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Our review

For a low-to-mid-range smartphone, the Redmi Note 11 Pro offers some impressive specs. Its mid-range chipset is capable of running several apps at the same time and copes with games. However, we did encounter some freezing of basic apps during our testing.

Pros

  • Solid main camera
  • Nice design and hand-feel
  • Good battery life when using 60Hz setting

Cons

  • Some apps froze during testing
  • Large bezels
  • 120Hz setting drains the battery quickly

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the top-end of Xiaomi's budget Redmi line. It offers some respectable specs for its diminutive price tag and makes an interesting addition to the budget phones market.

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Heading for UK shelves in April, the phone packs a 108MP camera and a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. We encountered one or two small performance issues during our tests but overall found the handset to be a good value proposition and a highly usable, multifunctional smartphone.

It's worth noting too that we really liked the predecessor to this phone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro. It bagged a 4.5-star rating in our full Redmi Note 10 Pro review.

If you're wanting to shop around and consider worthy alternatives, it's also worth taking a look at our new Honor X8 review, Moto G200 review and our best budget smartphone list.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro review: summary

The Redmi Note 11 offers value as a budget handset. It's got a decent camera and plenty of features. It's powerful enough to play games and run a wealth of apps but can hit technical issues every now and again.

During our tests, one basic commonly used email app froze repeatedly. A quick reboot of the phone sorted this out easily, but the fault recurred on two more occasions and other apps encountered similar issues.

That aside, we enjoyed using the Redmi Note 11 Pro and it was a versatile, functional smartphone that offers good value for its price of around £300. That places it in the lower mid-range and – by and large – the chipset and tech behind this handset deliver a really good package for something in that price range.

Key features:

  • 6.67-inch AMOLED display
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • IP52 dust and splash protection
  • Headphone jack
  • 108MP main camera

Pros:

  • Solid main camera
  • Nice design and hand-feel
  • Good battery life when using 60Hz setting

Cons:

  • Some apps froze during testing
  • Large bezels
  • 120Hz setting drains battery quickly

What is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro?

Redmi is a sub-brand of Xiaomi. The company currently divides its phones into three lines, with the central Xiaomi line — consisting of the likes of the Xiaomi 11 — the most high-end, the Redmi line being more affordable and the Poco line-up offering something for a slightly younger, more gaming-oriented audience. Take a look at our review of the Xiaomi 11T Pro for more info.

How much is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro?

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 costs £299 and at that price it's very good value.

The cheaper base model, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11, is also available for £200. It lacks some of the better features of the Pro version and feels quite different in design terms too. We had a limited hands-on period with the base model and found the Pro easier to recommend.

Shop the Xiaomi smartphone range:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro features

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro

For a low-to-mid-range handset, the Redmi Note 11 Pro is fairly feature-packed. Alongside that headline-grabbing 108MP camera, it's equipped with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset and full 5G capabilities.

The addition of 5G is one of the main advantages the Pro has over the standard handset and it has plenty of extra power too, so you'll get away with running more apps and bigger games.

It's got IP52-rated dust and splash protection, so there's some peace of mind, but the handset isn't exactly indestructible.

The fingerprint scanner is another welcome addition. It's side-mounted, on the 'on' button, so it's easy to find and was easy to set up and use too.

For those of you who like to use wired headphones, there's even a headphone jack! This is increasingly rare on new phones and will be a refreshing change for some buyers. That said, if you're looking to go wireless, do take a look at our best wireless earbuds page.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro battery

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G comes with a 5000mAh battery. That's a really good capacity and for the majority of our testing, we were impressed with how slowly the phone chewed through its battery life.

However, one key variable controls this. While variable refresh rates are all the rage among flagship phones at the moment, the Redmi Note 11 Pro has two settings for its display's refresh rate — either 60Hz or 120Hz. Where variable refresh rates adjust automatically to save battery, the Note 11 Pro can't. So, if you turn on that 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother experience, the phone will die much sooner.

Flipping to that higher refresh rate saw the handset burn through power pretty quickly, but for much of our test, we used the phone on the 60Hz setting and were impressed by how long the battery lasted. We never had to take impromptu charging breaks throughout the day and always finished the day with some power left in the bank.

The phone comes with a 67W fast charger in the box, but the handset we were supplied with had a two-pin plug, so we weren't able to test this extensively. However, during our time at MWC 2022, we made use of European plug sockets and found the fast charger performed very well. Xiaomi has assured us that UK models do come with a UK three pin plug fast charger.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro camera

The Redmi Note 11 Pro proudly boasts a 108MP camera as part of a quad-camera array on the reverse of the phone. The other three lenses consist of one 8MP wide-angle snapper, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. Altogether they perform pretty well and the 108MP main camera does a good job of capturing detail. However, use the extra wide-angle and you'll see that detail significantly reduced.

Overall, we found the camera easy to use and functional, but it's not going to set any records. That said, who expects a top-performing camera in this low-to-mid-range bracket? The 108MP really adds to the overall value proposition of the handset.

On the front, the phone packs a serviceable 16MP camera and the cameras can capture 1080p video at 30FPS.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro design

You're not going to mistake the Redmi Note 11 Pro for a £1000 flagship, but it's a really nice tactile handset and it doesn't suffer from finger marks as badly as a lot of similarly priced phones.

It's got a flat back with a fairly large, protruding camera bump, which is rectangular with rounded corners. The screen is flat too with a very slight sloping away effect around the edges. All the flat edges have a very iPhone-esque feel and it seems that's what Xiaomi was going for.

Overall, the handset is tactile and has a nice mid-range feel. Its slightly larger bezels are a nod to its low price point, but they're not likely to be a sticking point for many users.

Our verdict: should you buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro?

The Redmi Note 11 Pro is a good value proposition, first and foremost. For a phone around the £300 mark, it's got a solid camera and offers serviceable hardware. While we encountered one or two small tech hitches during testing, the phone performed well for the most part.

Also, it doesn't feel like a cheap phone in your hands. It's a nice, tactile handset and when you're handling it day-in-day-out, that really makes a difference. We liked the flat styling, though the large conspicuous camera bump may irritate some users, likewise the cut-out selfie camera on the front.

Use the phone on the 60Hz refresh rate setting and the battery is fairly impressive too and the fast charge is a bonus.

With app-freezing and fast charge issues, the phone is far from perfect, but it's still a good value offering for around £300 and overall we enjoyed using it.

Where to buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro

The Redmi Note 11 Pro is available via O2 and Xiaomi right now, we're sure it will be more widely available soon too and you can check in using the links below.

Take a look below for the latest deals on the base model, the Xiaomi Note 11.

It's worth noting too that we gave the Note 10 Pro a 4.5-star rating and it's one to consider. This handset is still available and will be available more cheaply following the release of the Note 11 Pro.

For the latest news, reviews, and deals, check out the RadioTimes.com Technology section.

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Authors

George Storr
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