Smartphones are too similar: this is both a plus and a minus. The advantage is that even with a small budget, you can get a convenient device. The downside is the minimal differences between smartphones. Similar characteristics, almost identical design – this is where the loyalty of the audience manifests itself.
The new Redmi Note 11 is kind of the standard in the class. Although Redmi is no longer associated with ultra-cheap devices, but for good measure, buyers are still interested in fresh models as soon as they hit the market. We talked about the announcement of a new family at the end of last year, and now we can talk in more detail about the smartphone.
Basic design
My phone is black, on the matte plastic prints and stains appear quite quickly. There are two ways to avoid this: either carry your smartphone in a complete case, or regularly clean the surface with improvised means.
If you had a Redmi Note 10, then, for my taste, it looks more interesting due to the easily soiled, but shiny case. On the contrary, Redmi Note 10 turned out to be less attractive. But this is a subjective assessment, so you may have the exact opposite opinion.
The smartphone has flat edges, but if you try to put Redmi Note 10 vertically, it will not stand on the surface and fall. iPhone 12 test failed!
Several cameras are located on a single platform protruding above the surface. Dust quickly accumulates around it – an inevitable problem of all modern modules.
It is convenient to hold the phone by its flat sides, it will not slip out of your hand. The fingerprint scanner is located in the power button on the right side. You can set it to fire on click or touch as you like. There are no questions about his work, except that left-handed people will not like this solution. In this case, you can use face unlock through the front camera, but the method is not as reliable.
Above the fingerprint scanner is the volume key, at the top end is an infrared port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Juicy screen with 90 Hz
The display has a diagonal of 6.43 inches, it is AMOLED with a resolution of 1080 × 2400 pixels. We can also mention the factory film pasted on the display to protect it from scratches.
The screen has a decent margin of brightness – it feels similar to that of the Redmi Note 10. However, the new model has support for 90 Hz. It’s a pity, but there is no DC Dimming setting in the menu, so your eyes may get tired from flickering.
Always On mode is provided, in the menu you configure its operation by choosing a design style. This mode works strangely: it is not always active, as, for example, in Samsung smartphones, but only for 10 seconds, then the backlight turns off completely.
You can choose a dark theme, customize the animation for notifications, and use the reading mode. There are two settings available: classic, using warm colors, and papery, when the background has a texture resembling a book sheet. The second option looks unusual and resembles noise on the screen, but reading from the screen in this mode is nevertheless pleasant.
Color reproduction is also adjusted, there are three profiles to choose from: standard, saturated and bright. In the latter case, we get something in between: the parameters change depending on the content on the screen.
Moderately cheerful stuffing
The smartphone comes with different amounts of memory: the base model gets 4/64 GB, followed by 4/128 GB, and the most advanced 6/128 GB. I turned out to be an intermediate option: there are not so many RAM by modern standards, this is the minimum for comfortable work. But there is enough internal memory, in addition, you can use microSD. What’s great is a triple card slot: you can put two SIM cards and a memory card at once – you won’t have to sacrifice something, as is often the case.
Introduced at the end of last year, the budget Snapdragon 680 chipset produces the usual results in synthetic tests – slightly above average when compared with classmates. There is enough power for games with medium graphics settings, if we take Call of Duty Mobile as an example, and in PUBG you can cut with a picture in maximum quality. In games, the case heats up noticeably, the phone becomes warm both in front and behind – not a gaming device.
The smartphone has Android 11 and MIUI 13 – there will be an update to Android 12 later, but so far there is no exact timeline. Redmi Note 11 does not support 5G frequencies, but at the moment this cannot be called a problem for Russian users. Bluetooth version 5.0 is not the latest, but it works stably and I did not notice any problems with the connected Jabra Elite 4 Active headphones.
A smartphone with average quality stereo speakers: they wheeze at maximum volume, and the top one sounds quieter than the bottom one. While talking on the phone, I did not notice any problems with the proximity sensor, it worked adequately and there were no accidental clicks. You can also notice that sound breaks through the holes on the upper end along with the earpiece when talking on the phone. I can’t attribute this to significant shortcomings, however, others can hear your dialogue if they are nearby in a quiet room.
During conversations, you can use the built-in dialogue recording function, but the interlocutor will be aware of your actions. Just in case, the phone will notify about this at the start and end of the recording.
The camera is not impressive
There are a lot of modules, but as usual in such cases, all interest comes down to the main camera and the front one. The camera for shooting macro in low 2-megapixel resolution is not capable of high achievements, and the benefit of an additional 2-megapixel depth sensor when shooting portraits is also difficult to assess. As practice shows, even without it, with the help of software, a similar result is obtained. Moreover, if you close it during shooting, the background is blurred no worse.
The wide-angle module is the most ordinary: it decently shoots only in bright sun, and if there is a problem with lighting, it is better not to run it. There is no autofocus or night mode.
The main camera takes pictures at 12 megapixels by default, and the maximum quality mode is launched through the settings. The difference in detail can be seen when zooming in, but I can’t say that it is very critical. The pictures lack contrast, they turn out pale and not juicy. I do not like overly saturated colors, but in this case I really want to add colors.
On the left is a crop from a 50-megapixel frame, on the right is a crop from a 12-megapixel frame at the same magnification:
In low light, the night mode can help out, but my artificial intelligence in automatic mode made the frames better without compromising the clarity of the image. This is clearly visible in the texture of the brick on the wall, although both photos are so-so, alas:
The macro looks like this:
Front-camera
Battery for a day of active life
Dry characteristics “like everyone else”: 5000 mAh battery and 33 W fast charging included. The charging speed is normal: up to 50% of the smartphone will be charged in half an hour, and the full process will take an hour and a half.
Battery life is typical for a smartphone by today’s standards, averaging around 6.5 hours of active screen time. This is a day of active use of the device or a couple of days with a not very heavy load.
Equipment
The smartphone is equipped with everything vital, in the box are: a clip for a SIM card, a cable, a power supply, a silicone case.
Price
Official sales in Russia at the time of preparation of the text have not yet begun. But the “gray” versions are already on sale, prices start at 15,000 rubles for Redmi Note 11 4/64 GB, then there is a model with 4/128 GB for 16,000 rubles, and at the top – 6/128 GB for 18,000 rubles.
Opinion
You can scold the phone for the camera: perhaps someone will install the Google Camera, and someone will simply put up with the factory settings. In general, I liked Redmi Note 11 with a high-quality screen: it is bright, juicy, and also 90 Hz as a nice bonus.
In general terms, the smartphone leaves a pleasant impression. It has good performance, decent autonomy, sonorous stereo speakers, NFC, an infrared port and a fairly thin body with moderate weight. This is a relatively simple, but at the same time convenient and capable smartphone, and such devices are always needed.
We thank the friendliest gadget store Big Geek for the provided smartphone.
