Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G Review: Not What You Might Have Expected

Mar 30, 2022
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G Review: Not What You Might Have Expected

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In case you’re obsessive about cellphone specs and are in search of one of the best mixture of parts you may get with out spending an enormous quantity, likelihood is you have spent a while wanting up Xiaomi’s Redmi Be aware and Redmi Be aware Professional fashions. The corporate made its mark in India by promoting low-cost telephones, however the Redmi Be aware sequence has all the time been about aspiration whereas remaining reasonably priced. Whether or not it is a larger display, extra highly effective processor, increased battery capability, higher cameras, or simply extra RAM and storage you are after, Xiaomi is aware of methods to play this recreation.

Nevertheless, we’re at some extent when it is robust for corporations to maintain pushing the envelope – there’s solely a lot that may be stuffed right into a cellphone, and costs preserve rising. The brand new Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G is priced beginning above Rs. 20,000 which pushes it into new territory. Do patrons merely have to just accept that issues are actually dearer, or is that this now a cellphone that is meant for a unique viewers? Maintain studying to seek out out if the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G is best for you.

Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G value in India

The bottom variant of the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and is priced at Rs. 20,999. You may step as much as 8GB of RAM with the identical 128GB of storage for Rs. 22,999, and it’ll value Rs. 24,999 if you need 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage. At that degree, you’d even have selections such because the OnePlus Nord CE 2 (Evaluate), Realme 9 Professional+ 5G (Evaluate), and iQoo Z5 (Evaluate).

Xiaomi additionally sells the lower-end Redmi Be aware 11 Professional, which lacks 5G and has a barely weaker SoC however is almost similar by way of show, battery, charging, and software program specs. This mannequin is priced at Rs. 17,999 with 6GB of RAM and Rs. 19,999 with 8GB of RAM. Each choices have 128GB of storage.

Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G design

As I said in my first impressions, the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ is quite plain-looking. Aside from the end of the rear panel, which we’ll get to in a second, there’s little or no design aptitude to talk of. The strains and angles are all quite simple, which is a pity since final 12 months’s Redmi Be aware 10 Professional Max (Evaluate) had extra of a person feel and appear. The 2-step digital camera module on the rear is the one factor that stands out, design-wise, however sadly it makes the cellphone rock back and forth when positioned face-up on a flat floor.

The entrance of the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ is all black, apart from the distinguished clear digital camera lens on the high with its silver ring. Usually, that is one thing I discover distracting however it’s the solely approach to inform which manner is up at a look.

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The Mirage Blue end catches mild and divulges patterns that seem like the floor of a pool of water

 

This cellphone is on the market in three colors – Phantom White, Stealth Black, and Mirage Blue. The previous two are comparatively plain-looking, however the latter, which is what I’ve for this evaluation, is extraordinarily eye-catching. You may see diagonal intersecting “waves” that after all catch the sunshine whenever you transfer this cellphone round. That notion of movement, together with the impact of depth that you just get with such a end, makes it appears as if you are water on the floor of a pool. The steel body can be an identical pale blue. Even after seeing dozens of telephones with gradient and sample finishes over time, this appears contemporary. Nevertheless, it is not for everybody.

On the high of the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ you may discover a 3.5mm audio socket, a grille for the earpiece speaker, and an infrared emitter that can be utilized to manage home equipment. The facility button with its built-in fingerprint sensor and the quantity buttons are on the correct, all inside attain. The hybrid dual-SIM tray, USB Kind-C port, and first speaker are on the underside, leaving the left aspect clean.

I might have most well-liked extra rounded sides or edges since this cellphone is not the best to carry and use. It is snug in opposition to the ear however when you’ve got smaller palms you would possibly discover it a bit awkward in on a regular basis use. The 202g weight and eight.12mm thickness are each barely above common. Xiaomi says it has used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and “frosted glass” on the rear. This cellphone is “IP53 examined” which is technically not the identical as saying it has an official IP53 ranking, however nonetheless supplies some reassurance. My unit got here with a display protector already adhered, and a semi-rigid clear plastic case within the field.

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The Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G has a 3.5mm audio jack, IR emitter, and speaker cutouts on the highest

 

Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G specs

Protecting in thoughts that the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G prices significantly greater than its predecessors, I am anticipating specs that may compete with what you may discover within the sub-Rs. 25,000 market. It is also fascinating that there is a pretty costly 256GB storage choice – sometimes not one thing you’d count on value-conscious patrons to splash out on when you may as an alternative channel that cash in direction of a extra highly effective cellphone.

For that cause, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC might want to go up in opposition to the likes of the MediaTek Dimensity 900 which is discovered within the OnePlus Nord CE2 and the Dimensity 920 which powers the Realme 9 Professional+ 5G and Xiaomi 11i 5G. We can also’t neglect the Snapdragon 778G within the iQoo Z5. All these telephones value about as a lot as the upper variants of the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G.

