DNA with some impressive choices. Let's take a detailed look at the features, pros, cons, and price of the realme P1 5G.
Key Specs of the realme P1 5G
Design and Build Quality: A Smartphone with the Looks
At first glance, the P1 seems different from the common materialistic design of most realme smartphones. The phone is made from plastic with a circular camera housing on the back. The back itself has an abstract feather texture giving it a distinct and premium look. The two color options are called Peacock Green and Phoenix Red.
Dimension-wise, the P1 comes in at 162.95 mm by 75.45 mm by 7.97 mm with 188 g physical weight. Surprisingly, the P1 kept the headphone jack which isn’t all that available in mid-range smartphones anymore. Although the top position might not appeal to everyone.
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realme skipped on the micro SDXC with the P1 as users will have options of either 128 GB or 256 GB of internal storage. Ports and buttons are all in their usual space including the dual nano-sim port.
The P1 is also IP54 dust and splash-resistant which is a pleasant addition at this price point. Overall, the build quality of the P1 is spectacular.
The Display: 120 Hz AMOLED Panel
The P1 5G features a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 600 nits of HBM, and 1200 nits of peak brightness. The resolution comes in at 1080 by 2400 pixels with 395 ppi density. There’s a slight chin at the bottom of the panel despite which the P1 boasts a 92.65% screen-to-body ratio. In terms of protection, there’s a secondary 0.68 mm unrated tempered glass protecting the front panel on the P1.
The user experience on the panel is pretty good. There's Widevine L1 support for HDR content. The contrast ratio comes in at 5,000,000:1 with 16.7 M colors and 100% P3 color gamut support.
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The only caveat is that the display stutters with prolonged 4K content streaming. 4K 60 fps content on YouTube started to drop frames here and there after 5 or so minutes of streaming. It could be a processor issue that would require optimization fixes.
The Camera: 50 MP main and 2 MP Depth Sensor
If there were two words to summarize the camera performance of the P1, it would be warm tones and soft images. The main camera on the device is a 50 MP f/1.8 5P lens with 77 degrees FOV and 27 mm focal length. The secondary 2 MP camera has an f/2.4 aperture, 88.8 degrees FOV, and a 22 mm focal length.
The front camera is a 16 MP shooter with f/2.45 aperture, 82.6 degrees field of view, and 1/3 sensor size.
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Pictures taken in daylight had a distinctly warm tone to them. It aided in color burst but at times it looked artificial rather than natural. The dynamic range isn’t also that great with clear room for improvements.
The situation isn’t all that great in low light as well. Images taken in artificial light or low light showed consistent softness giving it an oil paint-like processing. The night mode is the only saving grace but that too couldn’t keep off the grains from the images. The story is also the same with the front camera with overall soft images in every lighting condition.
The videography on the P1 is rated at a maximum of 4K at 30 fps without EIS stabilization. Footage at 1080P at 30 fps produces usable output as the EIS becomes available at this resolution.
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