The Redmi Note 11S is the fifth Note 11 model we are reviewing, and just when we thought our review series was finally complete, we received its 5G-enabled sibling as well. The Redmi Note 11S employs this year's Xiaomi mid-range camera combo with a 108MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro cams, plus a 2MP depth sensor. The front camera is a 16MP shooter, and all cameras (except for the macro) support 1080p video capturing. Redmis are relatively reserved. At their best, this can mean they look more like a legit top-end phone than the showy budget Androids.

Chipset: Mediatek Helio G96 (12 nm): Octa-core (2x2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2. For even less cash, the Poco X3 Pro also trashes the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. However, in person it’s not too bad. The Redmi Note 11S runs MIUI 13, but this version is still based on Android 11 and not 12. It's a familiar experience if you've used any recent Xiaomi smartphone. All the usual theming options, shortcuts and gestures are present, along with a tonne of preinstalled apps. All the third-party apps can be uninstalled but some first-party ones such Mi Pay cannot be. Redmi Note 11S performance and battery life Videos looked good on the phone's display but the stereo sound wasn't well balanced as the bottom speaker sounded a lot clearer than the earpiece. Games ran well enough, but some heavy onesran with restricted graphics options on this phone. For instance, Call of Duty: Mobile didn't even show the ‘High' graphics option and I wasn't able to use most of the advanced quality toggles either. Gameplay was smooth though, it's just that it didn't look as good as it normally does.The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G isn’t a full-proof smash of a camera like, say, the Pixel 5a. But it is fun to play around with, and some of the controls are worth exploring. For example, sometimes you’ll get more satisfying results by switching from “Auto HDR” to “HDR.” You can think of the latter as “maximum HDR,” because it almost always takes dynamic range enhancement a step further. It can be useful for high light contrast scenes like sunsets. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 clearly is not a perfect fit for this phone, even if its raw CPU and GPU power are perfectly okay. The main 108-megapixel camera on the Redmi Note 11S uses the Samsung HM2 sensor. It captures 12-megapixel pixel-binned photos by default, but you can take photos at the native 108-megapixel resolution too. Under bright sunlight, this camera managed good detailbut colours in photos tended to look wildly exaggerated, withthe AI feature on or off. The optional Pro Colour mode boosted vibrance even further, making photos look very artificial. Shooting at the full 108-megapixel resolution offered much better detail, but more importantly, colours were better controlled and objects looked a lot more natural in my tests.

We don’t see this effect in the Xiaomi 11T Pro, which uses the same Samsung HM2 sensor. The ISP may be to blame. This is the image signal processor, which is part of the Snapdragon 695 chipset. Its Spectra 346T ISP is weaker than the MI 11T Pro’s and, more notably, the Spectra 350 of the Redmi Note 10 Pro — even though it has a triple ISP to the last-gen phone’s dual ISP. There are mitigating factors, of course. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G’s screen is lovely, the speakers are good. You can simply get phones much better suited to the job of playing games if that is your top priority. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G software The IR blaster, 3.5mm audio port, and microSD card support are relics of the past on flagship smartphones, so if these features are important to you, then you may want to consider a Redmi Note 11S or 11 Pro 5G. Specifications The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is part of the expanding Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 series which includes the Pro 5G, Pro+, 11, 11T 5G, 11 4G, 11i, 11i IN, 11 Pro 4G, 11E Pro, 11S 5G, 11T Pro+ and 11SE models. Still, we are living in challenging times, and we can imagine the manufacturers have to go through many hurdles to push a new phone and keep the price as low as possible. And with that being said, let's unbox this Redmi Note 11S and see what happens. Unboxing the Redmi Note 11SThe Redmi Note 11S offers enough grunt to handle basic apps and games well. Certain apps in MIUI 13, such as GetApps, can be spammy.Videos looked good on the phone's display but the stereo sound wasn't well balanced as the bottom speaker sounded a lot clearer than the earpiece.Battery life was thankfully pretty good. The 5,000mAh battery easily offeredan entire day's worth of runtime, even with heavy use.The 108-megapixel camera is this phone's main selling point. It can capture good photos if you're shooting at the native resolution during the day, but otherwise it's strictly average, as are the rest of the sensors. It could be worse. Phones at this level often do not have software stabilization at 4K, making the entire mode of limited value. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G at least stabilizes footage at 1080p. But having a frame rate cap of 30fps rather than 60fps feels like an insult. It’s not a super-cheap phone, and has “Pro” in its name. Such titles never meant much of anything removed from the context of their own ranges, but c’mon Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 11S retail bundle is quite familiar. The box contains the phone, a 33W power adapter, and a 3A-rated USB cable. You have three color modes to play around with. These are vivid, saturated, and standard. Xiaomi recommends “vivid,” which changes the color saturation based on the app you’re using. We chose “standard” because it removes the radioactive red effect from your app icons. Plenty of people will love that kind of saturation, though.

