Redmi Note 11 Review - The entry-level standard
A month after Redmi Note 11 series arrived in the Philippines, we're now ready to share with you our take on the least affordable device of the series.
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| Redmi Note 11 |
In case you missed it, the Redmi Note 11 is the most affordable among the three variants. It sports a 6.43-inch FHD+ display with up to 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. It is also protected with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
It is also IP53-rated, which means it is splash-proof.
For cameras, this handset features an AI quad-camera with a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, 8MP f/2.2 118-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, 2MP f/2.4 macro camera, 2MP f/2.4 depth camera, and LED flash.
In front, it has a 13MP selfie camera placed on the screen's center punch hole.
Redmi Note 11 is powered by a 2.4GHz Snapdragon 680 6nm octa-core processor with Qualcomm Adreno 610 GPU,4GB RAM, and 64GB internal storage.
For our review part 1: Redmi Note 11 Unboxing and First Impressions
If you're ready to know why Redmi Note 11 is the new entry-level standard, here's our full review!
Multimedia Experience
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| AMOLED display |
As we mentioned above, Redmi Note 11 features a 6.43-inch Gorilla Glass 3 protected AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, AdaptiveSync tech (60/90Hz), and 180Hz touch sampling rate. Just reading might have given you a great impression on this smartphone's screen but wait until you see it in person.
All bezels are so slim to be noticed except for the chin. The screen has a center punch hole housing the 13MP selfie camera.
Redmi Note 11's display quality would make you question if this is actually an entry-level smartphone. It is immersive, has deep blacks, high contrast, vibrant colors, and smooth motions.
Amazing display quality for under PHP 9K!
At this price point, we don't want to ask for more because it seems like we received more than what this price can give. We're happy with the viewing experience this handset is giving us. It's an ideal entry-level smartphone for those (like us) who consume a chunk amount of content.
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| 90Hz refresh rate! |
Redmi Note 11 supports 10-points of multitouch. The display is responsive, accurate, and quick.
It also has dual stereo speakers strategically placed on the left top and right bottom of the smartphone. The sound is full, pleasing, and has unnoticeable distortion even when set in the highest volume level.
Despite having a 3.5mm headphone jack slot, the package didn't come with earphones. But using our own, we were able to enjoy music on this handset without interruptions.
The dual microphones also gave us good calls and clear voice quality. Our overall audio experience with the Redmi Note 11 is immersive and great.
Cameras
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| Quad-camera setup |
Redmi Note 11 has a quad-camera setup of 50MP f/1.8 main camera, 8MP f/2.2 118-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, 2MP f/2.4 macro camera, 2MP f/2.4 depth camera, and LED flash.
These are housed in a rectangular camera hump at the upper left side of the smartphone's back. The hump has a metallic silver finish around it with a "50MP AI Camera text" below the camera modules.
The stock camera app includes the following modes: photo, video, portrait, time-lapse, panorama, night, documents, 50MP, slow motion, short video, and pro. The latter allows control of ISO (50-6400), shutter speed (1/4000-30 seconds), white balance, focus, and lens.
Rear Camera Samples
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| Daylight wide |
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| Daylight |
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| Daylight 2x |
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| Daylight 2 |
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| Daylight portrait |
Redmi Note 11 gave us daylight images with ample details, sharpness, contrast, and color accuracy. The images are close to natural-looking.
Good cameras for the price!
The bokeh effect on the subject is also nice, although grain and noise are evident because the photos were taken during sunset.
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| Indoor wide |
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| Indoor |
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| Indoor 2x |
Indoors, we also got detailed images with satisfying colors, contrast, vibrancy, and sharpness. The images are natural-looking as well.
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| Lowlight wide |
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| Lowlight |
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| Lowlight 2x |
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| Night mode |
For low light, we received soft images using the photo mode. The images lacked sharpness, contrast, and color accuracy good thing there's night mode. The result is better. Although we're still looking for more details, it's fine given the price point.
Note that night mode is not available with wide and 2x zoom.
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| 13MP selfie camera |
The selfie camera, on the other hand, sits on the center punch hole of the screen. The 13MP front shooter can only do photo, video, portrait, and time-lapse.
Of course, beautification features are present, HDR, screen flash, and filters.
Selfie Camera Samples
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| Daylight selfie |
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| Daylight selfie 2 |
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| Daylight portrait selfie |
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| Daylight portrait selfie 2 |
In well-lit conditions, the selfies were very nice. The photos have enough sharpness, facial details, and textures.
Love the bokeh!
We also like to commend the brilliant subject-to-background separation using the portrait mode for a budget smartphone.
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| Indoor selfie |
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| Indoor portrait selfie |
Indoors, we loved how the selfies came out, too! They have ample details, natural-looking colors, and ample sharpness. Again, the bokeh effect is excellent.
