The Redmi 13 5G aims to make 5G accessible to a broader audience, but it falls short in several key areas. Its bulky design, subpar display, disappointing camera performance, and mediocre chipset make it hard to recommend. While the battery life is impressive, it isn’t enough to compensate for the phone’s shortcomings.
The sub-15,000 segment is bustling with 5G phones, aiming to bring high-speed internet connectivity to the masses without breaking the bank. The Redmi 13 5G is one such addition, promising to deliver on this front. It enters the segment with some appealing features such as a premium glass rear panel, a 108 MP primary camera, a 120 Hz FHD+ display, and more. But how does it stack up against other budget 5G phones like the iQOO Z9X (review) and Realme C65 (review)? In this review, I’ll dive deep into the Redmi 13 5G to see if it truly delivers the best bang for your buck under ₹15,000.
At 8.3 mm thick and weighing 205 g, the Redmi 13 5G doesn’t score high on ergonomics. The phone feels bulky and its back material is slippery, making it less comfortable to hold for extended periods. The corners also dig into your palms, which adds to the discomfort.
On the flip side, the aesthetics are on point. The Hawaiian Blue version of the phone that I got for review boasts a shiny gradient design that is visually appealing. The phone is also available in Black Diamond and Orchid Pink colour variants, both of which look striking as well.
The Redmi 13 5G is also one of the few phones to come with a glass back under ₹15,000, however, the rear panel doesn’t have Gorilla Glass protection. Instead, it uses toughened glass. The back also has an LED Ring Flash that also serves as a notification light indicator for calls and alarms, which is quite nifty.
The Redmi 13 5G is equipped with other practical features like an IR blaster, a 3.5 mm jack, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Additionally, it has Wet Touch support, which is useful during the rainy season. There’s also an IP53 water resistance rating, which is good.
The Redmi 13 5G sports a 6.79-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. While it has Gorilla Glass 3 protection, which is an outlier at this price, the display itself falls short in terms of vibrancy and colour accuracy. The content appears a bit dull, which can be a letdown for media consumption. However, it does support Widevine L1, allowing for HD streaming on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The 120 Hz refresh rate support makes the phone feel smooth when you’re scrolling through the UI. You can activate Adaptive Refresh Rate which will make the refresh rate cycle between 30, 48, 60, 90, and 120 Hz, which conserves battery life.
One major drawback is the display’s low brightness level, peaking at just 468 nits. This makes it challenging to read the screen under direct sunlight. In comparison, the iQOO Z9X offers a brighter screen at a similar price point. Additionally, the single speaker setup further hampers the overall media consumption experience.
The Redmi 13 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Accelerated Edition chipset, coupled with up to 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. There’s also support for expandable storage up to 1 TB. Unfortunately, the chipset’s performance is underwhelming, especially when compared to the SD 6 Gen 1 in the iQOO Z9X. It does beat out the Realme C65 in some CPU benchmarks though and the phone did well in PCMark Work, so productivity tasks will not be an issue.
Sadly, it considerably lags behind in GPU benchmarks compared to both the iQOO Z9X and Realme C65.
Basic tasks run smoothly, but the phone struggles with more demanding applications and games. Popular titles like BGMI and Call of Duty only run somewhat smoothly on low graphics settings, making it a poor choice for gamers.
We also tested its AI capabilities, but since it’s a budget phone you can’t expect much since these phones are not capable of running complex AI tasks yet. In our Digit AI-Q test, the phone scored 8/100, reflecting its lack of capability for AI tasks.
On the brighter side, the Redmi 13 5G is the first to feature HyperOS. The UI is smooth with plenty of customisation options, but it is marred by bloatware, dark patterns, and ads. The promotions widget in the App Vault is particularly annoying, as it cannot be removed.
The camera setup on the Redmi 13 5G is pretty basic. The phone houses a 108 MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 primary camera paired with a nominal 2 MP macro shooter. There’s no OIS support, but you do get HDR, Auto-Night Mode and 3x in-sensor zoom capabilities.
The 108 MP primary camera struggles with dynamic range, often resulting in crushed shadows and overexposed highlights. Portrait mode photos look artificial, with smoothened skin textures and unnatural skin tones. The detail is good enough for the price, but the overall tuning of the camera is mediocre. Noise is not just prevalent in low-light shots but even in moderate daylight conditions.
In comparison, the Realme C65 offers a significantly better camera experience. The photos from the Realme C65 are more balanced in terms of exposure and colour accuracy, making it a preferable choice for photography enthusiasts on a budget.
One of the standout features of the Redmi 13 5G is its battery life. The 5,030 mAh battery delivers impressive screen-on time, ranging between 9-10 hours with extensive usage. In our 4K video loop test, the phone lasted 992 minutes, which is a little over 16 hours and 30 minutes. This is exceptional battery endurance and this performance outshines both the Realme C65 and the iQOO Z9X.
What’s lacking here is the charging speeds. The 33W charger is relatively slow, taking around 75 minutes to fully charge the battery from empty. In contrast, the iQOO Z9X has a faster 44 W charger.
The Redmi 13 5G aims to make 5G accessible to a broader audience, but it falls short in several key areas. Its bulky design, subpar display, disappointing camera performance, and mediocre chipset make it hard to recommend. While the battery life is impressive, it isn’t enough to compensate for the phone’s shortcomings.
For gamers, the iQOO Z9X is a better option due to its superior performance. For those seeking a more camera-oriented device, the Realme C65 stands out. The Redmi 13 5G, despite its promise of affordable 5G, fails to deliver a holistic, well-rounded experience.
