Redmi Note 11 review: Lackluster upgrade to Note 10
When it comes to budget smartphones, one of the first names that pops into your mind is Redmi. Over the years, the company has consistently introduced new smartphones for the budget buyers who are looking for power performers at a price that won’t burn a hole in their pockets. The latest smartphone to join this league is the Redmi Note 11, which was launched alongside the Redmi Note 11s earlier this week at a starting price of Rs 13,499.
The Redmi Note 11 is the successor to the Redmi Note 10 that was launched in India in March 2021 and it is a part of the Redmi Note 11 series which also includes the Redmi Note 11s, the Redmi Note 11 Pro and the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. The Redmi Note 11 offers minor upgrades over its predecessor, most noteworthy of them being a faster processor and a better primary camera. Other than that, nothing much has changed.
That said, the question remains – how well does the phone bear in everyday usage and if you should upgrade to the Redmi Note 11 or not? We will try to answer that and more in the review below. So, keep reading…
Redmi Note 11 design and display
The Redmi Note 11 looks a lot like its predecessor – the Redmi Note 10. The overall design and even the dimensions of the two phones are almost the same, that is, if you can ignore a miniscule difference in numbers. For reference the Redmi Note 11 measures 159.87×73.87×8.09mm and weighs 179g, while the Redmi Note 10 measures 160.46×74.5×8.3mm and weighs 178.8g. Like I said, almost the same. While that might seem like a bummer, but in usage it isn’t. The Redmi Note 11 is light in weight and comfortable to hold. It doesn’t droop down your pocket and it’s aspect ratio ensures that you can use the phone comfortably even while you are using it with a single hand.
The Redmi Note 10 and the Redmi Note 11 may look the same from afar. But on taking a closer look, you would notice that Xiaomi has made changes to the back of the phone and the rear camera system, which sets the two phones apart. While the Redmi Note 10 had a more subtle appeal, the Redmi Note 11 focuses more on glitz and glamour – quite literally. You can see the plastic back of the phone shining at all times. For this review, I used the Horizon Blue colour variant of the phone and it looks gorgeous.
The display of the phone, however, tells a different story. On the specs front, the Redmi Note 11 comes with a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay with a screen refresh rate of up to 90Hz, a touch sampling rate of up to 180Hz and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. What this translates to is that Redmi Note 11 performs fairly well in day-to-day usage. The colours are pretty accurate for a costing under 20 grand and the display is well lit for most parts. But it does take the phone’s sensors some time to wake up and adjust the brightness as per the ambient light conditions. During the course of this review, I ended up adjusting the brightness more often than I would have liked to.
Overall, the Redmi Note 11 has a decent display. While the screen is a fingerprint magnet, the back panel stays neat and clean. It helps that Xiaomi ships a silicon cover inside.
Redmi Note 11 performance and software
Now comes the performance and overall experience.
The Redmi Note 11 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 system-on-chip that is coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB. It comes with up to 1TB of expandable storage space. This is an upgrade over Redmi Note 10’s Snapdragon 678 chipset. In usage, the Redmi Note 11 is a decent performer. It handles the daily work load, which for me includes answering endless mails and messages, a bunch of calls, at least three to four hours of social media time and sometimes a movie or an episode or two of a series that I am watching, without any major hiccups. The phone also performed well while gaming, especially on switching to the 90Hz screen refresh rate. That said, I wish the haptics were a little less bumpy, but other than that, the phone works just fine in day-to-day usage.
On the security front, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor works flawlessly every time. In the week that I have spent with this phone, never did it miss or slow down in unlocking the phone even once.
Now let’s talk about the software. On the software front, the Redmi Note 11 runs Android 11-based MIUI 13, which is a bummer, especially for a phone launching in 2022. And we don’t have a tentative time of launch for Android 12 yet. In addition to that, the Redmi Note 11 ships with a ton of bloatware, which isn’t easy to get rid of. Meaning, you can remove it from your phone’s app drawer but not remove it completely from your phone. Add to that the ads that you are bombarded with constantly. It’s annoying to say the least and makes an otherwise decent phone somewhat of a let down.
Redmi Note 11 camera
Coming to the camera. The Redmi Note 11 sports a quad-rear camera setup consisting of a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, it has a 13MP selfie camera. Compared to its predecessor, the only thing that has changed is the primary lens. The Redmi Note 10, on the other hand, came with a 48MP camera. Specifications aside, the camera of the Redmi Note 11 offers a mixed bag of performance.
In the bright day light conditions, the Redmi Note 11 snaps decent images with a fairly accurate colour reproduction and depth with the primary, ultra wide angle and macro lens. This is also true for images captured in indoor lighting conditions. However, there are instances where the clarity goes for a toss, especially while using the portrait mode, which is when you will see a lot of noise in the image. In low light mode, the Redmi Note 11 offers a fairly accurate colour production. However, the images are full of noise. This can be easily noticed when you zoom into the images a little.
The selfie camera isn’t any better. There is no depth or clarity in the images at all. On the other hand, the images captured in daylight conditions are a curious combination of hits and misses in terms of clarity and depth.
Redmi Note 11 battery
Last, the battery.
The Redmi Note 11 sports a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W Pro fast charging. Specification aside, the Redmi Note 11 is a decent performer when it comes to everyday usage. The phone easily lasts for a day and a half. And on the days, when you decide to go on a movie marathon or gaming marathon, it easily stands tall for a day. What adds to the overall allure of the phone is the fact that just 20 mins of
charge gives you a 40% jump in the battery, which would easily last for half a day.
Should you buy the Redmi Note 11 or not?
Now, the most important question of this review – should you buy the Redmi Note 11 or not?
Well, the answer to that question is not that simple. If you are already using the Redmi Note 10 smartphone, you can skip the Redmi Note 11 as it offers minor upgrades over its predecessor. However, if you are using an older smartphone, Redmi Note 11 with its decent display, a faster processor and long battery life could be an option to consider if you can ignore the cameras.
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