India's budget smartphone market is heating up as 5G networks roll out across the country. After a pretty disastrous 2022 for budget phones, the company will aim to meet the demand of Indian consumers who want fast connectivity without spending a lot of money.
The Chinese mobile giant Xiaomi saw a big opportunity and flooded the market with not only two new affordable 5G phones: the Redmi 12 5G and now the identical Redmi 13C 5G. I've been testing the Redmi 13C for over a week now and in this review I'll tell you whether Xiaomi's latest attempt to dominate the budget 5G space is a winner or just a bunch of the same old devices.
Design and appearance
As someone who tried the Redmi 12 5G, I was not surprised to see the same design again in my hands. Since Xiaomi currently maintains a minimalist style, it cannot improve much in terms of design. There's still a dual-camera setup at the back, with a flash on the right. At the front, the hole is replaced by a drop of water and the edges appear wider.
The 6.74-inch screen is surrounded by thick bezels. (Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)However, the unfamiliar plastic back panel makes up for the poor quality. Well, it's going to be awesome, with glitter, horizontal lines, vertical lines and even diagonal lines. Depending on the angle at which you hold your phone, you can see both items at once. Visually appealing, but too bright for my taste. Although I'm sure many will benefit from it.
Fireworks appear in the background. (Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)Aside from those parts, the Redmi 13C 5G feels solid and solid in the hand. At 8.09mm, it's very thin, which is commendable. And it weighs 192 grams, not too heavy, but not too heavy considering its size. I wish Xiaomi had curved edges because the square sides fit comfortably in my palm during long phone sessions. Creating a case obviously solves this little problem, and we use all cases anyway.
Redmi 13C 5G is very thin at 8.09mm and weighs 192g. (Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)The LCD looks good with vibrant colors and enough brightness, although the 720p resolution is a little tiring. Xiaomi is obviously taking shortcuts here to get the Redmi 12 5G under it. Fortunately, the 90Hz refresh rate provides smooth scrolling and animations and is still a big improvement over the GTi's 60Hz panel.
Performance and Software
MediaTek and Qualcomm are the leaders in smartphone chips and offer the cheapest deals. The Redmi 13C 5G is equipped with MediaTek's Dimensity 6100+ chip, which perfectly matches the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 in the Redmi 12 5G. It's not the fastest processor on the market, but it's smooth and cool for the price. Daily use has no problems, browsing works perfectly and applications open quickly.
The device starts on MIUI 14 based on Android 13. (Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)While the 13C 5G uses the same MIUI software, Xiaomi has not been able to fully test the chip's capabilities on other budget phones. Animations are reduced and there are no blur or flicker effects, saving processing power. For example, the notification panel has an ugly gray color. I've always felt that Xiaomi slows things down, and with a chip like the Dimensity 6100+ that feeling only gets stronger.
For gaming, the Dimensity 6100+ offers very similar performance to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, making it an interesting alternative if you're not a huge Qualcomm fan. BGMI achieves the maximum Fine + Ultra framerate (~40 FPS), with no Extreme option (60 FPS).
Smooth software experience. (describe image)Xiaomi recently introduced its new HyperOS skin with performance improvements and some UI changes, but it is not yet available on any device. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Redmi 13C does not have 5G. What worries me is that despite being out for a month, Android 14 still ships with Android 13. As it stands, every time Xiaomi talks about how much the 13C will get 5G, it stops software update support. Hopefully, HyperOS's promise of better optimization will also translate into a more complete user interface.
the camera
As 5G chips are still expensive, savings must be made elsewhere to reduce costs. The Redmi 13C 5G has a 50MP main sensor and offers good performance for the price. There's also a 0.08 MP secondary camera (not very wide here), though what Xiaomi wants to do is your guess.
(Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express) 
(Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express) 
(Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)Photos taken in sunlight tend to be brighter but have warmer colors than natural photos. These photos did not win a competition, but they can be used on social networks. You have to keep your hand steady when taking photos, and when you get there, the Redmi 13C 5G sometimes surprises you with beautiful daylight photos, like the flowers above.
(Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)Fine details are missing when cropping or zooming in, which is understandable for a budget 5G phone. But I've seen worse. Overall, the selfie camera has issues.
(Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express) 
(Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)In low light conditions, the details of both the front and rear cameras are very sharp and there is noise - which is not surprising given the high price.
The verdict
For its price, the Redmi 13C 5G is not a bad phone. Design elegance and performance get the job done. There are shortcuts to keep it affordable, which I think makes sense because many young people want fast 5G speeds. The camera could definitely be better, but again, the main purpose of this phone is to bring 5G to more people. It works perfectly for basic things like calls and apps like WhatsApp.
Startrail green color choice. (Photo: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)For example, it costs Rs 10,999, which is Rs 1,000 cheaper than the Redmi 12 5G. The phone has a better screen, a Qualcomm processor that many people prefer over MediaTek, more premium glass and better front and rear cameras. It's hard to justify the value of the 13C when you can get better specs for a higher price. Worst of all, there's also the Poco M6 Pro 5G with 13C 5G at Rs 10,999.
I have no complaints about the Redmi 13C 5G - it's a fair deal. It is difficult to recommend a better amount than the other two. So if they don't sell out, your best bet is to grab one of these.
