It’s only been a year since Xiaomi released the widely praised Redmi Note 10, and already we have the latest version of this very popular mid-range phone with the launch this month of the Redmi Note 11 Pro.
CLOSER has been putting this new phone through its paces this past week and here is what we’ve learned…
Our test version was the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G and over all we found it to be a very solid performer in its segment of the market.
Unpackaging the Note 11, the phone has a very premium feel and appearance with squared off edges and very clean look. At 164mm in length, this is a tall phone, best operated with two hands, and weighing in a 202 grams, it has a solid feel. On the front is a 6.67 inch AMOLED panel with Full HD and resolution of 2400×1080. The visuals are sharp and vibrant and the default refresh rate of 60Hz allows for smooth and responsive operating. If gaming is your thing, you can up this to 120Hz for an even better interface experience. Peak brightness is 1200 nits, although the screen generally operates at 700, which is fine. The auto-brightness function kicks in as you move from indoors to outdoors which is also helpful.
Standard lens Ultra-wide angle lens
This is a tough phone too, with a Corning Gorilla Glass front and IP53 splash and dust proof tested. It comes in three subtle colour schemes: Graphite Gray, Polar White and Atlantic Blue, all with a nice modulating matte finishes that catch the light as you angle it.
At the heart of this phone is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor, supporting 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable to 1TB with a microSD card. All this power and speed translates to some very pleasing gaming fun. And the Xiaomi LiquidCool Technology means it won’t heat up as you play.
The phone is operated by MIUI13 based on Android 11 which is a popular interface and offers lots of personal customizations including floating windows and sidebar. Hopefully it will receive an upgrade to Android 12 when the global rollout takes place later this year.
Flip the phone over and you triple camera array protruding slightly from the otherwise flat back cover. The primary camera is 108MP with f/1.9 aperature, and there is also an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 16MP front camera. We tested the cameras out in a variety of conditions and the results to be overall very pleasing. Video recording goes up to 1080p, which is still good, but unfortunately it’s not the 4K quality as was previously found on the Redmi Note 10.
Other great features include the dual super linear speakers on the top and bottom of the phone which can really get to high volume levels. Combined with the HD display, these offer very immersive video and gaming experiences. And if you’re old school, or have some high quality headphones, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack too.
Macro lens
For the security, the power button has a very responsive integrated fingerprint sensor, and there is also facial recognition via the front-facing selfie camera.
The phone also comes with a 5000mAh battery and 67W charger which can charge the phone to full power in 45 minutes, and 50% in around just 15 minutes.
Just like it’s predecessor, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5 is a great phone packed with lots of impressive tech for the price range. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the market for a very solid mid-range smart phone this summer!
Night mode
