realme 13 Pro 5G Review

Today, we have the realme 13 Pro 5G. realme Philippines have been on a roll this year, providing stylish yet high-performing devices nationwide.

Their newest launch is slated to be a great pickup for creators who need great cameras at a modest price. We spent quite some time with this iteration of realme’s line and have found pleasant results with the device.

The phone’s highlights lie within its Sony LYT-600 camera, its Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, and its large 5,200mAh battery. However, there’s more than meets the eye with this device with the growing popularity of AI-powered camera systems.

Before we dive right in, I’m going to note that our review unit came in the Monet Purple colorway. It also has a storage configuration with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage available.

Now then, let’s find out if the realme 13 Pro 5G can stand out. After all, other smartphones in the mid range market have been getting better and better recently.

Design and Construction

The phone sports a premium feel with curved edges, a glass back panel, and what feels like a matte finish. It has a design inspired from Claude Monet’s artworks mixed with realme’s personal touches.

I’m happy that realme kept the camera island design from its predecessor. It’s still reminiscent of a luxury watch face. As per realme, 436 metal lines are enveloped around the camera module with detailed, jewelry-like rims.

The phone is almost indistinguishable from its better half, the realme 13 Pro+ 5G. For those curious, however, the difference lies in this model’s smaller sensor situated next to its LED flash.

It’s sleek and feels light at 190 grams, complemented by a 8.23mm thin form-factor as well. Plus, it has an IP65 rating that makes it safe from dust and water.

Our device came in a green colorway, which sports a matte-like metal texture for its frame and back panel. We also noticed that the realme 13 Pro’s back panel is bigger when compared to its predecessor.

For buttons and ports, the power switch and the volume rocker are found on the right side. As for the left side, it’s clean from anything.

At the bottom, we have one of two loudspeakers, a USB Type-C charging port, and the dual-sim card slot. On top, we have the other speaker and the device microphone.

I noticed that this iteration moved away from the 3.5mm audio jack. For reference, I spent quite some time with the realme 12+ earlier this year and it had this port. I’ll surely miss that feature.

Otherwise, I’m definitely into the design efforts that realme put into the device. Again, it does give off a premium feel. I also appreciate how realme didn’t take anything away from what already worked out in previous iterations.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

The phone boasts a curved OLED screen with an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz users can tinker with under settings. This is also covered by ArmorShell protection with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.

The display does quite well even under bright sunlight. It typically offers 600 nits, but peaks at 2,000 nits should users need it. I’ve used it for video binges on YouTube for the most part.

The screen is quite immersive, which I believe is largely due to its razor-thin bezels. While the screen offers vibrant colors, it also offers deep blacks and true-to-life hues. Plus, its high refresh rate enables buttery-smooth screen animations.

For audio, the device houses Hi-Res Dual Stereo Speakers. These were fairly louder than I expected judging from how thin the phone was. Audio was clear during the sound stage as well.

The realme 13 Pro 5G offers standard means for biometrics for modern smartphones. These consist of an in-display fingerprint sensor and facial recognition. Aside from the traditional numeric, alphanumeric, and pattern methods, these worked seamlessly.

Cameras

In comparison to the previous triple-camera system packed by the realme 12+, this iteration only sports dual shooters. While the 12 Series did not have a base Pro variant, we found it fitting to mirror it with this device.

The realme 12+ 5G had a 50-megapixel main shooter, an 8-megapixel wide angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor.

Meanwhile, the realme 13 Pro 5G offers a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 main camera paired with an 8-megapixel wide angle sensor. It’s also equipped with a 32-megapixel Sony IMX-615 camera at the front for selfies and such.

Yes, it’s very similar save for the absence of a macro sensor. However, I’m sure that the realme 13 Pro 5G has the edge under this segment. This is mostly because of the AI-powered features that come with the newly-released device.

I’ll leave readers with our sample shots below to see.

The cameras work seamlessly, and can help users take flagship-level portraits in most conditions. Subjects take center stage with crisp quality, sharp details, and minimal effort.

To elaborate on the last part, the device leverages AI Ultra Clarity. The realme 13 Pro 5G uses AI to offer higher resolutions and improve the clarity of your photos taken. The phone makes post-processing easier, while also delivering better details.

Users will notice this when they check out their photos after shooting. Sometimes, it loads just a tiny bit to process the image to give depth to your shots. Like I said, it puts subjects center stage.

Speaking of post-processing, the phone also offers a built-in eraser for those troublesome photobombers. Users can use this to remove unwanted, troubling clutter from your photos.

