The Redmi 11 Prime 5G is currently the company’s most affordable 5G smartphone in India, which Xiaomi claims is a 5G all-rounder. Facing competition from iQoo, Vivo, Realme, Motorola, etc., the budget smartphone finds itself in the crowd. The Redmi 11 Prime 5G features the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, which is a popular choice among brands launching 5G smartphones in the segment. The phone also supports seven 5G bands, which should be enough to cover all telecom circles in India.
The Redmi 11 Prime 5G also features a mid-range battery, a full-HD+ display and a dual-camera setup at the back. With all that is offered, this Rs. Is there a best 5G smartphone inside? 15,000 in India? We find out.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G Price in India
Xiaomi has launched 4G and 5G versions of the Redmi 11 Prime in India, with the 5G version being the more expensive offering of the two. The 5G variant is available in two storage options. Its 4GB RAM + 64GB storage configuration is priced at Rs 13,999, while the 6GB RAM + 128GB variant is available for Rs 15,999. The 5G smartphone comes in Meadow Green, Chrome Silver and Thunder Black color options.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G design
Redmi 11 Prime 5G follows the 2022 smartphone trend of flat frame design. The back panel of the phone curves at the edges so that it fits comfortably when held. Xiaomi has used plastic material for the back and frame, which is a common practice for smartphones in this price range. That being said, the rear panel offers a good grip thanks to the textured design. Xiaomi sent us the 6GB RAM variant of the Redmi 11 Prime 5G in Meadow Green, which seems to be the hero color of the trio.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G comes with a polycarbonate back
On the left side of the phone is a SIM tray with two slots for a nano-SIM card and a third slot for a microSD card. On the right side, you get the power and volume buttons. The buttons are clicky but slightly recessed for my liking. You’ll also find a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge next to the IR blaster. A USB Type-C port and a single speaker grill are on the bottom edge.
The Corning Gorilla Glass 3-protected display measures 6.58 inches tall and offers a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen has Full-HD+ resolution and Widevine L1 certification, which means users can consume HD content on Netflix, Prime Video, etc. One downside of this display compared to some phones in the segment is the use of IPS LCD versus AMOLED.
Colors aren’t as vibrant and the Redmi 11 Prime 5G’s screen brightness is over 400 nits. While the display is bright enough for indoor use, I preferred using the phone at the maximum brightness level for outdoor use. This may not bother some people but the phone has a waterdrop notch for the front camera, which looks old.
The Redmi 11 Prime 5G is slightly heavier at 200g and fairly thick at 8.9mm. Xiaomi has added a silicone protective case in the box. You also get a 22.5W fast charger and a USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable. However, the phone only supports 18W fast charging.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G Specifications and Software
The Redmi 11 Prime 5G features a 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC and supports seven 5G bands in India. The phone has dual-5G, Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11 ac. There is no IP rating but the phone comes with ingress protection around the SIM tray which provides some basic protection against water splashes and dust.
The phone also packs a 5000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Like all recent Xiaomi phones, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G runs Android 12-based MIUI 13, which is fairly feature-rich but also bloated at the same time. Along with some first-party apps from Xiaomi, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G comes with MIUI 13 preinstalled with several third-party apps like Moj, Snapchat, Zilli, Spotify, etc. You can choose to uninstall these apps if you wish.
Xiaomi hasn’t promised any long-term software update details for the Redmi 11 Prime 5G, but we hope the company will at least roll out Android 13 for it.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G performance and battery life
Redmi 11 Prime 5G, with MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, is a good performer. Everyday tasks, like scrolling through social media, browsing the web, etc., worked just fine. However, if you are someone who wants great gaming performance at this price, this might be a disappointment. While games like Asphalt 9 Legends, Call of Duty: Mobile ran well on basic settings, we noticed some stuttering during gameplay. The phone scored 521 and 1757 in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests. In AnTuTu, the phone scored 3,37,683.
The phone offers good battery life overall. The 5000mAh battery easily lasts a day and a half with moderate to light usage. In our battery loop test, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G lasted 16 hours and 53 minutes, which was good. With the bundled charger, the phone took about two hours to fully charge from empty.
The Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC
Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is quick to authenticate and unlock the phone. While there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, Redmi has not included a pair of wired earphones in the box. The device also has a single-speaker setup, which is quite loud. However, we would have liked a dual-speaker setup.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G Cameras
The Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a dual-camera setup on the back. The phone has a 50-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, but no ultra-wide camera. For selfies, there is an 8-megapixel front camera.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a dual camera setup
The primary camera is good enough in well-lit situations. Photos generally have neutral colors and good detail. However, in challenging situations with backlit subjects or in low light, camera performance was below average and dynamic range was weak.
Shot using Redmi 11 Prime 5G’s main camera
There is a night mode but I didn’t find it very effective. In terms of video, the device supports up to 1080p recording at 30fps for the front and rear cameras. Videos shot in daylight with the main camera deliver neutral colors but lack proper stabilization. In low light, there is visible noise.
Night mode sample shot on Redmi 11 Prime 5G
Selfies offer enough detail in daylight but the software messes with skin tones, making faces appear whiter while adding some pink. Portrait mode for the front camera does a good job of blurring the right parts of the background.
Portrait mode on Redmi 11 Prime 5G
Front camera sample shot on Redmi 11 Prime 5G
judgement
Redmi 11 Prime 5G is priced at Rs. is a performance package for less than 15,000. The phone features 5G support with seven bands along with a processor suitable for daily tasks. With a tall screen and good battery life, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G will appeal to those who like to consume video content on their phones. We’d love to see a brighter AMOLED display with a standard refresh rate instead of what’s being used. If you can increase your budget by Rs. 500, the Redmi Note 11S (Review) offers a great multimedia experience with its 90Hz AMOLED display.
Redmi 11 Prime’s cameras aren’t the best either. You might want to look at phones like the Moto G32 or Redmi’s own Note 11, both of which are 4G only. If you want 5G network support at this price, you’ll have to make some compromises in some areas. The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G (first look), a new performance-focused budget 5G smartphone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SoC is also worth considering.
