All You Need to Know About the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Series in Kenya
Xiaomi has recently launched the much anticipated Redmi Note 13 series in Kenya. In my previous article, I mentioned that the date of the Redmi Note 13 series was going to be on 31st January, however, Xiaomi decided to push the date further to February 10th due to unknown reasons. Eventually, the three smartphone series were successfully launched.
There have been many Kenyans interested in the phone during and after its launch because it offers great value for money compared to the competition. Now, let's explore the features of all three series.
The Redmi Note 13 Series
Xiaomi launched three models into the Kenyan market: the Note 13 4G, Note 13 Pro 4G, and Note 13 Pro Plus 5G.
Redmi Note 13
Xiaomi went all in with the base Note 13. Although there is a 5G version for the Note 13 Xiaomi launched the 4G version in Kenya. It comes with a snapdragon 685 (6nm) which is the same as last year's Redmi Note 12.
After using the phone at the launch event, I found it to be pretty good with no lags. However, the performance was only slightly improved from last year's model, likely due to the 6GB of RAM.
The design is pretty good and the build is solid it hasn’t changed much but there is a notable difference. You get your usual volume rocker buttons on the right-hand side and a power button.
At the left, there is a SIM ejector tool you can have 2 nano SIM cards. It has an ingress protection rating of 54 which means it can protect the phone against a limited amount of dust and water-jet-proof rating an improvement from its predecessor which had an IP53 rating.
The phone's display has undergone some significant improvements. It features an AMOLED display that is paired with a fast refresh rate of 120Hz, resulting in a vivid, sharp display and smooth scrolling.
Additionally, the resolution of the display is 2400*1080 pixels. One of the most significant updates is the brightness, which now has a peak brightness of 1800 nits.
This level of brightness ensures that you can still use your phone with ease even when you're out in direct sunlight.
The improvement is the inclusion of an under-display fingerprint scanner, however, it’s an optical one and not as fast as an ultra-sonic one. The inclusion of an under-display camera depends on the personal preference. According to me, the side-mounted fingerprint scanner is faster.
The camera of the Xiaomi phone has been upgraded with a 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP lens which is not very useful.
However, some reviews suggest that the camera improvement is only marginal compared to its predecessor.
This could be because Xiaomi is using the same chipset as the previous year and it's important to remember that numbers alone do not give the complete picture.
The phone's rear camera is limited to shooting at 1080p 30fps. However, the front camera is an improvement from the previous model, with 16MP compared to 13MP. Like the main rear camera, the front camera also captures videos at 1080p resolution.
On the storage side of things, Xiaomi decided to up the storage the Note 13 has 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128, and 8GB+256 with UFS 2.2 for faster data transfers we don't get a 4GB RAM variant this time. It also supports an SD card of up to 1TB.
The RAM space can be virtually expanded up to an additional 8GB RAM, allowing users to switch between apps without slowing down.
It has a huge 5000mAH battery that can last you an entire day depending on your usage and on top of that it comes bundled with a 33W fast charger that can charge your phone from zero to 100 in just 70min.
Redmi Note 13 Pro
This model comes packed with a mediatek G-99 ultra fabricated under 8nm architecture. It's not the powerful SOC out there but it will get the job done for the most part.
I don’t know why Xiaomi decided to use this chip yet they could just include a 5G capable one because for that asking price you can get capable 5G devices. It boots up with Android 14 and MIU 13 out of the box.
According to some benchmark results, last year Redmi Note 12 Pro with the Mediatek 1080 performed better than the G-99 ultra, maybe it’s a downgrade? We will test the two phones once we compare the two phones.
The phone has a 1080*2400 display the same as its predecessor it has an adaptive sync refresh rate which offers a smooth scrolling experience and animations.
The display has a peak brightness of up to 1800nits which is plenty bright if you are going to use the phone under direct sunlight and it’s also AMOLED for those deep blacks.
It has a Corning gorilla glass 5 for protection against drops and an under-display fingerprint sensor.
The phone's design is fairly sturdy, but it doesn't give a premium feel due to its plastic back build. Its predecessor had a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the back, which is a drawback. However, it does have an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance.
The phone's camera is a huge 200MP main shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a gimmicky 2MP macro lens.
The camera seems promising ensuring you take sharp and contrasty shots. It comes with OIS which will help stabilize the process as you take those shots, especially if you are photos of fast-moving animals like cats and dogs. Unfortunately, video recording is capped at 1080p 30/60fps.
At the front, we get a 16MP selfie shooter and can record videos at 1080p30/60fps. The 16MP shooter ensures you take sharp photos and record good-looking videos.
On board the storage there are three storage options you can choose from ranging from 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM coupled with UFS 2.0 with support of an SD card. Users can add u to 12 GB of expandable RAM for a seamless experience.
It comes with a 5000Mah battery which should last users u to a full day depending on their usage and it comes with a 67-wired fast charger bundled inside the box which can take the phone from 0-100 in just 46 min as advertised by Xiaomi.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus
This is the top-tear bleeding edge of the Redmi Note 13 series coming with an impressive and powerful Mediatek 7200-ultra 4nm chipset. Upon booting up the phone it will boot with Android 14 and MIU 13 out of the box.
The density 7200-ultra will handle almost every task you throw to it from gaming to multitasking.
At the front, we get the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus a huge upgrade from the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus which had a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 the Gorilla Glass Victus has improved drop and scratch-resistant.
The phone has an AMOLED screen with up to 68 billion colors, a 120Hz refresh rate with Dolby Vision, a 1.5k resolution, and a peak brightness of up to 1800nits. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth animations and scrolling.
Xiaomi has also decided to protect the phone against water and dust with Ingress Protection 68. It supports dual sim, e-sim, and nano sim. At the back, it has Gorilla Glass victus similar to the front display or a silicone polymer back.
It comes packed with various storage configurations from 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512G 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, and 512GB 16GB RAM with a very fast UFS 3.1 for data transfers.
It has a 200MP main camera with OIS an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP lens for macro shots. Fortunately, it can record videos up to 4k30/60/120fps for sharp videos and smooth frames. At the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera that can record videos up to 1080 30/60fps.
The phone is equipped with a massive 5000mAh battery that can last for an entire day with regular use.
However, if you use it heavily for gaming, the battery might not last the entire day. But don't worry, it also comes with an incredibly fast 120W wired charging feature that can fully charge your phone in just 19 minutes from 0 to 100 percent.
Availability and Pricing.
If you are interested in purchasing either of the models above you can buy them from select Xiaomi stores and online stores like Jumia.
The Redmi Note 13 is priced at KES 27,999 and has various color options which include Midnight Black, Mint Green, Ice Blue, and Ocean Sunset.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro is priced at KES 41,999 and has several color options which include Midnight Black, Forest Green, Lavender Purple
The Note 13 Pro Plus is priced at KES 73,999 and has various color options which include, Moonlight White Aurora Purple, Camo Green, Fusion Purple, Midnight Black
