Design and Construction
Holding the Redmi Note 11S is a bit like picking up a low-end iPhone 13. In addition to the finish material and size, you can see the straight edges that Apple has put back on the iPhone 12 series of phones, and Xiaomi has brought the same effect to the Redmi Note 11.
The similarities stop there. The plastic back and sides easily convey that you have a mid-range Android device in your hands, not a high-end iPhone. The weight of less than 180 grams also helps to avoid confusion.
If you consider that the screen is 6.43 inches, at least the smartphone is not that big. That said, front-facing usage is pretty good, with around 84.5% being taken up by the screen.
The handset has a teardrop-shaped cutout for the front camera and features a rear camera module with a larger sensor above two columns, one with two lenses, and a fourth camera and an LED flash.
The buttons are all on the right side, with volume up, more centralized power and a built-in fingerprint reader. At the bottom, Redmi Note 11S only has USB-C interface and sound output. The drawer with two nano SIM cards and a micro SD card slot is on the left.
Xiaomi offers IP53 certification on this device, which protects against dust and water splash.
Screen
Thanks to AMOLED technology, Redmi Note 11S is able to achieve good brightness levels even when used in sunlight. This model has a more intense display than its predecessor, with a typical 55% brightness increase.
The device also has a 90 Hz refresh rate option. However, it comes with 60 Hz by default and not everyone notices the difference until they make the switch – some don’t even notice after that. This is just a small increase in animation fluidity for compatible apps – systems, social networks, and a handful of games.
In addition, the panel of Redmi Note 11S features deep blacks with very sharp contrast, ideal for video playback or gaming. It has a good pixel density thanks to the Full HD resolution.
Configuration and Performance
Interestingly, the Redmi Note 11S is slightly weaker than its predecessor, the Redmi Note 10S, in running games. Both can perform more common tasks similarly, without choking and with speed, but they differ in heavier activities.
It is true that the newer model has the Helio G96, but the previous generation Helio G95 has a more powerful GPU. On the other hand, Redmi Note 11S is more energy efficient and the optimization of the calculation process is more obvious.
If you want to play this device, be aware of the following caveats: it will run most games available on the Google Play Store just fine. But the recommendation is to lower the graphic quality a little. More demanding games like Genshin Impact and Fortnite stutter even with reduced graphics.
The Xiaomi phone scored 1081 points at 6.5 fps in 3D Mark’s Wild Life Unlimited test. That score is slightly below the average for other mid-range models released between 2021 and 2022, which is good for a device with such a cheap proposition.
Usability
Despite having installed the latest version of Xiaomi’s interface, MIUI 13, the Redmi Note 11S still has Android 11 installed instead of the latest 12. This won’t affect usability much as it brings some of the latest features from the manufacturer itself.
The interface features a Control Center that works like the feature of the same name on iOS. This is a menu that allows you to control functions via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile networks, accessible by pulling down from the right side of the status bar.
For those who like to customize their phone, MIUI offers a theme store full of options. These are wallpapers, fonts or icon packs, or even screen locks. Speaking of which, unlocking is done by fingerprint and the sensors on the side are quite fast and accurate.
Redmi Note 11S is even equipped with an infrared sensor, allowing you to replace your TV remote, air conditioner and various electronic devices that are compatible with your phone.
cameras
The Redmi Note 11S follows Xiaomi standards when it comes to photography: the image quality is good, but there are some problems that make the images unattractive to most Brazilians. The biggest weakness is insisting on pushing the exposure too far, which can lead to a loss of detail in brighter areas.
This can be resolved by tapping the screen to tell the device where the object to focus is. You can then drag your finger down and reduce the exposure a bit. I do this for most of the photos I take with my phone and it works great.
As always, I don’t recommend using artificial intelligence. Also, it’s best to keep HDR on auto. That way you get a more balanced photo, with the white balance skewed towards cool colors and light saturation. Something you can fix later in the editing app.
Ultrawide sensor photos are a little darker due to the smaller aperture of the lens. Overall quality is slightly lower due to resolution.
