Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Ice Blue - Smartphone 8+256GB, Snapdragon 685, 6nm process, 108MP triple camera, 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED, 33W fast charging, dust and water protection (UK Version + 2 Years Warranty)

Since I didn't need a phone equipped for 5G, this one suitsed me well. I've had plenty of chance to compare it with the Redmi Note 12 4G and the Note 11 before that and find it a worthwhile improvement.* The fingerprint unlock on the main screen is superior to the side button location on the 11 and 12. It is much more reliable to unlock the phone this way* The main camera is an upgrade and first impressions are good. I shall try with the the Pixel software (search online) to check if there's any improvement over the Xiaomi camera app.* Another Android upgrade is baked in over the 12, I'm trusting* Stereo speakers, though tiny, are worthwhile* The battery life seems very good* With a 120Hz refresh rate, animations are smooth.* A good IP rating* You still get a headphone/mic jack - hooray!Getting this phone ready for use needs a lot of time and dedication to deleting the junk apps and games (all loaded with advertising/ tracking) as well as disabling advertising in the few Xiaomi apps I decided to retain. Look on the internet and instructions are there to do this. Even so, advertising is a reason why they are able to sell a phone for less than £130 (a reduced offer I snapped up). Once tidied up, it's a very well specified phone with good memory (in the 8GB/ 256GB version) good GUI and nice case design. If you play memory- and CPU-intensive games, you'll likely find this phone a bit choppy, but I have better things to do with my time instead of dabbing a tiny screen.One loss I noticed over earlier models was that the SIM slot will only accept a single SIM if you decide to add an SD card to expand memory - previous SIM trays had a line of three recesses for 2x SIM cards plus an SD card. As to another reviewer who found their SIM did not work in this phone, it's important to add the card in the tray with contacts facing OUTWARD. This might have been their mistake.

After 5 years with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9, I begrudgingly updated due to many apps requesting higher than the Note 9's Android 10. Having had such a good experience with that phone, I thought I'd stay "within the family" and uograde to the Note 13. I also went for the 5g model, with a view to longevity.I work in Mobile QA, and so was able to try out many other devices before settling on this "budget friendly" phone.The device is familiar in all the right ways, while being lightweight. The most standout feature is just how fast the battery charges - I'll plug it in at 50%, clean my teeth and turn down the house before bed, then find it at 100% already!On initial start, it did instal a lot of apps I didn't want. Facebook, tiktok, netflix. I'm aware I'm a minority here, so what was frustrating to me may be a standout benefit to someone else. I left the device alone to instal whatever it wanted, then spent 5 minutes uninstalling anything I didn't want. You can automatically import any settings via transfer from your old to new phone. I did this for Google accounts, but did not go through the process for images/apps and so cannot comment on the ease in that regard.Being in the UK, there are no ads beyond Xiaomi features - for example, they really want you to use the Wallpaper Carousel!As for general necessary phone features - the screen is responsive, even with my hastily (and poorly) applied screen protector. The camera macro feature is excellent. I found it easy to add wigits to my homescreen, customise fonts, apply my own settings, etc. The phone also features WiFi calling, which is a quality of life improvement for me in a poor signal area, and I love the Reading and Bedtime modes which are gentler on the eyes at night. It also has the ability to lock user-specified apps behind a password.Overall, I remain happy with Xiaomi. It does what it says, for a fraction of the price of other big names. Hopefully this will last me another 5 years!As a note, to access 5g on the 5g model you may have to speak with your mobile service provider. For me, I'm with GiffGaff, and could update this setting in their app for immediate 5g access.

Its a budget phone which I think is probably how everyone should start their expectations...I purchased it as a work phone and to be honest it has done everything I have asked it to without issue. I first purchased a cheap dooggee phone which was c£10 less but it felt cheap and had issues with the auto brightness....I decided to try another and purchased this one. The quality of the phone body is much nicer and made of decent metal, the screen while I know is a lesser gorilla glass than most these days is bright and feels nice to use and the response is snappy. It charges amazingly quickly with the included brick and the batter life seems to last call quality is good as is the speaker phone. Missing a few things, no 5g, no wireless charging and the cameras are ok but clearly no where near top notch (but not bad....if you are just taking the odd snap with friends). Software wise, Hyper OS is not a bad port of Android and is running android 14 on the phone, it has some annoying preinstalled games and apps but these can be quickly silenced...over all nothing to really complain about this phone...albeit the next version (14) is now on offer a few places for £20 or so more...

Good phone, easy to use

Good quality phone, responsive and quick in dealing with everything I need, battery life is good, screen size is a good size. Performance is excellent with WiFi connection that I never have with.