Realme 13 Pro Plus Review: Buy Or Not

Realme 13 Pro Plus

The Realme 13 Pro series is here, and I have been using the Realme 13 Pro Plus for the past few weeks. While it’s not a huge upgrade over the Realme 12 Pro Plus in terms of specifications, there are some hardware changes that make it more fun to use. In addition, new AI features have been added, which are said to improve the user experience and improve camera performance. Like last year’s 12 Pro Plus model, the Realme 13 Pro Plus focuses primarily on cameras.

In our review of the Realme 12 Pro Plus, we found it to be one of the best in its category, especially for camera performance, with the telephoto sensor standing out. The new Realme 13 Pro Plus comes with an upgraded telephoto sensor but now costs a little more. The base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage starts at Rs 32,999. The 12GB RAM variant with 256GB and 512GB storage is priced at Rs 34,999 and the 12GB RAM variant with 512GB storage is priced at Rs 36,999, respectively.

Will the Realme 13 Pro Plus retain its top spot as the best camera phone in its segment with its new features? Let’s find out.

Realme 13 Pro Plus Design

The Realme 13 Pro Plus has a premium design, measuring 161.3 x 73.9 x 8.2 mm and weighing 190 grams. It is available in two colors: Monet Gold and Emerald Green.

The design of the new 13 Pro Plus is very similar to last year’s model, but now a version with a glass back is also available. The Monet Gold color option we tested has a glass back with a pattern that resembles waves of sand. The edges of the back panel are curved, making the phone comfortable to hold. However, the frame remains plastic.

Realme has retained the large, round camera module that resembles a watch dial, as well as the fluted bezel. However, the new model now has the HyperImage Plus logo at the bottom. One notable change in the leather variant is that it does not have the vertical strip that used to run across the middle of the rear panel in the older model. The back of the phone now has a cleaner look, with the camera module being the main design element.

Realme has retained the large circular camera module with a fluted bezel that resembles a watch dial, but it now has the HyperImage+ logo at the bottom. However, the leather variant no longer has the vertical strip that ran through the middle of the rear panel on the older model. The back now looks cleaner, with the camera module being the main design element.

The buttons are placed the same as in the previous model. The volume and power buttons are on the right, while the left side is blank. At the top, there is a speaker grille and a microphone. At the bottom is another microphone, a SIM tray, a USB Type-C port, and a second speaker grille. The phone is also IP65 rated, which means it is protected against dust and water.

The box includes an 80W charger, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a phone case, a SIM ejector tool, and some paperwork.

Realme 13 Pro Plus Display

The Realme 13 Pro Plus features a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED LTPS display with thin bezels and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz for smooth visuals.

On the front, the phone features a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with full-HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. You can switch between 60Hz and 120Hz or let the auto mode choose the best refresh rate for you. The display has thin bezels and a hole-punch cutout at the top center. There is also an under-display fingerprint scanner at the bottom that works smoothly without any issues. Although the display doesn’t support HDR, it is a 10-bit panel. Realme offers Vivid, Natural, and two Pro modes, and you can adjust the color temperature of the screen as per your preference.

Although the display on the new Realme 13 Pro Plus is the same as the older 12 Pro Plus, it has received some improvements. The screen is now a lot brighter, with a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits, making it easier to see outdoors.

The phone comes with a protection film pre-applied on the display, but I recommend removing it and using a separate screen guard instead. For added protection, the display has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i with Armor Shield glass. The curved edges of the phone make it look and feel thinner than it actually is.

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Realme 13 Pro Plus Software

The Realme 13 Pro Plus comes with Realme UI 5.0, which is based on Android 14. It has a mix of AI enhancements and pre-installed bloatware. The device has been updated with the latest security patch since June.

The Realme 13 Pro Plus comes with a mix of useful features and some extra apps that you might not need. It runs on Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0 and includes some AI features that work across the system, which is a nice touch. Realme has promised two years of software updates and three years of security patches.

While there are a few bloatware apps like Hot Apps, Hot Games, Glance Lock Screen, and Keyboard with Ads, the main user interface is intuitive and easy to use. I didn’t experience any major delays while switching between apps.

Realme’s new AI features include a number of interesting tools:

AI Screen Recognition: Similar to Google’s Circle to Search, this feature helps you find information on your screen.

AI Smart Loop: This makes it easier to share images, text, and other items between apps.

Air Gesture: You can control certain apps by waving your hand in the air. While this is a fun feature, it doesn’t always work well and can feel like a gimmick.

AI Eye Comfort: This feature claims to detect eye fatigue and adjust the screen temperature accordingly. In reality, it only heats up the display, and it’s debatable whether you need AI for this or not.

The new camera also includes two AI features: AI Eraser and AI Ultra Clarity, and they work really well. You can check out our separate article for more details on these AI camera features. Realme has introduced a new image processing technology called AI HyperRAW. Apart from this, there are other AI features like AI Group Photo Enhance for better selfies and AI Audio Zoom for clearer sound in videos.

Realme 13 Pro Plus Performance

The Realme 13 Pro Plus offers great performance with its Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor. It comes with up to 12GB of RAM and offers up to 512GB of storage options, ensuring smooth operation and ample space for your needs.

If you are looking for a high-performance phone in this price range, the Realme 13 Pro Plus may not be the best choice for you. Although it handles multitasking and gaming well, there are other phones in this segment that offer better performance. It doesn’t show any significant improvement over the previous 12 Pro Plus, as it has the same 4nm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor and Adreno 710 GPU. Our review unit had 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is the highest option available with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

The phone handles everyday tasks with ease, such as browsing with Chrome, running multiple apps simultaneously, using the camera, and scrolling through social media apps like Instagram. It also performs well with games, managing to play any game you try. However, for graphics-heavy games like Genshin Impact and BGMI, you will need to use medium settings. During long gaming sessions or prolonged camera use, the phone can get a little warm, but not enough to become a major issue.

