Xiaomi Redmi 13 (2404ARN45A) Review, Price And Specifications.

 

Xiaomi Redmi 13 (2404ARN45A) Quick Specs:

Display: 6.79" Full-HD+ (2460×1080) IPS-LCD 90hz (Adaptive) Hole-Punch Display.

Software: Android 14 OS, HyperOS 1.0.3 Skin.

CPU: Helio G91 Ultra (12nm).

RAM: 6GB/8GGB (And up to 2GB of Virtual RAM).

Storage: 128GB/256GB (expandable up to 1TB).

Rear Camera: Dual-lens (108MP+2MP).

Front Camera: Single-lens (13MP).

Security: Side-mounted fingerprint reader, Face Unlock.

Port: USB Type-C.

Network: 4G (LTE).

Speaker: Single.

Battery: 5,030mAh.

Charging Speed: 33W.

Starting Price:

₦250,000, R 3,299, KSh 17,999, GH₵ 2,213, EGP 8,299, $150, 

NOTE: Xiaomi Redmi 13 shouldn't be mistaken for Xiaomi Redmi Note 13.

At this price point, Xiaomi Redmi 13 (2404ARN45A) has a better build quality and wears a more premium looks than most competition. Unlike the main contenders, for instance, the phone has a Corning Glass protection on its front and its back is also made of glass. The phone also IP53 certified. And it includes unusual features like IR Blaster.

Furthermore, despite having an IPS-LCD panel like most others, the display of the phone looks more impressive. Selfies taken with the phone's front-facing camera are also more true to life. 

Yet, in spite of those strong features, the Redmi 13 maintain other selling points of the contenders. For instance, the phone comes with high RAM and spacious inbuilt storage. And it's running on a recent Android OS. Photos taken with the Redmi 13 camera also look good.

However, all those Pros come at the expense of a less powerful CPU. In other words, the processor that powered Redmi 13 is a little less beefier than the one(s) inside the main contenders. As a result, the phone performed slightly below them.

By the way, Xiaomi Redmi 13 is the successor to the Xiaomi Redmi 12. Basically, though, the latest phone preserves the looks and most of the physical attributes of its predecessor, yet it's slightly bigger and has a better build quality. Some of the earlier phone's features has also been upgraded on the Redmi 13. For instance, the latest phone has a better camera system and packs a stronger CPU. The base version of the new phone also comes with higher RAM and twice storage space. Charging speed and battery capacity have also been increased. Notwithstanding, all other features of the new phone remain as those of the Redmi 12.

Design Colour And Price:

Xiaomi Redmi 13 is available in colour options of Sandy Gold, Ocean Blue, Midnight Black and Pink. Currently, the price of the phone is about 250,000 naira. 

The Contenders:

The cheaper Itel RS4 is more compact (smaller) and wears a more stylish looks than the Redmi 13. The Itel phone also packs a stronger CPU and higher RAM. It also features dual speaker and supports a faster charging speed. However, the Itel phone lacks the premium looks and better build quality of the Redmi 13. Also, while the display of the Redmi phone is 1080p, the one on the RS4 is 720p (though the screen refresh rate is higher). The cameras on the Itel phone are also fitted with low megapixel sensors. And it's pre-installed with previous version of Android OS (even with no assurance of major software update). Still, the Itel phone's storage capacity and other attributes remain as those of the Redmi 13. 

At this price point, another contender is base version of the Samsung Galaxy A15 4G. Though, compared to the Redmi 13 and Itel RS4, the Galaxy A15 features lower RAM and lower inbuilt storage, but the Samsung phone is equipped with the same powerful CPU as the RS4.

Also like the Redmi 13, the A15 is fitted with a better camera system and it's running on a recent Android OS. It also has good build quality. Furthermore, and while both of the Redmi 13 and RS4 are fittd with IPS-LCD displays, Galaxy A15 features an AMOLED display. However, the Samsung phone has a single speaker like the Redmi 13. Even the phone charging speed is lower than that of the Redmi phone. Nonetheless, all other attributes of the Samsung phone remain as those of the Redmi 13 and Itel RS4.

Though Same Sleek Design But Better Build Quality:

Xiaomi Redmi 13 maintain the same sleek looks of the Redmi 12. It features a similar hole-punch display, flat sides, and flat back cover. Still, there are few modifications. Firstly, despite that the phone seems to have a triple rear camera like its predecessor, what appears to be third camera (on the latest phone) is actually an LED Flash. In other words, Redmi Note 13 features dual rear camera.

