Today, realme launched its newest number series smartphones consisting of the two – realme 13 Pro 5G and realme 13 Pro+ 5G. The realme 13 Pro 5G is the successor to the realme 12 Pro 5G launched in January this year and also the tone-down variant of its elder sibling realme 13 Pro+ 5G. The 13 Pro 5G debuts with the powerful Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 along with a 50 MP Sony LYT-600 OIS camera, 45W fast charging, and backed AI features.
realme 13 Pro 5G Specifications & Features
- Display & Design: 6.7-inch 3D curved AMOLED display, Full HD+ resolution (2,412 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate, 2,000 nits peak brightness, 240 Hz/2,000 Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 2,160 Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, IP65 dust and splash resistant, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, 8.23 mm thickness (Glass), 8.41 mm thickness (Leather), 183.5 grams (Leather), 188 grams (Glass)
- Software: realme UI 5.0, Android 14
- CPU: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.4 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 710 Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB OR 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM, up to +12 GB RAM Expansion
- Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB OR 512 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
- Main Camera: Dual Cameras (50 MP f/1.88 Sony LYT-600 OIS main + 8 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle), Optical Image Stabilization, 4k video recording (30 fps), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 32 MP f/2.45
- Connectivity & Others: USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, 9-layer cooling system 4,500mm² tempered VC + 9,953mm² graphite
- Cellular: 5G network, dual-SIM, VoLTE
- Battery & Charging: 5,200 mAh, 45W fast charging
- Colors: Monet Gold, Monet Purple, Emerald Green (Vegan Leather)
- Price: ₹26,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹28,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage), ₹31,999 (12 GB RAM + 512 GB Storage)
- Availability: 6th August 2024 on realme.com/in, Flipkart.com, and offline stores. Early bird sale starts today i.e. 30th July 2024 from 6 PM to 12 AM, pre-booking starts tomorrow i.e. 31st July 2024
- Offers: ₹3,000 off with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and SBI Cards, up to 12 months of no-cost EMI, and a 30-day free replacement guarantee for devices activated before 12th August 2024
Design, Display, & Build Quality
Moving to its design, the realme 13 Pro 5G has a Monet-inspired matte finish glass back design with IP65 dust and water-resistant protection alongwith a Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the front side. It also comes in a Vegan Leather option (Emerald Green only). The smartphone is available in three color variants – Monet Gold, Emerald Green, and Monet Purple colors.
The design feels quite premium, especially the glass look. The realme 13 Pro has a unique aesthetic inspired by the works of the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet. The artistic design is a result of realme’s collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), and is influenced by Monet’s iconic “Haystacks” and “Water Lilies” series.
The leather finish seems familiar from its predecessor series, however, the glass surface exhibits mesmerizing flashes from every angle, inviting users to experience the tactile nuances reminiscent of impressionist masterpieces. Adding to its aesthetic appeal, it also features a Sunrise Halo design with a 360° luxury watch-level texture.
Moving to the front side, you get a stunning 3D curved AMOLED screen sized 6.7-inch with Full HD+ resolution (2,412 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, 2,000 Hz instant touch sampling rate, 2,160 Hz PWM dimming, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. The display is curved, crisp, and bright, and has enough brightness which makes it one of the great screens in the segment.
The smartphone comes with a thickness of approximately 8.23 mm thickness (Glass models) or 8.41 mm thickness (Leather model) and a weight of 183.5 grams (Leather) or 188 grams (Glass). Overall, the realme 13 Pro 5G stands out as one of the finest designs in its class with a unique style.
As for the sides, connectivity, audio, and other features, the phone packs an in-display fingerprint scanner, a power button as well as volume controls on the right, while the left side remains plain. The bottom has a USB Type-C port, a dual 5G SIM tray, stereo loudspeakers, and a microphone.
At the top, you will find a second microphone and another speaker making it stereo. It has Dolby Audio support to enhance the audio experience through the stereo loudspeakers, aside from its Hi-Res audio certification for HD audio quality. You don’t get a 3.5 mm headphone jack, so you will end up using a Type-C to 3.5 mm converter.
