Since we’ve been featuring a lot of camera-centric smartphones in the past few months, it’s about time that we focus on a gaming test for a change. Today’s spotlight is on the official gaming smartphone of the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship – the realme 13+ 5G. Launching on October 24 in the Philippines, the realme 13 Series promises “limitless speed to victory” and as per our two-week test run, it does seem like a decent ally when it comes to gaming performance, advanced cooling, and rapid charging speeds.  

A+ Performance

The realme 13+ 5G shines in terms of gaming performance, thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy processor paired with 12 GB RAM + 256 GB massive storage. I tested it with titles like Sky: Children of the Light, Honor of Kings, Pokemon Unite, and various Roblox games—and the results were impressive. The smartphone handles high-res graphics smoothly, with minimal heat buildup even during extended play sessions. Competitive gamers will appreciate how this processor supports high frame rates of up to 90FPS or more, offering a lag-free, fluid gaming experience.

Even though I don’t identify myself as a competitive gamer, I easily lose interest in gaming when the graphics breaks up or lags and when the audio sound tinny (a.k.a. tunog-lata in Tagalog) but happy to share that I’ve been so in the zone with the dual speaker system and the high-quality display while playing Honor of Kings, Dress to Impress and Disaster Island Survival, which are supported by realme’s GT Mode. I didn’t even realize that I was already playing for hours!

For those who crave even more control, realme’s Geek Power Tuning feature is a standout. This allows you to tweak the CPU and GPU speeds to match your game’s demands. Want to push performance to the limit? Done. Need to conserve battery life while still delivering a quality experience? Easily handled. The realme 13+ 5G gives gamers the flexibility to optimize their experience based on their needs—whether for max speed or long gaming sessions.

GT Mode for God-tier Gameplay

If you’re planning to spend the whole day playing games, then I would suggest that you switch on the GT Mode and dedicated RAM for games of the realme 13+ 5G to kicks things up a notch. When activated, all system resources will then be allocated to gameplay, may you be on 90FPS or higher (depending on the game). It also manages heat together with the Stainless Steel Vapor Chamber Cooling System, addressing one of the pain points of mobile gamers – overheating! The advanced cooling system reduces thermal build-up during high-performance gaming, which you’ll surely appreciate during long matches.

For those who like streaming or posting videos of their gameplay, the realme 13+ 5G also makes it possible to screen record at high definition.

Expect enhanced response times, vivid visuals, and a more immersive gameplay when GT Mode is toggled on. The downside, however, is that it can drain the smartphone’s battery easily.

Powered Up Battery

Speaking of draining batteries, even with the GT Mode on, the realme 13+ 5G can last up to a whole day with its 5,000mAh battery. I even got to play games confidently with only 20% left, which should be good for another hour or so. When it comes to charging, it also doesn’t take long, thanks to its 80W SUPERVOOC Charge that can power up the battery to 50% in just around 19 minutes. Leave it plugged in for another 25 minutes and then you’ll reach full charge.

The charging optimization also retains 80% of its battery health even after 1,000 charging cycles, ensuring the device’s battery will perform at its best and last long. And with 38 Safety Protections in place, including the charging interface, adapter and cable in the box, overvoltage protection, and fireproof design, the realme 13+ 5G ensures that fast charging isn’t just efficient but safe.

Lightweight and Game-Ready

The realme 13+ 5G doesn’t just perform well—it looks good doing it in its Victory Gold and Dark Purple colors. Plus, it has a 120Hz AI Eye Comfort Display in front to ensure that we don’t strain our eyes too much while we’re at it. Whether you’re attending gaming tournaments or just playing at home, the sleek designs can definitely complement your setup or #OOTD. More about its build in our full review coming soon!

For now, with its gaming performance, battery life, and cooling system, I can say that the realme 13+ 5G can be a powerhouse for gamers who need reliable, fast, and versatile devices. Doesn’t matter if you’re a casual gamer or a competitive one, there’s a specific gaming setting that you can enable for your gameplay needs. All that’s left to check would be its price which will be revealed on October 24 via realme Philippines’ official Facebook page.

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