Infinix Note 11S Review – Tall Budget Gaming Device

Infinix, Hong Kong-based company has long been recognised for its low-cost smartphones in India. It has been offering more value for smartphones that are still fairly priced for the past two years or so. Infinix Note 11S, the recent launch, is a good example. You’ll notice right away that this is a really tall phone. It’s a big phone, and it’s obviously heavy, so it’s not for small and sensitive hands. It’s shockingly thin and well-balanced at the same time. Inifinix has made a few minor changes that could potentially hurt the user experience, which I will tell you in this review.

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The 6GB RAM and 64GB storage option of the Infinix Note 11S is priced at Rs 13,999, while the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant costs Rs 15,999. The device comes in two colours: Haze Green and Mithril Gray. Infinix Note 11S is available for purchase on Flipkart.

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The box of Infinix Note 11S includes the following items:

• Note 11S device
• Charging Adapter
• USB Type-C Cable
• TPU Case
• Protective Screen Guard
• SIM Ejector Pin
• Quick Start Guide and Warranty Card

Before we talk in detail about the Infinix Note 11S, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.95-inches IPS LCD
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G96
• RAM & ROM: 6GB RAM 64GB Storage, 8GB RAM 128GB Storage
• Software: Android v11
• Rear camera: 50MP + 2MP + 2MP
• Selfie camera: 16 MP
• Battery: 5000 mAh
• Weight: 212.5 grams
• Dimensions: 172.7 x 78.2 x 8.7 mm

Infinix has ditched its unique design choices in favour of a more simple colour scheme this time around. Infinix Note 11S manages to look classy thanks to the textured finish on its polycarbonate back panel and the polished rails that go with it. The Note 11S’s finish makes it resistant to smudges, which should please even the most passionate customers. The phone isn’t particularly hefty, but its tall size makes it less pocketable.

The camera unit on the top right protrudes somewhat from the frame and is set up similarly to the Redmi Note 10 series. One of the four circles intended for camera lenses, however, lacks any lenses. Unless the device’s goal is to emphasise superior camera gear, which it doesn’t have, the housing could have been kept smaller, in my view.

Infinix Note 11S’ bottom contains the standard selection of ports, including a USB C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a speaker grille. In addition, the top earpiece and bottom speaker work together to produce stereo sound, which is always great to see (or, more correctly, hear) on budget phones.

The Note series is known for its massive displays, and the Infinix Note 11S is no exception, featuring a 6.95-inch Full HD+ IPS panel with a fast 120hz refresh rate. You’ll be highly pressed to get a phone with a huge display and a fast refresh rate for less than Rs. 14,000. The bigger screen is ideal for media usage, especially now that WideVine L1 certification for HD OTT streaming is available. The colour reproduction on the screen is slightly more contrasty and under-saturated in nature due to the LCD panel, in comparison to the AMOLED panel available on the standard Note 11.

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The minimal off-axis colour change, on the other hand, makes me happy; however, the punch-hole in the top middle seems to have some backlight bleeding around it. The company does not specify brightness levels, but I believe there is room for improvement there as well. While not as bright as AMOLED panels, the Infinix Note 11S’ display accurately displayed colours. You’ll have a lot of fun playing games and streaming movies. Infinix has done an excellent job with the display overall. There is nothing to be disappointed about.

We’ve seen the MediaTek Helio G96 on a bunch of phones, and they all seem to work great. Also, the MediaTek Helio G96 is a gaming chipset, so if you’re searching for a low-cost gaming smartphone, Infinix Note 11S could be a fantastic choice.

Infinix has now added UFS 2.2 storage and LPDDR4X RAM to the mix, resulting in improved performance in everyday use. Because the Helio G96 is MediaTek’s current top-of-the-line 4G SoC, the Infinix Note 11S should be able to handle even the most intensive games with ease–even if that means pushing up the graphics settings to high. On the Note 11S, we played Mobile Legends, Free Fire, and Asphalt 9, and the phone handled all of them perfectly at the highest settings.

Infinix Note 11S can run Genshin Impact at up to medium settings at 30fps despite being set to the lowest graphics settings by default. While the visuals may be cranked to high settings, the Note 11S struggles when it comes to mob fights.

