Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G review: A big shift in the Redmi series?

Each year, the Redmi Note series pushes the boundaries for the under Rs 20,000 price segment. Inevitably, the Pro options offer a little extra in terms of power and at a higher price. But as I have noted in earlier reviews, the Redmi Note series has become more fragmented over the years, with a higher starting price.
This year’s Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G has a starting price of Rs 20,999, one of the highest ever. It goes up all the way to Rs 24,999 for the 8GB RAM+256GB storage. This is a price ceiling that the Redmi Note series has not crossed to date. But does the hike in price match up to expectations? Here’s our review.
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ specifications: 6.67-inch full HD+ AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor with 5G | 6GB or 8GB RAM| 128GB or 256GB storage | 108MP+8MP+2MP camera | 16MP front camera | MIUI 13 on Android 11 |
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ price in India: Rs 20,999 for the 6GB option, Rs 22,999 for 8GB +128GB and Rs 24,999 for the 8GB+256GB
The Phantom white colour option for the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ review: What’s good?
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ continues with the ‘Evol’ design we’ve seen on other phones in the series. But this time the phone has a flatter body compared to the previous Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, which was the most expensive variant last year. The camera module looks slightly different and there’s another major change—the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ has a triple camera. The Pro Max had a quad-camera setup instead.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ comes in Phantom White, Mirage Blue and Stealth Black colour options with a frosted glass back, which gives it a premium look. I have the white colour variant, which is prone to changing colour depending on the light. But this one does get covered in smudges pretty quickly.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ comes with an AMOLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The new phone continues with a 6.67-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display. The maximum refresh rate is 120 Hz, but there’s no smart refresh setting which some rivals devices do have and at a lower price bracket. It has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 as well.
This remains one of the best displays you can get in this segment. The display works well in bright sunlight and is perfectly legible. If you’re buying a phone primarily for your daily entertainment quota—from streaming movies or watching YouTube—this one fulfils those with ease. I’ve watched a movie, TV shows on Netflix on this, and the experience was enjoyable. However, this is something one has come to expect in the Pro series in Redmi Note phones.
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ comes with some other changes as well. It now includes 5G support, though Xiaomi is keen on maintaining a balance between 4G and 5G devices in its portfolio. The phone runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, which appears to be a popular choice in this segment as even Realme and Vivo have options powered the same.
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ has a 6.67-inch full HD+ display. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
I have the 8GB RAM+128GB version for review, and it comes with an option for extending RAM another 3GB. The feature is turned on default, though you can go into the Memory Extension option in Settings to turn it off, depending on preference.
The phone’s performance is smooth, and for daily tasks such as browsing social media websites or regular multi-tasking, it works without any hiccups. I was a little doubtful about the performance for games such as Genshin Impact, but it ran without any problems. However, when I cranked up the graphics settings to medium for Genshin, the device got noticeably warm on the top and continued heating up. The game ran fine though.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ gets a 108MP main camera at the back. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The rear camera includes a 108MP+ 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro camera setup. Redmi is promising improved low-light performance on the phone. The main camera continues to perform well with balanced colours for most scenarios. I used it during a trip to Golden Temple in Amritsar, and it camera delivered excellent details with ample details and good colours.
Another night shot I took on my terrace came out quite nice, despite the minimal lighting. Even portrait shots of my son taken indoors looked very pleasing.
A night shot taken on the terrace using the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
A sample taken with the Redmi Note 11 Pro+. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
An image of the Golden Temple taken with the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. Image has been resized for web. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
An image taken of the Golden Temple using the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. Image had been resized for web. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
An image of a flower taken using the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
An image of a flower taken using the Redmi Note 11 Pro+. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
An image taken using the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ outside the Golden Temple. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The skin tone was also accurate, and the same goes for selfies as well. If you are looking for a camera to deliver sharp results indoors and outdoors, and in poor lighting, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is more than capable. But there were some misses, which I will discuss in the next segment.
The phone comes with a 5000 mAh battery and this time Xiaomi has bumped up the fast charging to 67W. The battery will easily last a day. I’ve used this extensively for gaming, running a WiFi hotspot in my office, etc without worrying about running out of charge. Regarding charging speeds, I put the phone to charge at 16 per cent and in around 20 minutes, the battery was around 75 per cent, which is impressive and more than enough for most users.
The macro camera on the phone struggles with details and colour accuracy. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ review: What’s not good?
The ultra-wide and macro cameras remain unimpressive. This is disappointing more so because the macro in the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max was something I quite liked. Again, I’m keeping Redmi Note 10 Pro Max in mind here because that was the most premium variant last year. This time, the macro feels like a compromise. It does struggle with bright colours like reds and pinks and colour accuracy in general. Even for the main camera, pinks and reds at night appear too processed.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ remains on Android 11 though it runs MIUI 13 from Xiaomi. There’s no word on when Android 12 will roll out, which is another miss, given others are offering the latest OS. The other major issue with Redmi Note 11 Pro+ was the heating when I pushed the performance such as increasing graphics intensity on Genshin Impact.
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ review: Verdict
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is no doubt a capable device. The main camera, the display, battery life and day-to-day performance are all strong points. The phone also includes 5G connectivity, which means if you want a future proof device, this remains an option on the l.
The challenge though is the price increase, which Redmi might find hard to justify since the phone starts at Rs 20,999. This could also explain why it has launched a Redmi loyalty program where it is offering users Rs 2,000 extra on exchange value for their older Redmi Note phone. The program is interestingly only applicable to the Pro+ variant, and not the regular Pro. So, if you are trading in an older Redmi Note in good working condition, then does become an excellent deal to consider.
However, the competition is a lot tougher now, and the Redmi Note 11 portfolio itself is confusing. If you are not too keen on spending extra and don’t need 5G, the Redmi Note 11 Pro or even the 11S might make more sense for some users.