Realme 13 Pro+ Review: The Best Number Series Smartphone Yet?

Another day, another number series smartphone. It was just a few months ago when Realme launched the Realme 12. Just like that series, the Realme 13 series includes two smartphones; Realme 13 Pro and Realme 13 Pro+. Both smartphones come with several upgrades, a sprinkle of AI goodness, and more. I’m here to tell you about the Realme 13 Pro+.

You may get confused about Realme and their smartphone - GT, Number, P, Narzo and C Series - lineup, but that’s how the company has been in recent years. They are a company that quickly adapts to the trends. Hence, multiple smartphones are launched every year, by the company.

Realme is most focused on the Number Series, and this time, there is Hyperimage+, an AI technology (combined with the camera sensors) that’s focused on enhancing camera performance.

What is the Realme 13 Pro+?

Let’s run down some of the specifications for a minute.

Thickness: 8.2mm

Weight: 190g

Colours: Monet Gold, Emerald Green

Display size: 6.7-inch (120Hz refresh rate)

UI/OS: Realme UI 5.0 (based on Android 14)

Processor: Snapdragon 7s Gen 2

RAM: Up to 12GB

Storage: Up to 512GB

Main rear camera: 50MP (Sony LYT 701 1/1.56” sensor)

Telephoto: 50MP (Sony LYT 600 1/1.96” sensor)

Ultrawide: 8MP

Front: 32MP (Sony IMX 615 sensor)

Battery capacity: 5,200mAh

Charging: 80W support (with charger in the box)

Price: Rs 32,999 (8GB RAM + 256GB storage), Rs 34,999 (12GB + 256GB) and Rs 36,999 (12GB + 512GB)

The design of the Realme 13 Pro+ is almost identical to its predecessor. This time around though there is a glass-back variant. What’s also changed is that the rear camera module now sports a HyperImage+ logo at the bottom. The huge circular camera module (with a flute bezel) is appealing, but boring, especially if you’ve seen it before. There’s the curved punch-hole display up front, with even bezels throughout. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. I didn’t expect this but was happy to see it. The smartphone also comes with an IP65 rating.

What I liked about the Realme 13 Pro+

Display: The Realme 13 Pro+ comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display (10-bit, 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits). It’s a much brighter display than its predecessor. It has good colour accuracy and looks sharp. The problem is that this isn’t much of an upgrade from the predecessor. Yes, there are improvements in brightness, but that’s about it. Still, I liked the display, and the viewing angles were good if nothing spectacular.

Cameras: Now the cameras on the Realme 13 Pro+ are a double-edged sword. While I really liked the Realme 12 Pro+ and its camera setup at the time, the Realme 13 Pro+ didn’t re-invent the wheel, and by now, other brands have caught up. The Sony LYT 701 primary camera and the Sony LYT600 periscope telephoto shooter (with 3x optical zoom) are big upgrades. This results in outdoor images which retain details, and come with great dynamic range.

Thanks to the newer sensors, more light is being taken in, and you get some brighter images in low-light scenarios. Edge detection is good, and the blur makes the subject stand out. The front camera is good and produces some clean selfies.

Battery and charging: The Realme 13 Pro+ comes with a larger 5,200mAh. It can easily last for a day or more on moderate usage. I managed to get around 5-6 hours of screen-on-time (SoT), which was just about passable for a smartphone in 2024.

The smartphone comes with an 80W SuperVOOC Charge (upgraded from 67W fast charging) and can juice up the phone in less than 50 minutes.

What I didn’t like about the Realme 13 Pro+

Cameras: Remember I thought about the double-edged sword? Well, the ultra-wide camera and the slow processing prowess are what I ended up not liking about the camera setup. What I particularly didn’t like was the HyperImage+ (integrating AI with Realme’s own HyperRAW algorithm), introduced to boost clarity and dynamic range, making the photo processing speed process very slow. There’s also a slight increase in saturation.

Furthermore, the ultra-wide is merely passable. The images in the day are good for Instagram, while low-light ones aren’t usable. Night mode improves things, but again, takes a long time to process.

Processor: The Realme 13 Pro+ comes with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, the same one on the inside of the Realme 12 Pro+. It’s also the same chipset as on the Realme 13 Pro (which is cheaper). The smartphone performs any tasks spectacularly. The camera takes time to process photos and multitasking isn’t a breeze. In daily usage, I had no issues. It was only when I was gaming that the smartphone lagged.

Bloatware: Yes, it still exists. Yes, I don’t like it. Yes, that’s all I’m going to say about this.

Verdict: Best Realme Number Series smartphone yet?

I think Realme just got lazy. This is the best Number Series smartphone from the company yet, but that isn’t saying much. It falls short on performance (get the OnePlus Nord 4 instead) and the camera performance is slow. That said, the camera, especially the main sensor, is great, and there are a ton of AI features, and AI-enhanced camera features, to bolster the overall experience.

The design is good, though boring, and the vibrant display and good battery life add to the overall package. I just wish Realme had used a new chipset in this smartphone.

Overall, it’s a good smartphone, but Realme could have done a better job. If you are thinking of buying the Realme 13 Pro+, then I’d suggest waiting for a good discount to snag it.