Xiaomi is pushing the limits when it comes to pricing and specifications balancing.
About two days ago, the Redmi Note 11 series was launched and announced in China, offering some bewildering and surprisingly competitive specs at a low price point. Which is, at this point, a Xiaomi tradition. We expect the Redmi 11 series, as well as the Redmi 10A series, to be released in a few months due to this introduction. The Redmi series is technically a “lite” version of the Redmi Note series featuring nearly-identical specs but toned down for cost-cutting reasons.
Redmi Note 11
The Redmi Note 11 is the base variant, as you can clearly tell. The phone is technically an upgraded version of the Redmi Note 10 5G (not the base Redmi Note 10) and also features a Mediatek Dimensity chipset and 90Hz IPS LCD screen. Xiaomi may be good at specs, but it’s terrible when it comes to naming their devices.
First off, the phone retained the SAMOLED panel that was, for the first time, introduced from the Redmi Note 10 series. The display on the Redmi Note 11 is a 6.6 FHD+ OLED with 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Dimensity 810 chipset, and also features a similar design to the Redmi 10 and its Redmi Note 11 siblings. The main point of this phone is to deliver 5G to budget-conscious consumers, like the previous Redmi Note 10 5G.
In terms of battery, there’s a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. It can charge a phone from empty to full in 62 minutes, or 1 hour and 2 minutes.
The Redmi Note series is also not the best phone when it comes to camera hardware, and in terms of camera, there’s only two that’s available (at least the gimmicky “numbers game” camera was reduced, which is, to us, is a good thing). It comes with a 50mp main snapper and 8MP ultrawide camera. You can clearly see what’s missing here: the two 2mp depth and macro cameras which offer nothing and are just space-wasting and gimmicky. Props to Xiaomi for not including them. The phone retained the same 16mp selfie camera which became a standard to most phones today.
In terms of slots, this is the first time in the Redmi Note series that omits the SD Card slot. Thankfully though, the 3.5mm port is still around. It retained the IR blaster sensor which is quite common on any Xiaomi phone and also includes a side-mounted fingerprint sensor which also acts as a power button.
The phone runs Android 11 with MIUI 12.5 on top. There are three colours: Gradient, Black and Mint Blue.
Redmi Note 11 Pro and Pro+
The higher-end and the main stars of the show. These are the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Pro+. There are minimal differences between the two and so we’re considering this as one instead of making a separate section.
SPECS:
Let’s start with the display. The phones are an upgrade to the Redmi Note 10 Pro and retains the AMOLED panel. This time, it has a 6.67in. 120Hz AMOLED panel which are protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, Both phones are powered by the Dimensity 920 chipset coupled with 6 or 8GB RAM and 128 or 256GB internal storage.
As we mentioned in our previous article, we are not too excited about its camera, since we correctly guessed it will keep the same mundane camera setup like a million other phones. Both phones have a 108mp Samsung HM2 main sensor taken from the Redmi Note 10 Pro, an 8mp ultrawide and a 2mp telemacro sensor. Nothing much to see here folks! (Well except that maybe, it can do 4K video, as well as FHD video at 60fps). In terms of the punch-hole camera, it’s the typical 16mp resolution front cam.
No phone in the Redmi Note series has removed the headphone jack, but, like the Redmi Note 11, both of these phones do not have a MicroSD card slot for expansion. In addition to that 3.5mm port, the stereo speakers used on both the Pro and Pro+ are tuned by JBL which should give out an immersive and satisfying audio experience.
The main feature of the Pro+ is its 120W fast charging rate which is usually only available to more expensive flagships and luxury midrangers. It’s amazing to see that companies now can bring flagship-only features down to midrangers and budget phones. How amazing that phones evolve in such a rapid rate nowadays. We’ve got so far. In terms of battery, the Pro+ is equipped with a typical 4500mAh battery.
The one major difference that sets the Pro and Pro+ apart is that the Pro gets 67W fast charging and a larger 5160mAh battery… that’s it, there’s no other major change, so the prices between these two should not be far off.
Like the Redmi Note 11, the Pro and Pro+ runs Android 11 along with MIUI 12.5 on top. The phones should be compatible with MIUI 13 once it is released.
In terms of colours, the Pro gets Black, Aurora Gradient, Violet and Forest Green. The Pro+ also gets the same colour schemes except it replaces the gradient colour with a limited-time Yibo design which comes with a 3D effect for the Redmi logo as well as a stripy design
PRICES (China, converted to PhP):
Redmi Note 11 (Available in China starting: Nov 1, Monday)
- 4/128: CNY 1199 (~Php 9.5K)
- 6/128: CNY 1299 (~Php 10.2K)
- 8/128: CNY 1499 (~Php 11.8K)
- 8/256: CNY 1699 (~Php 13.4K)
Redmi Note 11 Pro (Available in China starting: Nov 5, Friday)
- 6/128: CNY 1599 (~Php 12.6K)
- 8/128: CNY 1899 (~Php 15K)
- 8/256: CNY 2099 (~Php 16.6K)
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (Available in China starting: Nov 5, Friday)
- 6/128: CNY 1899 (~Php 15K)
- 8/128: CNY 2099 (~Php 16.6K)
- 8/256: CNY 2299 (~Php 18.1K)
- 8/256 Yibo Design: CNY 2699 (~Php 21.3K, available in China on Nov 11, Singles Day, Thursday)
We’ll be writing another article in case the phones get to the Philippines, and that’s a pretty large possibility.
Source: GSMArena