Realme recently launched the second batch of its latest series of phones in India, including the Realme 13 and the Realme 13+. The new phones bring improved processors, design changes, and a few other improvements over their predecessors. Both are mid-range phones that are priced under Rs 30,000. I’ve had the Realme 13+ for almost 10 days now, and I was mostly wondering why Realme launched this phone when its predecessor, the Realme 12+, was just about five months old. Turns out, there are a few reasons for that. But does it make sense to upgrade to the Realme 12+? Read on to find out.
In India, the Realme 13+ starts at Rs 22,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, while the 8GB + 256GB and 12GB + 256GB options are listed at Rs 24,999 and Rs 26,999, respectively. Our review unit came with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Realme 13+ Design: New Rear Panel
- Dimensions – 161.7 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm
- Weight – 185g
- Colors – Dark Purple, Fast Green and Victorious Gold
The Realme 13+ offers a similar design to the older 12+ model when you look at the phone from the front, but there are a few changes at the back. It now features a new rear panel design and a slightly redesigned camera module. According to Realme, the inspiration for the design comes from the keywords “Victory” and “Speed”. Below the camera module, there is a curve that makes the design stand out. The top of the phone has a smooth matte finish, while the bottom has a marbled design. We got the Dark Purple color option, which looks more black than purple.
The marble pattern on the back panel is more visible under certain lighting conditions
The camera module is now more oval than round, and the ring surrounding it has some camera specs etched into it. The new design is nicer than its predecessor, but I miss the leather finish. Thankfully, the entire back panel has a matte finish and doesn’t attract any fingerprints. The back panel also has slightly curved edges, making the phone comfortable to hold.
Realme uses die-cast aluminum and a one-piece metal frame for the phone to ensure durability. The phone has flat sides and feels quite solid and well-balanced. You’ll find the power and volume buttons on the right side, while the top houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grille, and microphone. The bottom houses another microphone, speaker grille, USB Type-C port, and SIM card tray slot.
There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top
The phone now has an IP65 rating, up from the IP54 rating on the Realme 12+. The SIM tray now has a red rubber seal.
Realme 13+ Display: Vivid and Smooth
- Screen size – 6.67 inches, Full HD+ AMOLED resolution
- Refresh Rate – 60/120 Hz
- Protection – Panda Glass
The Realme 13+ has a flat display with thin bezels on the top and sides, and a slightly thicker chin. It’s protected by Panda Glass and has a thin film pre-installed. It’s best to remove it and buy a suitable screen protector. The display uses Samsung’s E4 AMOLED panel, which offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a Full HD+ resolution. The panel has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and is readable outdoors. Realme claims that the panel meets 100 percent P3 color gamut, and in use, I found the display to offer vibrant colors and deep blacks.
The display supports a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and offers several color modes
In the Settings app, you have four color modes – Vivid, Natural, Cinematic, and Glossy. I’d say stick to Vivid or Glossy if you like bold colors. There’s also a Bright HDR video mode, as the screen supports HDR10+ and also offers support for HDR images. For those who like to use their phone with wet fingers, the display also has Rainwater Smart Touch.
The phone also offers a face unlock function.
The display has a punch-hole cutout at the top, and there’s an in-display fingerprint scanner at the bottom. I’m not a huge fan of its placement, but it works well.
Realme 13+ Software: Please Stop Bloatware
- User Interface – Realme UI 5.0
- Operating system – Android 14
- Latest Security Patch – July
I’ve used enough budget and mid-range Realme phones to know there’s going to be a ton of bloatware. The Realme 13+ is no different. The phone runs on Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0 and comes with a bunch of games pre-installed, the Glance Lock Screen, hot apps, hot games, and so on. Thankfully, most of them can be uninstalled, and things like hot apps can be disabled. Still, it would be nice not to have them on the phone.
Realme has promised two years of OS updates with three years of security patches, which is similar to what some of its competitors offer. With Realme UI 5.0, you also get AI-powered features like AI Clear Voice, which supposedly improves call quality, and Smart Loop, which lets you quickly share selected content with other apps. There are also Air gestures, smart sidebar, Split View, and a few other features that you’ll find in Settings > Accessibility and convenience.
