JOIN USRedmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G review: Well-rounded phone
Since the very beginning, the Redmi Note series has dominated the mid-range segment and there is no doubt, that it is the major factor in making Xiaomi not only accelerate to top the leader board of the Indian smartphone market but also continue to remain there for so long.
Every year, the pressure is on Xiaomi to maintain the lead. Now, the company has launched the Redmi Note 11 Pro series in India. It comes in two variants-- Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ has several new upgrades including design language, processor, and main camera hardware over the predecessor Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. Here are our thoughts on the top-end model and see whether it will be able to let the company continue its dominance in India.
Design, build quality, and display
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G flaunts flat frame EVOL Pro design language and I love it. When holding the device, I never felt any anxiousness about dropping it, as the sharp edges offer a really good grip.
And, I have to note that the metallic frame and the glass on the shell are of top-notch premium quality on par with expensive phones in the upper Rs 35,000 price range. I am very impressed with the build quality and also the mirage blue model looks extraordinary in the sunlight. The company also offers two other colours-- stealth black and phantom white. They too are good.
Initially, I thought it would be a fingerprint smudge magnet, but to my surprise, Xiaomi has done a fine job incorporating a high-quality glass for the back. It resists sweaty stains easily and the frosted glass finish makes it very hard to see any marks left by the fingers. Only on very close inspection and from certain angles, we can find some, but it is invisible most of the time.
As far as the display is concerned, it 6.67-inch full HD+ (1080×2400p) AMOLED display and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield. Also, the company has pre-fitted another layer of screen guard and these things safeguard the display from scratches.
Add to that, the device comes with an IP53 water splash-resistant rating. The retail box also comes with a transparent silicone cover for the back.
These protections ensure Redmi Note 11 Pro+ will be able to survive accidental falls and serve you long. There is no other phone, which offers all these safety provisions right of the box.
As far as the display quality is concerned, Redmi Note 11 Pro+ has the best display in its class, It is It offers a peak brightness of 1200 nits and this will come in handy while reading or watching content under direct sunlight. There are also options of reading and night mode, to cut the blue light and lessen the strain on the eyes.
Also, the screen supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Users get to switch on 120Hz or the standard 60Hz. The latter ensures longer battery life. But, I prefer the former, as it makes a delightful experience while navigating on the phone and also doom scrolling news feed on the internet.
And the stereo speakers of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G are praiseworthy. It manages to deliver crisp quality audio output even volume is maxed out. With exceptional display and sound system, I had really good time-consuming content on YouTube.
Also, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which sits on the power button, works like a charm. It is super fast to respond to the finger impression and unlocks the screen in no time.
It should be noted the device features a hybrid SIM, meaning the device has two slots-- one for primary nano SIM-1 and another, it can house either nano-SIM or a microSD. Depending on the requirement, the customer has to decide between a second SIM or extra storage space.
Performance
The new Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G houses 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (2.2GHz Kryo 560 x 2 cores x 1.8GHz Kryo 560 x 6 cores) chipset with Adreno 619L GP, 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage(expandable up to 1TB).
The device performs smoothly in all scenarios be it heavy-duty tasks such as playing games such as Asphalt 9: Legends, or operating a camera for full HD video recording.
Though I am a bit disappointed that the device runs Android 11-based MIUI 13, the latter does offer a refreshing interface and also several customization options, more than what Google offers with native Android software. Also, given how buggy the Android 12 updates have been with the other branded phones, Xiaomi has played it safe by not yet releasing the latest update. Hopefully, the company engineers are able to roll out glitch-free software really soon.
Another good aspect of Xiaomi is that it listens to the MIUI community and always be quick in resolving issues with timely updates. Like the past devices, Xiaomi will certainly offer longer software and security support. Yes, it also depends on the limitations of the hardware, but thankfully, the device is powered by Qualcomm and I am pretty sure, it will get better treatment compared to the MediaTek chipset-based devices.
With long-term software update support, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G will serve you long.
The device comes packed with a 5,000mAh battery and it offers more than a day under normal usage. Also, the 67W charger, which by the way comes with the retail box, adds value to the phone.
It can charge up the phone from zero to 50 per cent in 15 minutes and can reach 100 per cent in around 45 minutes.
The Xiaomi mid-range phone supports multiple 5G bands-- N1/3/5/8/28/40/78. Recently, the central government revealed that the 5G spectrum auction will be conducted, and hopefully allow cellular service providers to open commercial operations by the end of the year.
With Redmi Note 11 Pro+, the device owners will be able to enjoy a peak internet speed of 2.5Gbps.
Photography
It comes with triple-camera module -- main 108MP (with Samsung HM2 sensor, f/1.9, 0.7μm pixel size, 9-in-1 binning into one large 2.1μm pixel, 1/1.52-inch sensor size) + 8MP (f/2.2) 118-degree ultra-wide-angle camera + 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash.
Of all the aspects of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, I love the camera. It takes brilliant pictures in all conditions.
As you can see in the sample pictures, they have retained a lot of details of the subject. I'll be honest, the colours of flowers are come off a bit more vibrant than natural, but they look beautiful. And, most of the people I spoke with regard to the pictures, loved it.
In the ultra-wide-angle-wide picture, the phone does a good job accomodating more areas of the landscape without any pressing issue of object bending especially at the left and right side of the frame.
Also, the portrait mode photos too, come good with well-defined edge detection. It is particularly tricky to get the hair on the head in the foreground. I have seen phones costing more than Rs 50,000 doing badly in that aspect, but Redmi Note 11 Pro+ manages to get it right most of the time.
Even in the macro mode, the photos manage to hold intrinsic minute details of the subject pretty well.
In the night mode, the pictures look decent. I have to note that When looking on a bigger screen of the PC, there is noise in the photos. But, they are still better than most of the phones in its class and even some, which are priced north of Rs 30,000.
The device is capable of recording high-resolution full HD 1080p at 30fps (frames per second) and HD 720p at 30fps.
On the front, it houses a 16MP (f/2.4) front camera for selfies and video chatting. It does a really good job of capturing sharp clear selfies. With a plethora of filters, it makes even more enthralling photography experience. Users can experiment with the face skin colour toning, even adjust jawbone structure, and eyes to get that perfect photo for DP on the social media platforms.
Final thoughts
I remember Xiaomi's Redmi Note series first launched in India well below the Rs 10,000 price range and since then, for obvious reasons such as inflation, depreciation of the Rupee and recent supply constraints due to Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdowns, the prices of later iterations increased over time and now, the Note 11 Pro series have touched Rs 25,000. But, one thing continues to remain constant, the build quality and specs-to-price ratio of the Redmi Note series being a notch above the rival brands.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is a complete package. It excels in every key aspect-- be it display, premium design elements, photography hardware, performance, battery life and charging speed. In all, it is better than any of the competition in its class.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ comes in three configurations--- 6GB RAM+ 128GB storagen, 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage--- for Rs. 20,999, Rs 22,999 and Rs 24,999, respectively.
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