The selfie camera is one of the Redmi Note 11's strengths!
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| Lowlight selfie |
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| Lowlight selfie with screen flash |
The lowlight selfies were also nice. As seen in the sample, even without the screen flash, the details are evident although some softness is noticeable. This can also be because I have some lights around me.
We also like how the screen flash was okay. It didn't flush out the facial details, but it enhanced the lowlight selfie taken previously. Overall, the selfie camera is one of the Redmi Note 11's strengths.
For videos, Redmi Note 11's ultrawide lens, main sensor, and selfie shooter can go up to 1080p at 30fps.
Performance
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| Redmi Note 11 benchmark scores |
The Redmi Note 11 is powered by a 2.4GHz Snapdragon 680 6nm octa-core processor with Qualcomm Adreno 610 GPU, 4GB/6GB RAM, and 64GB/128GB internal storage.
We are loaned with the 4GB/65GB variant.
Redmi Note 11 Benchmarks:
- AnTuTu - 237,547
- GeekBench 5 - 387 (single-core), 1,732 (multi-core)
- 3D Mark Wildlife - 450 at 2.70 average fps
In real life, Redmi Note 11 is a speedy entry-level smartphone. We had an overall smooth experience although it showed some struggles in most demanding situations such as multiple apps running in the background.
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| Gaming settings |
This smartphone is not made for gaming and it was evident during our tests. Redmi Note 11 is only comfortable with the lowest settings for popular games (e.g., Mobile Legends: Bang Bang). Heavy games such as Genshine Impact and Call of Duty are playable, however, do not expect a smooth experience even in the low settings.
For security, the handset has face recognition and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that doubles as the power button. Both are responsive throughout our test.
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| WOW! |
Redmi Note 11 is packed with a 5,000mAh battery with 33W pro fast charging support. Now, here comes the mind-blowing part: it lasted a total of 23 hours and 37 minutes in our PCMark battery test! It was so long to get us bored to see the result.
Jaw-dropping battery test score!
In real-world usage, Redmi Note 11 can last up to a day and a half! This is composed of texts, calls, social media, music playbacks, and casual gaming.
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| Battery settings |
As for the charging, the 33W pro fast charging support fills up the Redmi Note 11 in almost an hour. Yes, it's long, but it's better because some 5,000mAh batteries take more than an hour to get full.
For an entry-level phone, it's only natural that it doesn't come with wireless charging.
In terms of connectivity, we have the following: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, and dual SIM.
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| MIUI 13 |
Running the software department is the Android 11-based MIUI 13. It has pesky pre-installed third-party apps but the MIUI on this phone delivered a premium-level experience. We were impressed with its overall optimization and user-friendliness.
Pros - Sturdy build, Corning Gorilla Glass 3-protected AMOLED display, 90Hz refresh rate, good cameras, stellar battery life, efficient performance, stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack
Cons - Not suitable for users who like gaming
Redmi Note 11 Specs
Display: 6.43-inch Gorilla Glass 3 protected AMOLED screen w/ 90Hz refresh rate, AdaptiveSync tech (60/90Hz), 180Hz touch sampling rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 409 ppi
CPU: 2.4GHz 6nm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 610
RAM: 4GB/6GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 64GB/128GB UFS 2.2 expandable storage via microSD card up to 1TB
Back Camera: 50MP f/1.8 main camera + 8MP f/2.2 118-degree ultra-wide-angle camera + 2MP f/2.4 macro camera + 2MP f/2.4 depth camera + LED flash
Selfie Camera: 13MP f/2.4
Battery: 5,000mAh w/ 33W Pro fast charging
OS: Android 11 w/ MIUI 13
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP53 water splash resistance, IR Blaster, stereo speakers, dual-mic, Z-axis linear motor, USB-C, Colors: Colors: Graphite Gray, Twilight Blue, Star Blue
Dimensions: 159.87 x 73.87 x 8.09 mm
Weight: 179 g
Price: PHP 8,999 (4GB/64GB), PHP 9,999 (6GB/128GB)
Verdict
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| The entry-level standard |
The Redmi Note 11 is unquestionably the entry-level standard.
It's the latest bang-for-buck device with a beautiful display, amazing battery, and good cameras. However, if gaming is something you like doing on your handset, this device may disappoint you. But this should be the least of your worries because Redmi Note 11 is offering much compared to what it's missing out on.
We don't have reasons not to recommend this phone most especially to anyone looking for a value for money device. Overall, Redmi Note 11 gave us more than what we expected.
Do you agree with us?
Build/Design - 4.5
Multimedia Experience - 4.5
Cameras - 4.5
Performance - 4.25
Average - 4.44/5
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