Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G review: the more attractive twin
A Poco X4 Pro 5G that lacks the monstrous camera bump
Price: £299
If you like the idea of the Poco X4 Pro 5G but are put off by its attention-seeking camera bump, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is a much more refined take on the X4 Pro's guts. But that polish will set you back.
Because both Poco and Redmi are part of Xiaomi, we're used to seeing similar phones from both brands, but we rarely see identical spec sheets. Despite having identical internals, the back panels of the two brands' most recent budget phones - the Poco X4 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G - are noticeably different. While Poco's phone has a massive raised camera, Redmi's camera bump is about one-third the size, and it's also elegantly stepped.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro also has a swanky frosted glass back panel, which is much more understated than the Poco X4 Pro 5G's glossy, light-grabbing alternative. So, based on our initial impressions, the Note 11 Pro is our clear choice.
The Note 11 Pro is more expensive than Poco's £269 X5 Pro 5G, which costs £299 at Carphone Warehouse and £319 at Xiaomi's online store. There's also plenty of competition, including the lower-cost Realme 9 Pro+ with its excellent camera, the stylish Honor 50, which now costs around £320 after a few months on the market, and even last year's Redmi Note 10 Pro, which lacks 5G but has a stellar screen, better camera specs, and a much lower price.
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G design: Frosty and flat
The Redmi Note 11 Pro is a more mature-looking flat phone than last year's curvy Note 10 Pro. Its flat front and back are sandwiched in a matte frame, similar to a chunky Sony Xperia phone, with rounded corners that nuzzle into the palm.
The frosted glass back panel, like the frame, is relatively good at resisting fingerprints, but if you're worried about smudging up your phone, the soft plastic case Xiaomi includes in the box adds an extra layer of protection. The phone will be splash-proof thanks to IP53 certification.
At the top of Note 11, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as an IR blaster and a loudspeaker. A USB-C port, the second speaker, and a dual-SIM or single-SIM plus SD card slot are located at the bottom. There's a volume rocker and a power button/fingerprint sensor combo on the right side, so there's no under-display scanner goodness like the OnePlus Nord CE 2.
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G screen: Noteworthy (but no note-taking)
The Redmi Note line is unrelated to Samsung's Galaxy Note line, so you won't get a pen with the Note 11 Pro - its screen is only for finger input. However, once you get past the confusing name, there isn't much to complain about.
The Note 11 Pro has a high-quality, bright AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. As a result, it's as smooth as an iPhone 13 Pro, with great color depth, zing, and contrast.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro has a 6.67-inch screen, which is slightly smaller than the 6.8-inch screen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. With a wide Full-HD resolution, you get screen clarity that rivals more expensive phones like the ROG Phone 5, and a near best-in-class overall picture - along with the Poco X4 Pro.
With a sunlight boost mode that raises the brightness of the Note 11 Pro to 750 nits, it's easy to see what's on-screen in almost any light. Xiaomi's interface offers a variety of display customization options within the settings, so if the default punchy saturation is too much for you, you can easily dial things back.
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G performance: Middle of the road
The Note 11 Pro 5G, like last year's Redmi Note 10 Pro, combines advanced features with mid-range power: a Snapdragon 695 5G chipset. This is sufficient for day-to-day tasks, but intensive activities such as 3D gaming and video editing can slow things down.
Unlike the Poco X4 Pro 5G, the Note 11 Pro only has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but those are still respectable memory specifications for the price. Don't forget about the memory card slot if extra storage is more important to you than a second SIM card.
The phone was silky smooth in daily use - about 85% of the time. Multitasking occasionally caused it to stutter before catching its breath. Although app stability was generally good, we did notice a delay in notifications for some apps. When it comes to managing background apps, Xiaomi's interface, MIUI, is aggressive. We had to reduce the battery saver settings and pin some apps to keep them running in the background.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro flawlessly runs all the 2D games we tested, with Streets of Rage 4 being the most demanding. It's a beat-em-up blast when you connect a Bluetooth controller. However, 3D titles were a mixed bag. Trials of Mana ran smoothly enough, but its graphics settings were clearly reduced. Injustice 2 struggled, slowing down during critical fight moments, and Genshin Impact was a lost cause at anything above the minimum graphics settings and 30fps frame rate target.