Software, User Interface, & Features
The realme 13 Pro 5G runs on Android 14 with realme UI 5.0 out of the box with support for 2 years of Android OS upgrades and 3 years of Android security updates. The smartphone comes with an Android security patch of 5th June 2024.
The realme UI 5.0 seamlessly integrates AI features for a better user experience featuring the ‘NEXT AI’ enabling powerful hardware with advanced AI features. These AI features include AI Ultra Clarity, AI Smart Removal, AI Group Photo Enhance, and AI Audio Zoom. The AI Ultra Clarity enhances the resolution and increases the clarity of blurry images.
In addition, the cameras, backed with AI, also come with a Pro-XDR feature which analyzes the image content transmitted by the camera, optimizing photo effects for a complete range of brightness and dynamic range. The Next AI was also seen on the realme GT 6.
The realme UI 5.0 also comes with a host of customization options, allowing users to tailor the look and interface according to their preferences. Notable features include Air Gestures, Mini Capsule, and more. The realme UI 5.0 also enables you to use the additional perks from the realme UI 4.0 interface. Built on the Android 14 operating system, the realme UI 5.0 marks a substantial improvement over its predecessors (realme UI 4.0 and older). The significant upgrades are the new AI features available on the realme 13 Pro Series 5G.
The interface has been revamped for an optimized UI experience, improved privacy and security features, and various other enhancements. The performance is smooth and lag-free, thanks to the 120 Hz refresh rate and the optimized CPU, the smartphone offers a smooth user experience. You get very minimal pre-installed apps such as Facebook, Amazon, and Snapchat aside from the usual apps from realme and Google.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
The realme 13 Pro 5G and the realme 13 Pro+ 5G, are both equipped with 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.4 GHz paired with Adreno 710 Graphics and come with up to 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. Plus, they have the largest 9-layer cooling system 4,500mm² tempered VC + 9,953mm² graphite for maximum heat dissipation, and a 5,200 mAh battery with 45W fast charging.
The realme 12 Pro 5G, on the other hand, uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core SoC as opposed to the faster Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 on the realme 13 Pro 5G. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 was also seen on the realme 12 Pro+ 5G which means the performance should be identical.
The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is an upper-midrange SoC with eight cores and is manufactured in a 4nm process. The SoC consists of eight Kryo cores clocked up to 2.4 GHz – 4x performance Kryo cores based on ARM Cortex-A78 at 2.4 GHz clock speed and 4x power efficient Kryo cores based on ARM Cortex-A55 at 1.95 GHz clock speed.
The smartphone is further paired with either 8 GB or 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM with up to +12 GB extended RAM and up to 512 GB UFS 3.1 storage. It comes in three storage variants, you get either 128 GB storage or 256 GB storage or 512 GB storage depending on the model you choose in the 8 GB RAM or 12 GB RAM version. The RAM can be extended ranging from 4 GB to 8 GB or 12 GB, the system dynamically allocates virtual RAM based on resource requirements.
For gaming enthusiasts, the Adreno 710 serves as a fast midrange GPU, delivering notable gaming performance in the segment. We played several games on the phone and the performance was smooth and reliable, thanks to the faster CPU, GPU, and UI optimizations.
For thermal concerns, the realme 13 Pro 5G comes with a highly efficient Vapor Chamber Cooling System equipped with Graphite sheets for effective heat dissipation. It has the largest 9-layer cooling system with 4,500mm² tempered VC + 9,953mm² graphite for maximum heat dissipation.
Cameras
Cameras on the realme 13 Pro 5G include a dual setup on the rear side with a 50 MP f/1.88 Sony LYT-600 sensor with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) support + an 8 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle secondary camera while the front side has a 32 MP f/2.4 selfie camera. The cameras seem identical as seen on the realme GT 6T and realme P1 Pro 5G, both using the Sony LYT-600 sensor. The camera package is pretty much identical so you can expect similar results, however, with the additional AI features, the overall quality will be improved as far as we think.
