One Of The Best Phones - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Review

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is the next generation of one of the best phones. Will the 2022 model be a worthy successor to its best-selling predecessors? I had the opportunity to find out by testing it for several days!

Table of Contents

The appearance of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 I tested from the first quarter of this year was in graphite (Graphite Gray), which for me would probably be the optimal choice – I definitely “grew” from the more flashy colours that dominated in the last few years. In this version, the phone looks very mature.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is quite large, but it fits very well in hand. Its length is almost 16 centimetres, but the display itself (about which I will devote a lot of attention a bit further) does not take up that much space due to its relatively strongly marked frames. It is worth noting that the touch panel is covered with factory-made foil, which, however, likes to draw. Despite taking care of the phone for several days, I noticed quite a lot of scratches. Conclusion – it is worth getting a real foil.

I quickly concluded that the rear camera was vulnerable to scratches. This one is located on a protruding island, which is unfortunately standard on modern smartphones. Fortunately, the tasteful and thoughtful packaging (I really like the Xiaomi / Redmi boxes) included a factory case for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11! The transparent case made of silicone material looks very good and protects the phone well – it fits so tightly that there was even a slight problem with putting it on. I did not part with him even one step.

Speaking of the back cover, the quad-camera module may be liked, and It also gives the impression that the smartphone itself is more expensive than it really is. And indeed: a tasteful shape of the phone, an extensive camera and an on-screen display give a great experience – all this makes the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 look much more expensive.

The more that the phone is well fitted and made. Nothing creaks, nothing rattles. It is worth noting that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 backs are made of plastic, not glass. The smartphone is, therefore, more practical and more resistant to falls. It’s even splash-proof! It boasts the IP53 standard, which is not available in many incomparably more expensive models.

The left frame hides the tray for SIM cards; on the right side, there is a double volume button, and below the ON / OFF button. It also acts as a fingerprint scanner, and – at least for me – this solution is the most convenient! There are stereo speakers on the upper and lower frames, and the first also has a 3.5 mm minijack. Overall, the phone makes a very good visual impression. How is it working?

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 screen

In cheap phones, the display is usually flawed. At least in his case, the savings are visible at first glance. Fortunately, this is not the case with Xiaomi Redmi Note 11!

Ba – his screen is one of the strongest points! Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is one of the cheapest smartphones with an AMOLED screen. Its diagonal is 6.43 ″, and – what is important – it supports a refreshing level of 90 Hz. Of course, there was an appropriate Full HD + resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels), which means their density was at the level of 409 ppi. In practice, the pixels are not visible to the naked eye, and the image quality is very good, even excellent, in this class of devices!

The AMOLED display of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is not only of good quality but also occupies almost 85% of the front. Its frames may not be the thinnest, but this does not affect the device’s reception. A great and quite large (though not the largest) screen provides multimedia advantages – the phone is great for watching video content. How about games? How does Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 work from the performance side?

Components of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 works on the Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor created in 6 nm technology. It is clocked at 2.40 GHz, and it is supported by – depending on the version – from 4 to 6 GB of RAM. There are also two disk variants – 64 or 128 GB. The memory can be expanded by up to 1 TB with a microSD card. It is not known why the manufacturer used the older Adreno 610 graphics, while the model from last year had the Adreno 612.

During the tests, I did not notice any problems related to the clipping of the application or the “mudding” of the phone. Of course, this is not the level of flagships, and there is nothing to compare the phone – and this is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 – to smartphones several times more expensive. It is enough for everyday use, i.e. making calls, using the Internet or playing simple games. Ba – in its price category, it is one of the leaders!

It is no wonder that Xiaomi can at least ensure the correct operation of even its budget models. Even the old Redmi Note 7 (model from the first quarter of 2019, so the great-grandfather of Redmi Note 11!), Which is still used privately by my mother, gives advice all the time. And this is with not very frequent cleaning of the phone, with hundreds of Chrome cards … So I have no doubts about the longevity of Xiaomi equipment – with normal use, the Redmi Note 11 model should work in 2 years the same as two weeks from the start of testing.

I only have objections to the manufacturer’s overlay. Android is covered here with MIUI version 13.0.1. Global, which can be irritating at times, and not only with advertising. Perhaps it is a matter of habit because I use the phone with EMUI on board myself, which also has as many fans and opponents. In MIUI, in the beginning, it may be irritating to go to the menu hiding shortcuts to Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth, etc. However, this is not something that could cross the entire phone.