You get a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1080×2400) AMOLED show with a 120Hz most refresh fee. Peak brightness is rated at 1200 nits however there is no point out of HDR help. Xiaomi additionally claims DCI-P3 color gamut protection. There’s an At all times-on Show characteristic which is disabled by default however solely stays seen for 10 seconds when the display is tapped, which contradicts its identify.

The battery has a 5000mAh capability, and this cellphone helps 67W charging when the charger within the field is used. Different options value noting are this cellphone’s stereo audio system, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, and help for seven 5G bands.

Software program is a bit dated – the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G ships with MIUI 13 nevertheless it’s operating on Android 11. An replace to Android 12 must be launched quickly. My evaluation unit had the February 2022 safety replace which is sweet. MIUI has a great deal of customisation potential beginning with an elective app drawer, navigation gestures or extra shortcuts in the event you follow buttons, icon dimension and format management, and tweaks for the Recents app menu.

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The double-sided tray enables you to use both a second Nano-SIM or a microSD card

 

Very similar to on iOS, swiping down from the correct of the digital camera gap reveals fast toggles whereas swiping down from the left reveals notifications. There is a system-wide search characteristic and a widget display to the left of the primary homescreen. Within the Settings app, you may discover controls for extra options similar to Lite mode, Second House for privateness, floating home windows, and a floating shortcut sidebar.

Sadly, a few of the default apps such because the GetApps retailer and MX participant present advert notifications with out having even been opened. The widgets are additionally stuffed with promotional content material, and Look reveals sponsored content material in addition to advertisements in your lock display in the event you do not disable it. A number of apps together with Fb, LinkedIn, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, and Mi Credit score are preloaded, and the UI reveals “in the present day’s suggestions” and extra icons that make it appear as if customers have to obtain much more apps. Xiaomi has prior to now stated that it could cut back muddle and make its UI lighter, and so I really feel slightly dissatisfied with what I skilled on the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G.

Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G efficiency

At this level we do not count on that any smartphone, even within the funds phase, will battle with operating on a regular basis apps. The Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G can deal with such duties simply and I had no bother multitasking with a number of large video games and apps open within the background. Xiaomi despatched the center variant, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, for this evaluation. The show refresh fee is ready to 60Hz by default, and since MIUI has quite a lot of animations, there was a noticeable enchancment in UI responsiveness once I switched to 120Hz.

The fingerprint sensor was fast and straightforward to make use of. Face recognition was additionally handy, however I used to be shocked to see a warning through the setup course of that it may be defeated by a photograph of the person in addition to “objects with an identical look”. That is regarding, however a photograph of my face on one other cellphone’s display didn’t work to unlock the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G even after a number of makes an attempt.

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The embedded entrance digital camera has a distracting shiny ring round it

 

I discovered the show readable beneath daylight. It is fairly crisp and hues are vibrant, although some would possibly discover movies a bit oversaturated. The reflective ring across the entrance digital camera is actually distracting. You get WideVine L1 DRM certification so HD playback ought to work in supported apps. The stereo audio system are comparatively nicely balanced and sound is kind of loud. Voices come by clearly when watching movies, however music sounded a bit harsh and compressed.

By way of benchmark scores, efficiency was fairly strong. AnTuTu confirmed a rating of 365,861 and Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core outcomes have been 688 and 1,903 respectively. These are a bit decrease than what the OnePlus Nord CE 2 managed, and fairly a bit behind the Realme 9 Professional+ 5G and iQoo Z5. The story was the identical for graphics assessments –GFXBench’s T-rex scene ran at 82fps however the Automotive Chase scene solely mananaged 17fps. 3DMark Wild Life produced a rating of 1,211.

Gaming was pretty nice, although the higher rear of the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G did get a bit heat after about quarter-hour. Asphalt 9: Legends ran with none bother, and Battlegrounds Cellular India additionally ran nicely on the HD high quality setting and Excessive body fee. This must be greater than sufficient for most individuals, however once more, does not fairly match as much as one of the best within the phase.

The Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G did do nicely by way of battery life. With informal on a regular basis use, I nonetheless had a few 30 p.c cost left at night time. Our HD video loop take a look at ran for 15 hours, 8 minutes. Utilizing the equipped charger with the cellphone powered down, I used to be in a position to go from zero to 36 p.c in quarter-hour and 66 p.c in half-hour. It took simply over 50 minutes to get to 100%. Xiaomi claims a 51 p.c cost in quarter-hour which is a giant distinction, however what I noticed was nonetheless fairly good.

The cellphone does get uncomfortably heat whereas charging although, and you will want to hold the very cumbersome 67W charger in addition to Xiaomi’s personal cable in every single place to benefit from this charging pace on the go, whenever you’re most probably to wish it. I used to be in a position to cost a MacBook Air utilizing this charger, which was handy.

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You get three rear cameras together with a 108-megapixel major digital camera

 

Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G cameras

Xiaomi has managed to one-up its competitors within the digital camera division, at the least in relation to specs. The Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G contains a 108-megapixel major rear digital camera with a Samsung HM2 sensor and f/1.9 aperture. This sensor was additionally used for the Redmi Be aware 10 Professional Max final 12 months. There isn’t any optical picture stabilisation, and video recording solely goes as much as 1080p which is a shock.

