Xiaomi has moved its iconic Redmi Note series into the premium mid-segment range with the launch of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G. While the new Note comes with a number of premium features such as a curved display, an in-display fingerprint scanner and IP68 dust and water resistance, its starting price of Rs 31,999 is the highest ever seen on a Redmi Note in India. It not only shows just how far the series has come since starting out in 2014 with a price tag of Rs 9,999, but also places it in direct competition with the latest edition of the phone that many believe created the whole concept of the premium mid-segment, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G. Both phones come with features that you would normally see in more expensive devices, and carry very similar price tags. So if you are in the market for a device that handles basics superbly, is a mid-segment boss and also comes with a few premium trimmings, and have a budget of about Rs 30,000, which of the two should you go for – the new Super Note or the Never Settling Nord? Let us try and work that out for you:
(In these sections, for the sake of simplicity, we will often refer to the “Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G simply as the “Redmi Note” and the OnePlus Nord 3 5G as the “Nord”)
Table of Contents
Looks and appearance: Flashy meets classy
This is one of the few one-sided rounds of this contest. The OnePlus Nord 3 is a fine-looking device that reflects OnePlus’ burdenless design philosophy, but its restrained glassy, classy elegance gets overwhelmed by the curved display and multi-shade block-patterned back of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G. The Redmi Note is definitely the more eye-catching of the two devices, especially if you look at its Fusion Purple variant with a vegan leather back. What’s more, it is actually slightly more compact than the Nord, being 161.4mm tall as compared to 162mm, and 74.2mm wide as compared to 75.1mm, although the Nord is a bit slimmer at 8.2mm against 8.9mm. The Note is the heavier of the two – 200 grams against 193 grams of the Nord – but is also more sturdily built, as it comes with Corning Glass Victus protection and also IP68 dust and water resistance, which easily outclasses the Dragontrail Glass protection basic IP54 splash resistance on the Nord. Those who want something quiet and restrained might still prefer the Nord, but we can see more people preferring the more premium looks of the Redmi Note.
Winner: Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G
Display: Throwing a curve?
Winner: Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G
Processor: A tale of two Dimensities!
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3 5G
RAM and storage: Which gigabytes matter more
Both phones come with speedy LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. However, they have very different RAM and storage combinations. The Note comes with 8GB / 256GB, 12GB / 256GB and 12GB / 512GB combinations, while the Nord has two blends: 8GB / 128GB and 16GB / 512GB. The Nord has a higher RAM variant, but given that neither phone has expandable memory, the Note’s higher storage even in its base variant makes a bigger difference in our book, especially at this price point. We are giving this round to the Note, for having more variety and more storage at its starting point.
Winner: Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G
Cameras: A battle of two flagship-level camera sensors
Both phones come with triple cameras on the back and 16-megapixel front-facing selfie cameras. Both have secondary cameras on the back: an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro. The battle then really boils down to the main sensors. On paper, you would think that the Note had this all tied up with its large 200-megapixel Samsung Isocell HP3 sensor with OIS, but the Nord brings a flagship level 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 with OIS, which gives it a good run for its money. Both phones deliver very good images in normal light conditions, but the Note’s 4x lossless zoom gives it the edge over the Nord, although the Nord seems to deliver slightly better videos and can even shoot 4K at 60 fps (the Note can shoot 4K at 24/30 fps). At the time of writing, the Note was having a few issues of consistency with its camera, but a software update is expected to fix that soon. In general, we found ourselves going more towards the Note for photography not just because of its image quality, but also for the better editing and shooting options available on the device (OnePlus’ OxygenOS is a little plain in this regard). The Nord seems to take slightly better selfies in terms of details but the Note delivers brighter colours. This one goes to the Note, mainly because of the zoom enabled by that massive sensor, but it is a surprisingly close finish.
