The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ isn’t as value-for-money a phone as the device it's replacing, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (review). It checks some boxes but overall, I expected it to be a refinement over one of the best-selling mid-range phones. Instead, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is an iterative update at best and doesn’t justify its asking price.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is the latest mid-range phone that brings together a great set of features with a sweet value for money proposition. With the Note 11 Pro+, the company has finally completed its transition towards offering 5G network support with the Redmi Note series, its most popular range of smartphones in India. While there’s a lot to like about the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ looking just at the specs on offer, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (review) did set the bar pretty high last year and remains one of the best value for money offerings by Xiaomi in India. In this review, we’ll try to find whether the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ manages to one-up its predecessor?
The retail box of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ contains a 67W fast charging adapter, Type-C cable, SIM ejector pin, TPU case and paperwork.
Price: Rs 20,999 – 6GB/128GB | Rs 22,999 – 8GB/128GB | Rs 24,999 – 8GB/256GB
Display: 6.67-inch AMOLED, FHD+ (2400×1080 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10, Gorilla Glass 5
Thickness: 8.1mm
Weight: 202g
Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695
RAM: 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X
Built-in storage: 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2
Expandable storage: Upto 1TB
5G support: n1/3/5/8/28/40/78
USB-C: Yes
3.5mm jack: Yes
OS: MIUI 13 based on Android 11
Rear Camera: 108MP (f/1.9) + 8MP ultra-wide (118-degree FOV) + 2MP macro lens
Rear Camera Video: 1080p (30fps)
Front Camera: 16MP (f/2.5)
Speakers: Stereo speakers
Battery and charging: 5,000mAh, 67W fast charging
Colours: Mirage Blue, Phantom White, Stealth Black
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ offers a balanced performance in day-to-day use and generally, I did not face any lag while performing basic tasks like web browsing, checking social media feeds and more. However, unlike the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max which was also adept at handling heavy-duty tasks and sustained gaming performance, the Note 11 Pro+ isn’t able to provide the same kind of experience which is a bummer considering its asking price.
We tested the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ taking it through our set of synthetic benchmarks and found that it demonstrates good CPU and GPU performance but it's nothing extraordinary like we’ve come to expect from a Redmi Note smartphone.
On AnTuTu, the Note 11 Pro+ raked in a decent score but the Vivo T1 (review), Nord CE 2 (review) and Realme 9 SE managed to take a strong lead. In Geekbench and PCMark workload tests, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ stands tall and is only bested by the Realme 9 SE which rocks a Snapdragon 778G SoC.
In the GPU tests, the Note 11 Pro+ got decent scores but phones like the Realme 9 SE and Nord CE 2 performed considerably better. We used Gamebench metrics to record the gaming performance of the Note 11 Pro+ and the results indicate that it is a good fit for casual gamers.
It is able to run COD Mobile at 49 FPS with 97% stability (High graphics, Max frame rate) but when you increase the frame rate to Max, the chipset isn’t able to render 60 FPS and I encountered a lot of lags and frame drops. While the phone can do basic gaming without breaking a sweat, if you’re looking for sustained gaming performance you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Xiaomi has upgraded the fast charging standard bringing 67W speed to its latest Redmi Note phone. The battery capacity is rated at 5,000mAh and is quite efficient in daily use. On a good day with 120Hz refresh rate enabled, brightness tuned to maximum and WiFi+cellular connectivity, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ got me over 8 hours of screen time which is decent for most users. In our video loop test where we played a local video file via VLC media player, the Note 11 Pro+ lasted for around 9 hours 52 minutes on a full charge which is again a decent score but doesn’t come close to the 16 hours clocked by Note 10 Pro Max. The 67W fast charger tops up the battery on the Note 11 Pro+ in roughly 45-55 minutes.
The cameras on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ are great for your casual photography needs. However, if you ask me, it's a bit of a letdown because the camera stack on the Note 11 Pro+ is not as versatile as the Note 10 Pro Max. Even though the main and ultra-wide cameras on both phones are the same, the macro camera has been reduced to a meagre 2MP lens which is a bummer since the Note 10 Pro Max set a standard with its 5MP macro camera.
