Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Review
The Redmi Note 11 Series has been launched in India by Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 11S is a somewhat more expensive version of the Redmi Note 11 in the series, as well as the successor to the Redmi Note 10S from the previous year. The Redmi Note 11 (review) was a good all-arounder around Rs. 15,000 when we reviewed it, but what about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S? On paper, it outperforms the Redmi Note 11 in terms of camera features and performance, thanks to the Mediatek Helio G96 processor vs. the Snapdragon 680 in the Redmi Note 11. It will, however, demand a higher price. So, does the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S justify its starting price of Rs. 16,499?
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Prices in India, Variants, Availability
The 6GB RAM/64GB storage option of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S costs Rs. 16,499 in India. Both an 8GB + 128GB model and a 6GB + 128GB model are available in India for Rs. 18,499 and Rs. 17,499, respectively.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is available in three different colours: Horizon Blue, Polar White, and Space Black. It’ll be available for purchase through Amazon, Mi.com, Mi Home shops, and Mi Studios.
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Box Contents
You will get the following items inside the box of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S:
- Redmi Note 11S
- 33W Adapter
- USB Type-C Cable
- SIM Eject Tool
- Protective Case
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Card
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Specs at a Glance
Before we talk in detail about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:
- Display: 6.43-inches AMOLED
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio G96
- RAM & ROM: 6GB RAM 64GB Storage, 6GB RAM 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM 128GB Storage
- Software: Android v11
- Rear camera: 108MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
- Selfie camera: 16 MP
- Battery: 5000 mAh
- Weight: 179 grams
- Dimensions: 159.8 x 73.8 x 8 mm
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Design and Build
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is similar to the Redmi Note 11 in looks. Xiaomi retains a basic design with the matte finish, something I prefer over obnoxiously flashy ones. The all-matte texture on the back is both attractive and useful. The back panel looks neat, doesn’t attract a lot of fingerprints, and is overall pretty basic. There are three different colour options: Polar White, Horizon Blue, and Space Black.
A protruding quad-camera layout can be found on the backside, just to the top left, while Redmi branding can be found at the bottom. The main sensor has a big lens, whereas the remaining lenses are relatively small. The phone’s minimalistic design appealed to me. However, it is a matter of personal preference. Many of the people I know prefer more flashy phones. It has flattened sides with rounded edges, a clean overall appearance, and a light and comfortable feel in the hands. The volume button is on the right side with the power button that sports a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The left side features a triple-slot SIM tray featuring two 4G SIM cards and one microSD card slot. Aside from that, the phone has an IP rating and is IP53 certified for water resistance.
Despite having a large 5000mAh battery, the smartphone only weighs 179 grams. The weight is uniformly distributed over the chassis. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. It is located at the top, which is not a common place.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Display
Redmi began equipping its affordable smartphones with OLED displays last year, and the Note 11S follows the same. The phone has a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and a touch sampling rate of 180Hz. At this price point, the AMOLED panel is much more vibrant compared to most LCD panels. It’s suitable for everyday use, in my opinion. The 90Hz panel offers a smooth viewing experience. The screen of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is calibrated to show a wide spectrum of colours and is, therefore, more vibrant than any other LCD screen in the price range.
The display of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight, with a peak brightness of 1000 nits. The Note 11S, unlike the Redmi Note 10, does not support HDR10 and must instead rely on the standard WideVine L1 certification for streaming HD content on OTT platforms. The bezels are small (except for the chin), and the punch hole cutout on the front does not obstruct your video viewing experience. Above all this, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the front of the phone.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is powered by a MediaTek Helio G96 octa-core SoC, which is a small upgrade over last year’s Helio G95 chip. There’s also up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage to choose from. In terms of RAM and storage, the model I have has 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, which can be extended by 2GB from the device’s 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. Aside from that, the phone includes a microSD card slot that can hold up to 1TB of additional storage.
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The performance of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is quite smooth and fast, especially considering the 90Hz refresh rate. In my typical daily usage, which largely consists of social media scrolling and video streaming, I experienced absolutely no lag.
Even while gaming, I’ve had no lags or heating concerns while playing high-definition titles like BGMI, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Asphalt 9 Legend. There is a performance mode in MIUI’s Game Turbo, however, it didn’t seem to make a difference in the gaming experience.
For the price, the performance is decent, but don’t set your hopes too high. After all, Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is a budget smartphone with some shortcomings.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Software
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S comes with Android 11 out of the box, but it’s topped with the latest MIUI 13.0.2 skin. There are a few smartphones that have already switched to Android 12; manufacturers like Realme, OPPO, and OnePlus have already made Android 12 available in their latest phones.
