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Journalism of Courage
At Xiaomi’s flashy launch event for its slick new Note lineup, the company trumpeted a major ‘premiumisation’ push across its budget-friendly Redmi sub-brand. Redmi phones have always been synonymous with affordability in India, but the brand has continued marching upmarket, releasing progressively more expensive models. Now, the gap between the entry-level Redmi Note 13 and the top-of-the-line Note 13 Pro+ is wider than ever. Today, we’re pitting the two against each other to see why Xiaomi is charging so much more for the souped-up Pro+ model.
One glance at the Redmi Note 13’s design and you’d think this phone costs far more than it does. Xiaomi slimmed down bezels to near-symmetry, which they claim are thinner than the iPhone 14 Pro’s. At just 7.6mm thick and 173.5g, the Note 13 is remarkably slim and lightweight compared to rivals.
However, even as it looks and feels premium at this price, the Note 13 isn’t built like a true flagship. The plastic frame and back are dead giveaways next to the premium materials like metal and glass used by more expensive phones. Their luxe finishes just exude quality in a way plastic can’t. Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ utilizes the most premium materials around, with a glass front and back and aluminium frame. It even has curved edges for ergonomic comfort.
Bottom line: The Redmi Note 13 looks and feels premium for the cost but doesn’t match the high-end experience of the pricier Pro+ model.
You likely won’t notice huge differences between the displays when using the phones side-by-side in normal conditions. Xiaomi claims the Note 13 Pro+ flaunts an extra-sharp 1.5K display resolution. However, anything above 1080p can be extremely difficult to discern on a tiny smartphone screen unless you’re really pixel peeping. The regular Note 13’s 1080p display is plenty crisp. Both also have smooth 120Hz refresh rates, so scrolling and animations should look identical, performance limits aside.
Where you’ll really see the display upgrades is with HDR content. The Pro+ is HDR10+ certified for brighter, more vivid video in supported apps. It also hits a blazing 1,800 nit peak brightness – nearly double the Note 13’s 1,000 nits – which will be obvious outdoors.
If there’s one area where the disparity between these two Notes is positively massive, it would have to be raw performance. The Note 13 runs MediaTek’s Dimensity 6080, which is essentially a rebranded version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695. This places it firmly in the middle of the pack in terms of overall capabilities – adequate for general day-to-day use but limited in how much you can push it before it starts to choke. And given its asking price of Rs 19,999, the Dimensity 6080 is actually outperformed by several competing devices in the same price segment.
Meanwhile, the Pro+ packs MediaTek’s upper-midrange Dimensity 7200 Ultra, about on par with the 3-year-old Snapdragon 870 flagship. You’ll feel the difference in zippier day-to-day use, considering MIUI’s weight. The 7200 Ultra falls far short of MediaTek’s own top-shelf Dimensity 9300 in intensive gaming, but still delivers flagship-level performance in other scenarios.
Bottom line: You’re looking at a massive performance gap here. The Note 13 trades blows with budget phones, while the Pro+ runs with upper-midrange flagships.
On paper, the cameras on these two phones don’t seem too different. The Redmi Note 13 rocks a 108MP main shooter, 8MP ultrawide lens, and 2MP macro cam. The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ steps things up with a 200MP main cam, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro. Xiaomi hasn’t given all the sensor details but we know the Pro+’s primary lens features the Samsung 200MP HP3 sensor underneath, which should mean better image quality. Beyond megapixels, Xiaomi says the Pro+ delivers flagship-level photos. We’ll have to test both phones to see the difference, so stay tuned. The ultrawide and macro specs look identical, unless Xiaomi used different sensors.
Both Notes pack 5,000mAh batteries but the Pro+ charges insanely fast at 120W versus 33W on the base model. The Pro+ also utilises a superior vibration motor, promising tighter haptics on par with flagships.
The Redmi Note 13 punches above its weight with a premium design and capable cameras, but make no mistake – the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ feels significantly more upmarket. The Pro+ model justifies its much higher price tag with a sleek glass-and-metal build and blazing-fast performance.
In the end, while both Notes are admirable devices, there’s a reason for the massive price difference between them. The Redmi Note 13 makes some smart sacrifices to meet its budget-friendly price point. But if you’re willing to pay extra, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ delivers an almost flagship-tier experience at a mid-range cost.
