Overall, the Realme 13 Pro+ is a good smartphone. However, there are issues. Being a camera centric smartphone, this processes the images quite slow, often leading to wrong shots. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, although still powerful, doesn’t offer any upgrade in the performance. With the addition of upgraded camera hardware and AI features, a slight bump in performance was necessary. The battery and charging are good, but then again the software experience isn’t.
Realme is back with another number series smartphone a few months after introducing the previous iteration with the Realme 12 series. The Realme 13 series, like its predecessor, includes the Realme 13 Pro and Realme 13 Pro+ for now and both the smartphones come with several upgrades over the previous generation.
This time around, apart from the general camera and design that Realme always focuses on with the number series, the brand is also pushing for AI. There are many AI features and AI capabilities that are included with the Realme 13 and Realme 13 Pro+. Apart from this, we are getting newer cameras, along with a brighter, more durable display and a bigger battery with faster charging.
With these upgrades, however, the chipset on the “Pro Plus” variant remains the same. The Realme 13 Pro+ has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset as the one we saw on the predecessor, the Realme 12 Pro+. So yes, despite all the new AI features and better cameras, does the smartphone perform any better, since these features are themselves dependent a lot on the chipset itself. Let’s take a look.
Realme 13 Pro+ review: Design
Now, with the design of the Realme 13 Pro+ I can’t help but mention that maybe we have a bit too many similar looking smartphone in the market. The circular camera module with the curved front and back is a bit too overdone already in my opinion. But the Realme 13 Pro+ looks good. The smartphone has a nice marble-like finish on the back panel and metallic finish frames. I like the details on the rim of the camera module, which give this a very classy look.
Up front, we are getting the rather standard curved hole punch display. One nice thing is that there is no chin here and the bezels are even across the four sides of the Realme 13 Pro+. This time around, however, we are getting Corning Gorilla Glass protection with the Realme 13 Pro+ and there is also IP65 rating so in terms of durability as well, the Realme 13 Pro+ checks pretty much all the boxes.
But yes, like I said in the beginning, the round camera module with the curved back and front are just overdone, plain and simple. Now, of course there is demand for it, otherwise so many companies won’t be jumping in on the bandwagon but this has made almost every phone look similar.
Realme 13 Pro+ review: Display
Coming to the display, here also we are getting a similar 6.7-inch 10-bit AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate like the predecessor. However, on the Realme 13 Pro+, the display is brighter than the previous version, the Realme 12 Pro+. The Realme 13 Pro+ is rated to have a peak brightness of 2,000 nits while the Realme 12 Pro+ was rated at a peak brightness of 950 nits in high brightness mode. So on paper, there is a difference. In reality, however, the Realme 13 Pro+ scored 1022 nits under bright sunlight in our Lux Meter test. The Realme 12 Pro+, on the other hand, scored just above 700 in our Lux Meter test earlier this year.
While it is a brighter display, the Realme 13 Pro+’s display also looks more sharp and accurate. I tested the device’s colour accuracy using the Calman Colorchecker analysis and the Realme 13 Pro+ showcased pretty decent colour accuracy. In the colour checker test, the Realme 13 Pro+ was able to achieve an average DeltaE of of 1.6, which is outstanding for a smartphone like this, given that a DeltaE of under 3 is considered very good for smartphones. In our greyscale test also, the display performed well and showcased decent balance.
So yes, the display of the Realme 13 Pro+ is good. This is something I have noticed with pretty much all the number series smartphones from Realme at least in the last three generations. The brand is consistently able to deliver good quality displays without making too much of a fuss about it. Good stuff. Yes, there is nothing extraordinary about these like any LTPO or anti reflective coatings, but these displays get the basics right. Bright, responsive, and accurate.
Realme 13 Pro+ review: Performance
Now, this is where the Realme 13 Pro+ isn’t great. We are getting the same chipset as the younger sibling, the Realme 13 Pro. Not only that, the chip is exactly the same as the predecessor, the Realme 12 Pro+. Now, in my books, this is just lazy work. Given that Realme has added many AI features and with all the new camera hardware and features as well, an upgrade in the chipset was the least one could ask for.
I remember using the Realme 12 Pro+ and giving a feedback on the fact that the smartphone takes a while to process images. Now, with these upgrades, I was expecting this to only get worse. And while it hasn’t gotten worse, it hasn’t even improved. The Realme 13 Pro+ again takes a while to process images and for someone who likes to capture the moment, this actually captures the next moment. The image processing I found to be slow, especially in portraits.
