Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G hands-on, first impressions

The Redmi Note 11 series is set to be released in the Philippines this February 11, 2022. Aside from the Redmi Note 11 that we have for review, we also have its big brother (the highest model in the line-up), the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G for a quick hands-on.

The variant of Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G that we have on hand comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage in Mysterious Black color. The device feels huge and chunky with its squarish body and sharp edges. We find it a bit bulky to use with one hand even with as simple as texting. Xiaomi refers to it as a ‘trendy flat-edge body’ that’s quite similar to the iPhone 13 design.

The body is made of solid metal chassis with Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and an unspecified frosted glass at the back. The flat design is a bit jarring mainly due to the size of the device. One may get used to it over time, I guess.

The volume rocker and power button, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner, are found on the right side.

A secondary noise-canceling mic is found up top along with a second set of speaker grills, 3.5mm audio port and an IR blaster for use as a remote control.

The SIM card slot is found on the bottom side. It comes with a dedicated nano-SIM tray for 5G connectivity and a secondary hybrid tray for a nano-SIM or microSD card. Along with it are the primary microphone, primary speaker and a USB Type C port.

The box came with a USB cable, a 67W fast charger, SIM ejector pin, a clear gel case that makes it even more unwieldy for its size and a screen protector that you can install yourself. Just like the Redmi Note 11, there are no earphones here either.

The display is a slightly larger 6.67-inches and is made of Super AMOLED, protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The screen has a full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels) in a 20:9 aspect ratio and 395 ppi pixel density.

It’s got an impressive 120Hz refresh rate and 700 nits (1200 nits, peak) of brightness perfect for gaming and watching movies.

At the back is a large module for the quad-camera setup. The primary lens is a 108MP f/1.9, 26mm (wide) with dual pixel phase-detection autofocus; an 8MP f/2.2, 118-degree ultrawide lens; a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens and an LED flash. At the front, there’s a single front-facing camera with a 16 MP f/2.4 lens.

Here are some sample photos and videos we took using the rear camera.

Powering the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 695. It’s an octa-core chipset manufactured using a 6-nanometer process technology. It has a dual-core Kryo 660 Gold (Cortex-A78) at 2.2GHz and a hexa-core Kryo 660 Silver (Cortex-A55) at 1.7GHz. The SD695 is comparable to an SD765G in terms of performance with a slight advantage on battery life. It averages around 400k in Antutu Benchmark.

This is paired with an Adreno 619 GPU and 8GB of RAM with a 3GB Memory Extension. Memory Extension was introduced in MIUI 12.5 which allows the system to use internal memory as additional virtual RAM for more efficient multi-tasking.

As for the battery, just like all the others in the series, the Note 11 Pro 5G comes with a 5,000mAh internal battery that supports QuickCharge 3+ and Power Delivery 3.0. The 67W fast charger promises 50% charge in 15 minutes and full charge in just 42 minutes which will try to find out in our full review.

Xiaomi Philippines has not revealed the suggested retail price of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G but we think it’s going to be in the Php15k to Php16k range based on the €160 MSRP.

Stay tuned for our full review of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G by the time it is officially released in the Philippines in a couple of weeks.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G specs:
6.67-inch HDR10 AMOLED (1080 x 2400 pixels) display
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
120Hz refresh rate
Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G
Adreno 619
6GB, 8GB RAM
128GB, 256GB storage
Triple rear cameras:
• 108MP (main)
• 8MP (ultrawide)
• 2MP (macro)
16MP selfie camera
Dual-SIM (nano), 5G support
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
3.5mm audio jack
USB Type-C 2.0
Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
5,160mAh battery w/ 67W fast charging
MIUI 13 (Android 11)
164.2 x 76.1 x 8.1 mm (dimension)
202 grams (weight)
Mysterious Black, Forest Green, Timeless Purple, Milky Way Blue