The setup includes two cameras on the rear side – a 50 MP f/1.88 primary camera utilizing the Sony LYT-600 sensor with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) support and a secondary camera of 8 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera using the Sony IMX355 sensor while the front side uses a 32 MP f/2.4 selfie shooter for selfie and video calling needs.
The realme 13 Pro 5G has optimized camera features and is probably much stronger in the segment compared to the opponents. You have a better quality sensor, OIS support, and 4k video recording, plus AI features including AI Ultra Clarity, AI Smart Removal, AI Group Photo Enhance, and AI Audio Zoom come into play. In addition, it also comes with a Pro-XDR feature which analyzes the image content transmitted by the camera, optimizing photo effects for a complete range of brightness and dynamic range.
The AI Ultra Clarity enhances the resolution and increases the clarity of blurry images while the AI Smart Removal enables users to enhance their photos by manually selecting and removing unwanted elements such as passersby and clutter. The AI technology then seamlessly fills in the background, ensuring the final image looks natural and pristine, free from any trace of the removed objects.
The camera interface offers a bunch of features and modes, including PHOTO, VIDEO, STREET, NIGHT, PORTRAIT, PRO, PANO, HI-RES, MOVIE, TIME-LAPSE, SLOW-MO, LONG EXPOSURE, DUAL-VIEW VIDEO, DOC SCANNER, STARRY MODE, TILT-SHIFT, and Google Lens for the rear side and PHOTO, VIDEO, PANO, PORTRAIT, NIGHT, TIME-LAPSE, DUAL-VIEW VIDEO, FACE BEAUTY, FILL LIGHT for the front side.
Here are some samples to show you the camera performance quality.
realme 13 Pro 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The realme 13 Pro 5G is equipped with a slightly larger 5,200 mAh battery as compared to the typical 5,000 mAh battery. This gives a light edge over the opponents with a 5,000 mAh battery, it’s also higher than its predecessor. The smartphone supports 45W SuperVOOC fast charging which is a degrade from its predecessor. A 67W charger would do fine.
Using the 45W charger, you can expect the battery to be charged from 0% to 50% in about 27 minutes and fully 100% in about an hour or so. The 5,200 mAh battery ensures a great battery life combined with the realme UI 5.0 and Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 optimizations, expect up to 1.5 to 2 days of backup depending on your usage patterns.
Verdict – realme 13 Pro 5G Review
The realme 13 Pro 5G is simply a winner for its compressive features, we liked its premium matte glass back, its smooth 120 Hz curved AMOLED design, fast performance (Snapdragon 7s Gen 2) with better gaming, impressive cameras, and a bunch of AI features. We expected a 67W fast charging, however, the 45W charging is still good. Combined with them all, the realme 13 Pro 5G stands out as among many smartphones in the segment. For those who have a budget between ₹25,000 to ₹30,000, the realme 13 Pro 5G is a recommended buy.
realme 13 Pro 5G – Where To Buy
The realme 13 Pro 5G is priced at ₹26,999 for its 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant, ₹28,999 for its 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage variant, and ₹31,999 for its top-end 12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage variant. The smartphone will be available from 6th August 2024 on realme.com/in, Flipkart.com, and offline stores. Early bird sale starts today i.e. 30th July 2024 from 6 PM to 12 AM while the pre-booking starts tomorrow i.e. 31st July 2024. The launch offers include ₹3,000 off with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and SBI Cards, up to 12 months of no-cost EMI, and a 30-day free replacement guarantee for devices activated before 12th August 2024.
- Price: ₹26,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹28,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage), ₹31,999 (12 GB RAM + 512 GB Storage)
- Availability: 6th August 2024 on realme.com/in, Flipkart.com, and offline stores. Early bird sale starts today i.e. 30th July 2024 from 6 PM to 12 AM, pre-booking starts tomorrow i.e. 31st July 2024
- Offers: ₹3,000 off with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and SBI Cards, up to 12 months of no-cost EMI, and a 30-day free replacement guarantee for devices activated before 12th August 2024
