Realme 13 Pro+ 5G: In today’s hyper-competitive smartphone market, manufacturers constantly strive to deliver devices that stand out from the crowd.
With the launch of the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G, the company has boldly positioned itself as a serious contender in the mid-premium segment, offering flagship-level photography capabilities at a price point that won’t break the bank.
This comprehensive review explores what makes this device tick, where it excels, and whether it deserves your hard-earned money.
Realme 13 Pro+ 5G Striking Design Inspired by Art
The moment you lay eyes on the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G, you’ll notice its distinctive aesthetic that draws inspiration from the works of renowned Impressionist painter Claude Monet. Available in three elegant colorways – Monet Gold, Monet Purple, and Emerald Green – the device offers something for every taste preference.
The Monet Gold and Purple variants feature a high-gloss AG Glass back with shimmering particles that evoke images of golden haystacks and purple water lilies, creating a mesmerizing visual effect as light plays across the surface.
For those preferring a more understated look, the Emerald Green colorway utilizes premium vegan leather that provides not only a sophisticated appearance but also excellent grip and resistance to fingerprints.
A standout design element is the “Sunrise Halo” camera module, meticulously crafted using a CNC process that produced 436 metal lines around its perimeter. This attention to detail elevates the phone’s visual appeal and sets it apart from competitors in its price range.
With dimensions of 161.3mm × 73.9mm × 8.2mm and weighing just 185.5g (or 190g depending on the variant), the device strikes an excellent balance between screen size and handling comfort.
Immersive Display Experience
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G houses a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with a resolution of 2412 × 1080 pixels (FHD+). This high-quality panel delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks, making content consumption a truly immersive experience.
With a 93% screen-to-body ratio, the visual experience feels expansive and engrossing.
The display supports a 120Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of up to 2000Hz, ensuring smooth scrolling and responsive touch inputs. Color reproduction is exceptional with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 1.07 billion colors, resulting in lifelike visuals whether you’re browsing photos, watching videos, or playing games.
Brightness capabilities are equally impressive, with a typical brightness of 600 nits that can reach a peak local brightness of 2000 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even under direct sunlight.
The display also incorporates eye protection features, including 2160Hz PWM high-frequency dimming and 20,000 levels of brightness adjustment to reduce eye strain during extended use.
Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, the display offers enhanced resistance against scratches and accidental drops, providing peace of mind for daily use. The inclusion of an in-display optical fingerprint sensor adds to the premium feel while ensuring quick and secure access to your device.
Professional Camera System: The Star Attraction
Without question, the camera system is the crowning jewel of the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G. The company has gone all out to deliver what they boldly claim is “a DSLR in your pocket,” and the specifications certainly support this assertion.
The triple rear camera setup includes:
50MP Sony LYT-701 OIS Primary Camera (IMX890 equivalent) with a large 1/1.56″ sensor size, providing excellent light-gathering capabilities and detailed images in various lighting conditions.
50MP Sony LYT-600 Periscope Telephoto Camera with OIS, enabling high-quality zoom shots with minimal loss of detail. This lens allows for up to 6x optical-quality zoom and digital zoom reaching an impressive 120x.
8MP Ultrawide Camera with a 112° field of view, perfect for landscape photography and group shots where you need to capture more in a single frame.
Complementing this hardware is a robust suite of AI-powered features:
AI HyperRAW Algorithm: Enhances image clarity when shooting between 0.6x-6x zoom
AI Ultra Clarity: Gives blurry images an instant clarity boost
AI Smart Removal: Allows removal of unwanted objects from photos with a simple circle gesture
AI Group Photo Enhancement: Improves group photo quality by enhancing individual faces
The camera system has received TÜV Rheinland certification, making it the world’s first high-resolution camera module to achieve this distinction. For selfie enthusiasts, the 32MP front camera delivers detailed self-portraits and supports 4K video recording.
Performance That Keeps Up
Powering the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, built on a 4nm process. This octa-core processor features cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz, paired with the Adreno 710 GPU for graphical tasks. While not a flagship-class processor, it delivers solid performance for everyday tasks and moderate gaming.
The device comes in multiple RAM and storage configurations:
8GB RAM + 256GB storage
12GB RAM + 256GB storage
12GB RAM + 512GB storage
Additionally, Realme’s Dynamic RAM expansion technology allows you to utilize up to 12GB of storage as virtual RAM, effectively providing up to 24GB of RAM for improved multitasking capabilities.
To maintain optimal performance during intensive tasks, the device incorporates a substantial vapor chamber cooling system. This helps dissipate heat efficiently, preventing thermal throttling and ensuring consistent performance even during extended gaming sessions or when using processor-intensive applications.
Battery Life and Charging
A powerful smartphone requires a robust power solution, and the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G delivers with its massive 5200mAh battery. This capacity ensures all-day usage for most users, with enough juice left over for the evening.
When it’s time to recharge, the included 80W SUPERVOOC charger gets you back to full power quickly. According to Realme’s internal testing, the device can charge from 1% to 50% in just 19 minutes, making those quick top-ups before heading out extremely effective.
