Realme 13 Pro Review: Outshined by Its Predecessor

I recently reviewed the Realme 13 Pro Plus, which boasts impressive cameras and stands out as one of the best camera smartphones available for under 35,000/-($420). Realme also introduced the Realme 13 Pro, the standard variant of the Realme 13 series.

The Realme 13 Pro is priced at Rs. 26,999/—for the base variant that comes with the 8GB + 128GB, Rs. 28,999/- for 8GB + 256GB, and Rs. 31,999/- for the 12GB + 512GB model. It shares similar specifications with the Realme 13 Pro Plus, including the same design, performance, and battery life.

I have been using the Realme 13 Pro alongside the Realme 13 Pro Plus. Given the lower price, will the Realme 13 Pro be another of the best camera smartphones under Rs 30,000? How does it compare against other smartphones in this price range? Let’s find out in detail in this review.

Realme 13 Pro Specifications

Before that, here are the smartphone specifications.

Realme 13 Pro Unboxing

In the box, you get a smartphone, along with the box includes:

• Charger: A 45 W Super Vooc Fast charger.
• USB Cable: USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable.
• Protective Case: Leather pattern protective case.
• Quick Start Guide: The usual quick start guide is the sim ejector pin.

Design, Display, Performance: Everything Resembles Realme 13 Pro+

The Realme 13 Pro looks and feels exactly like the Realme 13 Pro Plus. It is compact, lightweight, and easy to hold. It also comes with an extra Monet purple variant that isn’t available in the Pro Plus variant. Like the 13 Pro Plus, the 13 Pro comes in two variants: the glass variant, which I’m currently using, and a leather variant, which I also used with the 13 Pro Plus.

I prefer the leather variant because the leather texter feels good to hold, offers extra friction, and looks nice. After using the 13 Pro Plus and switching to the glass variant on the 13 Pro, the phone does feel very slippery. Fortunately, the included case, which has a textured finish, has helped prevent the phone from slipping out of my hand, and it feels nice to hold the phone while the case is on.

Regarding looks, the rear has a similar circular camera module that houses two cameras, with the fourth cutout used for the flash. It comes in three color variants: Monet Gold, Monet Purple, and Emerald Green. I particularly like the Monet Gold color because it looks premium, but the Monet Purple Gold also looks unique and attractive. Obviously, choosing design and looks is a personal preference.

Speaking of the display, the Realme 13 Pro features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ curved AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is bright, and the default colors are set to vivid. I have no issues with the display quality. Additionally, the display is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, which can withstand drops up to 1 meter. I don’t have any major complaints about its quality, but there’s one thing you should know: it doesn’t support HDR. This means that when you try to play HDR videos, they won’t be supported, and HDR support isn’t expected to be added. So, if you love HDR, this is something to remember.

As for performance, the Realme 13 Pro is powered by the same Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor as the 13 Pro Plus. This is a lower Snapdragon 7 series variant, built on a 4nm process. It handles daily tasks like basic browsing, watching media, and other routine activities without issues in real-world use. The gaming is smooth; it supports PUBG/BGMI in ultra graphics settings. I even tested it with Infinite Flight Simulator, a resource-heavy game, and it performed well.

However, while the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 offers solid performance, it’s not as robust as the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor in other devices within this price range. If you’re looking for the best overall performance, I recommend alternatives like the OnePlus Nord 4, Poco F6, or Realme GT 6T, which are all-rounders with better performance. Don’t get me wrong, the Realme 13 Pro handles tasks well, and I was surprised by its ability to manage heavy tasks. But it just doesn’t feel as solid as some of its competitors. Additionally, I noticed occasional lags and stutters in the UI, especially when opening the app drawer, which may be due to ads in the interface.

The Realme 13 Pro has Android 14 and Realme UI 5.0 on top. As I mentioned, the ads are one of the most annoying UI parts on this smartphone and the Realme 13 Pro Plus. Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend with budget smartphones, including those from brands like OnePlus. However, there’s an easy way to turn off these ads. Also, while setting up the device for the first time, pay attention to the dark patterns and disable all app recommendations settings. You can disable them later from the settings menu if you forget to do this during setup. You can watch this guide.

Speaking of other sound. It comes with stereo speakers. The audio quality is impressive, with good depth, stereo separation, and loudspeakers. It doesn’t support Dolby Atmos like the 13 Pro Plus because you won’t find the difference between them when playing media. The earpiece doubles as the second speaker. There is no support for the headphone jack.

It comes with a 5200mAh battery with 45W fast charging support, a step down from the 80W fast charging available on the Realme 13 Pro Plus. With the charger in the box, you can fully charge the Realme 13 Pro in about an hour and 20 minutes. The battery life is also exceptional; I averaged 6 to 7 hours of screen time. When gaming, the battery life will drop to around 6 hours.

Realme 13 Pro Camera Review

Realme 13 Pro camera features a 50-megapixel rear camera with a Sony LYT-600 sensor that supports optical image stabilization (OIS). It has an 8MP ultrawide camera with an LED flash on the back. On the front, it has a 32 MP selfie shooter.

