Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G first impressions: Looks electric

Ever since we’ve laid our hands on the mirage blue Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, we’ve been wondering why the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge didn’t get this cool blue—electric—colourway. It would have gone perfectly well with its whole “hyper charging” theme, but we digress. Coming back to the topic at hand, straight up, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G makes the Xiaomi 11i obsolete because the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is virtually the same phone with a different chip, inside. There are a few more differences, like say the 11i has a slightly bigger battery (5,160mAh versus 5,000), 4K video recording, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, Dolby Atmos-powered speakers, better haptics, and support for an additional 5G radio (8 versus 7). The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G has the same design, display, cameras, 67W fast charging plus it adds expandable storage and is cheaper by Rs 4,000.

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We won’t get into the nitty-gritties of why the Redmi Note has crossed the Rs 20K price bracket this year, after years of being strategically positioned under Rs 20,000 but it’s obvious that the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is more value for money than the Xiaomi 11i even though there are some areas where the Xiaomi-branded phone clearly does better. The wiser decision when you have a budget of around Rs 25,000 would be to spend a little bit more and get the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge instead. Or save some money and get the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G which starts at Rs 20,999 for a version with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. You can also get it with 8GB/128GB for Rs 22,999 and 8GB/256GB for Rs 24,999. The 11i starts at Rs 24,999 (6GB/128GB). Then there is competition, right from the OnePlus Nord CE 2 to the Motorola G71, which is to say, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G—though it looks electric on paper—will have to really prove its metal this time, as opposed to the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, which was a no-brainer.

The design, like we said earlier, is same as the 11i phones. Xiaomi is going for an iPhone 12/13-like squared-out aesthetic with the 11^th generation Redmi Note which, as per impressions online, has been receiving a polarising response. Not because it looks bad, but because these phones weigh quite a bit (the Note 11 Pro+ is almost 200g) and then when you factor in the 6.67-inch screen size and the flat frame, the whole thing can become a little overbearing on extended use. The camera module, meanwhile, has its presence felt, too, with its two-stage assembly (to hold the sizeable 108MP sensor).

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The display stats are more or less being carried forward from last year’s Redmi Note 10 Pro Max— 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED with 1080p resolution, up to 1200nits peak brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It’s still fantastic to look at. You also get staple Xiaomi features like dual speakers, headphone jack, IP53-arting, and IR blaster. Biometrics are handled by a side-mounted fingerprint reader.

Powering the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is the now tried and tested Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chip and it’s been performing well so far. Xiaomi has put liquid cooling inside this phone, too, to ensure sustained performance. You get up to 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS2.2 storage which is expandable via a hybrid micro-SD card slot. The package is fuelled by a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging. A compliant charger comes in the box. More on the performance bit in our full review.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is a very familiar phone camera-wise. It has three of those on the back—108MP main (f/1.9), 8MP ultrawide, and anther 2MP macro shooter. On the front, there is a 16MP camera.

Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G first impressions

It’s no secret that the Redmi portfolio, especially the Redmi Note, is becoming more and more confusing each day. Product overlap appears to be a collateral that can’t be avoided, until further notice. The most obvious ramification of this is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to cherry-pick a Redmi (Note) phone that can do it all, like it used to at one point of time. Now, there seems to be a Redmi phone at virtually every price point (and it’s also now crossing the Rs 20K threshold, which is a first for these phones). Even though these phones—still—offer a lot of bang for your buck at their respective price point, there’s always that one Redmi phone, that looks better at a slightly higher price.  

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, too, offers good specs—and great value over its peers including the 11i—but question is, for how long.

PS. Xiaomi has also launched the Redmi Note 11 Pro alongside which is basically a 4G version of the Pro+ with a watered down MediaTek Helio G96 chip (also seen inside the Redmi Note 11S) and an additional depth sensor on the back. Rest of the specifications are more or less similar. The Redmi Note 11 Pro starts at Rs 17,999 for a version with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The phone will also come in 8GB/128GB configuration for Rs 19,999. These are introductory prices, Xiaomi says.

Watch this space for our full review of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and Redmi Note 11 Pro coming soon.

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