The battery is designed to retain more than 80% of its capacity even after four years of typical use (one full charge-discharge cycle per day).
It’s worth noting that despite the premium positioning, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G does not support wireless charging. However, this omission is consistent with other devices in its price segment.
Software Experience
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G runs on Realme UI 5.0, based on Android 14. This interface offers a clean, intuitive experience with numerous customization options to tailor the device to your preferences.
Key software features include:
File Dock: Collects, analyzes, and shares information through gestures
Flash Capsule: Provides convenient access to popular third-party services
Smart Image Matting: Easily isolates and shares subjects from photos
AI Screen Recognition: Intelligently identifies screen content
AI Smart Loop: Streamlines workflows for improved productivity
Realme promises two major Android updates and three years of security patches for the device, ensuring longevity and continued feature enhancements.
Connectivity and Additional Features
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G, as its name suggests, supports the latest 5G connectivity standards, ensuring you’re ready for the next generation of mobile networks. The device incorporates an Antenna Array Matrix with multiple antennas for stable signal reception regardless of how you hold the phone.
Other connectivity options include:
Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Bluetooth 5.2
GPS/GLONASS/Beidou/Galileo navigation systems
USB Type-C port (USB 2.0 speeds)
The device also boasts an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance, providing protection against dust ingress and water jets. While not suitable for submersion, it can handle rain and accidental splashes without issue.
The Emerald Green variant has received an SGS 5-Star Drop Resistance Certification, demonstrating its durability with the ability to withstand drops from 1.65 meters without visible damage or functional issues.
Audio performance is delivered through dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, though the device lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack – a common omission in modern smartphones.
Price and Positioning
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is positioned in the competitive mid-premium segment with a price structure that offers good value considering its feature set:
| Variant | Price (INR) |
|---|---|
| 8GB RAM + 256GB Storage | ₹28,999 |
| 12GB RAM + 256GB Storage | ₹31,999 |
| 12GB RAM + 512GB Storage | ₹33,999 |
This pricing places the device in direct competition with offerings from brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Samsung in the ₹25,000-35,000 range. While not the most affordable option, the camera capabilities and overall package justify the premium for photography enthusiasts.
Pros and Cons
What Shines:
Exceptional camera system with dual 50MP Sony sensors
Versatile photography options with periscope telephoto lens
Premium design with Monet-inspired aesthetics
Bright, vibrant 120Hz AMOLED display
Large 5200mAh battery with 80W fast charging
IP65 dust and water resistance
Solid mid-range performance
Room for Improvement:
Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 may not satisfy hardcore gamers
No wireless charging support
No 3.5mm headphone jack
Limited to 60fps in gaming regardless of refresh rate setting
No HDR support for streaming content
Real-World Performance
In daily use, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G proves to be a reliable companion. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor handles everyday tasks with ease, from social media browsing to multitasking between applications.
While not a gaming powerhouse, it can handle most popular titles at medium settings with acceptable frame rates.
Battery life is a standout feature, easily lasting a full day of moderate to heavy use. The 80W fast charging is genuinely useful in practice, providing enough power for several hours of use with just a short charging session.
The camera system lives up to its billing in most scenarios. Daylight photos are crisp and detailed, with excellent dynamic range and color reproduction. Low-light performance is commendable thanks to the large sensors and OIS, though not quite at the level of flagship devices costing twice as much.
The periscope telephoto lens is particularly impressive, delivering usable zoom shots that maintain good detail up to about 10x, though quality inevitably degrades at extreme zoom levels.
Display quality is excellent for the price point, with vibrant colors and sufficient brightness for outdoor use. The 120Hz refresh rate makes navigating the interface feel smooth and responsive, though the absence of variable refresh rate technology means it doesn’t automatically adjust to content, potentially impacting battery life.
Realme 13 Pro+ 5G Conclusion: More Than Just a Camera Phone
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G represents an interesting evolution in the mid-premium smartphone segment. Rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, it focuses on delivering exceptional camera capabilities while maintaining solid performance in other areas.
For photography enthusiasts who can’t justify the cost of a true flagship but want sophisticated camera features, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G offers a compelling package.
The dual 50MP Sony sensors, periscope zoom lens, and comprehensive AI photography suite provide creative possibilities typically reserved for much more expensive devices.
While gaming performance and certain premium features like wireless charging are compromised to hit the price point, the overall experience remains polished and satisfying. The beautiful design, excellent display, robust battery life, and fast charging all contribute to making this a well-rounded device.
Ultimately, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G succeeds in its mission to democratize advanced photography features while delivering a premium experience in a mid-range package.
It may not be the perfect smartphone for everyone, but for those who prioritize camera capabilities without breaking the bank, it represents one of the most compelling options on the market today.
In a segment crowded with devices that often blur together with similar specifications and features, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G manages to carve out a distinct identity through its photography prowess and artistic design sensibilities. That alone makes it worthy of consideration for your next smartphone purchase.