At the beginning of this year, Xiaomi released a bunch of new devices including the Redmi Note 11S.
Equipped with MediaTek Helio G96 chipset, the 6GB+128GB version of the phone currently costs Tk27,999 while a more beefed-up 8GB+128GB version costs Tk29,999.
Aesthetics
Available in Graphite Gray, Pearl White, and Twilight Blue, its matte surface keeps Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S fairly free from fingerprints.
In terms of weight, the Note 11S is on the lighter side, weighing only 179 grams, a little more than its predecessor, the Redmi Note 10S, which is mostly unnoticeable.
Together with the AMOLED panel, the frame and back cover, which are both made of plastic, forming a stable unit.
The power key and volume rocker still provide a very good pressure point despite not being seated very firmly in the frame.
The Redmi Note 11S and Redmi Note 10S exteriors are similar, with a few minor differences. The selfie camera is still hidden beneath the punch hole in the middle of the top display edge, and the display still occupies about 84% of the front of the device.
A quad-camera system with a 108-MP sensor at its core is housed on the back.
Display
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is equipped with a 6.43 inches 90Hz AMOLED panel.
The AMOLED display of The Redmi Note 11S has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and can be set to a fixed frame rate of 60 or 90 Hz.
As with some high-end smartphones, there is no adaptive control. HDR is also not supported.
Xiaomi promises brightness levels of up to 1000 nits for the Redmi Note 11S, 100 nits lesser than its predecessor.
In the display settings, you can choose between the "Vivid," "Saturated," and "Standard" colour presets. Additionally, the colour temperature can be changed.
The "Standard" preset produces the best colour reproduction compared to the “Vivid” preset.
The display of Redmi Note 11S performs well outdoors. The contents of the display can be easily read as long as direct sunlight is avoided.
This works even from very steep side viewing angles thanks to the AMOLED panel's high viewing angle stability.
The capacitive touchscreen of the Redmi Note 11S responds to inputs very quickly and accurately thanks to its touch scan rate of up to 180 Hz. Animations and menu and website scrolling are comfortably smooth thanks to the 90 Hz refresh rate.
The fingerprint sensor built into the power button can be used to unlock the smartphone biometrically. This works quickly and achieves a high rate of recognition.
While 2D face recognition authentication is just as quick in well-lit environments, it is less secure than fingerprint sensor technology.
Performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is powered by Mediatek Helio G96. The previous Redmi Note 10S had Helio G95.
Even though G96 is a newer chipset, the performance jumps were very minimal. They score the same in Nanoreview battery score and G95 also performs better when it comes to gaming.
You can say that it is hardly an improvement over its predecessor.
In addition to outperforming the competitor devices on almost all synthetic benchmarks, the Redmi Note 11S also outperforms the Redmi Note 11 with Snapdragon 680, the entry-level model in the Redmi Note 11 series.
Apart from Mobile Legends Bang Bang, most other graphics-intensive games such as Asphalt 9, Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Fortnite and Genshin Impact can be played in low to medium graphics settings.
Mobile Legends surprisingly supports Ultra graphics in Redmi Note 11S.
Camera
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S has a dual camera setup consisting of a 108 MP wide main camera, an 8 MP ultrawide camera, a 2 MP macro and another 2MP depth sensor.
The 108-MP main camera uses the Samsung HM2 as the image sensor.
The photos taken with the 108-MP camera under ideal lighting look good, especially when compared to photos taken with the Redmi Note 11.
The Redmi Note 11S can capture noticeably more image details than its Redmi sibling because it has a larger image sensor and more pixel reserves.
Additionally, the images have a rich contrast and vibrant colours. However, the main camera only captures muddy details when zoomed in. You also have to live with some compromises in night recordings since they quickly become blurry.
The ultrawide angle camera has an 8-MP resolution and a 118-degree field of view.
Since it produces images that are noticeably noisy even in the best lighting conditions and also operates at a relatively low sharpness level, it is unable to compete with the main camera in terms of quality.
The unnecessary 2MP macro cameras never produced any usable shots. So, we will not be discussing that.
The 16 MP front-facing camera of Redmi Note 11S can capture 1080p video at up to 30 frames per second.
It is effective at capturing clear portrait images with details that are easy to see and colours that look natural. A beauty mode can be used to improve the pictures.
Battery
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S can be recharged quickly using the included 33-Watt charger. It takes around 52 minutes to fully charge the 5000-mAh battery.
All-day battery life can be easily expected from this phone.
Verdict
For those who can live without 5G connectivity, Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S is a good choice. It has well-balanced specs and the 5000 battery can be charged quickly with the 33W charger.
The cameras performed average, as usual. But all the sensors are there in case you need them.
Without the dollar crisis and sudden rise in smartphone prices, this phone could have been available at a price below Tk25,000. But unfortunately, this increased price is our reality now.
