Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review

A strong market awaits a midrange smartphone with flagship-like cameras and a competitive price. Xiaomi understands the assignment very well; thus, the introduction of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. And to capture more hearts, Xiaomi packed it with other powerful specs, which are hard to find at its price point.Looks really good on paper, the device sets the expectation too high for itself.
But can it deliver its own promises? Find out in our review.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G key specs

• MIUI 13 based on Android 11
• 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay, up to 120Hz refresh rate
• Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• 2.2GHz Snapdragon 695 octa-core processor, Adreno 619 GPU
• LiquidCool Technology
• 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 64GB/128GB UFS 2.2 storage, expandable up to 1TB
• Primary camera: 108MP main + 8MP ultra-wide + 2MP macro
• Selfie: 16MP front camera
• 5G connectivity
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• Bluetooth 5.1
• NFC
• IR Blaster
• Security: Side-mounted fingerprint, AI Face Unlock
• Dual speakers
• 5,000mAh battery with 67W Turbo charging
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• USB-C
• IP53 Splash-proof tested
• Colors: Graphite Gray, Polar White, Atlantic Blue

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review: Design

There’s no doubt that the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is one of the most premium-looking devices at its price point. Locally, the device is available in Polar White, Atlantic Blue, and Graphite Blue color options, but our team got the Mysterious Black variant. We prefer this color because it makes the phone simpler yet more sophisticated. So, we’re hoping that Xiaomi will bring this color option soon to the Philippines for more consumers who share the same sentiments as we do.

The phone also comes with frosted glass black, adding a more premium feel to its appearance. However, we must note that its body is thick and heavy, while it also features sharp edges, making one-hand usage impossible. In addition, it has a slippery physique, and its lock key is hard to reach. With this, we don’t recommend carrying it in just one hand if you don’t want to drop it. Good thing, the device looks sturdy, and it comes with a free case protecting the phone not only from accidental drops but also from smudges.

Meanwhile, since the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is IP53 dust and splash resistant, we’re confident to use it outdoors, where accidental water drops or dust might land on the device.

Its back also houses two quirky squares accommodating its triple rear camera setup and LED flash. But why quirky? Well, at first glimpse, someone would think that it features five lenses. You’d see the Redmi branding at its rear part, too.

Xiaomi left its left side unoccupied while its right counterpart delivers its volume rocker and power/lock button, which also works as a fingerprint scanner. However, as mentioned, these buttons are hard to reach because the device has a tall body.

Moving on to its top part, it has the noise-cancelling MIC, speakers, IR blaster, and the 3.5mm audio port, which we’d like to see on its bottom part instead. Speaking of, Xiaomi placed its primary MIC, main speaker, USB Type-C port, and hybrid card slot at the bottom part of the phone.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review: Display

Xiaomi mounted the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G with a 6.67-inch DotDisplay screen. We also appreciate that it comes with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top of its 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display. In addition, the device features slim bezels, while its upper-middle houses the call speaker and selfie camera. Meanwhile, if you get distracted easily when watching videos or playing games, you have an option to hide the punch hole in the settings through a black bar.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G flashes vibrant and sharp colors, making it an excellent device to binge-watch our favorite Netflix series. The device also has good viewing angles and impressive brightness levels that could go really bright and dark, depending on your preference.

Moreover, the device provides users with various display settings, including the options to change its color scheme, color temperature, and refresh rate. Our team chose its Standard color scheme and 120Hz refresh rate, which work magic for us.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review: Battery Life

Xiaomi powered up the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G with a 5,000mAh battery. Although it has a lower capacity than its predecessor, we still appreciate that it now features a 67W fast charging solution. Frankly, this is the most impressive offering that it delivers to us.

The phone scored 14 hours and 36 minutes on the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test.

Tapped as our daily driver, the device lasted 16 hours and 33 minutes. Our daily mobile tasks include heavy social media browsing, basic communications, and casual gaming. Meanwhile, when we actively used it on weekends, its battery ran for 9 hours and 48 minutes.

While some might think that it has a short battery life, we’d like to disagree as we opted to use it with a 24/7 WiFi connection, 50% brightness, 50% volume, and 120Hz refresh rate. In addition, it is worth noting that we continuously played games with demanding requirements. When we took a break from gaming, we switched our mobile activity to lengthy social media browsing. Of course, we had some video calls, too.

In short, we used the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G non-stop, but it was still able to run for a much longer time than expected.

In terms of charging the device, it took us only an hour to reach 100% when using its 67W fast charging adapter. We usually charge its battery when it reaches 20% capacity. It can also detect if you’re using a different adapter, as it charges slowly.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review: Software and Performance

Xiaomi loaded the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G with MIUI 13 based on Android 11. The phone also bags a Snapdragon 695 processor, Adreno 619 GPU, 8GB RAM with 3GB memory extension, and 128GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 1TB via microSD card.

We want to discuss too many things about its software, but we’d like to start with its ads. Just like us, we know you hate ads. Luckily, users now have an option to turn off their promoted ads. We also noticed that it now flashes fewer ads than other MIUI devices we’ve played around with before.

Users can also select between light mode or dark mode and if they want the typical drop-down style or the newest iOS-like control center.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and facial recognition for its security. Both were responsive and fast, but we prefer its facial recognition as the fingerprint scanner is placed somewhere we cannot easily reach.

Moving on to its performance, we ran the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G on multiple benchmark tests.

Here are the results to give you a glimpse of how well it can handle mobile tasks:

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G did a great job as our go-to phone. It could handle multitasking, such as switching from one app to another. It could also run games with heavy and demanding graphic requirements, with just a few lags, which were somehow not too noticeable.

However, we must note that we experienced some phone heating when playing games at a 120Hz refresh rate while its battery was already reaching 40% capacity. It’s still manageable, though.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review: Camera

We all knew that Xiaomi heavily teased the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G as something that could offer flagship-like camera performance. Moreover, on paper, we could easily see that the device is banking on its photography department as its sports jampacked sensors, including a 108MP wide primary lens, 8MP 118-degree ultra-wide shooter, and a 2MP macro camera.

For selfies, it comes with a 16MP snapper.

Bringing the device every time we go out, we could confidently say that it captures excellent images and videos where light is present. Of course, pictures are rich in details and colors. The device could also shoot impressive ultra-wide photos.

Turn on the Pro mode to access its 108MP lens for better quality.

In terms of selfies, we like how it provides us with beautiful self-portraits that come with a decent bokeh effect. Users can also adjust its aperture and blur style, enabling them to match its output depending on their preference.

Portraits are also natural-looking, even if it enhances some of our facial features.

Now, where did it go wrong?

As mentioned, the device could meet expectations…but for as long as there’s light in the room.

Don’t get us wrong. Night shots are just OK. But for a phone being advertised as something that could deliver a “powerhouse” camera, banking on a “pro-grade” primary shooter…we’re a bit disappointed in its performance at low-lit settings.

Photos captured at night without AI enhancement have a poor quality as it looks too soft, while it also comes with noises. Some parts of the subject become blurry, too.

Meanwhile, the device delivers good photos when its Night mode is on. However, nothing’s too special when comparing it to other phones with the same feature.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review: Verdict

Overall, Xiaomi did a fantastic job improving the specs and features of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. Therefore, we highly recommend it to casual gamers who also love streaming and binge-watching. After all, we could say that it did great, especially with its display, battery life, and performance when handling heavy mobile tasks.

Priced at Php15,999, we could say that the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G offers great value for your money. It might be one of the best overall performers at its price point, too.