Xiaomi Redmi 13 5G hands-on review

Camera

The Redmi 13 5G has the same camera system as the non-5G model we tested earlier. This includes a 108MP main camera capable of up to 1080p 30fps video, as well as a 2MP macro camera. On the front is a 13MP camera that can also do 1080p video.

As we found on the non-5G model, the main 108MP camera on the Redmi 13 5G is surprisingly capable. The camera has good color performance as well as detail. Unfortunately, the images don't have a lot of dynamic range, which results in either crushed shadow detail or blown highlights. The HDR doesn't always kick in when it should and even when it does the results aren't too different from the non-HDR version. Images also exhibit some oversharpening.

1x camera samples

What's particularly impressive about this camera is the lossless 3x zoom, which takes a crop from the center of the 108MP sensor. This means images have a 'native' look to them as they aren't upscaled from a lower resolution, and have a reasonable amount of detail. The images in 3x do look a bit soft but it does make them look subjectively more impressive and less like they came out of a smartphone camera.

3x camera samples

The camera also has a 108MP option. Unlike what you find on most other phones, the 108MP option does capture a native 108MP image that has a similar level of detail as the 3x crop. Like the 3x image, the 108MP image looks a bit soft compared to the 12MP images with less post-processing.

108MP camera samples

Having said that, the 108MP mode was finicky in a way where it wasn't clear if it was intentional or just broken. In all the samples we took, some genuinely look like native 108MP images while others look like 12MP images upscaled to 108MP. There didn't seem to be any consistency or logic in why the camera would choose to go one way or the other and it almost felt like it tossed a digital coin to decide every time you hit the shutter button.

Finally, we come to the video recording, which remains a weakness on the Redmi 13, even on the 5G model. The issue here is the same as before, which is that there is no image stabilization of any kind, rendering the videos unwatchable unless the phone is placed on a tripod or some other stable surface. Even if you stand still with the phone in hand there is plenty of shake and any kind of movement causes the videos to look like earthquake footage. The videos also have worse dynamic range than photos even though the colors look alright.