Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 review: Too accurate in the photo

Redmi Note 11, Note 11S, Note 11 5G, Note 11 Pro 5G and Note 11 Pro+ 5G: as usual Xiaomi has not trod on the names of its new series of smartphones, stuck between entry-level “plus” and mid-range “plus” (from €199 to €399). Last year, we tested the Redmi Note 10S and we were a little disappointed with the performance of the device. Not in absolute terms, but by comparing it to its illustrious predecessors. The photo part in particular did not thrill us.

Please note, the Redmi Note 11 is also available in a 5G version, do not confuse the two devices!

Launched at €200 in its version with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, the Note 11 offers a dual nano SIM or nano SIM + microSD card drawer. Its grip is pleasant, but its design is a bit “conventional”. Unlike its sibling the POCO M4 Pro, it doesn’t really stand out from the crowd. Its matte plastic back doesn’t attract fingerprints like a magnet, which is a good thing. Note that in the box we will find a transparent plastic shell. That’s already saved!

We also note that the photo island does not stand out too much, but as it is offset to the left, it makes the camera wobbly if you want to use it with your back resting on a table. The infrared transmitter is still there and the jack is on the upper edge. The two speakers lack a little “potato”, but it is certainly to avoid showing their limits when you decide to turn up the volume a little. Nothing serious either, we can easily watch a movie under the duvet. Please note that some import versions apparently do not have NFC. The Redmi Note 11 runs Android 11 with the manufacturer’s latest overlay: MIUI 13.0.9. The latter is very far from a stock version of Android. Some hate it, others swear by it…

Very nice screen, performance behind

This 2400 x 1080 pixel AMOLED screen refreshes at 90 Hz is the big highlight of the Redmi Note 11. Don’t forget to choose the scan in Settings> Screen (because 60 Hz is set by default). Take the opportunity to calibrate the colorimetry to your eye. Intense draws on blue, Standard draws on red. We prefer Saturated, but that will depend on your taste. It’s a very nice screen for this price. On the performance side, the Snapdragon 680 with 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM still lacks fishing. So of course, it will be seen on games or when you want to use greedy apps, but we happened to have a message “open an app only when your device is fully on” when we tried to open an app a bit too fast. The device takes a little longer to open the gallery for example and this had never happened to us with other generations of Redmi Note. Perhaps it will be necessary to prefer the version with 6 GB of RAM…

No better than last year in picture

Last year the Note 10S had left us a little on our photo side. It must be said that we may be asking a little too much for a device around 200 €. Let’s move on once again to the two unnecessary sensors, macro and depth of field, to focus on the 50-megapixel wide-angle module (f/1.8 aperture). This latter captures snapshots in 12.5 MP by default. While there is a real difference on many models (especially when zooming in on a shot), here the changes will be very discreet. Outdoors with beautiful light, the photos are good: well exposed with a beautiful contrast, without distorting the colors. It gets more complicated when the light is less abundant or indoors. The colors are less respected and we see noise when it starts to darken. At night, it is missed. Even with artificial light, the noise is very present and the contours are not very clear.

Remember that this is a 200 € phone and not a Google Pixel, but the POCO M4 Pro that we tested at the same time is much more comfortable in this area. The 8 MP ultra-wide-angle (f/2.2) does the job surprisingly well. No need to ask him for a decent night shot, but for everything else it’s good enough. The portraits are of good quality provided you use the back sensor, because the one dedicated to the selfie is not terrible. Nothing prohibitive, but it will be necessary to position oneself well in relation to the light source to have a good result. In the end, we find that the Redmi Note 11 does not fare any better than its predecessor.

10/10 in autonomy

If you know the Chinese brand, you know that autonomy is often excellent in this segment. Once again, you don’t change a winning team. With a 5000 mAh battery with an energy-efficient 6nm processor, the Redmi Note 11 will hold a charge for more than two days with a little care and well over a day with intensive use, even adjusting the screen. at 90Hz.
Like last year, the 33W charging block can go from 5% to 100% in an hour (from 5% to 60% in less than 30 minutes).

Our Verdict:

Like every year, Xiaomi offers a good entry-level smartphone+ with this Redmi Note 11 and like every year, it’s a champion in autonomy. This year, we also have the right to a brilliant 90 Hz AMOLED screen! If the results in photos and in terms of performance are a little behind, we must not forget that this phone is offered between 199 and 249 €. But we will see in the next test that the POCO M4 Pro does much better for a few euros more…

Shooting tests