REVIEW: The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is more than just its camera
by Jino D. Nicolas
There are over 84.45 million social media users in the Philippines, accounting for 72.5% of the population, as reported in Digital 2023: The Philippines by Datareportal.
With that many users consuming content regularly, the content creator industry in the Philippines has seen rapid growth over the years.
Mobile phone manufacturers were bound to take notice of the demands of content creators, and Realme is one of them.
The global technology company indicated during the launch of the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G that the significance and attributes of content creation have greatly influenced the design of their new phone.
Branded as “A DSLR in your pocket,” the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G boasts an improved tri-camera setup, a focus on AI enhancement, and a bigger battery capacity.
“Now it is so easy to spread any type of content that you want to put out there,” Jimmclaude Gayo, Product Marketing Lead at Realme Philippines, said in an interview during the event.
Is the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G a great tool for content creation or is it just a model refresh?
The specs
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G shares some core features with its predecessor, the 12 Pro+ 5G. This is the reason why the new flagship phone of Realme may be considered a model refresh.
| Feature | Realme 12 Pro+ 5G | Realme 13 Pro+ 5G |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 |
| RAM | 8GB / 12GB | 8GB / 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 256GB / 512GB |
| Display | 6.7-inch OLED, 120Hz, 950 nits peak brightness | 6.7-inch OLED, 120Hz, 2000 nits peak brightness |
| Battery | 5000 mAh, 67W charging | 5200 mAh, 80W charging |
| Operating System | Android 14, Realme UI 5.0 | Android 14, Realme UI 5.0 |
Similar as they may be, there are some upgrades to the newer 13 Pro+ 5G.
The 6.7 OLED screen of the 13 Pro+ 5G can produce twice the brightness than its predecessor.
The battery of the newer phone also has a larger capacity at 5200 mAh, and allows for faster charging at 80W, something that content creators would surely appreciate.
“Kailangan power-efficient ka (para) at the end of the day, magagamit mo yung phone [You need to have power-efficient batteries that can last the whole day,]” Mr. Gayo said.
Some might see it as a deal breaker that the core technical specs of the 13 Pro+ 5G is the same as that of the 12 Pro+ 5G, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t perform well.
The phone’s is relatively slim and lightweight (190 grams), contributing to its portability. Although the 13 Pro+ 5G comes with a free case, some users may opt to buy third-party cases that would add a bit more weight based on their preference.
Work, work, work
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G performs well with productivity apps.
The combination of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen2 and the 12gb of RAM ensures smooth multitasking for productivity apps such as Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and management tools such as Trello.
For professionals always on-the-go, the ability to switch between apps seamlessly is a must-have. The 13 Pro+ 5G does that with ease.
The touch interface is smooth and responsive, which is always the first thing that smart phone users notice.
The OLED display with the 120Hz refresh rate and higher brightness capabilities proved quite useful for apps that demand detailed visuals such as Canva.
With the Realme UI 5.0, the 13 Pro+ 5G also comes with AI driven features such as AI Screen Recognition and AI Smart Loop. These apps are very helpful in streamlining workflows.
Standby time is also impressive with the higher battery life.
Got game
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G may be marketed more for content creators, but it certainly does not slack with performance on gaming.
The 13 Pro+ 5G performs admirably with popular mobile games given it’s powerful hardware.
The Adreno 710 GPU in particular allows Mobile Legends to run smoothly at high settings. Game experience is fluid with minimal lag.
Genshin Impact, known to be demanding for its graphics, plays decently at low to medium settings, providing a balance between visual quality and performance.
No significant lag or frame drops for Call of Duty Mobile. Gameplay is smooth even at high graphics and max frame rate.
Overall, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is a very capable mobile gaming phone.
Power to create
At first glance, the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G looks it has the same camera setup with its predecessor, but in truth, there are some improvements.
The main camera of the 13 Pro+ 5G uses the Sony LYT-701 sensor. Granted, the sensor is basically a rebrand of the Sony IMX890 that came with the 12 Pro+ 5G, the LYT-701 takes of advantage of Sony’s latest sensor technology. These come with improvements in image processing and low-light performance.
Another difference between the two phones is, again, the sensor that comes with the telephoto camera.
The 13 Pro+ 5G makes use of the Sony LYT-600 sensor, while the 12 Pro+ 5g uses the Omnivision senser.
Both provide excellent low-light performance and color accuracy, but the advance features of the LYT-600 gives it the edge over the Omnivision sensor.
Also of note is that Sony LYT-600’s 100% focus pixels actually provide faster and more accurate autofocus.
One thing that content creators would like about the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is it’s front camera. Unlike that of it’s predecessor, the 13 Pro+ 5G’s front camera can record video in 4k.
Being able to see the framing and lighting through your screen as content creators produce video helps a lot in overall production quality. Now, the output is in 4k.
Through end-user feedback from customers and partners, Mr. Gayo said these allowed them to address and leverage the common pain points of cameras in other smartphones, like blurred photos due to lack of OIS and evident noise due to automatic ISO adjustments.
“Anything that they experience that is a pain point for them definitely has to be considered for us to solve that with the next one there,” he said.
The Realme 13 Pro+ 5G comes with AI enhancements that significantly improve user experience and overall performance for the phone’s camera.
- AI HyperRAW Algorithm: enhances image quality by improving clarity, dynamic range, and color accuracy
- AI Ultra Clarity: enhances details and sharpness of photos
- AI Smart Removal: allows removal of unwanted elements in a photo
- AI Group Photo Enhance: adjust lighting and focus to ensure everyone in the photo looks great
- AI Natural Skin Tone: skin tones are enhanced to look natural
- AI Pure Bokeh: makes background blur look more natural
Conclusion
Overall, it is understandable that the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is branded as a “DSLR in your pocket.”
The high quality of images, color accuracy, shallow depth of field, and low-light performance actually attests to its capability to cater to photography and videography enthusiasts.
However, it should be of note that the Realme 13 Pro+ 5G is more than just a phone with a great camera. Productivity and gaming performance are also excellent.
Realme has achieved a great balance between quality, performance, and price with the Realm 13 Pro+ 5G. – with contributions from Almira Louise S. Martinez
