Premium display and design, but the processor reminds you it's still mid-range
In the ever-tightening contest between aspiration and affordability, Xiaomi's Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G arrives in March 2022 as a device that reaches upward without fully escaping its constraints. Priced at ₹20,999 in India, it offers a luminous 120Hz AMOLED display and rapid charging that would have felt extraordinary just years ago, yet stumbles where modern buyers increasingly look — in gaming, video, and low-light photography. It is a phone that captures the spirit of progress in the mid-range segment while quietly revealing how much further that segment still has to travel.
- The mid-range smartphone battlefield in India has grown so crowded that even a phone with a premium display and fast charging must fight hard to justify its existence.
- A Snapdragon 695 chipset — capable in daily life but prone to stutters in gaming and unable to record 1080p at 60fps — creates real friction against a price tag that promises more.
- The 5,000mAh battery charging from zero to full in under 50 minutes and a genuinely improved MIUI 13 software skin offer the kind of practical reliability that wins over everyday users.
- Seven 5G bands position the device ahead of India's spectrum auction, but buyers today are purchasing potential rather than present utility.
- The phone currently lands as a conditional recommendation — compelling for those upgrading from aging hardware, but worth reconsidering for anyone who can afford to wait for stronger rivals.
Xiaomi's Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G entered the market in March 2022 as the most expensive phone the company has released under the Redmi Note name, starting at ₹20,999. It arrives in a segment far more competitive than it was a year ago, and the pressure shows in both its strengths and its compromises.
The design draws obvious inspiration from Apple's squared-off aesthetic — frosted glass back, flat frame, rounded edges — resulting in something boxy but comfortable to hold. A fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button responds well, and the retention of a 3.5mm headphone jack is a quiet but meaningful gesture at this price tier.
The display is the phone's most convincing argument. A 6.67-inch AMOLED panel running at 120Hz with Full HD+ resolution produces vivid, bright visuals that hold up even in direct sunlight. The Snapdragon 695 chipset manages everyday tasks smoothly enough, but gaming exposes its ceiling — stutters appear in demanding titles, and the processor cannot handle HDR10 decoding or 1080p video at 60 frames per second.
The 5,000mAh battery proved genuinely durable through a full day of mixed use, and 67W fast charging refills it in under 50 minutes. MIUI 13, historically a source of frustration, has matured noticeably — bloat is reduced, customization is thoughtful, and system advertisements have been scaled back.
The 108MP camera performs well in daylight but struggles in low light, and the included macro lens demands patience that a telephoto would have made unnecessary. Seven 5G bands offer forward compatibility ahead of India's spectrum rollout, though that future remains distant for most buyers today.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is a phone of genuine promise and real limitation — worth considering for those upgrading from older devices, but perhaps worth waiting on for anyone who can hold out for what comes next.
Xiaomi's latest entry into its popular Redmi Note lineup arrived in March with a familiar promise: premium features at a mid-range price. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G starts at ₹20,999 for the base model, making it the most expensive phone the company has released under the Redmi Note banner. The device sits in a market segment that has grown considerably more crowded and competitive than it was just a year ago, forcing the phone to work harder to justify its position.
The phone's design borrows heavily from Apple's playbook. A frosted glass back paired with a flat plastic frame and squared-off edges create an aesthetic that recalls the iPhone 13, though the overall effect reads as boxy rather than refined. The edges themselves aren't sharp, which helps when holding the device for extended periods. The right side houses the volume rocker and power button—the latter doubling as a fingerprint sensor with a satisfying tactile response, though the volume buttons lack the same clickiness. A 3.5mm headphone jack remains present, a feature increasingly rare in this price tier.
The display is where the phone makes its strongest case. A 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and Full HD+ resolution delivers vivid colors and excellent brightness. During testing, the screen remained easily readable even in direct sunlight, reaching 700 nits through a feature Xiaomi calls sunlight boost. Setting the refresh rate to 120Hz throughout daily use produced smooth scrolling across apps and interfaces, though the experience came at the cost of battery efficiency.
Under the hood sits a Snapdragon 695 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In everyday tasks, the processor handles itself competently, even while driving the high-refresh display. Gaming reveals its limitations, however. Titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India run adequately most of the time but suffer from noticeable stutters. The chipset also cannot decode HDR10 video or record 1080p footage at 60 frames per second—a notable omission for a phone at this price point.
The battery impressed during real-world use. A 5,000mAh cell paired with 67W fast charging meant the phone could go from empty to full in 47 minutes, slightly longer than Xiaomi's claimed 42-minute estimate. A full day of moderate use—calling, texting, multitasking, photography, and video streaming—left the battery intact without requiring a midday top-up. The phone also supports seven 5G bands, positioning it well for India's upcoming spectrum auction, though 5G networks remain unavailable in the country.
Xiaomi's MIUI 13 software proved surprisingly refined. The custom Android skin, which has historically suffered from bloat and aggressive notifications, showed genuine improvement. Users can now choose between card and grid layouts for recent apps, customize notification behavior, and the company has scaled back system advertisements significantly. For those accustomed to minimal skins like Google's Pixel interface or OnePlus' OxygenOS, MIUI 13 felt fresh and thoughtfully optimized.
The camera system consists of a 108MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro camera. In daylight, the primary camera produces well-balanced colors with only slight punchiness at default settings. Portrait mode delivers solid edge detection. Low light proves problematic, with both the main and ultra-wide cameras producing noticeably noisy images. The macro lens is serviceable but demands extremely steady hands for usable shots—a telephoto lens would have served the phone better.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G occupies an awkward position. It offers a premium 120Hz AMOLED display and thoughtful design in a price segment where few competitors match that combination. Yet the slightly weaker processor, gaming limitations, and video recording constraints create friction against its asking price. For someone upgrading from a phone more than a year old, waiting for stronger alternatives might prove the wiser choice.
Notable Quotes
The phone lasted a full day comfortably with over an hour of calling, texting, multitasking, and video streaming— Reviewer's real-world battery testing
MIUI 13 looked and felt surprisingly fresh, with significant improvements in optimization and refinement— Reviewer's assessment of the software experience
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the chipset matter so much if the phone handles everyday tasks fine?
Because everyday tasks are only part of the story. The Snapdragon 695 stumbles when you ask it to do anything demanding—gaming stutters, video recording is capped at 1080p 30fps. For ₹20,999, you're paying for a premium display and design, but the processor reminds you it's still a mid-range phone.
The display sounds genuinely excellent. Is that enough to recommend it?
It's the phone's strongest argument. A 120Hz AMOLED screen at this price is rare. But it also drains the battery faster, and you're paying for that premium experience while accepting compromises elsewhere.
What about the software? MIUI has a reputation for being bloated.
MIUI 13 actually broke that pattern. Xiaomi did real work here—cleaner notifications, fewer ads, better customization. It felt like they listened to complaints and addressed them. That's worth noting.
So who should actually buy this phone?
Someone who values display quality above all else and doesn't game heavily. Someone whose current phone is relatively new and doesn't need the upgrade urgently. If you're coming from something two years old, you might want to wait and see what else launches in this segment.
The 5G support seems forward-looking, but India doesn't have 5G yet.
Exactly. It's future-proofing that costs money today for a service that may arrive later. That's a bet on patience, and not everyone wants to make it.