The Redmi 13 5G has landed in India as the successor to the Redmi 12 5G. It offers some considerable upgrades in the display, SoC, camera, and battery department.
If you’re considering upgrading to the Redmi 13 5G or just curious about its improvements over the Redmi 12 5G, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll discuss each aspect of the Redmi 13 5G and the Redmi 12 5G to compare them.
Table of Contents
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: specs at a glance
Specs | Redmi 13 5G | Redmi 12 5G |
Display | 6.79-inch FHD+ IPS LCD, 120Hz refresh rate, 550 nits, 1080×2400 resolution | 6.79-inch FHD+ IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate, 550 nits, 1080×2460 resolution |
Dimensions | 168.6 x 76.2 x 8.3 mm | 168.6 x 76.3 x 8.2 mm |
Weight | 205g | 199g |
Software | Android 14-based HyperOS | Android 13-based MIUI 14 |
Rear camera | 108MP primary, 2MP depth | 50MP primary, 2MP depth |
Selfie camera | 13MP sensor | 8MP snapper |
Video | 1080p at 30fps | 1080p at 30fps |
SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 AE | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 |
Battery & charging | 5,030mAh battery, 33W charging | 5,000mAh battery, 18W charging |
Storage | 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB storage | 4/6/8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage |
Colours | Hawaiian Blue, Black Diamond, Orchid Pink | Jade Black, Moonstone Sliver, Pastel Blue |
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: price in India
Redmi 13 5G | Redmi 12 5G |
– | Rs 11,999 for 4GB RAM and 128GB storage |
Rs 13,999 for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage | Rs 12,499 for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage |
Rs 15,499 for 8GB RAM and 128GB storage | Rs 13,999 for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage |
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: design
The Redmi 13 5G has a glossy finish but effectively resists fingerprints. The camera setup features two individual rings and a flash unit. The top features a 3.5mm headphone jack and speaker, while the bottom includes a USB Type-C port, mono speaker, and microphone.
On the other hand, the Redmi 12 5G features a glass back with a metallic paint finish on flat edges. Its rear houses three individual rings for the cameras. On the right side is the power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner, alongside volume controls. The bottom edge hosts a USB Type-C port and speaker grille, while the top edge includes a 3.5mm headphone jack and IR blaster.
Both devices are IP53 certified, offering resistance to water splashes and dust.
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: display
Both devices feature an LCD panel with FHD+ resolution, but the Redmi 13 5G supports a 120Hz refresh rate compared to the Redmi 12 5 G’s 90Hz, resulting in a smoother viewing experience. While both devices have L1 Widevine certification for streaming HD content on OTT platforms, the Redmi 13 5G has a wet touch feature. Additionally, the Redmi 13 5 G’s display has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection against scratches.
The Redmi 13 5G offers excellent viewing angles and multimedia experience. While the brightness is adequate for indoor use, it is less effective outdoors. On the other hand, the Redmi 12 5G also offers a respectable viewing experience with punchy colours and good outdoor legibility.
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: performance
While both devices draw power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, the Redmi 13 5G has the Accelerated variant of the SoC at the helm. The performance boost is pretty evident in the devices’ benchmark scores.
In the Geekbench 6 benchmark, the Redmi 13 5G scores 953 in single-core and 2,261 in multi-core tests. Its gaming performance is competitive, averaging 28FPS in BGMI on HD settings. However, it tends to run hot after gaming.
On the other hand, the Redmi 12 5G scored 4,45,286 points on AnTuTu, 916 points in the single-core test, and 2,106 points in the multi-core test on Geekbench. The device handles high graphics settings in games like BGMI without major issues. However, it also faced quite a bit of a throttling issue after heavy use.
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: cameras
The Redmi 13 5G has a significantly better 108MP primary camera than its predecessor’s 50MP main shooter. The selfie camera is also updated to 13MP, compared to the Redmi 12 5 G’s 8MP selfie snapper.
During our testing, the Redmi 13 5 G’s camera tends towards a slightly warmer colour profile overall. It captures detail well, though low-light performance shows softer images with noticeable graininess and reduced sharpness. The front camera offers good skin tone accuracy, albeit with some smoothing effects.
While reviewing the Redmi 12 5G, we found that it delivers vibrant photos with well-balanced exposure, vivid colours, and good dynamic range, maintaining crisp details. However, the image comes with slight graininess and warm tones.
The device’s low-light performance is satisfactory with night mode, though images without it are grainy with light flares. The front camera performs adequately in bright conditions but shows inconsistencies in skin tones and overly smooth facial detail.
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: battery and charging
The Redmi 13 5G features a slightly bigger battery with upgraded 33W fast charging support, offering a full day of battery life. It scored 14 hours and 1 minute on the PCMark battery test. The included 33W charger can fully recharge the device from 20 to 100 percent in about 1 hour and 26 minutes.
The Redmi 12 5G provides all-day endurance even with heavy use. It scored 15 hours and 55 minutes on PCMark’s Battery test. However, the charging speed is relatively slower than that of its successor. Although a 22.5W charger is included, the phone supports only 18W charging, taking over two hours to charge fully.
Redmi 13 5G vs Redmi 12 5G: software
The Redmi 13 5G is the first device to feature Xiaomi’s new HyperOS, based on Android 14, while the Redmi 12 5G runs on Android 13-based MIUI 1 out of the box. Both devices come with several pre-installed third-party apps, which can be easily uninstalled. However, the Redmi 12 5 G’s UI also includes spammy notifications, which can ruin your experience.
Xiaomi promises two years of major OS upgrades and four years of software updates for both devices. It means the Redmi 13 5G will get Android 16, while the Redmi 12 5G will only get Android 15.
Verdict
After considering every component of both devices, it’s clear that the Redmi 13 5G offers minimal improvements over the Redmi 12 5G. However, there isn’t much price difference between the two, and if you’re in the market to buy a new device, the Redmi 13 5G makes more sense among the two.