You might also want to try the AI mode. This is an auto scene recognition mode on the surface, but applies some pretty serious changes to tone mapping and color. Images look less natural, but the added punch can be useful for scenes like sunsets. Our recommended setting is “AI off” and HDR set to “HDR Auto”. But also be mindful you may get better results through switching the HDR mode — some experimentation is required with this one. Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, IR blaster The 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera has a more restrained colour profile when shooting during the day, which for once, is a good thing. Low-light photos came out expectedly weak and blurry, with poor colour reproduction. The Redmi Note 11S has a basic 2-megapixel macro camera, not the impressive tele-macro one we had on the Note 10 Pro series, so the results are not as good. There's also a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

Good for data but less so for photography

Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is a great mid-range device with some impressive specs and features. With its quad-camera array, 6.43 inch Amoled screen, powerful processor and other features, it is capable of capturing some great shots and providing a great user experience. It is also a great value for money device, making it well worth considering if you’re looking for a new smartphone. Read More Brand It also has an IR blaster. These are rare outside phones from Chinese brands, probably because no one in Europe or the US uses the feature. It lets the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G function as a universal remote, with the help of the Mi Remote app. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G runs Android 11 and has Xiaomi’s MIUI 13 interface. It is, for the most part, pretty inoffensive. We captured a few too many blown-out skies, and it frequently fumbles dusk scenes. The phone has the tools to avoid the primary issues these scenes raise, but the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro doesn’t always seem to use them. This phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G96 SoC, which is decently powerful but not the most efficient since it's built on an older 12nm fabrication process. The Redmi Note 11S supports dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, and all the basic satellite navigation systems. It also has a 5,000mAh battery, which should be enough to last a full day on one charge, at the very least.

Additionally, the Redmi Note 11 Pro has a great battery life. I was easily able to use it for a full day of moderate to heavy use without having to charge it thanks to the 5,000mAh battery. The phone has a 67W fast charging capability, so when I did need to charge it, it was fully charged in just under an hour. Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.9, 26mm, 1/1.52", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4. The Redmi Note 10 Prowas tested last year, and a year later, the hardware hasn't changed much in the 11 Pro. 5G is an obvious addition, but in the US, that has a limited impact on cellular connectivity. Unfortunately, the Note 11 Pro is still currently being powered by Android 11, the same as the Note 10 Pro in early 2021, so Xiaomi needs to step up the firmware game. This camera is based around the 108MP Samsung HM2 camera, seen in a bunch of phones including the Xiaomi 11T Pro and Honor 50. It’s a solid, but not top-end, camera sensor. We found that while this phone and the old one are reasonably evenly matched, this one seems to deliver less consistent results and struggles in some scene types the old one didn’t as much. This camera’s secondary cameras are standard fodder. You get an 8MP ultra-wide and a poor 2MP macro. As is the case with all ultra-low-res macros, it takes bad pictures. Sure, you can focus up close, but the detail is rendered at such low fidelity you just don’t get the eye beguiling effect that makes macro photography worthwhile.Both phones support common LTE networks, and I experienced solid cellular reception with my T-Mobile SIM card. The Note 11 Pro 5G supports 5G on many different bands, but with my T-Mobile SIM, only band n41 (old Sprint 2.5 GHz network) is supported, so 5G support is limited in the US. First of all, the display is absolutely stunning. The phone's 6.67-inch AMOLED screen, which has a 120Hz refresh rate, is an eye-pleasing treat for those who use it to browse social media or stream their favorite shows. The screen is bright enough to be used outside in direct sunlight, and the colors are vivid.