Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, analysis: a shot of improvements that raises the range to touch the ‘premium’ Olympus
Xiaomi has unfolded the recent Redmi Note family more than ever, pointing from the lowest of the mid-range to the highest segment, right where the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro + 5G is the protagonist of this analysis. It’s powerful, offers incredible appeal, and has a lot of potential: we’ve seen it.
The best mobile of the new Redmi Note 11 range has such some surnames that it is difficult to pronounce it in one go. Because would you be able to tell the store that you want a Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G? This accumulation of characteristics shows that the brand is aimed at a more select audience. The technical sheet also has components usually seen only in the high-end Xiaomi. All this unfolding ends up being transmitted to the experience.
Better material contrast with superb display and sound
After analyzing the “normal” Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and verifying that the design was practically traced, we expected a phone with the same economic feeling of materials. This is not the case: this Pro+ version has a better contrast of elements, the glass gives a much more “premium” touch to the back of the phone, and, in general, it feels more solid and heavier. They are extra sensations that add to the final price of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, even though they do not make a clear difference in performance either.
The mobile is excellent, and this is already usual. Front used with somewhat generous frames, buttons on the right side with some difficulty in finding the fingerprint reader by touch (on the power button; with the cover, the problem is solved), the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G includes speakers on the edge top and bottom, the mobile does not dispense with a headphone jack (top), offers dual SIM or SIM + micro SD card (on the bottom edge) and the rectangular rear lens slightly uneven the phone when resting it on a surface.
Very powerful in hardware, with certain doubts in software
The MediaTek chosen for the phone brings excellent power under the silicon and relevant compatibility with 5G mobile networks. We cannot say that the MediaTek Dimensity 920 is a bad SoC: at all times, it has behaved fabulously; it has maintained extreme fluidity, zero perceptible “lags”, and 3D graphics quality at an outstanding level. Too bad that, for the price of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, a processor with higher capacities, such as the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 (present in the OnePlus Nord 2, for example), would not have been wrong.
In games, it has behaved very well and with medium high-end performance (usually, the maximum configuration slightly weighed down the phone, as in the case of Genshin Impact). The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is perfect for playing even demanding games. And without us noticing excessive heating after long sessions (it does not heat up when charging, as we will see later).
Below you have the scores in the usual benchmarks contrasted with mobiles in the same category as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G.
The best camera in a Redmi Note 11
In the field of photography, our protagonist shows muscle by mounting a 108-megapixel sensor. He aims to improve the light in the shots thanks to Samsung’s Nonapixel technology, and it also raises a higher level of detail and a night mode of good quality. In our experience, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G meets these premises in most situations.
After having tried other Redmi Note 11 family models, we can say that the phone in question provides enough differentiation to be at the top of the family. We cannot say that the photographic performance is high-end, but it does perform well.
The shots outdoors and in broad daylight are sufficient and have great detail in the background. It does show some underexposure, and it also suffers from a low dynamic range. Even though the automatic HDR is activated when it touches, the automatic detection of scenes (if it remains activated, something not essential).
The primary camera portrays enough detail in the background, and the shots are sharp and with a successful white balance. Yes, it suffers from the dynamic range: the darkest area is underexposed.
The wide-angle does not come out as well as the primary camera: some difference in white balance, lack of detail with a zoom logo and noticeable optical distortions around the centre.
Surprisingly, Xiaomi has decided to raise the price and characteristics of its Redmi to the line of 400 euros, an area in which the Lite of its essential mobiles usually roam freely; like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, for example. In comparison, it is not that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is better than the pure Redmi Note 11 or the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, for example. Still, the numerous “premium” details are appreciated.
The protagonist of our review has been influential and capable, the materials provide a different quality, the screen is at an outstanding level, the sound is one of the best we have heard (even in higher ranges), and even the camera comes out quite well stop. On the negative side, we were astonished that Xiaomi did not deliver it updated to Android 12, not even MIUI 13. This laxity in the software marks the worst of the phone.
