The latest example of this can be considered the new Redmi Note 11S. This is a 4G smartphone which takes us by surprise, because before that the company had launched Redmi Note 11T 5G. The biggest highlight of the Note 11S phone is its 108-megapixel rear camera. This is the same sensor that the company used in the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max launched last year. But this time the starting price of the phone has been kept low. However, soon the Redmi Note 11 Pro series will also be in the market. So, where does Redmi Note 11S fit in this series? And, does it make you buy this phone as your next smartphone? Decide with the help of this review.
Redmi Note 11S price and variants
Redmi Note 11S comes in three variants. Its 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant costs Rs 16,499. At the same time, its price becomes Rs 17,499 for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The top end variant comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, which is priced at Rs 18,499.
Redmi Note 11S design
The design of the Redmi Note 11S is too simple for my liking. Its Blue and Polar White color variants still grab a bit of attention, but I had the Black unit for review, which felt quite boring. The build quality of its plastic frame and back panel is quite good and the phone was quite comfortable to hold. Weighing in at 179 grams, it doesn’t feel heavy and isn’t too thick. The main camera of the phone protrudes slightly from the rest of the cameras. The phone does not feel stable when kept on a flat place.
Xiaomi has given a 6.43-inch AMOLED display in the phone, which has a peak brightness of 1000 nits. The rest of the features of the display cannot be called extraordinary. It has a peak refresh rate of 90Hz and a basic touch sampling rate of 180Hz. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 has been given for screen protection. The FHD+ resolution of the display delivers sharp visuals and attractive colors. The refresh rate is set to 60Hz by default, which you have to set yourself to 90Hz.
The phone has dual nano SIM support and a microSD card slot has been given. The card slot will be useful as the maximum built-in storage on the phone is 128GB. The device has dual speakers, Type-C port and IR emitter. Apart from this, headphone jack is also available. The phone comes with an IP53 rating for dust and water resistance, which is quite rare in this price segment. The box also includes a 33W fast charging adapter, USB Type-C cable, SIM ejector tool and a case (cover).
Redmi Note 11S specifications and software
This latest Redmi smartphone is equipped with MediaTek Helio G96 which is powerful but its efficiency is less, as it is made on the old 12nm fabrication process. Redmi Note 11S supports dualband Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5 and all basic satellite navigation systems. It houses a 5,000mAh battery, which lasts for at least a full day on a full charge.
The Redmi Note 11S phone runs on MIUI 13, which is based on Android 11, not Android 12. If you have used any Xiaomi phone recently, then you will find this phone easy to use. Many apps come pre-installed in the phone. Apart from this, themes, shortcuts and gestures are also present. All third-party apps that come with the phone can be removed, but first party apps like Mi Pay etc. will not be removed.
Redmi Note 11S performance and battery life
It handles basic games and apps with ease. Some of the apps included with MIUI 13 such as GetApps can be bothered by spam. The power button has a capacitive fingerprint sensor, which worked well in my use. Because of the AMOLED panel, you can take advantage of features like always-on display. It could have been more profitable, but it is active only for 10 seconds. Therefore, it cannot be called an ‘always on’ display in the real sense.
The experience of watching videos on the display was good, but the sound of the stereo speakers is not balanced well, as the bottom speaker was giving clearer sound quality than the earpiece. Games ran fine, but some heavy games could only run on low graphic settings. For example, the game Call of Duty: Mobile did not show the option of ‘High’ settings in the graphics. The game play experience was smooth, but it was not what it usually is.
Xiaomi says that it has a liquid cooling system, which keeps the phone cool during heavy usage. But, after playing Call of Duty for 30 minutes, both the back panel and frame of the phone became quite hot. In the test scores, the phone performed as expected. Its benchmark scores were lower than the Redmi Note 11T 5G’s scores with MediaTek Dimensity 810. The phone scored 3,10,732 on AnTuTu and clocked 51fps on GFXBench’s T-Rex test.
The battery life of the phone is quite good. With a capacity of 5,000mAh, it lasts all day. 33W fast charging support is available in the phone, with the help of which the battery gets charged very quickly.
Redmi Note 11S cameras
If you look at the camera specifications of Redmi Note 11S, then it has a 108-megapixel Samsung HM2 sensor, which is the main camera of the phone. By default, it captures 12-megapixel photos, but you can also capture photos in 108-megapixel resolution. In the bright sunlight, the details in the photo were good, but the saturation of colors became too much. After the Pro Color mode given in the camera, the intensity of colors increased further, due to which the photo started looking artificial. Results were good with 108 megapixel resolution and color balance was more visible. In the photo, things were seen in a fairly natural tone.
The phone struggled in terms of autofocus while taking close-up shots with the main camera. It was only after tapping on the viewfinder several times that the correct focus was getting. The main sensor failed to capture good photos in low-light. Here there was not much difference in photo quality even at 108 megapixel resolution. After that the use of Night Mode was left as the last option. After switching to it, the camera took several seconds to take a shot, but the detail and exposure got better. One thing was surprising that you cannot use Night Mode with Ultrawide or Selfie Camera. It hurts a lot.
Talking about its 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, the colors looked right in the photos taken during the day time, which is a good thing. Photos became quite blurry in low-light and colors were also disappointing. The phone has a basic macro camera of 2 megapixels. That’s why its results were also not good. Apart from this, a depth sensor of 2 megapixels has also been given.
The selfie camera is of 16 megapixels and the result was good in the photo during the day time. However, the sharpness was a bit more visible in the portrait. Selfies taken indoors with ambient light were much better, but at night the quality of photos in the outdoors was very poor.
Redmi Note 11S can only record videos up to 1080p. Stabilization is available in the video. Video quality was average during the day. Video quality in low-light was quite poor and it was disappointing for a phone in this segment.
Verdict
It can be said about Redmi Note 11S that it can be an option till the arrival of Redmi Note 11 Pro series. And, if you have made up your mind for a Redmi phone, then you can look at last year’s Redmi Note 10 Pro which proves to be a much better option at the same price. The 108-megapixel camera of Redmi Note 11S is its biggest attraction, otherwise if you look at the rest of the sensors, then this phone will be called average. At this price, its processor is also not so powerful and at the same time 5G connectivity has not been given in the phone.
I believe that you should wait a few days before buying this phone, because soon better options are going to be launched in the market.
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