Redmi 11 Prime 5G review: Should you buy this budget 5G smartphone on Diwali?

Redmi 11 Prime 5G review: With the launch of 5G telecom services in India, all major smartphone brands are working hard to bring affordable 5G mobile phones in India. Industry experts have suggested that the country will see a big jump in demand for 5G mobile phones in the months to come. To meet the demands of budget 5G handsets, Redmi India, a sub-brand of Xiaomi, recently launched its affordable 5G smartphone -- Redmi 11 Prime 5G. This budget 5G phone can be a good option during this festive season. Here is why: 

Redmi 11 Prime 5G Price

The affordable Redmi 11 Prime 5G comes in two storage variants. The 4GB + 64GB variant is priced at Rs 13,999, while the 6GB + 128GB variant is available at Rs 15,999. The smartphone comes in Meadow Green, Chrome Silver and Thunder Black colour options. We used Meadow Green option for almost 15 days. With this phone, Redmi India is likely planning to capture the budget 5G smartphone segment in the country by giving tough competition to brands like, Motorola, Realme, Infinix, Tecno and others. The Redmi 11 Prime 5G features a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC - a popular chipset, 5,000mAh battery, 50-megapixel primary camera and more. The phone also supports seven 5G bands. 

Redmi 11 Prime 5G Design

In terms of design, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a flat frame design. It has a plastic back with matte finish, which offers comfortable grip. Also, the smartphone is not prone to dust and fingerprint marks. The Redmi 11 Prime 5G feels light -you can easily hold this phone for long durations without any discomfort. When you compare it with other phones in similar price bracket - Samsung Galaxy M13 5G or iQOO Z6 5G, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G has the better looks and design. Overall, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G ticked most of the right boxes in terms of looks and build in the budget category.

The rear side of the Redmi 11 Prime 5G has rectangle shaped camera bump that houses the dual camera setup with the LED flash with the Redmi 5G logo below. On the right edge, the device houses the power button and a dedicated space for the volume rockers. The left edge of the Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a dedicated space for Nano-SIM Card Slot. At the top, you will get a 3.5mm audio jack and a microphone and at the bottom, the phone offers USB Type-C charging port and speakers. The performance of speakers was good. Connectivity options on Redmi 11 Prime 5G include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.10, Infrared, USB OTG, USB Type-C, and FM radio with active 4G/5G on both SIM cards. Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor. 

Redmi 11 Prime 5G Display

Redmi 11 Prime 5G comes with a big 6.58-inch FHD+ display with a screen refresh rate of up to 90Hz, resolution of 2408 x 1080 pixels and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Redmi 11 Prime 5G is also equipped with AdaptiveSync tech that can automatically switch between 4 stages 30Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, and 90Hz refresh rates based on on-screen content to balance. The screen is smooth It offers clean scrolling and delivers bright and sharp colours for content consumption. While watching movies and playing games, we did not face any issues. However, the display performance was average in bright light conditions. Do note that the  overall experience while using the screen was smooth and lag-free.

Redmi 11 Prime 5G Camera

In terms of camera specifications, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G comes with dual camera setup on the rear side featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera, and a and a 2-megapixel depth senso. For selfies and video calls, it has a single front  8-megapixel camera. As far as the camera performance is concerned, the primary rear camera Redmi 11 Prime 5G takes average pictures but better than Samsung Galaxy M13 and Infinix phones in this price segment. The colours of the images from this phone came out good in bright light conditions but below average in low lights. The images we clicked on this phone lacked sharpness. The colours on images came out good and the performance in natural lights is also better than other smartphones available in Rs 15K segment. Also, selfies from the font camera was good. Overall, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G has a decent camera performance. 

Redmi 11 Prime 5G Performance

In terms of performance, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset. The 7nm architecture chip is engineered to enhance power efficiency while maximising performance from the octa-core CPU, delivering clock speeds as high as 2.2GHz. The focus on speed and performance is further enhanced with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2, which enables quicker installation of apps and faster loading of games. For users who wish to maximise the performance, a RAM booster feature is also available to temporarily expand RAM by up to 2GB  leveraging the ultra-fast storage.

On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android 12-based MIUI 13 out of the box for an ultra optimised and smooth user experience. The good thing is the MIUI is very easy to use and you may not face any issues. While playing light games on the Redmi 11 Prime 5G, we witnessed lag-free gaming here. The graphic quality was good in normal settings and average in HD. Overall, the smartphone offers fast and smooth experience in Rs 15K segment. Even while switching between the apps and using multiple social media applications, we did not face any issue. In terms of battery performance, the device is backed by a massive 5000mAh battery, and once fully charged, it  can easily last a full day on normal usage. The device also comes with 18W fast charging and a 22.5W charger, taking very less time to reach from 0 to 100 per cent. However, during heavy gaming, we did witness minor heating issues as well. 

Redmi 11 Prime 5G Verdict: Available at the starting price of 13,999, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G is a decent affordable 5G phone you can pick during this festive season. With the launch of 5G services, this budget 5G phone from Redmi has the potential to meet your demands. The device offers clean design and good features. For the cameras, there is a scope for improvement. Overall, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G has ticked many right boxes.