Xiaomi is famous for its Redmi Note series, and the numbers over the years speak for themselves. The brand is now trying a different approach with the Redmi Notes, especially the Pro Plus moniker, which is currently priced very close to the Rs 40,000 range. The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has been on our radar ever since it was released, and when you look at its features, you feel like it’s a good choice, and then you see the price tag that comes with the product.

This is where things get interesting, as the base Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus is priced at Rs 31,999 and the top variant is priced at Rs 38,999. Now, this is uncharted territory for Redmi Notes, with OnePlus and Google Pixels among them. So, does the new Redmi Note Pro Plus model comply with its high-end strategy? We’ve been testing the phone for a few weeks, and you’ll find out soon enough.

A sense of luxury that can be seen everywhere

The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus scores high in the design department, and the premium upgrades were evident during our time with the device. Glass surfaces are the norm these days, but the curved AMOLED display and sleek design that doesn’t compromise the battery are understated features of this phone.

That’s not all, everyone is excited about the IP68 rating of Xiaomi devices, which is a first for the brand and even for this segment.

Display lights up

The design isn’t the only good thing about this phone, as it’s hard to ignore the quality this device offers through its display. The AMOLED screen offers a 120Hz refresh rate and supports Dolby Vision and HDR. All of these are the perfect ingredients to give you balanced color output, crisp content and pleasing to the eye.

Using the phone’s display never felt necessary, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching videos and even playing games on it. The aesthetics of the phone have also been enhanced thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus protection, which is another great move for a phone in this segment.

Performance that keeps you moving forward

The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra chipset and comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of RAM, according to our review. The hardware is solid in every way. It handles multitasking with ease, can manage gaming load in different settings, and the cooling system takes care of dissipating heat to keep it stress-free. MediaTek has done a good job in load management of the 4nm chip, and the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has taken advantage of it to make it run very well.

Talking about software, Xiaomi continues to ship Android 13 out of the box (it’s now 2024), but there’s still no sign of HyperOS for the device, which disappoints us. The old MIUI, which came with bloated software, heavy animations, has its fans, but for a phone priced at Rs 30,000, we expected much more. Furthermore, considering that Android 14 has not yet been released, the phone’s operating system upgrades will be limited.

Professional cameras can solve this problem

Xiaomi has once again equipped the Pro Plus model with a 200MP main camera, which performs quite well compared to last year’s Pro model. The main camera handles all the image processing load, and the details captured by the sensor demonstrate Xiaomi’s evolving focus on camera imaging and IP technology.

Having said that, you’ll notice some oversaturation in pictures clicked in low light, which have details but inconsistent colors. Opinions still divide on the other two cameras, especially the 2MP macro sensor, and it’s time for brands to focus on quality over quantity, even when it comes to the number of cameras they plan to offer.

Battery runs smoothly, 120W charging is a godsend

The phone is equipped with a 5000mAh battery and supports 120W wired charging speed. Looking at the size and weight of the phone, it’s easy to forget about the size of the battery.

But if your usage is average, including web browsing, checking social media apps, light gaming, listening to some music, etc., then this phone can easily last more than a day. The 120W charger included in the box means you can have the phone back up to speed in about 20-22 minutes, which is incredibly fast and one of the many reasons why people love fast charging.

Has Xiaomi made a convincing leap?

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus has a lot of the aspects we usually cover for high-end devices, but that’s what we’ve covered over the past few years. We never thought that the Redmi Note phone would cost more than Rs 30,000, but now it is happening. The phone’s design, screen, main camera, and overall performance are all very strong. However, the software still lags, which could determine the phone’s value. If Xiaomi wants to challenge the high-end, it needs to upgrade in all aspects.