Winner: Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G
Software: Present Oxygen beats future Hype(rOS)
Both phones run on Android 13, but with markedly different interfaces on top of it. The Redmi Note comes with Xiaomi’s feature-rich MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, while the Nord comes with OnePlus’ clean OxygenOS. While those who love lots of features and apps right out of the box will love MIUI, those preferring cleaner UIs will like OxygenOS. Some were expecting the Note to come with Xiaomi’s much-talked-about next-generation HyperOS, but that will arrive only in the future. At the time of writing, we would go with the OxygenOS on the Nord, as MIUI 14 on the Note we used comes with a surprising amount of bloatware comprising third-party apps.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3 5G
Gaming and multimedia: United in sight and sound, separated by chips
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Both phones come with very good displays and stereo speakers as well. Although neither has a 3.5mm audio jack. In terms of just viewing content, we think the Note has an edge over the Nord, thanks to its brighter and more colourful display and its superior stereo speakers, which deliver better audio quality than the Nord’s. The Nord however, wins this round with its overwhelming superiority in gaming. Although both phones are superb at casual and light games, the difference between them becomes obvious the moment one takes them into heavy-duty gaming territory. While we could run resource-hungry games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty at very high graphics settings on the Nord, the Note tends to stumble as graphic levels go up. The Nord’s display and speakers are very good too, and not too far behind those of the Note, making it the better gaming device. If you are not into high-end gaming, the Note might do for you, but we love how the Nord gives you the option to do so much more on the gaming front.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3 5G
General performance: Handling routine exceptionally well
This is an interesting one, as there is not much separating the two phones when it comes to regular day-to-day tasks like browsing the Web, mailing and messaging and social networking. The Note’s chip had cost it the gaming round, but in everyday tasks, it easily keeps pace with the Nord. Both phones glide through routine tasks and are good multitaskers. The in-display fingerprint scanners of both phones work well, although we felt the Note had a slight edge in terms of speed here. Both also connected to 5G smoothly and call quality was equally good on both. Its brighter display and better-quality speakers give the Note a slight edge even in routine functions, but the Nord brings its famous alert slider and cleaner UI to the table. We cannot pick a winner here. A lot will depend on whether you prefer a curved display or a flat one. We are calling this one a tie.
Winner: Tie
Battery life and charging: Watt Wars
Both phones come with 5,000mAh batteries and with support for speedy charging, with chargers in the box. We found the Nord lasting slightly more than a day on a single charge, while the Note lasted a day. Perhaps the higher brightness levels of the Note are the reason for its being a bit behind the Nord. The Note, however, wins back ground by charging at 120W as compared to 80W on the Nord. The Note gets fully charged from zero in about 20-25 minutes, while the Nord takes 40-45 minutes. There is not too much between the two phones in this department – one lasts a little longer, one charges a little faster. We are calling this one a tie.
Winner: Tie
Price: Money matters
8GB / 256GB: Rs 31,999
12GB / 256GB: Rs 33,999
12GB / 512GB: Rs 35,999
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G had started at Rs 33,999 at the time of its launch but has since received a price cut. When this was written, it was available in these variants at these prices:
8GB / 128GB: Rs 29,999
16GB / 512GB: Rs 33,999
The Nord has a clear edge, at both ends of the price spectrum – it has the lower starting price and also has a lower priced and better specced top RAM and storage variant with 16GB RAM against 12GB of the Note. At its launch price, the Nord would have been overrun by the Note, However, that price cut gives it this round.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3 5G
Verdict: Which one to go for?
As you can see, both phones are very closely matched, with each winning on four parameters, with two being tied. Which of the two is the one for you really depends on what you consider important. Those looking for a device with a quietly elegant design, clean interface and a powerful processor are likely to prefer the OnePlus Nord 3 5G. However, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G is likely to be the choice for anyone seeking a device with premium looks and feels, a great camera (let’s face it, only one is worth the trouble on either device), and with IP68 dust and water resistance. It is a classic clash between style and substance, with the Nord ruling in the former and the Note holding all the cards in the latter. Whichever one you go for, you are assured of a device that is exceptional.
