Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE Smartphone Review – The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE has been released in China around May 2022, and finally, the company launched this smartphone in the Indian smartphone market starting in August 2022. It’s not like it’s a brand new phone, for your information, this handset is a rebadged version of the Redmi Note 10S that launched last year. Besides this, you will find various similarities between them. From the specs to the software aspect most of the attributes are identical.
Although the first impression of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE doesn’t feel like something out of the box, the phone got the standard features and functions. But, it’s good to see that the company only launched this phone with 5G connectivity and added NFC support, unlike the previous year’s model. Although there’s a huge market for affordable mid-range phones, let’s head over to the Redmi Note 11SE Smartphone review.
Table of Contents
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The Redmi Note 11SE arrives with a 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel that renders a 90Hz refresh rate.
- As for the software support, the Android 11 interface brings the customization of the MIUI 12.5 skin.
- In terms of the hardware, the MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 chipset powered the entire system and render the Mali-G57 MC2 graphic unit.
- The 48MP dual camera module gives a decent release, while it also has an 8MP selfie camera.
- Lastly, the battery department brings a Li-Po 5000 mAh battery, which is supported up to 33W charging speed.
Design and Display
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE has a standard Redmi design with a cheap plastic body. Yet, the glossy color options make this phone slightly appealing and unique. Besides this, there’s a Redmi branding around the camera module, which give more details to the overall appearance. As for the shade options, you can choose between Black and Blue.
Both of them look pretty sleek and have their distinctive traits. But if you are looking for a professional-looking device, we will suggest you go with the Black color variant. In terms of the dimensions, the phone doesn’t feel that much bulky even though the phone has a big battery under the hood, while it only weighs around 190 grams. As for the security features, you will attain a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The Redmi Note 11SE arrives with a water drop notch 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel that renders HD+ resolution and grants impressive colors and contrast while watching content. Although, it might not good as the AMOLED panel, having the 90Hz refresh rate does give the phone a bit of edge. But, you won’t be able to use the phone outdoors as it has a lower brightness nits configuration.
Memory and Internal
The hardware section is handled through the 7nm MediaTek MT6833 Dimenstiy 700 chipset, which is specially designed for affordable 5G phones. Although, you won’t get as much performance power as any other performance setup. But, there’s no denying that the processor will handle your daily task, media consumption, internet surfing, gaming, and other activities without any trouble at all. We have played Apex Legend Mobile with this phone.
But as you are expecting the graphics do feel underwhelming and notice lags here and there. Although you are looking for a phone for casual gaming, the phone will work fine with hours of gameplay. But as you gradually increase the gaming session, heating issues will start to arise. On the other hand, the software end of MIUI 12.5 with Android 11 doesn’t feel right as many smartphones released with the latest Android 12 interface.
On top of that, the interface is loaded with lots of bloatware apps and advertisements that reduce the user experience. Aside from this, the company doesn’t focus on providing diverse storage options. Instead, you will find only 128GB of space on the Redmi Note 11SE, which will follow by 4GB to 8GB of RAM. Though you won’t face any issues storing your data, the company should have given secondary storage unit.
Camera
The camera setup doesn’t have anything special that stands out. You will get a pretty average camera module in which you will find a 48MP primary and 2MP macro lens setup. But instead of providing a macro lens, an ultra-wide lens would have made this phone a little better. Anyway, the image processing unit makes sure that you capture decent photos whether it’s day or night. The color saturation and contrast are pretty good in the daylight.
However, the image quality of the lowlights doesn’t feel that good, you can take photos, but you won’t get those fine details. I still remember the Redmi Note 10 Pro camera photos and videos, which visually feel superior to this phone. But still, the portrait mode doesn’t have issues with edge detection. Yet, the quality doesn’t stay constant in different modes.
On the other hand, the phone also has a standard 8MP selfie lens that also captures Okish photos and videos. But it’s worth noting that AI software enhances the overall quality to some extent. As for the video recording, the video recording can go up to 1080p resolution. But at the same time, you won’t receive any additional stabilization software support. Overall, the camera review is not bad according to its price point.
Battery and Others
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE comes with a Li-Po 5000 mAh battery, and after doing the screen time test, the phone can effortlessly provide 6+ hours of screen time without any hassle, whether for gaming, music, media, internet surfing, or just scrolling the social media feeds. As for the charging support, the phone can support 18W chargers with no issues.
However, the company removed the charger from the box, which is quite unexpected. But, nowadays, it’s become a trend to remove chargers even though it’s a budget phone. It also has a decent sensor and stereo speaker support with a 3.5 mm jack port. With that said, the Redmi Note 11SE cost around $150 (Rs. 11,690 in India) approx without including the charger.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE Pros and Cons
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE smartphone.
| Specifications | Xiaomi Redmi Note 11SE |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | May 2022 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.37 x 2.96 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 190 g |
| Size | 6.5 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 90Hz 400 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~405 PPI density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| OS | Android 11, MIUI 12.5 |
| Chipset | 7nm – MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 4GB, 8GB |
| Internal | 128GB UFS 2.2 |
| Camera | 48 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (macro) Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh Fast charging 18W |
| Colors | Blue, Black |
| Expected Price | $150 (Rs 11,690 in India) approx |
Conclusion
There is always a struggle to create a decent affordable 5G phone as it is inevitable to cut some corners to maintain the price point relevant according to your user’s needs. But there’s no doubt that the phone could have pushed the camera quality. However, the display, battery, and performance sections are good enough for the budget-friendly segment.
Now, the question is whether you should purchase this phone. To give you a general overview, there are several other options that will provide brilliant features and specs if you are willing to increase your budget slightly more. You can check out the Redmi Note 11T Pro 5G for all-rounder specs and amazing hardware and software perks. On the other hand, if your budget is tight, we will recommend you wait a few months for the upcoming online sale. Finally, the decision is yours since it’s your hard-earned money.