Despite the fact that it’s running Android 11, users can still take advantage of many useful features thanks to the latest MIUI 13.0.2 version. There are a number of new features in the MIUI 13 interface, including improved design, good background efficiency, better processing, and longer battery life. This phone has new live wallpapers, themes and other things that we spotted.
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The user interface is simple and straightforward, and the 90 Hz display offers a smooth touch and improved responsiveness. There is no major bloatware on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S, although it does come with a few pre-installed apps that may be uninstalled if they are not needed. MIUI 13 also features a new sidebar that can be accessed with a swipe and offers a list of quick-launch apps. Similar implementations have been spotted on other Android smartphones as well. The control panel has also been revamped. It now has bigger icons as well as better notification grouping.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Camera
For the budget, the camera configuration and performance are both great. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S has a 108-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The main camera is the same as the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge, and Xiaomi 11T Pro, which are more expensive. The front comes with a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
The main camera performs well in the daytime, retaining good detail, sharpness, and overall brightness. However, the images can appear unreal at times due to the increased saturation. The AI option tends to oversaturate colours, resulting in unappealing images. Colour accuracy is improved in images taken with AI turned off.
In low-light situations, the sensor struggles to capture the subject’s details, and the exposure suffers as a result. There is also a significant shutter lag when taking photos, which causes some blurring. In addition, I liked the Portrait mode, which allows you to adjust the bokeh effect.
The 8MP ultra-wide lens is ok; it captures good pictures but isn’t the best. One thing to keep in mind is that you should not be using the ultra-wide camera at night as the image won’t be useable.
The macro camera allows you to take dazzling close-up images. If you use the lens indoors, the photographs tend to be grainy, but it truly shines in the right lighting.
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The 16MP selfie camera on Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S captures decent selfies outdoors while maintaining proper skin tone, even with sufficient lighting indoors. If you’re a social media addict like me, you will be happy with the sharp photos with good detailing to post online.
Its video capabilities are limited to 1080p at 30 fps, not 60 fps, and there is no 4K video recording on the smartphone. It still supports slow-motion video, but not super slow-motion at 480 or 960 fps.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S comes with a ton of camera features like Ultra-Wide-Angle, Night mode, 108 MP mode, Macro, Portrait, Panorama, Slow Motion, Movie Frame, Pro colour, Timed burst, and a few more.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Battery
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S comes with the same 5,000 mAh battery as its predecessor, the Redmi Note 10S. The 5,000 mAh battery lasts a full day of heavy use and still has enough charge left over for the next day. This isn’t a long-lasting smartphone, but it’ll get the work done with only one charge.
In addition, this phone comes with a 33W Pro fast charger that uses proprietary charging technology to charge the smartphone from 0 to 100 per cent in just an hour.
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Audio, Connectivity, Biometrics
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S comes with a stereo speaker unit that sounds great and is easily audible all across a noisy room, thanks to Redmi. For compatible wired earphones/headphones, the 3.5mm headphone jack features Hi-res audio certification.
On the top of the smartphone, you’ll find an IR blaster, and on the bottom, you’ll find a USB C port. The handset comes in a dual-SIM configuration with 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, and the usual set of sensors seen on phones.
The fingerprint sensor on the side has been integrated within the power button. The fingerprint reader is as fast as ever, but low-light facial recognition requires some fine-tuning.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S Pros & Cons
Pros
- 90Hz refresh rate screen
- 5000 mAh battery
- 33W fast charging
- RAM extension up to 11GB
- 108MP AI Quad camera
Cons
- No 5G connectivity
- No dust and water resistance
- No NFC
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is an interesting device, however, I believe it is not worth Rs 16,499 and does not justify the price. The Redmi Note 11S outperforms the ordinary Redmi Note 11 in almost every way, from its elegant design to its vibrant AMOLED display to its fast processor, long battery life, and decent camera. The performance of the phone will not disappoint the occasional gamer in you, and the 5000 mAh battery will last a day for binge-watchers. Note that this smartphone does not support 5G, does not come with Android 12 out of the box, and does not shoot 4K videos, which may be disappointing if you are expecting these kinds of features in this price range.
To be honest, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is a bit overpriced for what it offers, and you can have a similar experience for a lot less money with phones that not only look nicer but also have similar features. We recommend that you either wait for Xiaomi to lower its prices or look into other options.
