Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ review

Design, build quality, handling

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ looks a lot like its Note 13 siblings, but there is a twist - it comes with curved front and rear sides. But that is not all! In addition to the arguably premium look, this model also offers complete IP68 ingress protection!

Redmi Note 13: Pro 4G, Pro 5G, Pro+ 5G

So, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has a curved Gorilla Glass Victus on top of its screen and a similarly curved glass of unknown origin on the back. The frame is thinner than on the rest of the Note 13 models, still made of thick plastic with a matte finish.

Redmi Note 13: Pro 4G, Pro 5G, Pro+ 5G

The international Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is available in three color versions - Midnight Black, Moonlight White and Aurora Purple (ours).

This is the second Redmi Note 13 model to skip the somewhat traditional huge camera housing. Instead - all three cameras are sticking out of the flush back, surrounded with glossy plastic rings.

We really liked the Note 13 Pro+ screen - the glass curvature around the long sides is subtle and doesn't get in the way of your interactions. And the bezels are evenly thin, flagship-like, if you will. Plus, this AMOLED indeed seems super bright and colorful, and you can tell it is of a high resolution.

There is a small perforation centered at the top in order for Xiaomi to accommodate the 16MP selfie camera.

And just above the said camera, almost invisible, is the incredibly thin earpiece, which also serves as one of the speakers. Like on most Xiaomi phones, the top speaker also features a second outlet on the frame at the top, for an improved audio balance when listening to music of playing movies/games. An IR blaster is also around.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has an optical under-display fingerprint sensor, which is as convenient, fast and reliable as these get nowadays.

The second, more powerful speaker is at the bottom of the phone, together with the USB-C port, the mouthpiece and the Dual SIM tray.

The sides of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+

We love the Aurora Purple back on our Redmi Note 13 Pro+. It has a matte finish, and smudges are not that evident. We think Xiaomi chose the right name for this color as it indeed describes this light purple in the best way.

There is no camera housing, yet there is a unique camera accent here. While the black and white models get slightly lighter black and white hues, the purple version offers blue, green, and silver decorative rectangles around the cameras.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is the most beautiful Note 13, the most different, and the most well protected - in addition to the IP68 design, there is also a shock-absorbing layer around the frame. But having curved panels made the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ also the most slippery Note this year. And while the handling experience is not a total disaster, it is worse than the rest and will surely lead to using the supplied dark gray case that will hide all the beauty of this design.