Editing is made easy with the device, as doesn’t stop with removing clutter. It uses AI to replace erased objects with context. From experience, this surely helps photos come off more natural.

The cameras were pleasantly surprising. The processing isn’t as aggressive as I thought, even with the camera’s beauty mode left running in some photos. General consensus? Users should definitely be social media-ready with the realme 13 Pro 5G.

OS, Apps, and UI

The realme 13 Pro 5G runs on realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14. For readers that are looking to upgrade from existing realme devices, nothing much has changed software-wise either.

As for those who are looking to switch from another device, I have to note something small. The phone comes with a suite of bloatware. You’ll find folders for Hot Games and Hot Apps which you could definitely just delete.

Of course, a handful of pre-installed apps are useful. Still, I hope one day realme factories could produce devices with less bloatware.

With the storage the device has, I’m sure a number of people would definitely be tempted to free up their space. This is a factor if users are into smartphone photography. I’m certain that 256GB of internal storage isn’t enough these days.

Overall, there aren’t too many notable features with this software skin. Older users can still find the usual split view, flexible window, and smart sidebar made for Android devices.

Performance and Benchmarks

Under the hood, this device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. Graphics-wise, it has an Adreno 710 GPU at the helm. For reference, our review unit has a storage configuration with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage available.

Fairly enough, the device handled games pretty well. It only heated up when my colleague played Honkai: Star Rail on max settings. Personally, I spent my time with the device playing Pokemon Unite since my friend got me into it.

TL;DR: It can definitely keep up with popular, graphics-intensive games with no frame drops or slowing down.

As for our synthetic benchmark scores, we’ll leave them below for those interested to see.

Battery and Connectivity

The realme 13 Pro 5G packs a large 5,200mAh battery with 45W of SUPERVOOC fast charging support via USB Type-C. While we all have an understanding that battery life depends on user habits, this device performed insanely well overall.

In PC Mark’s Work 3.0 Battery Test, our review unit lasted 18 hours and 37 minutes. This test was conducted with 50% brightness, muted volume, and in airplane mode.

As for our video loop test, the phone provided a whopping 33 hours of media playback. For this test, we played a full HD movie with the same variables mentioned above.

For connectivity, the phone offers WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and 5G. Call and network quality on the phone works smoothly as intended. I’m sure most devices don’t really have issues with these in the modern age.

Pricing and Conclusion

Time to address the elephant in the room—how much is realme’s newest mid range offering? Well, the realme 13 Pro 5G has a suggested retail price of PHP 24,999USD 426INR 36,114EUR 406CNY 3,102. This device is available with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

Readers can find it on realme’s TikTok Shop 10. Buyers will also get a free TechLife Portable Steam Iron until stocks last should they act now.

Offline offers include an 18-month installment plan with 0% interest. Of course, buyers have to make a purchase from August 28 to September 30, 2024 via Home Credit or Credit Card.

To wrap this up, I’m putting the realme 13 Pro 5G up with the POCO F6 I reviewed earlier this year. These devices are offering much of the same things including consistent performance, great cameras, and generous battery lives.

However, I have to give realme the edge in terms of effort put into design and display. I mean, the razor-thin bezels were a nice touch, no? The realme 13 Pro Series certainly lives up to the hype. I’m sure it’ll do better in comparison to its predecessors.

What we liked:
Sleek design (camera island, body)
Razor-thin bezels (display)
Great performance
Cameras

What we didn’t like:
Bloatware

realme 13 Pro 5G specs:
6.7-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) OLED display
120Hz adaptive refresh rate
600 nits (typ), 1,200 nits (HBM), 2,000 nits (peak brightness)
ArmorShell protection (Corning Gorilla Glass 7i)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2
4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.4GHz
4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.9GHz
Adreno 710 GPU
12GB RAM
256GB internal storage
Dual-rear camera setup
50MP Sony LYT-600 main camera (f/1.88) with OIS
8MP wide angle camera (f/2.2)
32MP Sony IMX-615 front camera (f/2.45)
Dual stereo speakers
Dual nano-SIM
5G
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
USB Type-C
Fingerprint sensor (in-display)
Face unlock
realme UI 5.0 (Android 14)
5,200mAh battery
45W SUPERVOOC fast charging (wired)
IP65 rating for dust and water resistance
161.3 x 73.9 x 8.2 or 8.41mm (phone dimensions vary between colors)
190 grams (Purple), 185.5 grams (Green) (weight)
Emerald Green, Monet Purple (colors)