Redmi Note 13 Series: What to Expect from Xiaomi’s Upcoming Smartphone Series in Kenya
Xiaomi recently announced their mid-range smartphone series the Redmi Note 13 series on September 2023, bringing significant upgrades from the predecessor the Redmi Note 12.
Over the years Xiaomi has built its presence in the Kenyan market offering affordable devices with premium specifications. In 2018 according to Statista Xiaomi had a market share of only 0.`11% which has grown up to 3.05% in 2022 which is a significant improvement.
I remember a while back I had gone to purchase the Redmi Note 9 pro and it was challenging to find a Xiaomi store we didn’t want to buy from stores we weren’t familiar with due to counterfeit smartphones flooding all over the country, however after hours of walking and searching the internet we ended up finding a genuine Xiaomi store.
Comparing that time, Xiaomi has built its presence with stores in almost every county in Kenya, including shopping malls. With the Xiaomi Note 13 series, we expect to see significant improvements in the hardware and the software side of things
Features and Specifications
Redmi Note 13
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 comes in two versions 4g and 5G. The 4G version packs the same processor as its predecessor the Snapdragon 685 (6nm) which is not a powerful chip but can handle your day-to-day activities with ease, while the 5G version comes with a Mediatek Dimensity 6080 (6nm) chip. Out of the box, both versions come with Android 13 with MIUI 14 skin.
On the display side of things is where there are slight improvements. The Redmi Note 13 4G gets an AMOLED screen coupled with a fast 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1800nits as compared to its predecessor 1200nits.
We expect the displays to be very contrasty and sharp as I have seen some videos on the phone and it looks promising. Surprisingly the 5G version has a peak brightness of 1000nits which is less than the 4G version but has better screen protection which is cornin Gorilla Glass 5 while the 4G version has Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Both the 4G and 5G versions come with the same rear cameras which are a 108mp main shooter, 8Mp ultra-wide, and a not-so-useful 2Mp macro lens and both versions can capture videos up to 1080p.
Last year's Redmi Note 12 camera didn’t impress me, for example, the night mode was grainy and it struggled in low light we expect some major improvements with this year's lineup. However, I am disappointed with Xiaomi for its failure to add 4k recording, I mean if I look at some phones in the same price range, they come with 4k resolution, so Xiaomi needs to up its game.
At the front, both versions have a 16Mp selfie shooter which captures videos up to 1080p. Both versions come with huge 5000MaH and you can expect the phone to last you a full day of use, and in case you run out of juice, there is a fast 33W charger in the box.
It seems that Xiaomi has decided not to include a 4GB RAM variant in the regular Note 13 for both 4G and 5G, the storage variants range from 128GB/6GB RAM, 128GB/8GB RAM, 256GB/8GB RAM with an option for a micro SD card
Redmi Note 13 Pro
Just like the Note 13 4G and 5G this also has two versions 5G and 4g with significant differences. The redmi Note 13 Pro 4g has a Mediatek G99 ultra (6nm) which mediatek is marketing as a gaming processor a 6nm while the 5G version has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4nm) which is good for power efficiency and good performance although many game developers prefer optimizing snapdragon processors.
The display of the 4G version looks promising with an AMOLED screen a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1300 nits peak rightness which is an improvement as compared to its predecessor which had a peak brightness of 1100 nits. The 5G version is expected to rock an impressive 1800 max brightness, you will have no problem viewing the phone under direct sunlight. It's an AMOLED screen with gorilla glass victus protection and a 120Hz refresh rate.
Both versions are expected to come with the same rear camera which is a 200Mp main shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2Mp macro lens. The only difference with last year’s Redmi Note 12 Pro is the main shooter which was 108mp and a depth sensor which they have gotten rid of as the Global Note 13 series doesn’t have a depth lens.
However, some specs sheet reviews indicate that the regular 4g version will still record at 1080p at 30 or 60 fps which is a downgrade as its predecessor was able to record at 4k 30fps and the 5g version will be able to record up to 4k 30fps. At the front, both have a 16Mp selfie shooter with a max recording of up to 1080p.
The battery of the two versions is expected to be a huge 5000MaH however unlike the Note 13 the pro version will have a very fast 67W fast which will be able to charge from 0-100 in just 46 minutes as advertised.
There will be only two storage options to choose from 256GB/8GB RAM, and 512GB/12GB while the 5G version will have numerous options to choose from ranging from 128GB/8GB RAM, 256GB/8GB RAM, 256GB/12GB RAM, 51GB/12GB RAM, 512GB/16GB RAM
Redmi Note 13 Pro+
The Note 13 Pro Plus will be the higher end of the lineup if Xiaomi launches it in kenya. Unlike the other models, the Pro Plus only has a 5G variant. It has a mediatek 7200 (4nm). Out of the box the phone has Android 13 with MIUI 14.
The phone’s display is equipped with a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and an AMOLED screen that can render up to 68 billion colors, resulting in a more vibrant and natural color transition. It also features a 120hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and a peak brightness of 1800nits, which is a significant improvement from Note 12’s 900nits peak brightness.
On board the storage the phone gets 256 GB/8GB RAM, 256 GB/12GB RAM, 512 GB/12GB RAM, and 512GB/16GB RAM for both versions, this time it seems that we are getting more storage options to choose from as last year Redmi Note 12 pro plus only had two storage and ram to choose from 256GB/8GB and 256GB/12GB.
The Note 13 pro Plus comes with UFS 3.1 and it will be able to keep up with the growing demand for 5g up to 1 terabyte of storage with very fast read and write speeds which is an improvement as its predecessor had UFS 2.1.
At the rear camera, the phone gets a 200Mp main shooter, 8Mp ultra-wide, and a 2Mp macro lens which is the same as last year’s Note 12 series with up to 4K 30fps video recording. At the front, there is a 16Mp selfie shooter only recording 1080p 30fps.
The battery of the phone will be a huge 5000MaH, with really fast 120W charging which will be able to juice up the phone from 0-100 in just in 19min, That is just insane and the best part is, you will get the charger included in the box.
Pre-order Details and Availability
As of publishing this article, we don’t have any official details about the pre-order, however, the phone is expected to be launched on 31st January. More details will be mentioned during the launch. We will keep you updated.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 series looks very promising this time around with improvements ranging from the display, and different storage options to choose from to improved camera system and processors.
However, I don’t know why Xiaomi should have included a macro lens, to me that is a gimmick and instead, they should have added a telephoto lens for zooming.
The other issue is the 4K recording, the regular Note 13 should have 4K recording for both the front and rear cameras, and for the Pro and Pro Plus the front camera should have 4K recording.
It appears that all three models will be equipped with Android 13, layered with MIUI 14. I strongly believe they will update to the latest HyperOS.
Also, it seems to me that Xiaomi might be reducing expenses on the 5G model as some manufacturers of budget 5G phones often compromise on numerous features to accommodate 5G. Given a choice, I would prefer a feature-rich 4g model over a 5g model that lacks in features.
Xiaomi is expected to commit to 3 years of operating system and security updates but, this seems a bit unjust considering Android 14 has been available for a few months now. If the phone is shipped with Android 14, it will receive software updates up to Android 17, but Xiaomi seems to ship with the older Android 13 version, which means the Redmi Note 13 will receive OS updates up to Android 16.