Xiaomi's MIUI interface, which runs on top of Android, isn't just about saving power. Heavy customizations to make everything feel more like an iPhone (there's a Control Center, for crying out loud) add to the strain on this modestly powered mobile. It's also still running Android 11; given that Android 13 was just announced, some may be concerned about future-proofing.
We liked the responsiveness of the side-mounted fingerprint scanner, the fact that the stereo speakers are expansive (though flat and tinny at high volumes), and the smoothness of the screen, which makes the phone feel faster than it is.
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G battery: Staying alive
Xiaomi packs a massive 5000mAh cell into its latest Note Pro, and it absolutely smashed our battery benchmarks, giving us around 14 hours of screen-on time from 80% to 20%. This outperformed the majority of the low-cost phones we've tested recently, with only the Realme 9 outperforming it in recent tests.
The Note 11 Pro charges in under an hour with 67W fast charging, and 20 minutes should get you close to 50% charge - really good speeds for the price. There is no wireless charging, nor is there the 120W super-fast wired charging introduced with the Xiaomi 11T Pro. For those speeds, you'll need to spring for the more expensive Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus.
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G camera: Downgraded
Yes, the logo beneath the main camera on the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G reads "108MP," but it only takes 12MP photos by default, and this is no flagship performer. More important than pixels is optical image stabilization - which this phone lacks - and software processing, which on the 11 Pro can be overly aggressive.
An ultra-wide 8MP camera and a 2MP macro camera flank the main camera. This is a poor upgrade from last year's Note 10 Pro, which featured an excellent 5MP macro camera.
Don't get us wrong: photo quality can be outstanding. Colors look great in bright scenes, detail is abundant, and pictures are nicely contrasted - they'll look great on the phone's AMOLED screen. Pinch-in, oversharpening (elements can show halos of color shifting), and the noise becomes apparent, despite respectable low-light performance for the price. Detail is the first thing to do when the lights go out.
Xiaomi does include a slew of shooting modes on its Redmi phones, allowing you to bypass the camera's default image processing: Pro mode and 108MP mode. However, unlike last year's Note 10 Pro, the 11 Pro does not support RAW capture.
In terms of video, the 11 Pro can only record at 1080p 30fps, whereas the Note 10 Pro can record at 1080p 60fps and up to 4K resolution at 30fps.
The ultra-wide camera performs admirably in bright scenes, but all of the secondary cameras, as well as video capture, fail in low light.
Conclusion
The Redmi Note 11 Pro is an odd phone that is most likely the result of the ongoing global chipset shortage. This trend of 2022 phones with lower specifications than their 2021 counterparts is not unique to Xiaomi phones. Realme, Redmi's main competitor, is going through something similar with its Realme 9 series.
However, when the context of the past and present (as well as a global crisis) are removed, the Note 11 Pro 5G remains a good phone at a good price. It has an excellent screen for watching videos, a design that looks and feels very good for the price - much better than the Poco X4 Pro 5G's - and an extremely long battery life.
Gamers should look no further than last year's Poco F3, an absolute steal with Snapdragon 8-series power. Anyone looking for a better camera should consider the Realme 9 Pro+, which has a stabilized lens and superior video capture. However, for binge-watchers looking for refined styling, the Note 11 Pro retains its place.
TechliciousOfficial says...
Score: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
A good phone at a reasonable price that's ideal for watching movies on - but gamers should look elsewhere.
- Good Stuff
+ Excellent display
+ It has the appearance and feel of a very good handset.
- Bad Stuff
− Not as good as the models from last year.
− Not very good at video record
Tech specs
Screen: 6.67in, 24001080 OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 octa-core
Memory: 6GB RAM
Cameras: 108MP, f/1.9 main w/ PDAF + 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide + 2MP f/2.4 macro rear. 16MP, f/2.5 front
Storage: 128GB on-board storage with microSD expansion
Operating system: Android 11 w/ MIUI 13
Battery: Non-removable 5000mAh battery with 67W wired charging
Dimensions: 164x76x8.1mm
Weight: 202g
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