Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 256GB

The Redmi Note 13 Pro boasts a new 200MP ISOCELL HP3 camera sensor, similar to the one on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. There's also an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 16MP selfie shooter.The camera performance of both the Redmi Note 13 Pro and 13 Pro+ is quite similar, and you can find a detailed review here. Generally, the primary camera captures images with vibrant saturation, giving photos a pleasing orange-ish hue. There's a noticeable noise reduction and improved dynamic range across various lighting conditions. However, in low-light situations, colour consistency in photos can be inconsistent. Some of our low-light shots also exhibit high saturation and overexposed areas.The output with the ultra-wide camera tries to mimic the colour balance of the primary camera though the details may not be the best. At least the dynamic range remains more or less balanced. The portrait camera results can be a hit-and-miss as the subject may get out of focus occasionally. The front camera does well in good lighting conditions. It also tends to detect skin tones well.However, skin tone detection can be occasionally inconsistent in portrait. Fair to say the photo doesn't look good, though you may need to spend some editing the image to get the right colour. Speaking of editing, the native editor has some AI features to remove the background or enhance colour, which works fine, if not the best.The Redmi Note 13 Pro can shoot 4K videos at 30fps, while the front camera can record 1080p video at 60fps. At least with the "upgraded" 200MP primary camera, Xiaomi could've considered adding 4K at 60fps.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro gets three storage configurations, with the base model offering 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. This was also the option I reviewed. The top model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage costs Rs 29,999, while the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage option carries a price tag of Rs 27,999. All three storage variants draw power from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.In benchmarks, the Redmi Note 13 Pro stands out among its peers, hitting the sweet spot in performance. It achieved an impressive score of over 5 lakh in the AnTuTu overall test. Interestingly, despite sharing the same SoC, the POCO X6 (review) scored higher. Do note these scores could be a notch higher on the 12GB RAM variant of the Note 13 Pro.Beyond numbers and in real life, the Redmi Note 13 Pro works smoothly with negligent stutters. I did not face any abrupt crashes or heating issues. Even the gaming experience was surprisingly smooth. I compared the 30-minute BGMI gaming test on Note 13 Pro and Nothing Phone 2(a) (review). Both phones exhibited identical battery consumption rates, with each consuming 10 percent of the battery. The Note 13 Pro got a notch warmer than the Phone 2(a) after 30 minutes of gaming.However, Xiaomi needs to work on improving the overall software experience. For instance, the camera app UI feels confusing and native Mi apps cannot be uninstalled. At the time of writing this review, the Redmi Note 13 Pro still runs on Android 13-based MIUI with three years of Android update promise. The phone also includes several pre-installed apps that can make the software experience somewhat cluttered.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro gets the biggest battery in the new Note 13 series. It packs a 5,100mAh battery with 67W charging (charger included in the box). In the PCMark Battery test, the phone survives for 12 hours with flight mode enabled and 50 per cent screen brightness. Even beyond the test, you can expect a solid battery with a high refresh rate enabled and manual brightness (80 percent).The charging speed is decent, if not the best. With the bundled charger the phone attained nearly 70 percent battery in 30 minutes. A full charge takes around 50 minutes.