Xiaomi’s midrange Redmi Note 11 series brings two Pro models this year:
one with a 4G chipset, and the other with a 5G capable one.
As a result, are the two devices that much different, and could the 4G model be a better deal?
I’m Will for GSMArena and let’s find out in our vanilla Redmi Note 11 Pro review.
If you ignore the chipsets for a moment, the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G are pretty
much the same device. They bring an identical look and feel, and nearly the same specs.
This year Xiaomi has gone with a totally flat glass back and flat plastic frame on its Redmi Notes.
With a matte metallic looking finish, the devices look quite sleek and minimalistic.
They also have IP53 rated dust and splashproofing, a premium feature which comes back from last year.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro and 11 Pro 5G have the same display- a 6.67 inch
AMOLED with a 1080p resolution, gorilla glass 5 protection, and a fast 120Hz refresh rate.
This display is quite nice for a midranger. You don’t get HDR10 support, but the panel
is plenty sharp, at around 400 PPI, and you get deep AMOLED blacks and decently accurate colors.
Brightness is good too- we measured a maximum of 470 nits,
which can boost up to 750 nits in auto mode, just like the 5G model.
There’s a responsive 360Hz touch sampling rate here,
and thanks to the fast refresh rate, movement on screen like swiping and scrolling is extra smooth.
Unlike more premium phones though, the screen refresh rate isn’t adaptive here to save energy.
For audio, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G has a headphone jack, and stereo speakers,
with the earpiece doubling as the second one.
There’s no dolby atmos support here, unlike the 5G model.
The speakers scored a very good on our loudness chart,
and sound is balanced with good mids and highs, but there’s a little less bass than on the 5G.
For storage, the Redmi Note 11 Pro Comes with either 64 or 128 GB,
and it’s expandable via microSD.
And to wake up and unlock the phone,
you can use the fingerprint reader which is built into the power key- it’s blazing fast.
On release, the new Redmi Note phones run on Xiaomi’s MIUI13 over Android 11.
This interface is quite similar to previous MIUI versions, and is easy to use.
You can check out our dedicated video to find out more.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G has a Mediatek Helio G96 chipset, built on a 12nm process,
and this sets it apart from the 5G model. It makes sense that performance would be a little less here
in comparison, but unfortunately, it’s also a downgrade from last year’s Redmi Note 10 Pro.
In CPU tests, the Note 11 Pro is on about the same level as the previous model,
and falls a bit behind the 5G one. But in GPU tests, it earned lower scores than either one,
and most competitors too.
In real world use, the Note 11 pro is mostly smooth, with just the occasional hiccup here
and there. The thermals are good too, but this is far from a gaming phone.
As a result of a different chipset,
some other things are different from the 5G model as well- like the battery life.
Even though both models have a 5000 mAh battery the vanilla redmi note 11
pro scored a 100 hour endurance rating in our tests- good, but not excellent.
The 5G model is more power efficient and scored a rating of 115 hours.
One clear upgrade over last year is 67 watt fast charging, where before it was 33 watts.
We were able to charge the phone from 0 to 78 percent in half an hour.
The Redmi Note 11 pro has a 108MP main camera,
paired with an 8MP ultrawide, a 2mp macro cam, and a depth sensor.
It’s basically the same setup as last year’s model,
except that the Redmi note 10 pro had a higher res macro cam.
12MP photos from the main cam are good for this class. They offer plenty of resolved
detail, low noise, and accurate colors. The dynamic range is high but not over the top.
The images are noticeably over-sharpened, but still we like these photos better
than the ones from the 5g model- it seems the processing is different.
Portrait photos come out great. -The subjects are well exposed, detailed and colorful,
and the separation is proficient.
8MP ultrawide photos are alright for this class, but we've seen better.
The images are sharp enough in the center and have a good amount of resolved detail for this type of camera.
The range isn’t great.
Closeups from the 2MP macro camera are acceptable in quality.
They have punchy colors and good contrast, with enough detail, but these photos are not that sharp.
We miss the autofocus that we had on last year's telemacro cam.
Low-light photos from the main camera are good for the class. The color saturation
and contrast are good, and the exposure is true to life. The detail is enough too,
although some is smeared by noise reduction. Turning on the night mode results in a
sharper image, though some could argue the sharpening is excessive.
You also get less noise, a brighter exposure, restored highlights and more detail in shadows.
Low light photos from the ultrawide are barely usable. They’re dark and
the noise reduction smears most of the detail. For whatever reason, you get night mode here on
the ultrawide, which you don’t have on the 5G model. You get sharper
photos with a brighter exposure, more detail, lower noise, and a boost in dynamic range.
Selfies from the 16MP camera are likable - the colors are accurate, the contrast is great,
the noise is low, and the subject is well exposed. The resolved detail is not that impressive though.
Now on to video recording, and unlike last year, there’s no support for 4K- it’s capped
at 1080p both here and on the 5G model. The 1080p videos from the main camera
are good - they’re sharp, with enough resolved detail. The colors are likeable
and the dynamic range is decent. There’s always on electronic stabilization as well.
Videos from the ultrawide cam are pretty good, with enough detail,
realistic colors, and very wide dynamic range. So, that’s the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro- the 4G
version. There’s a lot to like here- the flat build looks nice, and it’s splash proof. Then
you have the nice AMOLED screen, stereo speakers, and fast charging. The cameras are pretty decent
for this class too- and actually we like the processing here better than on the 5g model.
So if you’re after camera quality instead of 5G, and don’t mind a bump down in battery life,
you could consider the vanilla one over the 5G version.
The problem comes when comparing to last year’s Redmi Note 10 Pro. The chipset here is slower
and you lose 4K video recording! But at the same time this phone is more expensive. So overall
you can find better value in the competition. Thanks for watching and see you on the next one.