Best Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G review

The Redmi Note 10 Pro was one of our favorite budget phones – now can the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G wear such a heavy crown?

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G just came out with an upgraded Redmi Note 11 to offer more performance and a high-quality 5G option

Something with an advanced processor is going to be a better model in the budget market.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the latest generation of the famous Redmi Note series. It has a 5G modem, a powerful processor, and an impressive camera.

The phone is powered by Snapdragon 855 Plus. The powerful processor ensures that it can handle any task with ease, while the 4,000mAh battery provides ample power for long hours of usage.

The phone also has a notch-less screen which allows users to enjoy their content without any interruptions.

Design & build

Square-edged design
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
IP53 rating

It’s been a while since I’ve seen an affordable phone with a truly appealing design. Most phones that fit this bill are easily identifiable as the slab of glass and plastic we’re so familiar with, but this latest model by Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G has been great to look at and use.

Gone are the shiny surfaces, curved edges, and jumbled camera bump of the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Replaced instead with a more refined approach. The camera bump on the Redmi Note 10 Pro has been designed to be more neatly tucked into the phone’s body. Gone are the glossy, shining surfaces and jumbled camera bumps of previous models. Instead, a more refined approach is taken in designing this new version.

The current iPhone 13 range is long overdue for an update and the Note 11 Pro 5G looks like it will continue the trend of sleek, powerful, and minimalist handsets. With its symmetrical edges, sleek frame, and unassuming back design it’s sure to be a huge hit.

The FX-8350 Black Edition comes equipped with a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a punch hole opening for the selfie camera, face unlock, and power button. On the right side, there are volume and power buttons. The latter also has a fingerprint sensor built-in. Throughout my time with the Note 11 Pro 5G, I found the sensor was very reliable but if like me, you’re left-handed then it can take a while to retrain your instincts and reach for the phone with your non-dominant hand.

This soundbar connects to your TV with a 3.5mm headphone socket and has an IR blaster on the top edge. The 123 has a USB-C charging port along the lower edge with a spare microSD and SIM card slot. A good choice is to purchase an in-built memory or use two SIM/microSD cards at once.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is a well-balanced phone with slim edges and a uniform design that makes it easy to hold. It also has excellent features like exceptional battery life, fingerprint sensor, & fast processor.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G somehow also includes an IP53 dust and splash protection rating, which is impressive at this price. There’s also a silicon case for added grip and protection, but in truth, it does cheapen the look of this handsome phone.

Display

6.67in AMOLED panel
120Hz refresh rate
Full HD+ resolution

To complement the elegant look, Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G offers a 6.67-inch Full HD + AMOLED screen on their Note 11 Pro 5G. With a resolution of 2400X1080, this is an eye-catching phone for those looking for something different. The big difference with this Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone is that it is taller than your average one size fits all, which requires two hands to

The panel is very nice and will look great on any 360Hz monitor. It’s also equipped with plenty of color and contrast, which means that when you’re playing graphically-heavy titles, the fluid scrolling will be a sight to behold. If you want to leave the default 60Hz setting on and gain slightly more battery life, then so be it. Headphones can also be down-mixed into mono, mastering headphones that were designed specifically for music listeners.

In normal mode, the TV can reach a maximum of just over 400 nits. Auto-brightness was off when we tested the TV, but it still has about 17% battery life remaining. The Note 11 Pro has a High Brightness mode that automatically activates when the software detects low light conditions. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G claims this typically reaches 700 nits and tops out at a pretty fierce 1200 nits.

In any case, I didn’t encounter any problems using the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G when I was out and about. This Xiaomi LED light is luminous with a powerful 1200 nits brightness! It features 5 modes and 3 flashing patterns (including a strobe mode) that the user can choose from. The only downside is that it has a relatively short runtime at 500 lumens in High Brightness mode.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G also includes a handy Reading Mode feature in its software, which you can toggle on and off from the Settings menu. This cools the color temperature of the display, making it a little easier on the eyes when you’re reading long articles or

Specs & performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
Up to 8GB RAM
128GB of storage (expandable by up to 1TB)

To power, all the features in the Note 11 Pro, regardless of your budget, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor is designed with intensive workloads in mind. This is also found on Poco X4 Pro and Realme 9 Pro which are similar devices tailored to fit your budget.