It is also worth noting the excellent fingerprint reader Xiaomi Redmi Note 11, which is located on the side frame, which for me, is the best solution. Facial recognition is also fast and flawless, so I use it a lot. What is missing is 5G, which is not (yet) a standard in this price category. So if you are looking for a cheap 5G phone, choose, for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is equipped with as many as four camera modules on the back cover! This is what the individual lenses look like:

main lens 48 Mpix f / 1.8
8 Mpix f / 2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens
2 Mpix f / 2.4 macro lens
2 Mpix f / 2.4 depth sensor

The first is the Samsung S5KJN1 matrix. Thus, Xiaomi departed from Sony sensors because the previous Redmi Note 10 model had a Sony 48 Mpix matrix. The Chinese did not cut themselves off completely from the Japanese because the wide-angle is the Sony IMX355 camera. There is no optical image stabilization on board, but the electronic stabilization (EIS) in the main and macro cameras was taken care of. How do they work in practice?

Most often, I took photos with the main camera, which, with its largest sensor and the brightest aperture, was simply the universal lens. The reflection of the colours is at the correct level, although often they may seem a bit “washed out” and less vivid.

Despite the electronic image stabilization, quite often, the subject in the frame (especially in motion) was caught blurry. In order to take a good photo of, e.g. my cat, I had to be a bit patient to achieve a satisfactory result. Generally, it’s worth taking 2-3 photos of one shot to make sure that at least one of them is sharp enough. However, this is an affliction of virtually all cheaper phones, and Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 still fares well among its direct competitors.

The wide-angle lens (119 ° angle of view) is also a bit worse, as it distorts the image on the sides quite significantly, and the photos taken are less detailed. Sometimes you can also see clear differences when comparing photos taken with a 48 Mpix and 8 Mpix camera in terms of colours. Still, it’s great that this type of lens is on board.

I rather avoided a camera dedicated to macro because – despite electronic image stabilization – a small 2 Mpix matrix makes it better to use the main camera. Personally, I’d rather sacrifice these last two 2MP lenses and focus on improving the main and wide-angle camera. Unfortunately, the phone market for about PLN 1000-1500 requires the presence of 3-4 lenses, even if users will only use 2. This is what all competitors do, and so does Xiaomi.

Like other phones in this price range, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 camera performs better the more light there is. Of course, the night mode has been taken care of, but you should not expect miracles – photos after dark is often full of noise and devoid of major details.

As for the selfie camera, it is a standard lens with a 13 Mpix matrix. The aperture value is f / 2.4, and it will be perfect for taking photos on social media.

Audio Xiaomi Redmi Note 11

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 has not only a 3.5mm headphone jack but also stereo speakers! Most of the much more expensive smartphones do not have such a set. But how about the sound quality?

It’s not bad, and you can even say it’s good considering the reasonable price of the Redmi Note 11. The sound is clean and quite loud. Of course, this is not a phone for audiophiles, but if you do not have huge expectations, you will be satisfied. Audio Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 perfectly complements the image quality of the AMOLED screen, which makes this smartphone perfect for watching movies or series!

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 battery

The link in Redmi Note 11 is a Li-Po battery with a good capacity of 5000 mAh. It supports 33 W fast charging. The technology used allowed me to charge this fully discharged smartphone to 100% in an hour and 16 minutes. In my opinion, this is a satisfactory result – it may not be the fastest charging on the market, but it embarrasses the many times more expensive Galaxy S22 … And Xiaomi adds a charger to the set!

Summary

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is not without flaws, but taking into account the overall picture, you can confidently put it among the leaders in its price category! For the amount below PLN 1000, you will rather buy the 4/64 GB version, but it’s best to bet on 6 GB RAM. This one may be clearly more expensive, but Xiaomi is known for its frequent discounts and promotions.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 model has a great 90 Hz AMOLED screen, a nice main camera, a strong battery with fast charging, satisfactory audio and quite strong components. Added to this are a very nice design, stereo speakers, Dual SIM, a great fingerprint scanner or a memory card slot and a 3.5 mm minijack. The phone has many advantages, and its main competitors are realme phones and the closely related POCO, and therefore also produced by Xiaomi. Another advantage is the availability of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 with operators from PLN 1 to start! If you are looking for a phone for around PLN 1000, you must take it seriously!

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