This is an archive article published on February 17, 2022

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Redmi Note 11 review: Reliable performance marks a return

Item: Redmi Note 11
Rating: 3.5
Author: Shruti Dhapola

Redmi Note 11 review: Redmi Note 11 is the most ‘vanilla’ version in the series, offering good specifications for a budget price. Here's our review of the latest Redmi phone.

Redmi Note 11 review: Redmi Note 11 is the latest offering in the popular series. Here's what we thought of the performance. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Written by: Shruti Dhapola

8 min readNew DelhiFeb 18, 2022 10:06 AM IST First published on: Feb 17, 2022 at 03:26 PM IST

The Redmi Note series is perhaps one of the most notable smartphone names in the country. Each year, this is supposed to set a standard that other budget phones try and match. But in 2022, Redmi is taking a different approach. Only the Redmi Note 11S and Redmi Note 11 have been launched so far; an earlier T variant with 5G support was launched last year. The Pro and Pro+ variants, which used to be the Pro Max till last year, are yet to make their way into the Indian market.

The Redmi Note 11 is the most ‘vanilla’ version in the series, offering good specifications for a budget price. But the price for this ‘budget’ phone has also seen a steady rise. It used to start at a good old price of Rs 9,999 until Redmi Note 8. But with Note 9, Xiaomi raised its price to Rs 11,999. The Redmi Note 11 now starts at Rs 13,499. Is it still worth the price and the hype? Let’s find out in our review.

Redmi Note 11 price in India: Rs 13,499 for the 4GB RAM+64GB version, Rs 14,499 for 6GB RAM+64GB and Rs 15,999 for the 6GB RAM+128GB

The Redmi Note 11 in the ‘Starlight white’ colour variant is seen in this photo. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11 review: What’s good?

Redmi Note 11 continues with what Xiaomi calls the ‘Evol’ design and it is very similar to the previous iteration of the phone. The phone is not that bulky, it is easy to use with one hand, and the fingerprint sensor on the power button works accurately.

However, the ‘Stardust White’ I have with me for review looks anything but white. It has this blue, sparkly glossy look at the back, which gets covered in smudges pretty fast. But the colour might be too flashy for most folks. The phone does have a headphone jack, dual speakers (one on the top and one on the bottom) and it also comes with a dedicated microSD slot along with two separate nano SIM slots. The expandable storage support is up to 1TB on the device.

The phone gets a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, and like previous Redmi devices, this remains an excellent one for the price. It is visible even in bright sunlight and while watching shows, general browsing on social media apps, etc. This is a good phone from an entertainment perspective, given the audio quality is also up to the mark. The refresh rate can be cranked up to 90 Hz, though not something you necessarily need to do.

Redmi Note 11 has a 90 Hz refresh rate on the display. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

The Redmi Note 11 gets the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor, along with 4GB or 6GB RAM. I have the 6GB RAM option for review. Xiaomi is also letting you extend the RAM by another 2GB. I noticed this was turned on by default on the phone. I did not expect any issue in regular daily usage, and the phone lived up to those expectations. However, this might not be the ideal device for heavy-duty gaming. More on that later.

The phone runs on MIUI 13 out of the box, which is Xiaomi’s latest operating system. This is still based on Android 11, and there’s no word on when Android 12 will make an appearance.

Redmi Note 11 runs MIUI 13 based on Android 11. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11 gets a 50MP camera along with an 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP portrait camera and a 2MP macro. The camera delivers good results in bright outdoor lighting, though there are some obvious misses as well. Overall, the photos look punchy and are social-media ready, which is what most users really want.

A camera sample taken with the Redmi Note 11. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11 camera sample. Image resized for web. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11 sample taken in bright outdoors. Image resized for web. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11 camera sample. Image resized during for web. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

A sample taken with night mode on with the Redmi Note 11. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

I used the phone to take pictures of tigers at a distance during a zoo visit and the camera does a commendable job given the price. At night too, the camera does deliver well provided there is ample lighting. The phone can handle bright colours fairly well. But some of the colours, such as green, do appear to be oversaturated. The selfie camera is not bad either, though the portrait mode did not impress me.

Redmi has packed this one with a 5000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging. You can expect the phone to get to a full charge in over an hour. The battery lasted a little over a day for me with usage that involved social media, WhatsApp messages, clicking photos, etc.

A sample taken with the macro camera on the Redmi Note 11. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

With some of the reds, I felt the Redmi Note 11 delivered washed out results. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11: What’s not good?

As I noted earlier, the phone struggles with heavy-duty games such as Asphalt 9 (when I had graphics turned to the highest settings). There’s a noticeable lag at times during these sessions. While I could play Genshin Impact on the game, it is not the best experience. Plus, the device got very warm when downloading the game and playing it for a while. The gaming part is underwhelming.

The macro camera on the Redmi Note 11 again makes you wonder why smartphone makers are continuing to add these to devices. The night mode does struggle when you have minimal lighting. The details are missing in such photos, which is expected. With some of the brighter reds, I felt the results were too washed out.

Redmi Note 11 packs a 5000 mAh battery, which should last the whole day for most users. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 11: Verdict

The Redmi Note 11 delivers well on some parameters. The display and performance are strong points of this device, considering the price. The camera is acceptable too, though nothing that will set it apart in this particular category. The 5000 mAh battery is what users have come to expect now on their devices, though it is good to see Redmi continue with 33W fast charging. Other phones in the price range have 18W charging in the box.

One aspect missing here is 5G connectivity, which some phones such as the Vivo T1 are offering at a similar price range. Given more and more rivals are offering 5G support across more of their product range, I do feel this might be perceived as a miss. Still, this is not what I would call a deal-breaker, considering that the technology is yet to roll out.

The Redmi Note 11 starts at Rs 13,499 for 4GB RAM+64GB, while the 6GB RAM+64GB comes at a price of Rs 14,499. The version I have for review costs Rs 15,999. But what also does not help is that the Redmi Note 11S, which has a better camera and processor on paper, starts at Rs 16,499.

Yes, the Redmi Note 11 remains a good pick if your budget cannot cross Rs 15,000 at all, But if the budget is flexible, other options such as Redmi Note 11S or even the newly launched Realme 9 Pro might make more sense.