Back in July, realme successfully staged the eighth season of its realme Mobile Legends Cup, showcasing the gaming prowess of the realme GT 6 smartphone. This October, realme is further cementing its status in the mobile gaming space with the release of the realme 13+ 5G. For the Philippine market, it comes in two color variants: Dark Purple and Victory Gold, which is the focus of this review article.
Clad in a metallic body with a thin profile of 7.6 mm, the realme 13+ 5G might initially seem like a fashion phone. The upper portion of the back cover, surrounding the main camera, sports a frosted finish. Below the camera, the back cover features realme's Speedy Lightning Texture, resembling stylish veining on a marble slab. The entire back panel feels smooth and the phone is light, weighing only 185g. The rounded corners, dubbed by realme as Speedy Curve Arc Design make the realme 13+ 5G comfortable to hold and maneuver, whether as a typical phone or a gaming device.
On the front, the realme 13+ 5G features a 6.67-inch OLED display panel with an FHD+ resolution (1080 × 2400p) and a brightness range from 600 nits (typical) to 2000 nits (maximum). This ensures visibility under various ambient lighting conditions. With a 92.67% screen-to-body ratio, 16.7-million color gamut, and 6,000,000:1 contrast ratio, the display is vibrant and immersive. The refresh rate ranges from 120 Hz to 1200 Hz, making it adaptable for a wide variety of applications and games. For eye protection, the realme 13+ 5G display includes PWM dimming, DC dimming, bedtime mode, and AI Eye Comfort, ensuring prolonged use for gaming or other activities is comfortable.
In the imaging department, the main camera system of the realme 13+ 5G consists of a 50-megapixel Sony LYT600 image sensor, which measures 1/1.95 inches and has an aperture of f/1.88. The main camera also has a 2-megapixel mono camera and a flicker sensor. The camera is capable of 4K video recording at 30 fps. Positioned at the top of the display, the front camera system has a 16-megapixel image sensor and can do 1080p video recording at 30 fps. In general, images captured by the realme 13+ 5G are clear and vibrant, thanks to the phone's image sensor, LightFusion engine, and optical image stabilization.
Despite its slim profile and light weight, the realme 13+ 5G is a powerhouse. It features a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 octa-core chipset, which consists of four ARM Cortex-A78 cores and four ARM Cortex-A55 cores, reaching speeds up to 2.5 GHz, and an ARM Mali-G615 GPU. The chipset is paired with 12 GB RAM, expandable to 26 GB through dynamic RAM, and 256 GB onboard storage. Running on realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14, the realme 13+ 5G scored an impressive 734793 on the AnTuTu Benchmark.
In real-world gaming, the realme 13+ 5G smoothly ran Call of Duty Mobile (COD Mobile) and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), with Hyperboost Gaming Engine optimizing the settings. In COD Mobile, the phone's CPU temperature ranged from 30°C to 32°C, while the battery temperature ranged from 33°C to 36°C. In MLBB, the phone registered a CPU temperature range of 27°C to 29°C and a battery temperature range of 30°C to 34°C. Noteworthy, these temperature readings are much cooler compared to other gaming-centric phones, in which both CPU and battery temperature can hit more than 40°C. The cooler temperature readings of the realme 13+ 5G can be attributed to its 9-layer vapor chamber cooling system that uses stainless steel and graphite sheets for more efficient heat dissipation. Cooler temperature readings translate to lower power consumption and longer battery life.
Speaking of battery life, the realme 13+ 5G comes with a 5000 mAh battery, which supports 80 W SUPERVOOC charging to achieve 50% battery level in just 19 minutes and 100% in 44 minutes. Connectivity-wise, the phone supports 5G, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 6. Physical connectors include a 3.5 mm audio jack, USB-C port, and dual-SIM slot.
The realme 13+ 5G is a testament to realme's commitment to delivering gaming-centric smartphones for both young and adult users . With its subtle elegant design, the realme 13+ 5G does not scream "gaming phone". It does not need to, as it already boasts all the essential elements for mobile gaming: a remarkable display, powerful hardware, optimized software, effective cooling, long battery life, and reliable wireless connectivity. Additionally, the realme 13+ 5G captures stunning images, making it a versatile smartphone.
realme Philippines recently launched the realme 13 Series 5G, which consists of the realme 13+ 5G and the realme 13 5G. The realme 13+ 5G costs ₱19,999, whereas the realme 13 5G sells for ₱16,999 and is available in Dark Purple and Speed Green color variants.