A display and charging speed worthy of far more expensive phones
In the crowded middle ground between aspiration and affordability, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G stakes its claim at £319 by delivering a luminous AMOLED display and remarkably swift charging — features that typically demand a far heavier investment. Xiaomi has made a deliberate trade: pour the budget into what users see and how quickly they can get back to seeing it, and accept a quieter processor as the cost of that bargain. It is a phone that understands its own purpose, even if that purpose has limits.
- The 67W charging system charges the battery to 50 percent in fifteen minutes — a speed that embarrasses phones costing a hundred pounds more, including the iPhone SE.
- The Snapdragon 695 chipset is the phone's open wound: benchmarks trail the OnePlus Nord 2T and Galaxy A53 noticeably, and gaming reveals jagged visuals that budget compromises can't hide.
- The camera's 108-megapixel headline masks a messier reality — overexposed skies, noisy zoom shots, and a macro lens that struggles with sharpness undercut the impressive spec sheet.
- Shipping with Android 11 in a world already running Android 12 means the phone begins its life one step behind, and Xiaomi's update promise only guarantees it will always trail the present by a year.
- For media consumption and light daily use the phone holds its ground confidently, but power users are being quietly redirected toward pricier alternatives before they've even opened the box.
At £319, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is a phone that has made its choices and made peace with them. Two features carry the device: a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate that delivers color and contrast well above its price class, and a 67W charging system that reaches half a battery in fifteen minutes and full charge in under three-quarters of an hour. Everything else exists in service of keeping those two things affordable.
The design borrows the flat-sided silhouette Apple popularized, rendered here in lightweight plastic across three understated colorways. A headphone jack survives on the top edge — a small but meaningful detail for those not yet committed to wireless audio. The fingerprint sensor on the power button is reliable, if occasionally too eager. The thick bezels frame a comfortable grip but date the phone visually against current flagships.
The camera system is where ambition and reality diverge most visibly. Three rear lenses — 108-megapixel main, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro — promise more than they consistently deliver. Images skew overexposed, zoomed shots reveal noise, and the macro lens trades sharpness for passable color. The ultrawide occasionally outperforms rivals in detail, but the overall package is uneven.
Performance is the budget's most honest confession. The Snapdragon 695 handles browsing and streaming without complaint, but benchmarks and gaming sessions expose its limitations clearly — competitors at the same price simply run faster. The software compounds the issue: Android 11 and MIUI 13 ship on a 2022 device, with rivals already on Android 12.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G earns its place for the right buyer — someone who wants a large, capable screen and fast charging for everyday life without paying flagship prices. For those who need processing muscle, the OnePlus Nord 2T or iPhone SE are worth the premium. And with the Google Pixel 6a approaching, the calculus may shift again before summer ends.
At £319, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G arrives as a phone that knows exactly what it is: a device built around two things that usually cost you far more money. The 6.67-inch AMOLED display with its 120Hz refresh rate and the 67W charging system that fills the battery halfway in fifteen minutes are the kinds of features you'd expect to find on phones that cost a hundred pounds more. Everything else—the processor, the software, the overall design—feels like Redmi made its peace with cutting corners elsewhere to deliver those two standout features.
The phone itself is pleasant enough to hold. It borrows the flat-sided design language that Apple made famous, but Redmi's plastic construction keeps it light and manageable, even though it shares the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 6.7-inch footprint. The fingerprint sensor on the power button works reliably, though it's sensitive enough that casual handling can trigger it. There's a headphone jack on the top edge—a feature that feels increasingly rare and will matter to anyone not yet invested in wireless audio. The color options are straightforward: Graphite Gray, Atlantic Blue, and Polar White. Nothing flashy, but nothing wrong with that either.
The display is genuinely impressive for the price. That AMOLED panel delivers the kind of color and contrast you'd find on far pricier phones. The catch is that the 120Hz refresh rate isn't adaptive, so you're forced to choose between smooth scrolling or battery conservation by manually switching between 60Hz and 120Hz. The bezels around the screen are noticeably thick, which gives you a comfortable grip but makes the phone look a bit dated compared to current flagships.
