Realme 13 Pro+ 5G Review: Looks Good, Takes Better Photos

Realme might be an affordable smartphone brand, but its handsets often boast unique, eye-catching designs. The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is no different, and with it comes upgraded cameras and the AI-powered HyperImage+ photography system, which aims to deliver “AI Ultra Clarity”. A bigger battery, slightly faster charging speeds, and an excellent AMOLED display are also present, making Realme’s latest mid-range handset all the more appealing.

Announced shortly after the GT 6 flagship during a launch event in Bangkok, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G packs a bunch of premium features into an affordable package. So, how did it fare in our review?

Design

Whether it’s sporty stripes, a vegan leather finish, a luggage-inspired aesthetic, or, in the case of the 13 Pro+ 5G, a handsome sandblasted glass panel, Realme phones stand out from the boring designs we see from the likes of Samsung. Unlike its predecessor, which sported a lovely vegan leather finish, the Realme 13 Pro+ has a frosted glass rear panel that looks like it takes inspiration from dunes in the desert. Realme says that the colorway being called Monet Gold is inspired by Monet’s “Haystacks” paintings. Whatever the case is, it’s a really clean finish and is resistant to fingerprints and other smudges.

As you can see from the image above, it’s a big old circular camera housing with a textured edging effect and a ‘flat tire’ design, which reminds me of the original Moto 360 smartwatches. This is not a bad thing by any means. Again, it helps the Realme 13 Pro+ stand out against its competition.

Despite not being a huge fan of gold colorways, I like the Realme 13 Pro+’s Monet Gold finish.

Hardware

Performance

Thanks to its 2000n nits peak brightness, the AMOLED display is bright enough for use in direct sunlight, and it looks sharp and accurate to my eyes.

Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, the Realme 13 Pro+ offers decent performance, the same as its predecessor, which uses the same processor. So, it’s not a step up in that department, but it does what it’s supposed to.

Power users might want to consider the more powerful Nord 4 or Poco F6 handsets. For casual users who don’t plan on spending hours playing Call of Duty: Mobile, the Realme 13 Pro+ makes up for this ‘deficit’ in other departments.

We’ve run the Realme 13 Pro+ through the usual benchmarking tests:

Battery

The Realme 13 Pro+ packs a larger battery (5,200mAh v 5,000mAh) and faster charging (80W v 67W) than its predecessor. It can manage a full charge in roughly 47 minutes. If time is of the essence, you’ll be glad to note that the phone can achieve a 40% charge in just 15 minutes.

As with the Realme 12 Pro+, wireless charging isn’t supported. But the good news is that an 80W SuperVOOC wall charger is included in the box.

As for longevity, in my usage I found the Realme 13 Pro+ to last the distance and then some. Watching YouTube for half an hour results in a 4% loss in battery life, with a similar report when playing Call of Duty: Mobile. Overall, you can expect to get to bedtime with at least 20-30% left in the tank on most days.

Software

The Realme 13 Pro+ runs the same software as its predecessor, which was reviewed here. So, instead of rehashing everything, I’ll just go through the new features of the Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0 firmware.

In a nutshell, the main differences boild down to the introduction of AI features such as AI Screen Recognition and AI Smart Loop.

AI Screen Recognition is similar to Circle to Search in that you long-press on the display, and the phone scans the information. It then presents you with text and images, which you can then choose to interact with. Images can be saved to the gallery, while text can be saved using the File Dock function.

If you drag the text or image to the side of the display, that’s where the AI Smart Loop function is called into action. It then presents an array of apps to choose from to drop the image or text for further investigation.

As you might expect, in 2024, AI can erase objects from images in the gallery, and the AI Ultra Clarity function can enhance the detail in zoom imagery. As with most AI features, your results may vary.

Camera

The Realme 13 Pro+ is equipped with a trio of rear cameras without a single 2MP sensor in sight. There are a pair of 50MP sensors for primary and telephoto duties, both of which feature Optical Image Stabilization, and the accompanying 8MP sensor takes care of ultra-wide imagery.

The 8MP ultra-wide lens is distinctly average (although far more useful than a 2MP depth lens) and produces decent imagery for social media. The other two cameras deserve further discussion.

Both 50MP sensors are from Sony’s Lytia range. The main camera produces excellent photos in decent lighting with a hint of broodiness. White balance and vibrancy were on point, and there was a good level of detail without oversharpening.

The 50MP telephoto lens is actually quite useful and once again achieves a good level of detail, even when at 6x zoom.

The Realme 13 Pro+ also does pretty well at night photography. Images in the gallery above were taken on a moving riverboat in Bangkok, and the results are really eye-catching. All imagery in the gallery below was taken by hand without a tripod or any other device to help steady the shot. It’s a really good experience with the primary and telephoto lenses on the Realme 13 Pro+, even without considering that it’s an affordable smartphone.

Verdict

Although it may not be an upgrade on its predecessor in terms of performance, the Realme 13 Pro+ is certainly a step above when it comes to photography. It has a bright, vibrant display, enough grunt, IP65 protection, and slightly improved battery life and charging.

If you’re looking for an all-rounder with excellent camera sensors, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better proposition than the Realme 13 Pro+, which costs roughly £314/$418. However, it’s not available in the US.