On this budget Infinix smartphone, I played PUBG New State and was quite surprised. The game ran smoothly on medium settings for around 40 minutes before the thermals began to impact the frame rate to the point that I had to lower the graphics level. With medium graphics and a high frame rate, COD Mobile runs nicely. We noticed several frame drops while playing Asphalt 9 at high graphics settings. To optimise gaming performance, Infinix has included a dedicated game mode.

In general, there would be no issues while playing games or using Note 11S in daily life.

Infinix Note 11s runs the in-house custom XOS 10, which is based on Android 11, and will be updated to Android 12 in the coming future. Custom UI does not appeal to me; I prefer stock UI or any other UI like OxygenOS. If you really like custom UI, you’ll like XOS because it offers all of the features that many other custom UI have. Like any other custom UI, such as MIUI and RealMe UI, there will be ads here and there.

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However, the XOS version 10.0.0 interface appears to be a little confusing and should be simplified. Infinix has attempted to replicate the quick settings and notifications interface seen on iOS, but it has failed miserably. There’s a lot of bloatware, the settings interface is finicky, and many of the primary features have the word AI added to them unnecessarily. There are a few preinstalled apps you can’t get rid of, such as Hi Browser, XArena, and Aha Games, which is unfortunate given the phone’s limited storage. Furthermore, given Infinix’s track record with software updates, it’s possible that the Android 12 update will take some time to arrive on the Infinix Note 11S.

Let’s talk about the camera’s performance now, what do you expect at this price? A 50MP primary shooter is in charge of the camera department on Infinix Note 11S. There are additional 2MP macro and depth shooters on the back, as well as a 16MP selfie camera on the front. It’s a little disappointing that there isn’t an ultra-wide lens as a secondary lens. The macro and depth sensors are of limited use in my opinion because computational photography can do the job of the latter.

The primary sensor captures details with great sharpness levels in bright sunlight. The colours are very pleasing to the eye and appear to be natural. In certain situations, the photos appear bright and slightly oversaturated. The dynamic range is appropriate for the camera resolution.

This phone does not have an ultra-wide camera, but it does come with a macro lens. We did try several close-up shots, which ended up good. In favourable lighting, the images seem decent in this price range, and the colours are natural and bright. The sharpness levels are also acceptable. A 2MP depth sensor, on the other hand, takes portrait images with natural skin tones, good details, and sharpness levels. Edge detection also appears to be superb.

The shots in low light were also surprisingly decent. I didn’t anticipate them to be as nice as they were, especially at this pricing point. Perfect photos can be taken with minimal noise and a great level of detail. You may use the night mode in low-light environments, which worked perfectly for us.

When it comes to the selfie camera, the overall quality of the selfies appeared natural, with skin tone and details that were similar to reality. The Infinix Note 11S has excellent sharpness and dynamic range. For selfies, there is a portrait mode that works well but lacks accurate edge detection.

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Infinix Note 11S, like the Hot 11S, can shoot video at a resolution of up to 1440p. Because it lacks stabilisation, you’ll need a gimbal or tripod to shoot smooth video footage with the Note 11S and take advantage of its 1440p video recording ability.

A 5,000mAh battery powers the Infinix Note 11S. The battery life is amazing; I got a full day of use while watching YouTube videos, gaming, browsing the web, and scrolling through social media accounts. For a casual user, the phone would easily last a day and a half, but this depends on how you use the smartphone. You will need to charge the phone twice if you play games for five to six hours, but if you are a casual gamer, the device would still have some juice left by the end of the day.

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Infinix Note 11S also comes with the support of 33W charging, which can charge the phone to 100 per cent in just over an hour.

Infinix Note 11S continues its predecessor’s stereo speakers, further solidifying its position as a budget phablet ideal for media consumption. The speakers have overall good music quality, and the Note 11S still has a headphone jack, so you can use wired headphones. The smartphone comes with dual sim VoLTE (Nano + Nano), Wi-Fi 802.11, a/ac/b/g/n, GPS, and Bluetooth 5.1 as connectivity options.

Infinix Note 11S features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that works fast, as well as support for Face Unlock in good lighting environments.

Pros

• Large display with 120Hz refresh rate 
• Gaming chipset 
• XOS 10 custom OS
• Large battery 
• 33W fast charging 

Cons

• IPS LCD display 
• No Gorilla Glass protection 
• No 5G connectivity
• No ultra-wide lens