Moreover, it should be known that the two small dots that are close to the Redmi 12 camera rings are also missing on the new Redmi 13.

And turning to the front. Though as i said, the Redmi 13 has an identical hole-punch display as the Redmi 12, but compared to 6.71-inch screen of the Redmi 12, Redmi 13 has a hair bigger screen of 6.79-inch. Which also implies that Redmi 13 is a big phone. Even bigger than the competition.

Meanwhile, except for those few ones mentioned, there's no other noticeable difference between the Redmi 13 and the Redmi 12.

Though the arrangements of ports and buttons on the Redmi 13 are slightly different from those of the competition, yet they are exactly like the ones on the earlier Redmi 12.

The phone's 3.5mm audio jack and IR Blaster (which enables the phone to function as a TV remote control) are located on the top edge. While its single speaker, USB Type-C port, and microphone are placed on the bottom edge.

The Redmi 13's volume keys and power button (which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner) are located on its right side. While its 4G Hybrid nano-SIM slot and tray are located on its left edge.

Note: The phone's Hybrid SIM tray means it can either take 2 nano-SIM cards or 1 nano-SIM card+microSD card.

Upgraded And Decent Camera:

As i said, the triple back camera on the Redmi 12 has been reduced to dual on the Redmi 13. And the missing sensor is Ultra-wide. However, Xiaomi compensates that with an upgraded front-facing camera and an upgraded primary rear camera. In details, the 50MP main camera on the earlier phone has been upgraded to a 108MP camera on the Redmi 13. And the earlier phone's 8MP selfie lens has also received a bump to 13MP. But the second back camera on the latest latest phone is still a 2MP Macro sensor (for taking detailed pictures of close-up objects).

Even at default setting, photos taken with the Redmi 13 main back camera are noticeably clear and detailed. Still, if you desire more detailed photos (though at the expense of larger megabytes), you can switch to the 108MP mode. The photos also have good colour rendition. Colours are vivid yet true to life. Skin tone also look good.

Subject separation and background blurring of Portrait shots also look impressive.

However, the camera didn't do well when it comes to HDR photos. Sometimes also, you need good lighting conditions to get impressive looking photos from the main camera. Furthermore, normal low-light photos appear to look more better than the ones taken with dedicated Night mode.

As expected, photos captured by the phone's 2MP Macro sensor are not detailed, but the level of clarity is satisfactory. And colour rendition is good.

Surprisingly, despite that selfies from the Redmi 13MP front camera are not impressively detailed, they are noticeably clear and neat. Colour representation and skin tone look good. In fact, selfies taken with the Redmi 13 have better colour representation than the ones taken with the more expensive Redmi Note 30. But the Note 13 selfies are more clearer and detailed. Another phone, in this segment, that also deliver similar nice looking selfies is the Galaxy A15.

Meanwhile, both of the front and rear cameras of the Redmi 13 are capable of shooting videos up to 1080p at 30fps (frame per second). But there's no video stabilization.

A Big And Nice Looking Display: 

The 6.79-inch display of the Redmi 13 has a 1080p resolution of 1080-by-2460 pixels (or a pixel density of 369ppi). The screen is noticeable clear and crisp. And it supports various (adaptive) refresh rates up to 90Hz. Still, to ensures smoother gaming experience, page swiping and scrolling, it's advisable to put the refresh rate to high or 90Hz.

Though it's an IPS-LCD panel, but as i said, it's one of the few nicest looking ones in this segment. It has high contrast as well as decent peak brightness (about 400nits in manual and over 540nits in Auto mode). As a result, the screen looks noticeable clear and vibrant, even in most lighting conditions. Though, under direct sunlight, the display doesn't look that impressive, but it's more viewable than the ones on most budget phones.

The display colour reproduction is also good. Colours are vibrant, yet moderately saturated and accurate. You can also tweak or adjust the colours and white balance to your taste. The screen is also Widevine L1 DRM certified. Meaning you can watch videos in "High Definitions" on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

In short, at this price point, it's only the Galaxy A15's AMOLED display that looks better than this IPS-LCD display. Another phone that features a similar nice-looking IPS-LCD display is the more expensive Infinix Hot 40.

Latest CPU, Latest Software But Same Average Performance:

Xiaomi Remi 13 is powered by Helio G91 Ultra; a recently unveiled entry-level gaming chipset from MediaTek. However, the new CPU has the same attributes as the three years old Helio G88 that came with the Redmi 12. For instance, the CPU is also a 12nm octa-core processor and it also clocked at 2.0Ghz. Helio G91U also features Mali-G52 MC2 GPU as the Helio G88. The only noticeable changes that the Helio G91U brings is its support for higher megapixel camera. I assumed this is why the Redmi 13 is able to feature a 108MP main rear sensor.

