The Realme 13 Pro+ is here, and while it may not offer a monumental upgrade over its predecessor, the Realme 12 Pro+, there are some significant hardware improvements and new AI features that make it a compelling choice for photography enthusiasts. The Realme 13 Pro+ boasts a new telephoto sensor, a brighter display, and impressive battery life, all wrapped in a stylish design. However, it also comes with a slight price increase, starting at Rs. 32,999. Is this latest iteration good enough to retain the title of best camera phone in its segment? Let’s delve into the details and find out.
Realme 13 Pro+ Design: Looks and feels premium
The Realme 13 Pro+ retains a design language similar to its predecessor but introduces a glass-back variant. The Monet Gold color option we received features a mesmerizing glass back with a unique sand-wave pattern. The curved edges of the rear panel enhance the grip and comfort, though the frame remains plastic.
Realme has maintained the large circular camera module reminiscent of a watch dial with its signature flute bezel, now adorned with the HyperImage+ logo at the bottom. Unlike the leather variant, the 13 Pro+ lacks the vertical strip across the center of the rear panel. This cleaner aesthetic focuses attention on the camera module as the primary design element.
The button placement is consistent with the older model, with the volume and power buttons on the right edge and the left edge remaining bare. You will find a speaker grille and a microphone at the top, and another microphone, SIM tray, USB Type-C port, and a second speaker grille at the bottom. The phone is now IP65 dust and water resistant for enhanced durability.
The box includes an 80W charger, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a case, a SIM ejector tool, and documentation.
Realme 13 Pro+ Display: Curvy with slim bezels
Up front, the phone boasts a familiar display setup with a 6.7-inch AMOLED curved panel offering full-HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Users can toggle between 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates, or let the phone automatically select the optimal refresh rate based on screen activity. The display boasts slim bezels on all sides and a hole-punch cutout at the top center for the front-facing camera.
An under-display fingerprint sensor is conveniently placed at the bottom, offering a reliable and responsive experience. The display, unfortunately, doesn’t support HDR, but it is a 10-bit panel for better color accuracy. Realme provides Vivid, Natural, and two Pro modes and allows for customization of the screen color temperature.
Though similar to the Realme 12 Pro+ display, the Realme 13 Pro+ offers substantial improvements. Notably, the new phone features a much brighter panel with a peak brightness rating of 2,000 nits. This makes the display easier to read in outdoor settings.
A pre-applied protection film covers the display, but we recommend removing it and installing a different screen guard for enhanced protection. Speaking of protection, the display boasts Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i for scratch resistance. The curved sides further enhance the phone’s sleek and thin appearance.
Realme 13 Pro+ Software: AI and Bloatware infused
The Realme 13 Pro+, like most devices in this segment, offers a plethora of useful features with a sprinkle of bloatware. Fortunately, the software is also infused with AI features that enhance the user experience. The phone runs Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0 out of the box, and Realme has pledged two years of software updates and three years of security patches.
Apart from the bloatware, such as Hot apps, Hot games, the Glance lock screen, and ad-filled keyboards, Realme UI 5.0 is a pleasant and user-friendly experience. Navigation is smooth, and noticeable lag is minimal while switching between apps.
AI features like AI Screen Recognition (similar to Google’s Circle to Search) and AI Smart Loop for simplified sharing are commendable additions. The Air Gestures feature, while present, remains a gimmick that only works inconsistently.
AI Eye Comfort, which supposedly detects eye fatigue and adjusts the screen temperature, simplistically warms the display, an unnecessary AI application. However, two AI features within the camera, AI Eraser and AI Ultra Clarity, prove to be highly effective.
Realme’s new image processing algorithm, AI HyperRAW, further enhances photography. Other AI features like AI Group Photo Enhance for selfies and AI Audio Zoom for video recording provide added functionality.
Realme 13 Pro+ Performance: Decent
If you seek a performance powerhouse within this price segment, the Realme 13 Pro+ may not be your ideal choice. While offering respectable performance for multitasking and gaming, there are alternative phones in the same price bracket that offer greater processing power. The performance improvement compared to the Realme 12 Pro+ is minimal, with the same 4nm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC paired with the Adreno 710 GPU. Our review unit featured the top-end configuration of 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB UFS 3.1 storage.
