Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G Review – Most User-Friendly Phone in this Segment

The Redmi Note 11 Pro Series has been launched in India, with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G being the top variant in the lineup and succeeding the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. The feature-packed Xiaomi phone is the premium option in the Redmi Note series, and it follows the company’s strategy of delivering certain higher-end features alongside other mid-range specs at a price that appears competitive at first look.

Redmi has managed to cram a ton of good hardware into a phone that costs a little more than Rs 20,000 in India. Is the phone worth its asking price? Let’s take a look at the review to find out.

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The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G costs Rs. 20,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and Rs. 22,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant in India. The phone will also be available in an 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for Rs. 24,999. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G will come in three different colours: Mirage Blue, Phantom White, and Stealth Black.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G will be available starting on March 15 at 12 p.m. via Amazon, Reliance Digital, Mi.com, and retail stores.

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The box of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G includes the following items inside the box:

• Redmi Note 11 Pro + 5G
• 67W Power adapter
• USB cable
• SIM eject tool
• Warranty card
• User guide
• Clear soft case
• Screen protector pre-applied on the phone

Before we talk in detail about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.67 inches AMOLED
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695
• RAM & ROM: 6GB RAM 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM 256GB Storage
• Software: Android v11
• Rear camera: 108MP + 8MP + 2MP
• Selfie camera: 16 MP
• Battery: 5000 mAh
• Weight: 202 grams
• Dimensions: 164.1 x 76.1 x 8.1 mm

When it comes to design, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G makes no compromises. The glass back, sleek plastic frame, and squared-off edges of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G give it an Apple iPhone 13-like look. The smartphone has a frosted glass back, which gives it a premium look while also protecting it against fingerprint smudges.

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This phone comes in three different colours: Phantom White, Stealth Black, and Mirage Blue. Its design is similar to those of its Xiaomi-branded brothers, the Xiaomi 11i 5G; Redmi refers to it as an EVOL design. The retail box includes a soft case to protect the device and keep it clean. The bezels around the display are quite slim except for the chin. You also get a hole-punch cutout on the display in the top centre.

A quad-camera layout can be found on the backside, just to the top left, while Redmi branding can be found at the bottom. The overall shape is neat and comfortable to hold in the hands, with flattened edges and rounded corners. The phone is IP53 rated for water resistance. The weight of 202g and the thickness of 8.12mm are both somewhat above average. Xiaomi claims that the back of the phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and “frosted glass.”

The phone features a 3.5mm audio jack and a speaker grille on the top. It has a second speaker grille on the bottom, as well as a USB Type-C port and a SIM tray. The volume rocker and power button, which also serve as a fingerprint sensor, are located on the right side of the phone. The volume buttons aren’t as clicky as the power button, which has a nice, tactile feel to it.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 2400 x 1080 pixels resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio. As a result, it is a somewhat tall smartphone. One of its standout features is support for a fast 120Hz refresh rate, which allows for smooth scrolling and animations. However, this will end in a faster battery drain, so if you’re looking for longer battery life, you can switch it to 60Hz.

It has a touch sampling rate of 360Hz, a peak brightness of 1200 nits, and an average brightness of about 700 nits. I found the screen to be bright and vibrant, with great colour reproduction. Even in direct sunlight, the contents are clearly visible. The phone, however, does not support HDR10.

There are various options for adjusting colours and contrast depending on your preferences under the display options. You also get a reading mode that reduces the display’s blue light emission so you may read at night without straining your eyes.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 695 chipset, which is paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage capacity. While the RAM and storage are snappy, the chipset may appear to be slow; nonetheless, in everyday use, it is quite fast, especially with the 120Hz refresh rate panel.

The processor is slightly faster compared to the Snapdragon 765G. The performance is reasonable for the price range and is ideal for daily usage, as well as gaming and multitasking. The processor offers enough power for the average user who simply scrolls around social media platforms or uses their phone to watch content. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G has an additional RAM extension feature that adds up to 3 GB RAM on top of the standard 8 GB RAM.

Asphalt 9: Legends ran smoothly, and Battlegrounds Mobile India ran well in HD graphics and at a high frame rate. I had to swap to Smooth + Ultra settings to get a decent gaming experience. COD Mobile, on the other hand, supports up to High graphics at Max frame rate settings.