Even in benchmarks the Realme 13 Pro+ doesn’t do anything groundbreaking. The smartphone gets decimated in front of competitors like the Poco F6, OnePlus Nord 4, or the Honor 200. And while the smartphone gave me no issues in terms of day-to-day usage, the gaming isn’t as smooth as on many other devices in this price range.
I played a lot of Call of Duty: Mobile on this smartphone and at times, I did experience a slight stutter or frame drops while gaming on the Realme 13 Pro+. And while the performance is just average, the heating is very well managed. Even during hour-long gaming sessions on the Realme 13 Pro+, it never got so warm that it made me uncomfortable while holding the smartphone. I have experienced much worse heating on smartphones that claim to have the largest vapour cooling chamber in the segment, so this is great.
So yes, in terms of performance my experience was nothing more than average. With the addition of AI features and newer camera hardware, at least a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset on the Realme 13 Pro+ would have done the job right. While day-to-day it is good, in benchmarks and in gaming, the experience wasn’t very premium to say the least. Even the camera, which is the highlight of this device takes its own sweet time to process images and details.
Realme 13 Pro+ review: Battery and charging
Now, while the performance isn’t great, the battery makes up for it. We are getting a bigger 5,200mAh battery with the Realme 13 Pro+ along with 80W fast charging. And yes, the bigger battery has, in this case, made a difference. The Realme 13 Pro+ did well in almost all our battery tests. The smartphone only lost four percent of its battery while playing Call of Duty: Mobile on the highest graphics and four percent while watching a YouTube video for 30 minutes. Using GPS for one hour made the Realme 13 Pro+ lose about 6 percent of the battery, and in our video loop test, it lasted 1022 minutes or just above 17 hours, which is again outstanding.
Charging is also super fast. We are getting 80W fast charging with the Realme 13 Pro+ and in my charging test, it charged from 0 to 100 percent in just 48 minutes. That is brilliant and will definitely work for a user like myself who only gets reminded of charging their phone when they are about to leave for the day.
Realme 13 Pro+ review: Camera
Coming to the camera, here we are seeing one of the biggest upgrades in terms of the hardware. This time, Realme has used the new Sony LYT 701 primary shooter and a Sony LYT600 periscope telephoto shooter which enables 3x optical zoom. We are also getting an 8MP wide angle shooter, which is the same as last time.
Now, the camera quality has improved. The images look very detailed and the dynamic range on outdoor shots is outstanding. I also see that the sensor is taking in more light, which makes for brighter images and better low light shots.
The portraits are also very good with the Realme 13 Pro+. The edge detection is good and the background blur does a very good job in terms of making the subject stand out. But here again, the experience doesn’t remain as snappy since the processing takes time. For the Realme 13 Pro+ to process the portraits, it takes a nice 3-4 seconds.
And while that isn’t something I mind, the fact that it captures the next frame as compared to what you clicked in the viewfinder is what takes away from the experience a little bit.
But overall, the camera is good. The images are detailed, colours don’t look too artificial and you can create some very good professional looking shots with this camera is what matters. Furthermore, we are getting a telephoto shooter and 6x in-sensor zoom makes it also fairly fun to play around with. Good camera but slow processing.
Realme 13 Pro+ review: Verdict
So overall, the Realme 13 Pro+ is a good smartphone. It has a nice design that will work for many users. Although we are getting the now overdone circular camera, it is something many people prefer and goes well with the whole idea of a camera-centric smartphone.
However, there are issues. Now, while the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset is pretty capable, it hasn’t really resulted in an upgrade of the performance. And while most of my usage was absolutely seamless, I just can’t get over the fact that this smartphone, which is made for cameras, doesn’t allow me to capture the moment (it ends up capturing the next moment).
Furthermore, the software remains a pain point. There are bloatware apps and the process to set up your phone and get on with using it is just so long and so redundant. It is a long process of declining never-ending pop-ups and permissions while setting up a device. So yes, while it justifies the Rs 30,000 value in one way or the other, I would not recommend the Realme 13 Pro+ as the best smartphone in this range.
Realme 13 Pro Plus 5G Key Specs, Price and Launch Date
| Release Date: | 30 Jul, 2024 |
| Market Status: | Launched |
Key Specifications
Storage
256 GB
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Battery capacity (mAh)
5000
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Rear Camera Megapixel
50 + 32 + 50
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Screen size (in inches)
6.74
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