Regarding real-life camera performance, the main camera on the Realme 13 Pro almost matches that of the 13 Pro Plus, but there are some differences. First, it doesn’t capture as much detail as the main camera on the 13 Pro Plus, and the shots tend to be darker sometimes with less contrast. To illustrate this, you can compare the images below: the left was taken with the Realme 13 Pro, and the right was with the Realme 13 Pro Plus.

The Realme 13 Pro sample on the left appears slightly muted, with less saturation in the greenery with a cooler tone. At the same time, on the right, the Realme 13 Pro captures more vibrant colors, particularly in the greenery, which appears richer and more saturated. I like the 13 Pro plus colors more. Realme 13 Pro offers better sharpness and more details, while the Realme 13 Pro lacks detail, especially details in foliage and distant objects.

Regarding the dynamic range, Realme 13 Pro offers less detail in the shadows and highlights, while Realme 13 Pro captures more detail in these areas.

Note: You can view our Google Drive link for better-quality comparisons.

The results in the second image are very different; as per the looks, both images look very similar. However, Realme 13 Pro Plus offers slightly brighter images. The Realme 13 Pro now produces warmer tones than the Realme 13 Pro Plus. Realm 13 Pros continued to lack detail compared with the Realme 13 Pro Plus, which offers better sharpness, especially noticeable in the bricks of the pathway and the leaves of the palm trees.

In low-light conditions, the Realme 13 Pro struggles significantly. The quality of the images taken at night is noticeably worse compared to the Realme 13 Pro Plus. The 13 Pro’s low-light performance is underwhelming. It fails to capture sufficient detail and introduces a lot of noise, which is even more noticeable when using the ultrawide camera. This is a major downside, as the ultrawide angle camera performs poorly even in good lighting conditions. Overall, The Realme 13 Pro Plus outperforms the Realme 13 Pro in low-light photography.

The front camera also shares similar shortcomings. For example, the selfies taken with the Realme 13 Pro have a cooler tone and a more natural skin tone. However, overall, the images are softer than the Realme 13 Pro. While it handles HDR reasonably well, the Realme 13 Pro Plus offers a slightly brighter skin tone and more details.

Like 13 pro+ Realme 13 pro, it also offers helpful AI features to remove unwanted objects from the image and helps you improve the image quality. As I said in the 13 Pro Plus review, Realme uses cloud AI models, which can be a privacy concern for some people.

Speaking of video capabilities, the rear camera can shoot 4K at 30 FPS, full HD at 60 FPS, and 720p at 60 FPS. It also supports EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) and OIS for better stability. Other features include panorama, portrait, and night modes. The front camera can shoot videos up to full HD 4K at 30 FPS and 1080p at 30 FPS. The same goes for the video quality; it takes really good videos in the daylight with good light but struggles with low light; the stability is good.

Both the Realme 13 Pro and Realme 13 Pro Plus are touted as the best camera smartphones, but the Realme 13 Pro is left out by its big brother. However, at a similar price, you can get the Realme 12 Pro Plus (Check our full review), which was announced just four months before the Realme 13 Pro and offers overall better camera performance than the Realme 13 Pro. The specifications of the Realme 12 Pro Plus are even better than those of the Realme 13 Pro.

Realme 13 Pro vs Realme 12 Pro Plus

First, let me highlight the biggest differences between them. The Realme 12 Pro offers more color variants, especially the Red Explorer color, which is my favorite. You don’t get this color option with the 13 Pro. The 12 Pro also has 67W Super Fast charging compared to 45W on the 13 Pro. The biggest advantage of the 12 Pro Plus is the inclusion of a periscope camera, which significantly enhances zoom capabilities. The 12 Pro Plus also supports Dolby Atmos, which adds a little depth to the audio compared to the regular audio on the 13 Pro.

However, the Realme 13 Pro only has the advantage of having a higher 512 GB storage variant. The main camera on the Realme 13 Pro uses a better Sony LYT sensor, but it doesn’t quite match the 12 Pro Plus in terms of photo quality in the real world. In slow-motion recording, the Realme 13 Pro supports up to 120 FPS at 720p, whereas the 12 Pro Plus can record at 240 FPS.

Which One Should You Pick? Realme 13 Pro or the 12 Pro Plus?

I suggest you pick the Realme 12 Pro Plus because it offers better overall performance and far better camera capabilities for the same price, even though it was launched four months earlier. Realme 12 Pro Plus has a significantly better camera setup, color options, faster charging speeds, better sound, and more. That being said, the Realme 13 Pro does have its strengths. It offers good performance, a good and bright display, and satisfactory camera quality, but it is not at the same level as the Pro Plus, and the Realme 12 Pro Plus takes the crown of being best at that price.

Realme 13 Pro vs Realme 12 Pro Plus Specifications

Decision Matrix

Still confused? Here is the decision matrix that can help you pick the best smartphone for India that is under 30000 rupees.