realme has been on a roll this year, unveiling a slew of new devices that have captured the attention of tech enthusiasts. We’ve had the opportunity to put their recent offerings, such as the realme GT6 and realme 12 series, through their paces. While these devices have impressed with their robust feature sets, they’ve also been criticized for their steep price tags.
Now, we’re turning our attention to the realme 13 Pro+ 5G, the latest addition to realme’s lineup. With its promise of ultra-clear camera capabilities, immersive display, and powerful performance, the realme 13 Pro+ 5G aims to make a mark in the competitive smartphone market. But does it live up to the hype, and more importantly, is it worth the investment? Let’s dive into the details to find out.
Build and Design
The realme 13 Pro+ 5G showcases a refined evolution in design, marking its best aesthetic iteration yet. Drawing inspiration from Monet’s iconic paintings, the device features a “Miracle Shining Glass” back with millions of shimmering particles brushed onto high-gloss AG Glass. The Monet Gold variant emulates golden haystacks under sunlight, while the Emerald Green option boasts a premium vegan leather back with a silky feel and dirt-resistant properties. What realme sent for us to review is the former.
A standout design element is the Sunrise Halo camera module, crafted through a meticulous CNC process resulting in 436 metal lines encircling the entire module. This attention to detail contributes to the phone’s premium look and feel. While resembling the design of the previous iteration, it shows very subtle changes in its overall design.
Despite housing a substantial 5200 mAh battery, the realme 13 Pro+ 5G maintains a sleek profile. The Monet Gold variant measures just 8.23 mm in thickness, while the Emerald Green version is slightly thicker at 8.41 mm. Weight is also kept in check, with the Monet Gold model tipping the scales at 190 grams and the Emerald Green at a slightly lighter 185.5 grams.
The inclusion of sleek rubber case helps in adding grip and protection to the device. If you do not mind covering the impressive design of its back panel, putting this on is a good idea to further increase the lifetime of the device.
Display
The realme 13 Pro+ 5G boasts a stunning 6.7-inch curved OLED display. With a 120 Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution (2412 x 1080), the screen delivers smooth visuals and crisp details. The display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports 1.07 billion colors, ensuring vibrant and accurate color reproduction.
Peak brightness reaches an impressive 2,000 nits, making the screen easily readable even in bright outdoor conditions. The display also features ArmorShell Protection, utilizing Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for enhanced durability.
Eye comfort is a priority, with features like 2160 Hz PWM dimming to reduce eye strain in low-light conditions, and AI Eye Protection that adjusts color temperature and brightness based on usage patterns. The screen-to-body ratio of 93% provides an immersive viewing experience, while the 240 Hz touch sampling rate (with up to 2000 Hz instantaneous touch sampling) ensures responsive touch input.
Hardware and Benchmark
At the heart of the realme 13 Pro+ 5G lies the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor. This 4nm chip features an octa-core CPU configuration with four ARM Cortex-A78 cores clocked at up to 2.4 GHz and four ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 1.95 GHz. The Adreno 710 GPU handles graphics duties
The device offers generous storage options, with configurations of up to 12GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage (there’s also a 256GB variant). Additionally, the phone supports Dynamic RAM Expansion, allowing users to allocate up to 12GB of virtual RAM for a total of 24GB.
To manage thermals, realme has implemented a 9-layer 3D Vapor Chamber Cooling System. This setup utilizes a 4,500 mm² tempered VC and 9,953 mm² of graphite to cover the main heat sources, with the VC area increased by 32.5% compared to the previous model.
It is worth noting that the realme 13 Pro+ 5G sports the same chipset as its predecessor. While this is the case, it is important to bear in mind that realme’s market for this phone are those who have realme 11 Pro+ 5G (or older). If you own a realme 12 Pro+ 5G, it is not recommended to “upgrade” to this variant as the performance increase is nominal, at best.
