Comparing Redmi Note 13 5G with Note 13 Pro 5G: what upgrades does the Pro offer over the vanilla model?

The Redmi Note 13 series launched in India today. Xiaomi’s beloved smartphone series, the Note series, consistently introduces several new enhancements each year in the mid-range segment. Let’s compare the base Redmi Note 13 5G with the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G and find out what improvements does the Pro variant offer over the vanilla Note 13 5G.

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: specs at a glance

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: price in India

The 6GB+128GB model of the Redmi Note 13 5G is priced at Rs 17,999, the 8GB+256GB model for Rs 19,999 and the 12GB+256GB model retails for Rs 21,999. On the other hand, the 8GB+128GB model of the Note 13 Pro 5G is priced at Rs 25,999, the 8GB+256GB at Rs 27,999 and the 12GB+256GB model for Rs 29,999. The Redmi Note 13 series will be available for purchase starting January 10th, 2024. 

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: design

The Note 13 5G is quite thin, at 7.6mm and equips a 6.67-inch display with thin bezels all around. It showcases a rectangular camera module at the rear, which houses the primary, ultra-wide camera, macro lens and flash unit. 

On the right, the device has the volume control, the power button which also doubles as the finger-print scanner. At the bottom is a USB-Type C port along with the speaker grille and the top of the device comes with the fan-favourite 3.5mm headphone jack. The device is IP54 certified for water and dust resistance. The Note 13 is available in Stealth Black, Prism Gold and Arctic White colour options. 

The Note 13 Pro 5G features a design that resembles the base variant. The key differences include the inclusion of an in-display fingerprint scanner and a glass rear panel. In addition, the device comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top. The smartphone equips dual stereo speakers, one at the top of the phone and the other positioned alongside the left edge. The bottom edge of the smartphone houses the SIM tray. The device is also IP54 certified and is available in Coral Purple, Arctic White and Midnight Black colour variants. 

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: display

The Redmi Note 13 5G ships with a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels (FHD+), 394 ppi (pixel density) and 1,000nits of peak brightness. The panel supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz with Widevine L1 support for HD content streaming and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. 

Meanwhile, the Note 13 Pro 5G equips a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2,712 x 1,220 pixels (1.5K), a pixel density of 446 ppi and 1,800nits of peak brightness. The panel also comes with a refresh rate of 120Hz and Widevine L1 certification in addition to Dolby Vision support. The device is safeguarded by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Upgrades: The comparison highlights that the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G offers a superior display panel. It comes with a higher resolution and pixel mapping, increased brightness levels, Dolby Vision support for immersive visuals and enhanced protection through Gorilla Glass Victus.

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: performance

The Note 13 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, while the Note 13 Pro draws from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. 

Upgrades: The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is constructed using a 4nm process, in comparison to the Dimensity 6080’s 6nm process, which ensures better power efficiency due to the advanced architecture involved. Comparing the benchmark scores for both the chipsets also suggests that the Redmi Note 13 Pro should offer a better performance output compared to the base variant.

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: cameras

The Note 13 comes with an 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 1/1.67-inch sensor with 3x in-sensor zoom, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro lens. At the front, the device equips a 16MP camera with f/2.45 aperture. 

The Note 13 Pro ships with a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 1/1.4-inch sensor with OIS+EIS image stabilisation and 4x in-sensor zoom, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide camera and 2MP macro lens. Similar to the Note 13, the pro variant also equips a 16MP front camera.

Upgrades: The Note 13 Pro offers a higher resolution 200MP camera which helps in capturing greater details and the Pro variant also comes with OIS support (optical image stabilisation) which like the name suggests, will result in enhanced images with reduced blur and videos with minimal camera shake. Therefore, the Note 13 Pro offers an improved camera system as compared to the base variant.

Redmi Note 13 5G vs Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: battery and software

A 5,000mAh battery fuels the Note 13 along with 33W fast charging support, while a 5,100mAh battery powers the Redmi Note 13 Pro and it comes with 67W fast charging support. Both smartphone operate on MIUI 14 based on Android 13 out of the box and come with 3 years of major OS updates and 4 years of security updates.

Upgrades: The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G offers a slightly better battery capacity and superior fast charging support.