It’s difficult to take good pictures with a macro camera and, in addition to its low resolution, it’s complicated by the focal length. I only managed a few good clicks by tapping the screen and dimming the lighting a bit, thus avoiding the zoomed-in shots. The fact that this sensor doesn’t have HDR only makes things worse.
In low light, you can only use the main camera – not even selfies. But I didn’t see much change, it only helps in low ambient light, so you can lighten the photo a little without losing sharpness.
Selfies
The front camera registers a good level of detail, with more balanced exposure than the rear camera. After all, the point here is to show your face, and the Redmi Note 11S does just that, with good quality without overly lightening skin tones.
Portrait mode manages to make a good crop, but it often misses, including details like ears or glasses. Hair may also not be considered part of your body and may become matted in various areas far away from your head.
You can take good pictures in low light, but you need to know how to use whatever light works to your advantage. That is: avoid backlight and always try to keep your face as lit as possible.
Video recording
Mid-range phones, especially Xiaomi’s, are not the best choice for recording video. But each has its own merits, and the Redmi Note 11S is quite satisfying for occasional recording, with decent quality and good optical stabilization.
The biggest issue here is the resolution, which is limited to full HD at 30 frames per second on the main and front cameras. But it’s good for social media.
Sound system
The Redmi Note 11S has a stereo sound system with three sound outputs, so you have absolutely no chance of covering them all. However, this does not mean that the sound quality is good.
Even with so many speakers, Xiaomi’s phone has a muffled sound. Better to just have a better audio device that reproduces the mids well without compromising the highs and lows. but it’s not the truth.
The highs, mids and lows overlap during playback, and the sound is quite distorted even at low volumes. By the way, the power supply is also weak and you have to turn up the volume to hear anything.
That said, while it’s not easy to completely drown out the Redmi Note 11S’s audio, the quality isn’t that great. At least the device has a P2 connector and you can use your preferred headset for video and gaming.
Battery and Charging
Xiaomi phones have the same battery capacity as most current mid-range models. That’s a decent amount of money, and the device uses good optimization to provide more than satisfactory usage time.
Estimated 20 hours of video playback before the power tank runs out. Tested on Netflix at 50% screen brightness and 3 hours of continuous playback on the device. During this period, its consumption is 15%.
I also ran two real-world usage tests, one with a screen frequency of 60 Hz, which is the default setting when setting up the phone, and one with a screen frequency of 90 Hz. The difference in average hourly consumption is not huge and should last at least a day, regardless of your choice of exercise fluidity.
At a screen frequency of 60 Hz, games, social media, video and other common everyday applications consume approximately 3% per hour. The display frequency is already 90 Hz, increasing to 3.3 pp per hour.
Both tests only considered more than half of the waiting time. After all, we spend a lot more time on our phone screens than we do with the lights on during the day.At least that’s the most common usage.
It can be charged with chargers up to 33W, like the one that comes in the box with the Redmi Note 11S. The adapter fills from 0% to 100% in 1 hour, though advertised to take just 58 minutes.
Redmi Note 11S: is it worth it?
Compared to its predecessor, the Redmi Note 11S has evolved little and does not have many reasons to exist. It would be even more interesting if Xiaomi offered a newer platform with a more advanced manufacturing process than the 12nm Helio G96.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad phone. It’s a Redmi Note 10S with a slightly weaker processor, especially when it comes to gaming, but it comes with a more powerful camera. This can be a good option for those looking for an intermediary to take photos.
Otherwise, it’s not all that different from what we’ve seen in many mid-range smartphones on the market. The Redmi Note 11S runs the most common day-to-day processes well, supporting heavier games but with reduced graphics. The battery doesn’t disappoint and the screen isn’t bad.
The problem is waiting until you reach a reasonable price. Currently, you can only find it at prices above 2,000 reais. This is a lot for a device like this, and it gets interesting when it reaches between 1,500 reais and 1,800 reais.
Another way is to import, then you can pay around 1,000 reais. However, keep in mind that this value does not include shipping or any import taxes. Products purchased outside Brazil do not have a 12-month manufacturer’s warranty.