In addition to the new CPU, Redmi 13 also comes with new Xiaomi HyperOS 1.0.3 skin. And the new custom UI is running on top of Android 14 OS. As usual, Xiaomi promises up to two years of OS updates for the Redmi 13. The phone is available in 6GB and 8GB of RAM options. And each of them is paired with either 128GB or 256GB internal storage space. The internal storage space can still be expanded, via microSD card, up to 1TB. The phone also support Virtual RAM of up to 2GB.

Meanwhile, as a result of a similar processing power, the Redmi 13 retain the average performance of the Redmi 12. Even, when it comes to multi-taking or opening of multiple apps, the latest phone feels a little less responsive, compared to its predecessor. I also noticed that, when it comes to simple and light tasks, the performance of the Redmi 13 is similar to that of the cheaper Redmi 13C (which features Helio G85). But, when it comes averagely demanding tasks or moderate gaming (which both of the phones are capable of anyway), Redmi 13 delivered better performance than the Redmi 13C.

The point is, when it comes to regular tasks and day-to-day usage, the Redmi 13 stutters once in a while and its performance falls below the expectation. At this price point, if performance is your priority, i would say you should consider either of the Itel RS4 or Galaxy A15. Because the two of them feature a more powerful Helio G99 Ultimate CPU.

Slightly Bigger Battery And Higher Fast Charging:

While the competition and the earlier Redmi 12 are fitted with regular 5,000mAh batteries, Redmi 13 offers a minute bigger 5,030mAh battery. The 18W fast charging of the Redmi 12 has also been increased to 33W on the Redmi 13. And there's a complementary 33W fast charger inside the new phone's box.

By the way, among the competing phones, it's only the Itel RS4 that offers an higher of charging speed 45W. The Samsung Galaxy A15, on the other hand, features a lower 25W charging speed.

Meanwhile, with its out of the box 33W charger, it'll take you about one hour fifteen minutes to charge Xiaomi Redmi 13 battery from zero to one hundred  percent.

Xiaomi Redmi 13 (2404ARN45A) Full Specs:

GENERAL

Maker: Xiaomi.

Name: Redmi 13 (2404ARN45A).

Year Released: June, 2024.

Dimensions: 169x76x8.3mm

Weight: 205g.

Ingress Protection: IP53 (Splash And Dust resistance).

Colour: Sandy Gold, Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, & Pink.

DISPLAY

Screen Type: IPS-LCD Capacitive Touchscreen.

Size and Resolution: 6.79-inch, HD+, 2460-by-1080 pixels, up to (Adaptive) 90Hz Refresh Rate.

Aspect ratio & Pixel Densities: 19.5:9, 396PPI.

Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

PORTS:

3.5mm Audio Jack: Yes.

USB Type-C Port: Yes.

MicroUSB port: No.

Lightning Connector: No.

Google Assistant Button: No.

PERFORMANCE

Operating System: Android 14, HyperOS 1.0.3.

Chipset: MediaTek Helio G91 Ultra, 12nm Octa-Core Processor, 2.2GHz.

GPU: PowerVR GE8320.

RAM: 6GB/8GB (And up to 2GB of Virtual RAM).

STORAGE

Internal Storage: 128GB/256GB.

Micro-SD card slot: Yes, up to 1TB (One Terabyte).

SIM AND NETWORK

SIM: Nano, Dual SIM slots.

Network: GSM, HSPA+, & LTE.

CAMERA

Rear camera: Dual-lens; 108MP +2MP, Dual-Flash.

Front camera: Single-lens, 13MP, Front Flash.

VIDEO RECORDING:

Rear Cameras: 720p, 1080p @ 30 fps.

Front Camera: 720p, 1080p @ 30 fps.

CONNECTIVITY:

Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.4, HotSpots, IR Blaster, USB-OTG NFC (depends on region).

BIOMETRIC, SENSORS & LOCATION: 

Security: Face Unlock, Side-mounted fingerprint reader.

Sensors: Ambient light, Virtual Proximity, G-sensor, Accelerometer And

Barometer.

Others: GPS, Location (Geo, Glonass), Beidou.

BATTERY

Capacity: 5,030mAh.

Qi Wireless-Charging: N/a.

Fast Charging: 33W (Wired).