Realme 13+ Performance: Games run smoothly
- Chipset – MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy
- RAM – up to 12 GB
- Mass storage – up to 256 GB
When it comes to performance, the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy SoC on the phone is good for everyday use and gaming. This is one of the key selling points of the phone, and I can see why. While I did encounter some issues while navigating the UI and launching apps, the phone never lags while playing games. This chipset is great for gaming on a budget. It also comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The phone does not heat up too much while playing
As usual, I ran our standard benchmark tests on the phone to compare it with other phones in the same price segment.
| Benchmark | Realme 13+ | Motorola Edge 50 Fusion | Nothing Phone 2a |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu v10 | 6,85,135 | 6 12 950 | 6,88,079 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 12 377 | 14 055 | 12 486 |
| Geekbench Single | 1,044 | 1,018 | 1100 |
| Geekbench Multi | 2,945 | 2,949 | 2,448 |
| GFXB T-rex | 61 | 104 | 60 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 50 | 49 | 57 |
| GFXB Car Chase | 29 | 25 | 34 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | 5,174 | 4,758 | 5,902 |
| Slingshot 3DM | 6,672 | 6,414 | 6,872 |
| 3DM Wild Life | 3,161 | 3,035 | 4,165 |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 3,155 | 3,065 | 4,272 |
The phone performed quite well in benchmarks, but it performed even better in real life. One of the reasons this phone excels in gaming is the 6,050mm² stainless steel vapor cooling chamber that Realme has included here. Even during long BGMI sessions, the phone did get slightly warm. I ran BGMI at the maximum available graphics and it ran smoothly, delivering between 80 and 90 fps. There’s also a GT mode that delivers maximum frame rates in all games and it worked as advertised even in COD.
Gaming aside, the phone performed quite well during phone calls and 5G download speed tests. I also found the phone’s dual speakers to be loud and clear, but I wish it had a bit more bass.
Realme 13+ Cameras: Quite Good
- Main rear – 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600, f/1.8, OIS
- Secondary camera – 2 megapixels
- Selfie camera – 16 megapixels
Realme has said that its non-Pro series will focus more on performance than cameras, but in my opinion, the camera setup on the Realme 13+ is quite good during the day. There’s a dual camera on the back, which unfortunately lacks an ultra-wide-angle lens. The camera app is easy to use and lets you control all the different modes directly. There’s also a Pro mode.
It would be better to have an ultra-wide camera instead of a depth sensor
The main 50MP Sony LYT-600 sensor takes good photos in daylight conditions. They have great detail, slightly enhanced colors, and decent dynamic range. White balance is also quite good in daylight conditions, and the photos do not have any weird tints. The Sony sensor also works well in low-light conditions, providing enough light. The camera switches to automatic night mode, which takes a few seconds, but the results are usable. Of course, there is some noise, but honestly, it’s not that bad. Check out some samples below.
Top to bottom: 3 daylight shots, 3 low light shots, 1 portrait shot [Tap to Expand]
Sadly, there is no other usable sensor on the phone. The secondary camera is a depth sensor that helps with portrait shots, but the results are not that great. Coming to the front, the selfie camera also lacks in skin tones and details, but takes good shots in daylight conditions. However, it suffers even more in low-light conditions. Coming to the video, the Realme 13+ can record videos at a maximum resolution of 4K at 30 fps. You will have to switch to 1080p at 60 fps for ultra-stable videos. The video quality is decent, and in daylight, you can get well-stabilized shots with punchy colors.
Realme 13+ Battery: Long Life
- Capacity – 5000mAh
- Fast charging – 80W
- Charger – included
The Realme 13+ has a 5,000mAh battery that can easily last a day or more with normal usage. While 5,000mAh isn’t anything special at this price point, it does come with support for 80W fast charging.
The set includes an 80W charger
In our HD video loop test, the smartphone lasted for about 29 hours, which is quite impressive. In everyday use, I got about 6-7 hours of screen time with the screen refresh rate set to 120Hz. As for the charging speed, the phone went from dead to 100 percent in about 55 minutes. You can get a full day of charge in about 30 minutes of charging.
Realme 13+ Verdict
If you’re looking to buy a budget phone that’s great for gaming and offers good battery life, the Realme 13+ is a great choice. The phone also has a decent main rear camera, a smooth display, and a nice minimalist design, and you get segment-leading 80W fast charging. However, if you’re coming from the Realme 12+, I think you should skip this one.
There are quite a few alternatives in the same price range. For example, the Nothing Phone 2a ( Review ) is also a good choice if you want a unique design, similar performance, decent cameras, and a much better software experience. Motorola Edge 50 Fusion (review) also offers better cameras, software, and design. You could also look at something like the OnePlus Nord CE 4 ( Review ), which offers improvements across the board.