Here you can see the configurations and a lot of the features that this model has. It also has LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of internal storage with a capacity of 1 TB. There are other choices which are 6GB/64 GB, 6GB/128 GB, & 8GB/128 GB.

Overall, the performance of the device is satisfying. Apps open quickly and run smoothly, navigating menus and screens is fast, and I never feel too much lag from a cheaper device.

Playing graphically heavy games like Asphalt 9 didn’t present any problems and even after a thirty-minute session, the rear surface remained comfortably cool to the touch. To be honest, it’s hard to find a sluggish Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone in this sector of the market these days, which is good news for those that don’t want to have to shell out big bucks just to use social media, message friends, listen to music and stream the occasional video. If these sound like the kind of things you want from a Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone, then the Note 11 Pro 5G has got you covered.

Of course, it’s capable of some heavy lifting too, as you can see from the results it returned in our standard battery of benchmark tests:

Cameras

108Mp f/1.9 main camera
8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide
2Mp f/2.4 macro

A three-camera array is neatly arranged in the top left corner of the rear panel, with the main 108Mp f/1.9 shooter taking pride in place. This is joined by an 8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide and 2Mp f/2.4 macro to offer a fair variety of photography options for an intermediate DSLR user.

Though the results are mixed, you have a wide range of settings for capturing perfect beautiful images. There is still plenty of detail, color, and contrast to make your images come alive. Running the camera in bright scenes at some point might result in a shot that is too dark and has blown out your sky. You should see that first before you take this shot from the camera to be sure it’s going to have enough highlights. Tap the 2x zoom option and suddenly there’s quite a lot of noise in the frame, which makes it something you’d only use when there are no other options available.

Low light, such as what we often see at night, can be fine if you have a steady hand. However, when you are working with long exposures, that light can make it hard to see the foreground of your photo and correctly focus on it. There is a night mode though! I found that it did fix this issue in some rare cases.

It’s a great idea to use a macro lens when photographing to include more details of the objects you’re interested in. But, you need to be vigilant, as the camera doesn’t always choose your best shot.

Video footage tops out at 1080p/30fps, which is a step down from the 4K capabilities of its predecessor the Redmi Note 10 Pro. The footage is fine, but there doesn’t seem to be any particularly effective stabilization, as walking around the garden produced a subtle bump caused by every footstep. The 16Mp f/2.4 selfie camera returns adequate results and can match the front camera for video quality, but it doesn’t shine.

You can get some excellent photos and videos with this Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone, but you may have to work for them.

Battery life & charging

5000mAh battery
67W charger
50% charge in 15 minutes

I tested the Note 11 Pro and found that it lasts up to 10 hours with continuous use. That’s a huge benefit, particularly if you only need to use your Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone sparingly. Switching to the 120Hz refresh rate has a detrimental effect on the longevity of the battery, but it still made it to late evening even without gaming too much.

With a 67W charger included in the box, you can charge your Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone faster than before. It also has 50% power in under 15 minutes of charging time!

Software

MIUI 13
Android 11
Plenty of Customisation Features

The MIUI minimum interface comes with Android 11. It’s colorful and cheerful and fairly easy to use for the most part. Many people choose to customize their experience settings in Samsung Notes. There is a sidebar, floating windows, and a mode that is easier on the eyes and uses larger text & icons.

The dark mode is now standard on any tablet, Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone, or computer. The reading mode makes it easier to focus on long texts. And the color scheme can be adjusted to your personal preference!

On a few occasions, I ran into some technical glitches, and the quick settings menu ended up being cumbersome to use.

Unfortunately, I found out I had a couple of times where my friends would say they couldn’t hear me because of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone call. Checking the device I saw that the screen had been on while I was holding it to my face, and my cheek had touched the Mute icon, cutting off my microphone. This should have a proximity sensor telling the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G phone to ignore any such happenstance, so I can only assume the software wasn’t picking up the command.