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The Redmi Note 13 Series Goes Live in the Philippines!

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G99 Ultra… seems interesting.

On January 15th, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 13 series. The new phones come in a fresh new design (and we especially like how the Redmi Note 13 was designed as it feels similar to our OnePlus Nord 3), and fresh new cameras and the intriguing and interesting MediaTek Helio G99 Ultra found on the Note 13 Pro Plus.

As the tagline suggests, the phones are geared towards photographers. The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, the most expensive and the most jam-packed of the bunch for instance, features a 200MP Camera with OIS.

There are four phones in the series, one of which is a subvariant of the Redmi Note 13 Pro but with 5G services. The other phone is the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus.

Let’s dissect each one to see what they offer.

REDMI NOTE 13

The vanilla Redmi Note 13 is geared towards the budget-conscious as evident with its PHP 7,999 (6/128) and PHP 9,999 (8/256) price tags. It utilizes the same chipset as the Redmi Note 12, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685. So their performance on paper should be similar.

What really changed here is the primary camera, boosted from a 50MP sensor to 108MP. It does keep its aesthetically pleasing secondary cameras like the ultrawide and 2MP macro when the latter should really be gone by now.

It kept everything the Redmi Note 12 is known for including the 6.67″ 120Hz OLED screen, L1 Widevine certification, a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, IR Blaster, and IP54 rating. However the speakers this time are Dolby Atmos certified, all for a similar price tag. The Redmi Note 13 lives more vividly than its predecessor which when you think about it, is pretty funny.

It comes in a variety of colours like Midnight Black, Mint Green, Ice Blue, and Ocean Sunset.

SPECS:

REDMI NOTE 13 PRO and PRO 5G:

Two phones carrying different designs but with similar attributes. They really are like a definition of siblings. Different but also very much the same.

Starting with their similarities; both of these handsets feature a 200MP Primary camera with OIS (and the 8MP Ultrawide and 2MP Macro which are not worth discussing) as well as the same 16MP selfie camera for the past five years. Xiaomi has a tendency to just let the selfie camera sit in place, constantly ignored peacefully until some significant developments were made. They also did similarly in their early years when almost all of Xiaomi’s budget and midrangers opted a 5MP selfie camera.

Next are their displays. Both of these phones carry a 6.67″ 120Hz OLED screen (with Gorilla Glass 5 as a cherry on top). The charging rates are the same too, at a fixed limit of 67W. Yes, both of these phones retain the fan-favourite IR Blaster to control certain appliances. Yes, the 3.5mm jack is staying. They never disappeared in this series, unlike what realme did for its number line up.

Finally, both of these phones have an IP54 water/dust resistance rating and L1 Widevine certification. Both feature stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos.

Now onto their differences. The most obvious is their chipset. The 4G phone has the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultra chipset while the 5G one features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. Going back to the G99 Ultra, Xiaomi provided more info about it and why is it called as such, although vaguely. See, the chipset features the same 2.2GHz CPU as the regular MediaTek Helio G99 and the same exact GPU as well. We’re not sure what “Ultra” here means if it’s barely customized.

The 5G phone has a chipset that thankfully can be easier explained. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is part of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 family that succeeds the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 series. The “s” suffix implicates that the chip is designed more for power efficiency rather than all-out performance unlike the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2. It features an octa-core chipset comprising of four Cortex-A78 main cores and of course, an unnamed GPU.

Another difference, although subtle, is that the 5G phone features a 1.5K-res display (2712x1220px) instead of just FullHD+. The 5G phone has a slightly, though insignificantly larger 5100mAh battery.

Finally, their colour options are quite different, and more obviously, their designs. For the 4G Redmi Note 13 Pro, your colour options include Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, and Forest Green. As you can see, the shade here is much darker than the regular Redmi Note 13. Meanwhile, the 5G version comes in Midnight Black, Coral Purple (which is basically white), and Arctic White.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro 4G starts at PHP 13,999 (8/256) and PHP 15,999 (12/512). Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G starts at PHP 16,999 (8/256) and PHP 18,999 (12/512). Every new generation, the Pro versions significantly goes higher in price but with few noticeable changes. If any, they are usually gimmicky or insignificant but truth be told, that 200MP OIS camera is something that is a feature and not a gimmick. OIS is crucial to keep videos steady without using a separate gimbal stabilizer and works much better than the algorithm-based EIS because OIS is physical.

SPECS (NOTE 13 PRO 4G):

SPECS (NOTE 13 PRO 5G):

REDMI NOTE 13 PRO PLUS:

You know what this phone reminds us of? The Xiaomi 13 series from its design. Rightfully so because the phone does feel like a “Xiaomi 13 Lite Lite.” Yes, that’s twice the lite because it’s still has to act like a Redmi Note after all. It kept the same great features the Pro 5G has and expanded more to them.

The phone, with its affordable PHP 23,999 (12/512) price tag, almost feels like a flagship thanks to an even tougher IP68 water/dust resistance and its advertised 2160Hz “all-star durability”. Not just that it has 1920Hz PWM Dimming as well. The display is the same as the Note 13 Pro 5G, that is, a 6.67″ 1.5K AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate. Although it is noticeably curved here.

Instead of a Qualcomm chip, Xiaomi opted for a MediaTek again with the Dimensity 7200-Ultra. The “ultra” in the name has probably something to do with Xiaomi’s own taste and preference for optimal performance. We’ll never know because the chip is essentially the same as a regular Dimensity 7200.

Xiaomi kept the same 200MP OIS camera as the previous Note 13 phone but also now advertises EIS in combination with OIS. This makes videos even steadier since both an algorithm and a physical attachment are working together to ensure that shakiness basically does not exist. Don’t even bother with the other two cameras, they are just the usual 8MP + 2MP setup. Yes, the 16MP f/2.4 selfie sensor is still there and won’t probably disappear for a long time.

In terms of battery, the Pro Plus uses the same 5000mAh typical battery size but jumps to 120W for its fast charging rate. A theme we’re seeing with every Pro Plus release since the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. Yes, the IR Blaster is still there but frankly, not the 3.5mm jack. A rare thing to occur with the Redmi Note line. We’re also yet to see one with a stylus.

The phone is available for purchase in the Philippines and comes in three colours: Fusion White, Fusion Black, and Fusion Purple. Again, it is priced at PHP 23,999 and only comes with 12GB RAM + 512GB ROM.

SPECS:

All these three phones are available online while the Redmi Note 13 and 13 Pro 4G and 5G can be seen in any official Xiaomi authorized concept store.

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