In daylight, the main camera produces detailed pictures with good colour reproduction across the board. It lends a shallow depth of field to pictures which looks great when taking close-ups. There is a Pro Colour mode in the camera app which bumps up the saturation levels and gives a warmer tone to the pictures. The 108MP mode captures a highly detailed picture without compromising on the quality so you can go pixel-peeping if required.
At night, however, there is only so much that the camera can process and there is an influx of noise creeping into the pictures. The night mode helps negate the noise and controls shadows as well as the highlights giving you a usable low-light picture.
The ultra-wide camera makes some good wide-angle pictures in daylight and works just fine. While there is no noticeable barrel distortion, there’s not much detail in the shots if you zoom in towards the four corners. The phone does not have a night mode for the ultra-wide camera, unlike the Note 10 Pro Max.
The macro camera is downgraded to a 2MP sensor from a 5MP on the Note 10 Pro Max. Still, it helps you take extreme close up shots that are well detailed in daylight. However, it leaves a lot to be desired and isn’t as good as the one on the Note 10 Pro Max. Another thing that bugged me was that unlike the Note 10 Pro Max, its successor the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ doesn’t have the capability to record 4K videos and is restricted to 1080p at 30FPS.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is a well-built phone and feels comfortable in hand with balanced weight distribution. This time around Redmi has moved on from EVOL design to EVOL.Pro bringing in a flat-edge design language along with a frosted matte finish on the glass back. The Note 11 Pro+ is around 10 grams heavier than the Note 10 Pro Max but it does feel like a solid phone for daily use.
The camera module is slightly raised which means that it wobbles when kept on any flat surface. Though you can solve that by putting on the TPU case provided in the box. Other than that, the phone looks great in the three available colourways: Phantom White with a gradient sheen, classic Stealth Black and Mirage Blue which is an extension of the Aura Prime design from the K20 Pro.
The display on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is decent for watching videos and movies but unlike the Note 10 Pro Max, it is incapable of HDR playback on YouTube, Netflix and elsewhere. It is large and has the same size as the Note 10 Pro Max and is claimed to offer 700 nits of typical brightness and 1200 nits of peak brightness.
Calman Ultimate ColorChecker Analysis: sRGB colour profile
Calman Ultimate ColorChecker Analysis: DCI-P3 colour profile
We used Calman Ultimate pairing it with a colourimeter to gauge the display performance of the Note 11 Pro+. In the sRGB colour space, the display has an average deltaE of 2.6 with 432.8 nits of typical brightness while in the DCI-P3 colour space it rises to 609 nits.
Calman Ultimate Color Volume Analysis: Across sRGB, DCI-P3 colour profiles
Calman Ultimate Peak Brightness check: 608.41 Nits (typical)
Calman Ultimate Peak Brightness check: 1030.58 Nits (High Brightness mode)
The peak brightness of the display reached 1030 nits which is a bit less than the claimed numbers but is still plenty bright for viewing outdoors. In colour volume analysis, the display demonstrated 96% coverage in the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 143% coverage in sRGB (BT.709) colour space.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ isn’t as value-for-money a phone as the phone it's replacing, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. It checks some boxes but overall I expected it to be a refinement over one of the best-selling mid-range phones. Instead, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is an iterative update at best and doesn’t justify its asking price.
The phone looks good and has a flat-edge design which is different from all the other Redmi Note phones. The display remains an essential part but it can’t offer HDR playback which is something you cannot skip when spending upwards of 20K. The performance of the Note 11 Pro+ is good but nothing to write home about. The cameras will give you Instagram-worthy pictures if you put in some effort and patience but there’s no way for you to record a 1080p video at 60FPS. The battery life of this phone is great and is most certainly a welcome upgrade, but otherwise, the Note 11 Pro+ remains a weak upgrade over a great mid-range smartphone.
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