We are at the end of 2021 and might be seeing Xiaomi’s last smartphone launch in India this year. Late last month, the company launched the first device in the new-gen Redmi Note 11 series – and what a time to add another 5G-capable smartphone to its budget (or almost mid-budget) portfolio. dub redmi note 11t 5g, the phone is a follow-up to the Redmi Note 10T 5G that was launched in the country less than five months ago. In terms of design, both look similar, but the new-gen models come with noticeable upgrades.
Since the Redmi Note 11T 5G launched in India less than a week ago, today we are just eyeing the phone. For this first impression, we are looking at the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model that comes in Aquamarine Blue color finish. This is also the top variant which costs Rs 19,999. Its sale will start from December 7 on Mi.com, Mi Home, Mi Studios and Amazon. Two more storage options are 6GB + 64GB (expandable up to 1GB) and 6GB + 128GB (expandable up to 2GB) which are priced at Rs 16,999 and Rs 17,999 respectively.
Design: In terms of looks, the Redmi Note 11T 5G does not come with significant design changes compared to its predecessor Redmi Note 10T 5G. That doesn’t mean it looks bad by any metric, and Xiaomi’s ‘Evol’ design brings a separate rear camera module, and the front panel has a hole-punch cutout for a single selfie camera. As mentioned, we have got the Aquamarine Blue color model, and the customers can choose from two more options – Stardust White and Matte Black colour. We also find the Redmi ‘5G’ branding on the bottom left side of the back panel.
The Redmi Note 11T 5G looks great in photos, and the gradient finish adds more life to the solid colors. But in reality, the phone has a plastic body, and the back has a matte finish, so you won’t easily see fingerprint smudges. Although the plastic-back has a rough finish that also provides a good grip, the overall quality can feel low-grade. In that case, users can use the transparent silicone case that comes with the package.
My favorite part of the design is the headphone jack on the bottom, which I still miss a lot on smartphones. However, it also contributes to the overall thickness as the phone measures 163.56×75.78×8.75mm (HxWxT). Its weight is 195 grams, 5 grams heavier than Redmi Note 10T 5G. Since the phone is already heavy, we get a very light camera module bump. That way, the device doesn’t move much when the rear camera side is placed on a flat surface. The power button also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
Display: The screen of the Redmi Note 11T 5G is getting a slight upgrade in terms of size. First, it gets a comparatively larger 6.6-inch (if even a smaller amount) screen with a similar full-HD+ (2400×1080 pixels) resolution and 90Hz refresh. The phone again comes with an adaptive refresh rate, though this time, only three modes – 90Hz, 60Hz, and 50Hz, are likely to conserve battery. You get standard display features with MIUI 12.5, such as reading mode, text font, enhanced dark mode, color scheme.
The good part is that the display is bright and has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. The big screen gives an even viewing and reading experience, and we get good color accuracy. However, I noticed a strange, fuzzy haze when watching content on Netflix that was not visible on YouTube. For those who are upgrading their old budget smartphone, the 90Hz refresh rate display also delivers smooth performance.
Display: However, a good display experience can be hampered by a cluttered software experience. We get the latest MIUI 12.5 out of the box (with the August 2021 Android security patch), but there’s no doubt that users will see loads of bloatware (most of them removable except for proprietary Xiaomi and Google apps). You also get spammy notifications, so make sure you change the setting when you’re setting up the device.
Xiaomi is also proudly banking on the 6nm-based MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset on the Redmi Note 11T 5G, which is an upgraded version of the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC that powers the Redmi Note 10T 5G. The company claims that their latest Note smartphone is 20 percent faster than the previous-gen model. In terms of benchmarks, the phone scored 600 points during the single-core test and 1790 during the multi-core test on Geekbench v5, which is not at all bad for a smartphone in this price range.
Apart from the numbers, I didn’t face any problem while playing heavy games like Asphalt 9: Legends and Garena Free Fire Max. I barely played PUBG: New State (as I like Free Fire better), but the game ran smoothly without showing any signs of overheating. Switching between apps was also fairly smooth, thanks to the upgraded 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM onboard. We also get RAM Booster technology that boosts RAM to 3GB using passive ROM, effectively providing 11GB of RAM. This feature is available as Dynamic RAM on Realme phones, and Samsung is also bringing it as RAM Plus on its smartphones.
A few months back, a report by CyberMedia Research claimed that smartphone customers demand better speakers than camera quality. If this is your priority, then the good thing is that the Redmi Note 11T 5G delivers decent sound through dual-speakers.
For connectivity, the Redmi Note 11T 5G is equipped with 7 5G bands, which include SA: n1 / n3 / n5 / n8 / n28 / n40 / n78 and NSA: n1 / n3 / n40 / n78. network speed. Other features include a hybrid SIM slot, Bluetooth 5.1 and dual-band Wi-Fi – pretty good options for an almost mid-range smartphone.
Camera: The Redmi Note 11T 5G comes with a dual rear camera setup consisting of a 50-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with 119-degree field of view (FOV). The tertiary sensor we saw in the Redmi Note 10T 5G has now been removed. Honestly, I’m impressed with the still images that the phone captured, even though they appeared a bit exposed and saturated. I have seen similar quality in some mid-budget smartphones, so it is up to you to decide whether Redmi Note 11T 5G is improving its camera or almost all OEMs are not focusing on their smartphone’s camera system.
That being said, the cameras on the Redmi Note 11T 5G will detect color even at night, but you will miss small details in the photos. The 16-megapixel selfie camera also offered similar, decent performance, though the lack of facial detail is disappointing, even in broad daylight. On the other hand, video through both the front and back cameras is poor, which is again noticeable on many budget smartphones. Additionally, it appears that the video rendering capabilities on the phone are also below average as there is a lot of noise and inexplicable stuttering in the video content on Instagram.
Battery: Both the Redmi Note 11T 5G and the Redmi Note 10T 5G come with a 5,000mAh battery unit, though the former now supports 33W Pro fast charging. As promised, the battery lasts all day and the bundled 33W charger powers the device up to full capacity in about an hour. The phone charged 44 percent of the battery in 30 minutes.
Decision: After all this, the pertinent question that arises is – what is the purpose of the Redmi Note 11T 5G at this point of the year? Xiaomi says, “We are taking the next big leap in smartphone technology by offering 5G connectivity that brings seven-band support and makes premium 5G smartphone technology accessible to all.”
In that case, the new generation Redmi Note 11T 5G actually has more 5G band-support than its predecessor Redmi Note 10T 5G which carries the same price tag. In terms of first impressions, the new smartphone offers a decent battery life and good camera performance (for still photography only). The display needs some improvement, and the software experience remains more or less chaotic. But the real money is on the MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset that smoothly runs games and many apps in the background with minor (read: negligible) stutter. It will be interesting to see if the phone will deliver the same performance after a few weeks of usage.
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