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We didn’t face many shutters or lags, and thanks to the LiquidCool Technology 2.0, the body doesn’t overheat. If you want to improve the performance even further, enable the performance mode inside the battery and performance settings—but be aware that it will drain more battery.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G comes pre-installed with MIUI 13 and Android 11. Xiaomi India is currently lagging behind in regards to Android software updates; we can see a lot of smartphones moving to the Android 12 operating system; manufacturers like Realme, OPPO, OnePlus, and Vivo already provide Android 12 in their latest smartphones. Nonetheless, we believe it will not be long before Xiaomi India releases the latest Android version, so you can expect the phone to get the update soon.

Floating Windows is still my favourite MIUI feature, and it’s something that a few others brands have adopted as well. Some third-party apps are also pre-installed but don’t worry, they can be uninstalled. The RAM management on this one is also quite good, and applications continue to work from where you left them.

In addition, MIUI 13 adds a Privacy Protection feature that is identical to Google’s Privacy Dashboard on standard Android. Privacy Protection identifies those apps that have access to your call history, contacts, location, microphone, and other personal details. MIUI 13 has put a lot of effort into such aspects, and the results are quite good.

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In terms of camera, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G has a triple camera setup on the back. It has a 108-megapixel main camera using Samsung’s HM2 sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. You get a 16 MP selfie camera on the front.

Things are fairly impressive during the daytime with the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G. Photos taken in the normal “Photo” mode offer sharp photos with a lot of detail. The colours are somewhat vivid, making them ideal for posting on social media. The images in portrait mode were likewise good, with excellent edge detection.

The wide-angle lens is quite decent considering the price. The edges are a little washed out, but the photos are otherwise pretty good.

The 5MP tele-macro lens has been replaced with a 2MP macro lens by Xiaomi. Normally, 2MP sensors deliver trash images, but the sensor on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G does a decent job. You need to have steady hands for focusing on the subject. Alternately, Xiaomi could have gone with a telephoto sensor.

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The primary camera of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G performed well at night as well. Night Mode decreased shadows and boosted detail slightly, although the sensor has some limitations.

The 16 MP front camera does a good job, however, it’s a tad noisy in low-light situations, just like the primary cameras. The depth separation in the portrait shots was excellent. However, the front camera’s quality suffered significantly in low light.

The phone’s camera features include Ultra-Wide-Angle, Macro, Portrait, Night mode, 108 MP mode, Dual Video, Long Exposure, Short Video, Panorama, Slow Motion, Movie Frame, Pro colour, Timed burst, and a few others.

When it comes to video recording, it gets a little disappointing. It doesn’t support 4K or even 60 fps for 1080p videos; nevertheless, it can shoot up to 1080p at 30 fps. It can be a bummer if you wish to shoot at high resolutions and frame rates.

Moving on to the battery, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G has a 5,000mAh capacity. The phone easily lasted me a full day in normal use, with a while of voice and video calling, all day texting on WhatsApp, multitasking, taking a few photos, and streaming videos on OTT platforms. Depending on your usage, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G can last up to two days on a single charge.

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It features a 67W fast charging technology, which allows it to charge at 50 per cent in just around 15 minutes and 100 per cent in roughly 45 minutes. The phone gets a little warm while it’s charging. At a time when some competitors are removing the chargers from mid-range smartphones, Xiaomi deserves an extra point for supplying a high-speed charger in the box.

The sound quality is one of the best we’ve heard in this price range. You get a stereo speaker effect, with the earpiece serving as a secondary speaker. The audio quality is enhanced by Dolby Atmos and Hi-Fi audio.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G also supports 5G connectivity, and hence this phone is well-equipped in respect of future-proofing. It supports seven 5G bands (N1, N3, N5, N8, N28, N40, N41 and N78). Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac is another connectivity option. It supports VoWiFi/Wi-Fi calling, Bluetooth 5.1 LE, and Dual GPS/AGPS in terms of other connectivity features.

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You may unlock the screen using the side-mounted fingerprint scanner or facial recognition when it comes to biometrics and security. They were both fast and accurate in unlocking the phone. To be honest, we believe that having the fingerprint reader on the side of your phone is a more convenient approach to unlock because it is easy and quick to access.