Making sense of Xiaomi’s confusing new Redmi Note 11 range

By Andy Boxall Published January 26, 2022

There is not just one new Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 smartphone, but four of them, and all are being given an international release. The flagship Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the top model, and it’s joined by the Redmi Note 11 Pro, Redmi Note 11S, and basic Redmi Note 11. As always, the range is a little confusing, so let’s start out by examining the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, and working our way down from there.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 series. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G and Note 11 Pro

The Note 11 Pro 5G is the biggest and most technically impressive model in the Redmi Note 11 lineup. You look at a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and take pictures with a triple-lens camera on the back. This is headed up by a 108-megapixel main camera, along with an 8MP wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro camera. The screen contains a 16MP selfie camera. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 processor provides the power with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM.

Recommended Videos

A large 5,000mAh battery should provide plenty of standby time, and the 67-watt fast charging system will add 50% charge to it in just 15 minutes. There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and face unlock for security, dual speakers, a 3.5mm headphone socket, NFC, and a choice of 64GB or 128GB internal storage. The Redmi Note 11 Pro is very similar to the 5G version, but swaps the processor to a MediaTek Helio G96 chip and adds another 2MP depth camera to the module.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G color range. — Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G color range. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Redmi Note 11 and Note 11S

The Redmi Note 11 and Note 11S both have a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and the same security and audio features as the Pro models, but the 5,000mAh batteries get slower 33W fast charging. To make sure you’re really confused, the Note 11S gets the same camera system and processor as the Note 11 Pro (but not the 5G version), while the ordinary Note 11 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chip and different cameras. Here, you get a 50MP main camera, along with the 8MP wide-angle and dual 2MP depth and macro cameras seen on the Note 11 Pro and Note 11S. The front camera has 13MP.

The Redmi Note 11 and Redmi Note 11S will be available in January, followed by the Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro 5G in February. Prices have not been confirmed at the time of writing, and we will update here when they are announced.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 11 series replaces the Redmi Note 10 series, which came out in mid-2021. We tried the Redmi Note 10S but were disappointed by its lack of 5G connectivity.

Former Senior Mobile Writer

Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.

Topics

Phones

The Pixel 11 gives me three reasons to ditch my iPhone 17, and I’m afraid they’ll work

Google’s latest entry-level flagship makes my iPhone 17 look a lot less compelling.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

As someone who reviews smartphones for a living, upgrading every year isn't optional. It's part of the job, and as an iPhone user, it's an easy call. This year, I expected to move from my baseline iPhone 17 to Apple's next baseline model, the iPhone 18. Except Apple might not even launch it this September.

Pegatron, one of Apple's suppliers, indicated on an August 12 earnings call that the standard iPhone 18 isn't coming next month (via Deccan Chronicle). Only the Pro, Pro Max, and the rumored foldable "Ultra" are expected, with the base model pushed to early 2027. That alone would derail my plans. But it's just one domino in a longer line for Apple: the Pixel 11.

Phones

Cracking your Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra screen could cost $639, so handle it carefully

Samsung's new numbers put an exact, and fairly painful, figure on just how much pricier.

Computer, Electronics, Tablet Computer

Cracking your foldable's screen has always been an expensive mistake, but Samsung just put an actual price on it this year, and believe me, it’s more expensive than I initially thought it would be.

The company confirmed official repair pricing for the entire Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup, and fixing the inner display alone can cost more than some budget phones do new. Given that more people are buying into the category, making these revised repair costs all the more important to know before you take the plunge.

Phones

I’ve waited far too long for Pixels to get this stupidly simple gesture

Just ship the double-tap-to-lock gesture already Google.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

Every time I switch from any Android phone to a Pixel, there's one small gesture missing that always annoys me. From a modern Galaxy phone or even a device from Xiaomi, I can double-tap an empty part of the home screen and immediately turn the display off. Samsung has offered a double-tap to turn off the screen since Android 11. On a Pixel, I still have to reach for the power button.

To be fair, Google isn't the only offender, and Motorola's stock Android phones, like the Razr Fold, also skip such a basic feature. But this might be changing soon. Android Authority has discovered updated code strings inside Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 pointing to Google’s long-in-development double-tap-to-sleep feature. Better still, Google appears to have expanded it beyond the lock screen and onto the home screen, which is exactly where I want it.