Xiaomi’s global Redmi Note 11 lineup offers (some) flagship camera specs at a mid-range price point: Digital Photography Review

Late last year, Xiaomi released its Redmi Note 11 series in China. Now, the company has announced the global release of its mid-range lineup with a few minor changes for international users.

Unlike the Chinese lineup, the global lineup lacks a ‘Pro Plus’ model, which was a plus-sized version of the flagship offering. Despite this absence, Xiaomi makes up for the loss of a device with the inclusion of a Note 11S model. This means the international audience will be able to choose from the Note 11, Note 11S, Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G.

This lineup nicely splits the series into effectively two devices, with only the internals splitting the difference into four unique models. That is, the Redmi Note 11 and Redmi Note 11S are effectively identical devices on the outside, as are the Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G. The only difference lies in the cameras housed inside each device and the chipset used to power it all.

Note 11 and Note 11S

Illustrations of the Redmi Note 11S.

Starting first with the similarities between the Note 11 and Note 11S, both models use a 6.43-inch AMOLED FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and are powered by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. Both devices also feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, power button fingerprint sensors, AI Face Unlock, Dual SIM + Micro SD card slots, NFC support and an IR blaster.

Feature overview for the Redmi Note 11.

The Note 11 features a 26mm full-frame equivalent 50MP main camera with an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro camera, a 2MP depth camera and a 13MP punch hole-style selfie camera. The Note 11S swaps the 50MP main camera for a 108MP 26mm equiv. module that uses a Samsung HM2 sensor (1/1.52″, 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF). The Note 11S also bumps up the in-display selfie camera to 16MP. Aside from those changes, the Note 11S otherwise uses the same 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth camera as the Note 11.

Feature overview of the Redmi Note 11S

While both devices use LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 flash storage, the Note 11 is only available in 4GB+64GB, 4GB+128GB and 6GB+128GB configurations while the Note 11S is available in 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB configurations. The chipsets are different as well, with he Note 11 using a Snapdragon 680 and the Note 11S using the MediaTek Helio G96.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and Note 11S are expected to be available globally in the coming weeks for around 160€ and 220€, respectively. Prices may vary depending on your region and current exchange rates.

Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G offers quite a value for those who want a solid device on a respectable budget.

As mentioned above, the Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G are identical in external appearances and both use the same 6.67” FHD+ AMOLED display (2,400 x 1080 pixels) with a 120Hz refresh rate and wide color gamut support (DCI-P3) and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. They also share the same 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. Other similarities include a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, power button fingerprint sensors, AI Face Unlock, NFC support and an IR blaster.

Feature summary of the Redmi Note 11 Pro.

While the Note 11 Pro 5G lacks the 2MP depth camera, the three remaining cameras on the device are identical to those found in the 11 Pro. That includes a 108MP 26mm equiv. main camera powered by Samsung’s HM2 sensor (1/1.52″, 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF), an 8MP ultrawide camera (F2.2, 118º FOV) and a 2MP (F2.4) macro camera.

Feature summary of the Redmi Note 11 Pro

Both devices use the same LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 flash storage as the Note 11 and Note 11S and come in the same configurations as the Note 11S: 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB. The Note 11 Pro is powered by the same MediaTek Helio G96 chipset as the Note 11S while the Note 11 Pro 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, which gives it its exclusive (to this series) 5G functionality.

The Xiaomi Redmi NOte 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G are expected to be available in the coming weeks for 270€ and 290€, respectively. Prices may vary depending on your region and current exchange rates. Below is the full launch video of the Note 11 Series global launch:

While these phones lack some of the more impressive chipsets, displays and specifications of high-end phones, they’re also some of the most affordable devices with Samsung’s ISOCELL HN2 inside. In fact, from our research, the Note 11S is the cheapest phone (at launch) to have the HN2 onboard and as a whole has quite a bit to offer for a device expected to retail for only 220€. Keep in mind the cellular bands these devices use may or may not be entirely compatible with your carrier and region. GSMArena has details breakdowns of specifications for the Redmi Note 11, Note 11S, Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G.