Redmi Note 11S Unboxing and First Impressions


Xiaomi under its Redmi brand launched the Redmi Note 11 series, the company’s latest mid-range smartphones, in India earlier this mnth. The Redmi Note 11S is the mid-range 4G phone in the series that packs a 6.43-inch AMOLED 90Hz display, is powered by Helio G96 SoC and 1080MP quad rear cameras. Here we have the unboxing and the first impressions of the phone.

Box Contents

  • Redmi Note 11S 6GB + 128GB in Space Black color
  • 33W charger
  • USB Type C Cable
  • SIM Ejector tool
  • Clear protective Case
  • Screen protector (Pre-installed)
  • User guide

The phone has a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED DotDisplay with up to 1000 nits brightness, so the sunlight legibility is good even in bright outdoors. The phone also supports 90Hz refresh rate, and can switch between 60Hz and 90Hz depending on the content. The screen has corning Gorilla Glass protection.

The tiny punch-hole houses a 16MP camera, compared to 13MP in the predecessor. On the top edge there is a loudspeaker grill that also doubles up as a speaker. Since the phone has an always-on display, it doesn’t have a notification LED.

It is powered by the popular MediaTek Helio G96 SoC compared to Helio G95 in the predecessor. It has up to 8GB of RAM with up to 3GB of RAM booster option and up to 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. The Redmi Note 11S is one of the first Redmi phones to run MIUI 13 out of the box. Even though this is based on Android 11, the company has promised Android 12 update soon. MIUI 13 works on the MIUI 12.5 Enhanced in improving the features, and also brings features like sidebar.

The volume rockers and the power button that integrates the fingerprint sensor are present on the right side of the phone. The dual SIM slot and microSD slot is present on the left side, arranged in the single tray.  On the top there is a vent for the speaker, 3.5mm audio jack, secondary microphone and an infrared sensor. The loudspeaker grill, primary microphone and USB Type-C port are present on the bottom.  Since the phone has a plastic frame, you don’t see any antenna cutouts, and the matte finish looks good.

The Redmi Note 11S packs a 108MP Samsung HM2 sensor along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-meapixel depth sensor for portrait shots. Even though the main camera is better than the Note 10S’ 64MP camera, this doesn’t support 4K video recording, and maxes out at 1080p 30 fps, which is a restriction due to the processor.

Check out some camera samples.

The phone has the same EVOL design as the Redmi Note 10 series. We have the Space Black colour that has a Blue shade to it, and the phone also comes in Horizon Blue and Polar White colours. Even though it has a plastic back, the phone has a smooth matte finish, so it doesn’t attract fingerprints. The phone packs a 5000mAh battery and supports 33W Pro dual split fast charging that can charge up to 100% in around an hour. Even though the phone has a huge battery, the weight of the phone is 179 grams. The phone also has IP53 ratings for water resistance, same as the predecessor.

The Redmi Note 11S starts at Rs. 16,499 for the 6GB RAM with 64GB storage version, it goes up to Rs. 18,499 for the 8GB RAM with 128GB storage. It will be available from Amazon.in, Mi.com, Mi Home stores and offline stores.


Author: Srivatsan Sridhar

Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. He uses the phones he reviews as his main phone. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram