Circular camera humps? They take inspiration from Huawei and Honor!
About four days ago, the Realme 11 series debuted in China. Two of these phones, the Pro and Pro+ were given a sophisticated look and all three are completely redesigned. It’s only a few months since the Realme 10 series was launched in the Philippines and look what the main HQ is promoting now. Makes the Realme 10 series look old, the Realme 9 series dated, and the Realme 8 series ancient.
The circular camera ring at the back does remind us a lot of the Honor X9a. This design is prominent on many large-sensor flagships and Huawei devices since the Mate 30. They do not hold a lot content-wise but for the aesthetics, it looks pleasing and attention-grabbing.
Realme 11
The first phone in the series, the Realme 11 flaunts a design that reminds us of how Oppo would have done it. Not surprising since it’s designed by its parent company, BBK Electronics. Like the rest, the Realme 11 is attractive but is also a little more passive. This phone also uses leather for the orange one but the black discards it and instead goes for a more matte and classic look. Both have a premium feel to it.
The display continues where the Realme 10 left off. It is again of similar size at 6.43″ and uses an AMOLED backlight. It is a flat display but the top bezels are beveled to give the illusion of being bezel-less. It also has 90Hz refresh rate and a 2400x1080px resolution.
The chipset? Don’t be fooled, this isn’t an entirely new chipset. The MediaTek Dimensity 6020 inside is sadly just a rebranded Dimensity 700 with the same architecture. At least it has 8 or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage inside. Also, you get a MicroSD Card slot so running out of storage is not so much of an issue.
The camera ring houses the “dual” camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary camera (Ominivision OV64B40, f/1.79, 25mm) without OIS and a 2MP depth sensor. The reduction of cameras continues as components become more expensive over time. We still wish that companies omit the dual 2MP setup and instead retain the 8MP ultrawide. The front features an 8MP camera which is a downgrade because the previous phones in the series feature at least 16MP. Photos will look smaller here and less detailed.
It runs Android 13 with RealmeUI 4.0 on top. Also, it has the usual 5000mAh+33W combo charged via a USB-C port and also has a 3.5mm jack which apparently its more expensive siblings removed.
In addition, it has 5G services, Wi-Fi 6/6e, Bluetooth 5.2, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a dual nano-SIM slot.
The phone is yet to become available globally. The two colours include Sunset Orange and Starry Night Black. Its starting price is CNY 1,599 (~PHP 12.8K) for the 8/256 variant. The higher-end 12/256 is CNY 1,799 (~PHP 14.4K)
SPECS:
- 6.43″ FullHD+ (2400x1080px) AMOLED, 90Hz refresh rate
- MediaTek Dimensity 6020 (7nm) (MediaTek Dimensity 700 rebrand)
- CAMERAS:
- 64MP (Primary), f/1.79, 25mm
- 2MP (Depth), f/2.4
- FRONT: 8MP
- RealmeUI 4.0 based on Android 13
- 5000mAh, 33W Fast Charging
- USB-C, 3.5mm jack, Dual Nano-SIM Slot, MicroSD Card Slot, In-display fingerprint scanner
- 5G services, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6e, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
- Sunset Orange, Starry Night Black
- PRICE:
- 8/256: CNY 1,599 (~PHP 12.8K)
- 12/256: CNY 1,799 (~PHP 14.4K)
Realme 11 Pro
The Realme 11 Pro is the more premium sibling, obviously. This is where the most interesting parts happen. It uses the same circular camera hump as the vanilla variant but the back is made of custom-designed leather led by former Gucci print designer Matteo Menotto. This gives off a “limited-edition” look that makes the phone more valuable and worthy of being put on a shelf of honour.
Everything about the Pro feels completely different from the vanilla. There’s a significant gap in the specs sheet. Here, the display is a 6.7″ FullHD+ (2400x1080px) curved OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also has a bright 2160Hz PWM dimming and supports HDR10+ and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut. It tops out at 950nits which may not be flagship bright, but definitely fitting for a midranger.
The chipset is the MediaTek Dimensity 7050. Not exactly new since this is just the Dimensity 1080 in a fancier disguise. This is the same chipset used for the Realme 9 Pro+ so it is somewhat two generations old at this point. The phone has plenty of storage to work with. You have a choice between 8 or 12GB RAM and either 256GB or 512GB storage. It again has a MicroSD Card slot (up to 1TB) and up to 8GB of virtual RAM.
The cameras here are the main highlights after all the phone is designed around the circular camera module. In particular, the 100MP primary camera with OIS. Unlike the Realme 11 which is locked to just 1080p@60fps, the Pro can take 4K@30fps from the start. The other camera is a pretty useless 2MP macro shooter. It is supplied with a 16MP selfie camera as well.
The battery pack is measured 5000mAh and is charged via a wired-only 67W USB-C port. The 3.5mm jack is absent here but you do get stereo speakers to compensate. It also has an in-display fingerprint sensor for secure biometrics. Of course, you get the usual 5G cellular service in there as well as NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi 6/6e connectivity.
It is priced at CNY 1,799 (~PHP 14.4K) initially (8/256) and then it could go all the way up to CNY 2,199 (~PHP 17.7K) (12/512). Colours include Black, Green, and Beige.
It is not yet available in global markets like the Philippines so stay tuned for updates!
SPECS:
- 6.7″ FullHD+ (2400x1080px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 2160Hz Hi-frequency PWM Dimming, 950nits peak brightness
- MediaTek Dimensity 7050 (6nm) (MediaTek Dimensity 1080 rebrand)
- CAMERAS:
- 100MP (Primary), f/1.75, 26mm, OIS, 4K@30fps
- 2MP (Macro), f/2.4, 4cm
- FRONT: 16MP, f/2.45, 82.3°, 1080p@30fps
- RealmeUI 4.0 based on Android 13
- 5000mAh, 67W Fast Charging
- USB-C, MicroSD Slot, Virtual RAM, In-display fingerprint sensor, Stereo Speakers
- 5G services, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6e, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Dual Nano-SIM Slot
- Beige, Green, Black
- Custom Vegan Leather
- PRICE:
- 8/256: CNY 1,799 (~PHP 14.4K)
- 12/256: CNY 1,999 (~PHP 16K)
- 12/512: CNY 2,199 (~PHP 17.7K)
Realme 11 Pro+
The Realme 11 Pro+ remained mostly unchanged from what you can see with the Pro, even with the colour options, chipset, display, and design. Only the camera modules as well as its faster 100W charging speeds are different. The name is a textbook definition of a “plus” product. This phone also comes with up to 1TB of internal storage and only 12GB RAM.
With that said, instead of a 100MP Omnivision camera, here, the 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 with OIS is used. The same camera sensor found on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+. You also get a 32MP front camera, double from the Pro and four times more resolution than the vanilla variant.
Like the Pro, it uses the same vegan leather back designed by Matteo Menotto making this phone feel like a limited-edition phone so its value does not go down dramatically. Colours are the same: Beige, Green, and Black.
Price in China begins at CNY 1,999 (~PHP 16K) for the 12/256 option. Double the storage and it will cost you CNY 2,299 (~PHP 18.5K), and the 1TB option is priced at CNY 2,599 (~PHP 20.9K). Again, the phone is yet to become available globally.
SPECS:
- 6.7″ FullHD+ (2400x1080px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 2160Hz Hi-frequency PWM Dimming, 950nits peak brightness
- MediaTek Dimensity 7050 (6nm) (MediaTek Dimensity 1080 rebrand)
- CAMERAS:
- 200MP (Primary), f/1.69, 1/1.4″ OIS, 4K@30fps
- 2MP (Macro), f/2.4, 4cm
- FRONT: 32MP, f/2.45, 82.3°, 1080p@30fps
- RealmeUI 4.0 based on Android 13
- 5000mAh, 100W Fast Charging
- USB-C, MicroSD Slot, Virtual RAM, In-display fingerprint sensor, Stereo Speakers
- 5G services, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6/6e, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Dual Nano-SIM Slot
- Beige, Green, Black
- Custom Vegan Leather
- PRICE:
- 12/256: CNY 1,999 (~PHP 16K)
- 12/512: CNY 2,299 (~PHP 18.5K)
- 12/1TB: CNY 2,599 (~PHP 20.5K)
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