Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G review

Potent 200MP triple-camera setup

The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G has an impressive 200MP main camera using a rather big 1/1.4" sensor with 0.56µm pixels and a wide f/1.7 aperture. The sensor also supports multi-directional PDAF, and the whole thing is optically stabilized. A couple of years ago, this sensor would have ended up in a flagship smartphone.

The primary camera is the main difference between the Redmi Note 13 Pro and the Poco X6, which carries a 64MP unit. We brought the Poco X6 along for the shoot of the Redmi Note 13 Pro, so you will see some comparative samples below.

• Wide (main): 200 MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3, f/1.7, 23mm (wide), 1/1.4", 0.56µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 2160p@30fps
• Telephoto: 8 MP Sony IMX355, f/2.2, 118˚ (ultrawide); 1080p@30fps
• Ultrawide: 2 MP OmniVision OV02B, f/2.4, (macro)
• Front camera: 16 MP OmniVision OV16A, f/2.4, (wide), 0.56µm; 1080p@60fps

However, the main shooter is joined by a dated and largely unimpressive 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera with a 118-degree field of view. And the second auxiliary camera is the usual 2MP f/2.4 macro shooter.

Around the front, the device relies on a 16MP, f/2.4 selfie camera - a very common setup in Xiaomi phones.

Daylight photos

Main camera

As expected, the 200MP main camera outputs excellent photos during the day with minimal loss in quality indoors. Our only complaint about the indoor samples is that they are slightly softer and tend to have lower exposure.

Main camera daylight samples

Whereas the outdoor stills, they offer great sharpness, plenty of fine detail, wide dynamic range and true-to-life colors and contrast. In some rare cases, we see slightly clipped highlights but nothing too alarming.

Main camera daylight samples

The 200MP mode isn't particularly useful as it's noisy and soft, so it's not worth it for the extra detail. Dynamic range is narrower too.

200MP samples

We took a couple of shots with the Poco X6, as it's the same phone, but with a different main camera. The difference is day and night - the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G is a more competent shooter with far superior photo quality. The only advantage, which is rather subjective, is the color rendition - the Poco X6 outputs stills with punchier colors.

Daylight main camera: Note 13 Pro • Poco X6

2x zoom

The 2x crop zoom mode is solid. It has minimal loss in quality without introducing much noise into the frame. We can confidently say that this is one of the best 2x zoom modes we've reviewed on a midrange.

2x zoom daylight samples

Compared to the Poco X6, the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G produces considerably sharper 2x zoom samples with a lot more detail.

2x zoom Poco X6 samples

4x zoom

The 4x zoom samples are a bit of a stretch. Sure, we've seen 2x zoom photos with similar quality from competitors, but even during the day, the 4x zoom stills are soft and noisy.

4x zoom daylight samples

Still, the 4x zoom shots are much better than the ones coming from the Poco X6.

4x zoom Poco X6 samples

Ultrawide camera

As is usually the case, the ultrawide camera is largely unimpressive. We've seen it in action before, and our stance hasn't changed since - it's an outdated small sensor with limited capabilities. Even during the day, the ultrawide shots are rather soft, lack fine detail, and have a narrow dynamic range. Contrast needs improvement, and colors are often muted.

Ultrawide daylight samples

Macro camera

The dedicated macro camera can produce decent shots in perfectly good lighting conditions, and even then, the amount of detail is limited due to the low 2MP resolution. This camera is more of a filler than anything else, and the lack of autofocus makes it extra hard to take a good-looking, sharp macro photo.

Macro camera samples

Low-light photos

Main camera

We were pleasantly surprised by the automatic Night mode behavior and the overall low-light photo quality. Only really dark scenes triggered the Night mode.

Low-light main camera samples

The samples above are taken with the standard Photo mode, and they are more than impressive. In fact, you'd need to look really closely to find a difference between the Night mode samples and the non-Night mode ones. The Night mode gives you a bit of extra details, added sharpness and better rendition of the highlights and light sources. Otherwise, both modes provide exceptional low-light quality with good contrast, color reproduction, wide dynamic range and plenty of fine detail.

Night mode main camera samples

In comparison, the Poco X6 just looks bad. Even with the Night mode (all Poco X6 samples are with active Night mode), the Poco X6's low-light stills are muddy, noisy and with inaccurate color temperature.

Night mode: Note 13 Pro • Poco X6

2x zoom

The same observations made on the standard 1x Photo mode apply to the 2x zoom mode at night. The samples are more than usable, provide an impressive amount of detail, and are decently sharp, too. There's no noise, either. However, the Night mode is a double-edged sword. It sometimes improves overall quality, but in other cases (check out the second scene), the night mode may potentially smear the fine detail.

2x zoom low-light: Normal • Low-light

It's needless to say that the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G wins this round against the Poco X6 too. The difference is day and night, no pun intended.

2x zoom Night mode: Note 13 Pro • Poco X6

4x zoom

As we said earlier, the 4x zoom mode is a bit of a stretch, and it's even more apparent at night.

Unfortunately, there's no Night mode to fix the issues here either. Images are noisy, and highlights and light sources are often clipped. A bit of extra sharpness would have been great too. In short, a Nigth mode may have helped with the 4x zoom at night.

4x zoom low-light

Ultrawide camera

As expected, the ultrawide camera is a muddy mess at night and the dedicated Night mode has a hard time salvaging the photos. Although contrast, colors and dynamic range as okay in most cases, the extreme softness doesn't sit well with us.

Low-light ultrawide camera: Normal • Night mode

Portraits

Portraits look pretty good, even in more challenging lighting conditions. Sure, detail drops, but it's not unexpected anyway. The overall quality is good, and there doesn't seem to be any difference between the standard Photo mode and Portrait mode. Both options provide plenty of detail, good sharpness, lively colors and excellent dynamic range. There's only one subtle difference - the skin tone on the Portrait mode is a bit more accurate. The Photo mode produces slightly reddish hue.

Portraits: Photo mode • Portrait mode

Selfies

The selfies out of the 16MP camera have quite a distinct look. They appear natural, with brightened skin, and the dynamic range is on point. But overall, they are a bit soft and with pale colors.

Selfies

Video recording

Using its main camera, the device can record 2160p videos at up to 30fps, while the ultrawide camera is limited to just 1080p due to the low 8MP resolution. Slow-motion video recording is also possible, capping at 1080p@120fps. All videos are electronically-stabilized, and there's also an additional Steady Video mode that mimics the stabilization of an action camera. It cuts the field of view significantly and caps at 1080p resolution.

Moving to the videos themselves. The standard 4K video looks great - with an impressive amount of fine detail, great sharpness, accurate color reproduction, no noise and wide dynamic range. The contrast could use some boost, though. We have no other complaints here.

The 2x zoom video is understandably much softer and introduces a bit of noise, so it's hard to say it's usable, but it may come in handy in certain scenarios.

The Full HD ultrawide video is nothing to write home about. It looks anemic, soft, noisy and with limited dynamic range.

The low-light video isn't particularly impressive, but putting it into the context of a budget smartphone, it's pretty solid. Sure, there's noticeable noise in the shadows, but the dynamic range is wide, the contrast is good, the colors are natural, and there's an adequate amount of detail.