The phone handles everyday tasks like web browsing, running multiple background apps, using the camera, and scrolling through social media seamlessly. Gaming performance is also satisfactory, as it can play most games smoothly. However, graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact and BGMI may require medium settings to maintain a smooth frame rate. While the phone does experience some warmth during extended gaming sessions and prolonged camera usage, it’s not an unbearable issue.
Realme 13 Pro+ Cameras: Impressive
This is where the Realme 13 Pro+ truly shines. The cameras, especially the telephoto lens, are the phone’s standout feature. Out of the four camera units, three are Sony-branded. Realme announced its partnership with Sony to equip its flagship devices with Lytia sensors. Alongside the dual 50-megapixel sensors on the rear, you have an 8-megapixel ultra-wide unit and a 32-megapixel Sony IMX 615 sensor for the front-facing camera. The camera app is intuitive with a user-friendly interface that places all essential controls front and center. It offers access to five focal lengths ranging from 0.6x to 6x.
Here’s a breakdown of the camera performance:
- Main Camera (50MP Sony LYT 701): The 50-megapixel Sony LYT 701 sensor delivers exceptional image quality in good lighting conditions, producing detailed images with excellent dynamic range, accurate white balance, and vibrant colors. Occasionally, the saturation can be slightly over-the-top, creating high-contrast pictures, especially with foliage. The camera also performs well in low light conditions, with a dedicated night mode that captures good detail, minimal noise, and accurate white balance, color saturation, and exposure, even in shadows. Skin tones are also rendered accurately.
- Telephoto Camera (50MP Sony LYT 600): This is where the Realme 13 Pro+ truly excels. The telephoto camera allows for 3x optical zoom, and photos captured at this magnification boast excellent detail, color saturation, and good contrast. The camera also produces a pleasing natural bokeh for portrait-like shots.
- Ultra-Wide Camera (8MP): While the ultra-wide camera is functional, it’s not the phone’s strongest point. It performs well in daylight conditions, producing decent images. However, low light performance is not as impressive. The macro mode, which utilizes the ultra-wide sensor, struggles with focusing close to objects, although it remains usable.
- Front Camera (32MP Sony IMX 615): Selfies captured on the Realme 13 Pro+ are decent, especially during the day. However, low light performance is lackluster. HDR effectiveness is questionable, and images often exhibit excessive sharpening.
Realme 13 Pro+ Battery: Pretty good
The Realme 13 Pro+ has a larger 5,200mAh battery which, surprisingly, surpasses even the impressive battery performance of its predecessor. In our HD video loop test, the phone lasted a remarkable 32 hours. While this test doesn’t perfectly reflect real-world usage, it reinforces the phone’s endurance. With typical daily usage including YouTube, Instagram, calls, texting, camera use, and approximately 45 minutes of gaming, the phone consistently lasted over a day with screen-on times exceeding 7 hours.
Charging is also swift, thanks to the included 80W fast charger, though it doesn’t reach its full potential. We managed to charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent in just over an hour and ten minutes.
Realme 13 Pro+ Verdict
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly camera phone under Rs. 35,000, the Realme 13 Pro+ stands out from the competition, including strong contenders like the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G, the OnePlus Nord 4, the performance-oriented Poco F6, the Samsung Galaxy A35, and the newly launched Motorola Edge 50. These devices offer strengths in other areas, but the Realme 13 Pro+ undeniably reigns supreme when it comes to camera performance. Its camera capabilities may even outshine some phones with price tags exceeding Rs. 50,000.
For users prioritizing camera performance, the Realme 13 Pro+ is undoubtedly the best recommendation in its segment. Apart from its stellar camera capabilities, it also offers a bundle of AI features, a bright and responsive display, loudspeakers, and a stylish design. Overall, the Realme 13 Pro+ is an excellent phone, solidifying its position as the best camera phone in its price range.
