Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G World Champions Edition First Impressions

Redmi started the year on a high note when it launched the Note 13 series in India. In our review, we found that the most expensive model in the series, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G, came with a great display, long-lasting battery, and an eye-catching design. Now, just four months after its launch, the smartphone maker has introduced a new variant of the handset: a special edition made in partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ World Champions Edition focuses on Argentina’s victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It includes a unique back panel, charging adapter, and commemorative posters in a box featuring Argentine football stars Angel Di Maria, Emiliano Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ World Champions Edition retail box

Special edition smartphones are a rare treat for Indian buyers. While other countries get a lot of unique designs inspired by popular TV shows, movies, sporting events and more, these are not as common in India. Recently, we have only seen the House of Dragon edition of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro in 2022, the Genshin Impact edition of the OnePlus 12R in 2023 and the Reserve edition of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra in 2024.

Due to their rarity, these smartphones also serve as unique collector’s items for users, especially if they are fans of the partnering brand or event. Take me for example. After using both the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Note 8 Pro, I already have a synergy with the series and the brand. But as a football fan and after cheering on Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ becomes not just a phone, but also a piece of memorabilia.

However, it is important to make special editions because these phones are not meant for casual buyers, but for hardcore fans of the partnering brand. My concern while writing this review was only one: did Redmi do justice to one of the most important moments in the history of my favorite football team?

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G retail box and accessories

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ comes in a large box painted in the striped blue and white of Argentina. It features the aforementioned three stars, an AFA logo and a badge highlighting Xiaomi India’s 10th anniversary, which it’s celebrating this year. Opening the box reveals a large commemorative plaque. In giant gold letters, the Redmi logo, the anniversary text and the Argentina logo are displayed against a backdrop of an image of the team holding up the World Cup trophy.

On the back, you’ll find another poster of the team in the top half, the line-up for the final, and the team’s historical achievements in the bottom half. There’s even a soccer field on the bottom of the cardboard box. However, the company hasn’t included any stickers for those who need them. This is a small omission, but it could have meant a lot to the die-hard fans.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ World Champions Edition

Alongside the smartphone, the box contains a 120W charging adapter customized in the same blue and white stripes, the AFA logo, and a USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable in a sky blue shade. Attention has also been paid to the detailing of the SIM card eject tool, which has a football engraved on one side and AFA on the other. Also included is a standard black rubber case, which may be redundant for those buying the phone for its unique design.

Overall, Redmi’s offerings in the box seemed like a cohesive unit, with attention to detail for each item. You’re not just getting a customized smartphone, but a complete matching set!

I do have one concern, though. This may be nitpicking, but to me, the timing of this special edition seemed a little odd. The World Cup final was in December 2022. That’s almost a year and a half ago now. Interestingly, the phone was launched two months before Argentina played its first Copa América match. It seems like an odd choice to announce the team’s World Cup victory so late, when the buzz has already died down. However, I’m sure diehard fans will appreciate that it happened, even after the delay.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G design and display

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G is the centerpiece of the company’s offering. The core design of the smartphone remains the same as the regular variant, and you can read more about it in our review . The rear panel, however, has received a serious makeover. Unlike the Fusion Purple colorway that featured a vegan leather back, the special edition sports a smooth metallic finish. Split into two themes, the top half sports a blue matte finish with Redmi and the AFA logo done up in muted gold tones. The camera lenses have also ditched their usual silver frames on the left side for a muted gold finish.

The lower half of the back features stripes from the AFA jersey that the Argentina players wore during the tournament. In the center is a large number “10” for both the company’s 10th anniversary in India and the iconic jersey number of the team’s captain — Leonel Messi. At the bottom is a special text for Argentina’s World Cup victory. On the side, the volume buttons and power button also have the same blue matte finish.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ display

The personalization doesn’t stop there, though. Once you unlock the 6.67-inch 3D Curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, you’ll encounter two unique wallpapers. One features the three football stars seen on the device’s box, while another shows a football pitch with the AFA logo above it.

The app icons also appear in minimalist white and blue illustrations, which matches the theme. If you’re not a fan, you can easily change it back to normal icons in the settings. Notably, there is no special charging animation.

Overall, I found the phone’s design to be distinctive enough to warrant a glance every now and then, but not tacky enough to make me feel silly picking it up in public. Balance is important with any special edition phone, as they’re likely to be the primary device for many; Redmi has struck the right balance here.

The rest of the smartphone is the same as the standard variant and if you want to know more about it, you can check out our in-depth review . But to refresh your memory, here are the specifications of the smartphone.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G specifications

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Under the hood, it features a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra SoC, paired with a single 12GB RAM and 512GB onboard storage variant. The smartphone sports a triple camera setup on the back, consisting of a 200-megapixel primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel macro lens. On the front, it gets a 16-megapixel selfie camera.

Furthermore, the Note 13 Pro+ features a 5,000mAh battery with support for 120W charging and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G World Champions Edition first thoughts

Priced at Rs. 34,999 (including an instant discount of Rs. 3,000 on payments made using ICICI bank cards), the World Champions Edition of the smartphone costs the same as the standard variant, which is unusual for special editions.

This means that you get all the features and specifications of the smartphone, along with all the personalization and design features of the special edition, at no extra cost. If you are a fan of the Argentina national football team or just a football fan in general, then this phone has no real drawbacks.

At the beginning of this review, we asked the question whether Redmi did justice to this theme. In my opinion, the attention to detail, the themed accessories, the high-quality artwork on the back, and the custom icons make for a thoughtful design that fans will likely appreciate.