The camera system tells a more complicated story. Three rear lenses—a 108-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 2-megapixel macro—sound impressive on paper, but the results are mixed. In direct comparison with the OnePlus Nord CE 2, the Redmi's images often look overexposed, with blown-out whites and artificial-looking skies. The 108-megapixel sensor defaults to 12-megapixel pixel-binned shots, and when you zoom in, the noise becomes apparent. The ultrawide captures more detail than the OnePlus in some scenes, but the overall contrast feels off. The macro camera struggles with sharpness, though it manages better color accuracy than Samsung's Galaxy A53 in similar shots. The 16-megapixel front camera performs adequately for selfies, matching the Galaxy A53's output without standing out.
Performance is where the phone's budget nature becomes impossible to ignore. The Snapdragon 695 processor is a low-power chip that benchmarks poorly against every competitor in its price range. In Geekbench 5, it scores 644 in single-core and 1,808 in multicore—respectable enough, but the OnePlus Nord 2T and Galaxy A53 both outpace it significantly. Gaming reveals the limitation: playing Grid Autosport showed jagged edges on cars and scenery, though the frame rate stayed smooth and heat remained minimal. For light work, web browsing, and video streaming, the phone handles itself fine. For anything demanding, you'll feel the constraint.
The battery and charging are where Redmi's priorities become clear. The 5,000-milliamp-hour capacity proved capable of lasting a full day based on testing—two hours of video playback drained only 8 percent. The 67W charging is the real story: Redmi claims it reaches 50 percent in fifteen minutes and full charge in forty-two minutes. The iPhone SE, which costs £100 more, only reaches 61 percent in thirty minutes. That's a meaningful advantage for anyone who lives on a tight charging schedule.
The software situation is frustrating. The phone ships with Android 11 and MIUI 13, not the current Android 12 that rivals offer. Xiaomi promises three years of Android updates and four years of security patches, which means the phone will eventually reach Android 14, but it will always lag behind the current version by a year. The interface itself is pleasant to use, but the outdated base operating system is a legitimate drawback for a 2022 phone.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G makes sense for a specific person: someone who wants a large, reliable phone for everyday tasks and doesn't need raw processing power. The display and charging speed are genuinely competitive with phones costing significantly more. But if you need performance for gaming or intensive applications, the iPhone SE or OnePlus Nord 2T are worth the extra money. If you want to stay in the Android ecosystem at this price, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 offers comparable charging and better overall balance, though it doesn't match the Redmi's display quality. The Google Pixel 6a arrives later this summer and may shift the calculus entirely.
Citas Notables
The phone lacks the CPU power for using intensive apps or games. If this is your priority, you'll probably be better off with the iPhone SE 3 or even the OnePlus Nord 2T.— Tom's Guide review verdict
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Why does a phone at this price point have such a good display? That seems like the expensive part.
It is. Redmi made a deliberate choice to invest heavily in the AMOLED panel and the charging system, then accepted compromises everywhere else. The processor, the software version, the camera consistency—those are where they saved money.
So if I buy this phone, what am I actually getting for my £319?
A phone that will last you a full day on battery and charge incredibly fast when you do plug it in. A screen that looks genuinely premium. But a processor that will struggle if you try to do anything demanding, and software that's already a generation behind.
Is the camera actually bad, or just not as good as more expensive phones?
It's inconsistent. The 108-megapixel sensor sounds powerful, but it defaults to lower resolution and the results are often overexposed. It's not unusable—it's fine for casual shots—but it won't impress you if you compare it side by side with phones in the same price range.
What's the deal with the refresh rate being manual?
You have to choose between 120Hz for smooth scrolling or 60Hz to save battery. Most phones at this price or above have adaptive refresh rates that do this automatically. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of friction that reminds you this is a budget phone.
Who should actually buy this?
Someone who watches a lot of video, browses the web, uses social media, and doesn't game. Someone who values having a good-looking screen and fast charging over raw performance. If you need the phone to handle demanding apps or games, you should spend more.
Is it worth waiting for the Pixel 6a instead?
Possibly. Google's phone will likely have better software support and a more reliable camera. But it will cost £399, and we don't know yet if it's worth that premium over the Redmi's display and charging speed.