There’s additionally an 8-megapixel ultra-wide digital camera and a 2-megapixel macro digital camera. Apparently, the lower-end Redmi Be aware 11 Professional options an extra 2-megapixel depth sensor on the rear – this provides it a slight advertising and marketing benefit by way of numbers, however clearly Xiaomi felt that the dearer mannequin does not want this. Sadly, the 5-megapixel “telemacro” digital camera of final 12 months’s Redmi Be aware 10 Professional sequence, which I used to be extremely impressed with, has been dropped. The entrance digital camera has a 16-megapixel decision and f/2.45 aperture.

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Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G daytime photograph samples (Prime: commonplace, backside: 108-megapixel 1:1 crop) (Faucet to see full dimension)

 

The digital camera app is pretty nicely organised, although there are a number of quirks similar to having a Macro toggle in a sub-menu quite than implementing this as a mode with all of the others. Fortunately, images aren’t watermarked by default.

Pictures taken with the 108-megapixel digital camera are binned to a smart 4000×3000 decision by default, and that goes as much as 12,000×9000 pixels in the event you override this manually. Downsampled images taken open air within the daytime exhibited barely crisper element and punchier colors than full-resolution counterparts, however the true worth of a 108-megapixel shot is you could amplify and crop them to simulate optical zoom with out dropping constancy. Both manner, colors popped properly. Element was good in close-ups, however dropped a bit if topics have been at a slight distance.

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Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G daytime photograph samples (Faucet to see full dimension)

 

The ultra-wide digital camera did not seize very vibrant pictures, and there was noticeable warping of perspective. Daytime macros have been disappointing – final 12 months’s mannequin may seize genuinely usable and visually fascinating macros, however we’re again to novelty worth for the sake of itemizing a number of cameras on the spec sheet with the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G. Portaits got here out nicely sufficient.

At night time, the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G’s predominant digital camera was nearly okay. Element was missing and pictures seemed murky and closely compressed except there was excellent lighting close by. Night time Mode decreased shadows and barely improved element, however in some circumstances I noticed an exaggerated heat tone to pictures. 108-megapixel pictures did not enhance high quality a lot, and there was nearly no level making an attempt to make use of the ultra-wide-angle or macro cameras at night time. You may’t use Night time Mode with the ultra-wide digital camera or if the 108-megapixel mode is chosen.

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Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G daytime photograph samples (Prime: portrait, backside: macro) (Faucet to see full dimension)

 

Video was typically easy, nevertheless it’s shocking for a cellphone on this phase to not provide 4K recording and even 1080p 60fps in any respect. Daytime footage shot with the primary digital camera appeared to have a barely heat color tone however was typically sharp and easy. The ultra-wide digital camera took grainier footage and there was a big drop in high quality. You may really document 720p video with the macro digital camera, although that is largely pointless.

Pores and skin smoothening is enabled by default whenever you swap to the entrance digital camera. Selfies did have a synthetic high quality and element wasn’t nice. Portrait pictures had good depth separation. Entrance digital camera high quality did endure fairly a bit in low mild, although.

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Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G low-light photograph samples (Prime: commonplace, center: Night time mode, backside: ultra-wide) (Faucet to see full dimension)

 

 

Verdict

The Redmi Be aware sequence has been considered one of Xiaomi’s best-selling choices, however the firm has now pushed it into the next value phase and so we won’t simply have a look at the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G as a substitute for the Redmi Be aware 10 Professional Max and the numerous widespread iterations which have come earlier than it. We do nonetheless have a number of fashions priced under this degree – there’s the 4G-only Redmi Be aware 11 Professional, the Redmi Be aware 11S (Evaluate), the Redmi Be aware 11T 5G (Evaluate), and even the merely named Redmi Be aware 11, most of which overlap with one another. Older fashions proceed to be out there as nicely.

What the brand new Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G has in its favour are its show and audio system, battery life, charging pace, software program options, and on a regular basis efficiency. You will discover most of these items in inexpensive telephones although, and so they do not justify its new excessive value. Even the bottom variant which prices Rs. 20,999 will face stiff competitors from its personal predecessor, the Redmi Be aware 10 Professional Max, which has the identical major rear digital camera, a extra helpful macro digital camera, and plenty of related options. The older mannequin is actually weaker by way of SoC efficiency in relation to gaming, however in the event you prioritise that, you will not be selecting the brand new one both.

General, the Redmi Be aware 11 Professional+ 5G is okay for what it’s, nevertheless it is not a clear-cut phase chief. If Xiaomi had gone all-out with both the SoC or the cameras, there may need been a particular area of interest for it. The OnePlus Nord CE2, Realme 9 Professional+ 5G, and iQoo Z5 are its most notable opponents – they do have barely increased beginning costs, however in the event you’re spending this a lot, you need to take into account them.


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