Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G review

Introduction

The ever-expanding list of Redmi Note 11s on our review bench continues with the Redmi Note 11S 5G – a reasonably-priced 5G handset that shares a lot with the Poco M4 Pro 5G and the Redmi 11T 5G from a while back.

The 5G bit comes courtesy of the Dimensity 810 – a popular 6nm midrange chipset from Mediatek. The usual trade-off is here, too – this 11S 5G comes with an LCD as opposed to the 11S (4G)’s OLED, though the two models differ in several other ways as well. LCD it may be, but it still gets a 90Hz refresh rate, so not all is lost.

A well-specced camera system is part of the package, headlined by a 50MP main unit. There’s also an 8MP ultrawide, plus a 2MP telephoto macro camera – something the Poco or the 11T 5G didn’t have. Also different from the M4 Pro 5G, but also from the 11S (4G), or the 11T 5G is the selfie camera – it’s a 13MP one here, as opposed to the 16MP units on the other ones.

No concessions have been made in the battery department, and the Redmi Note 11S 5G comes with a 5,000mAh cell that you can charge at up to 33W. Less exciting is the Android version, which still stands at 11, though at least the MIUI layer on top is the latest 13.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.6×75.8×8.8mm, 195g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame.
• Display: 6.60″ IPS LCD, 90Hz, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
• Chipset: MediaTek MT6833P Dimensity 810 (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
• Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 13.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W, 100% in 59 min (advertised).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G unboxing

The Note 11S 5G arrives in the usual two-piece white cardboard box with a likeness of the phone printed on top – only it doesn’t match the contents inside since our unit is Midnight Black and the lid features the hero Star Blue colorway.

Inside, you get the 33W charger we mentioned, plus a USB-A-to-C cable with a ‘3A’ stamped on one end to let you know its current rating. The included soft transparent case won’t score you any style points, but it’s always nice to have protection out of the box.