Software and AI Features
The realme 13 Pro+ 5G runs on realme UI 5.0, based on Android 14. This latest iteration brings an updated design and new features focused on security, personalization, and performance.
While not as extensive as its high midrange counterparts on the use of AI, realme jacked up the AI capabilities of the realme 13 Pro+ 5G, almost dwarfing the realme 11 Pro+ 5G. This gives a compelling reason for those who wish to upgrade their devices to the latest version. This includes the following AI features:
- AI Ultra Clarity: Enhances blurry images, particularly useful for telephoto shots between 10x and 30x zoom.
- AI Smart Removal: Intelligently removes unwanted objects from photos.
- AI Audio Zoom: Uses beamforming algorithms and AI noise reduction for directional audio capture in videos.
- AI Group Photo Enhance: Optimizes facial details in group photos, even for subjects at the edges or in the back
Other notable software features include Air Gestures, File Dock, Flash Capsule, and Smart Image Matting.
Most of the AI implementations on the realme 13 Pro+ are focused on content production, which tells which market realme is establishing to tap for this series.
Camera
While the realme 13 Pro+ 5G may not boast the raw camera specs of its predecessor, the realme 11 Pro+ 5G, it makes up for this with advanced sensor technology and AI enhancements.
The main camera setup includes:
- A 50MP Sony LYT701 OIS camera with a large 1/1.56″ sensor and f/1.88 aperture.
- A 50MP Sony LYT600 periscope camera with 3x optical zoom and up to 120x SuperZoom capabilities.
- An 8MP 112° wide-angle camera.
For selfies, there’s a 32MP Sony IMX615 front-facing camera.
Key camera features include:
- 3x Nightscape for improved low-light performance.
- AI HyperRAW Algorithm for purer and sharper images.
- AI Portrait Algorithm for DSLR-level optical bokeh.
- AI Image Stabilization (AIS) & SuperOIS for reduced blur.
It is unfortunate that the new phone is missing the 200MP found on the realme 11 pro+ 5G. Overall, camera performance is acceptable but heavily relies on AI implementations. While this is not inherently bad, AI needs to be further improved as it can affect the overall quality of photos. There are times when it files to apply the necessary fix to overexposed or underexposed subjects.
Audio
The realme 13 Pro+ 5G comes equipped with Hi-Res dual stereo speakers, promising an immersive audio experience for both video and music playback. While detailed specifications aren’t provided, the Hi-Res certification suggests high-quality sound output.
Battery
Battery life is a strong point for the realme 13 Pro+ 5G. The device houses a massive 5200mAh battery, which delivers impressive endurance. In testing, the phone achieved a remarkable 14 hours and 21 minutes of usage.
Charging is equally impressive, with 80W SUPERVOOC technology providing rapid power delivery. The phone can charge from 0% to 19% in just 5 minutes, reach 50% in 19 minutes, and fully charge to 100% in 49 minutes.
realme also offers a 4-year battery health guarantee, backed by 38 safety protections and AI smart charging functions.
Verdict
The realme 13 Pro+ 5G presents a mixed bag of improvements and challenges. On the positive side, it offers a refined design, impressive display technology, and strong battery performance. The integration of AI features, particularly in the camera system, helps to offset the nominal spec differences from its predecessor.
However, the device faces some hurdles in the current market. The significant price increase to PhP28,999 for the 256GB model and PhP31,999 for the 512GB variant may be a tough sell for many consumers. Additionally, with the launch of phones featuring the newer Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset and the existence of less expensive devices with similar specifications, the realme 13 Pro+ 5G faces stiff competition.
While it represents a good upgrade for users coming from the realme 11 Pro+ 5G, particularly in terms of AI capabilities and overall refinement, the value proposition becomes less clear when compared to other options in its price range.
Ultimately, the realme 13 Pro+ 5G is a capable device with some standout features, but its higher price point and the rapid pace of smartphone innovation make it a challenging recommendation in the current market landscape.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