We ran some synthetic benchmarks on the Realme 13 Pro Plus to see how it fares against its competitors, and the results weren’t impressive. While these scores don’t fully reflect everyday use, they do give us an idea of ​​its performance

The phone performed just like its predecessor, the Realme 12 Pro Plus, which could be disappointing for those looking for a performance boost. However, the Realme 13 Pro Plus is designed with a focus on great cameras at a mid-range price rather than high performance. For connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2, and includes standard GPS features. The phone also supports dual 5G standby and uses a nano-SIM card.

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Realme 13 Pro Plus Cameras

The Realme 13 Pro Plus has a dual speaker stereo setup, where the bottom speaker produces most of the sound. The phone gets quite loud and has a bit of bass too. Overall, these are good-quality speakers.

This phone is really amazing when it comes to its cameras, especially the telephoto lens. Three out of the four cameras on the device are from Sony. Realme has partnered with Sony to include Lytia sensors in all of its flagship phones. There are two 50-megapixel sensors on the back of the phone, along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 32-megapixel Sony camera. The camera app is user-friendly, with everything displayed clearly. You can easily switch between 5 focal lengths ranging from 0.6x to 6x.

Let’s start with the main camera. The 50-megapixel Sony LYT 701 sensor delivers great results in good light. You get plenty of detail, strong dynamic range, and accurate white balance. Sometimes, colors can get a little oversaturated, especially when there’s a lot of greenery, leading to photos with too much contrast. However, this is rare. The camera also performs well in low light, and it also has a dedicated Night mode. You’ll see good detail even in dark areas, with no major issues with white balance, color saturation, or exposure. It also captures skin tones accurately. Check out some examples below.

Now, let’s talk about the telephoto camera. Last year’s 12 Pro Plus impressed us with its periscope telephoto sensor and the new 13 Pro Plus takes it even further. Photos taken at 3x zoom are full of detail, showing vibrant colors and strong contrast. You can also get a natural bokeh effect from this sensor. Below, you’ll see some photos taken using the telephoto camera.

Portrait photos look great on the telephoto camera, with skin tones appearing very close to natural. I found myself using the telephoto lens more than the main camera. It also performs very well at night, and there are very few complaints. You might notice some noise when zooming in beyond 3x, but by that time, the photos are still impressive. They have a lot of detail, good dynamic range, and accurate white balance. Check out some portrait shots below.

The phone’s ultra-wide camera also works well during the day and captures good photos. However, it’s not as effective in low light. There’s a macro mode that uses the ultra-wide sensor, but it struggles to focus when you’re close to the object. Despite this, the camera is still usable.

Selfies taken with the phone look good, but not in low light. HDR isn’t very effective, and photos often look over-sharpened.

Talking about video performance, the phone performs well in both 4K and 1080p resolutions with the main rear camera. However, the stabilization isn’t the best. The telephoto camera delivers similar results. Both the main and telephoto cameras can record up to 4K at 30fps, while the ultrawide camera is limited to 1080p at 30fps. There’s also an Ultra-Steady mode, which works at 1080p 60fps and delivers good results. Dynamic range in 4K is impressive, with minimal noise, and color and white balance are accurate.

Realme 13 Pro Plus Battery

The Realme 13 Pro Plus packs a robust battery with a capacity of 5,200mAh. It supports 80W fast charging and an 80W charger is included in the box.

I was really impressed with the battery life on the Realme 13 Pro Plus, especially because the previous model also performed well in our battery tests. This new model comes with a bigger 5,200mAh battery, which lasted 32 hours in our HD video loop test. While this doesn’t exactly match real-world usage, it means you can definitely watch two full seasons of The Boys without needing to recharge. With normal use—watching YouTube, scrolling through Instagram, making a few calls, texting, using the camera, and about 45 minutes of gaming—the phone reliably lasted over a day, with a screen-on time of over 7 hours.

Charging is fast with the 80W charger included in the box, although it doesn’t actually reach 80W. We were able to fully charge the phone from 0% to 100% in less than 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Realme 13 Pro Plus Verdict

I would definitely recommend the Realme 13 Pro Plus to anyone looking for a great camera phone under Rs 35,000. It stands out from its competitors, including the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G, the recently launched OnePlus Nord 4 with a metal build, the high-performance Poco F6, the Samsung Galaxy A35, and the latest Motorola Edge 50. While all these phones have their strengths, none of them match the camera quality of the Realme 13 Pro Plus. In fact, its camera sometimes outperforms phones priced above Rs 50,000.

If you are looking for a phone primarily for the camera, the Realme 13 Pro Plus is a great option. Not only does it offer great camera performance, but it also has a ton of AI features, a high-quality display, loudspeakers, and an attractive design. Overall, it is a great phone and one of the best camera phones in its category.

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Review

Key Specs:

• Design: Premium
• Display: Good
• Software: Bloatware-filled
• Performance: Excellent
• Battery Life: Long-lasting
• Camera: Excellent main and telephoto camera, but the ultra-wide is average
• Value for Money: Good

Pros:

• Premium design
• Excellent main and telephoto cameras
• Long-lasting battery
• Good display
• Useful AI features

Cons:

• Filled with bloatware
• The ultra-wide camera is average
• Lacks infrared feature

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