Update: Phones now available. Buy from Jumia
Xiaomi has officially launched the Redmi NOTE 11 Series. This is the global launch – for everyone confused. And the new global NOTE 11 Pro differs quite a bit from the Chinese version. But before we get ahead of ourselves, these are the new devices:
- Redmi NOTE 11 Pro 5G
- Redmi NOTE 11 Pro 4G
- Two Non-Pro models: Redmi NOTE 11 and Redmi NOTE 11S
Redmi NOTE 11 PRO Series
They are similar in every manner except for the choice of processor. Here, I am sure there will be problems. Hopefully, in Kenya we’ll see Xiaomi bring in the NOTE 11 Pro 5G.
The NOTE 11 Pro 5G model uses a Snapdragon 695 which is based on a 6nm process. Meanwhile, the NOTE 11 Pro 4G model uses the 12nm Helio G96 chip.
If you wondering, “Wait a minute, last year’s Redmi NOTE 10 Pro had a Snapdragon 732G processor. Is this a downgrade?” No it isn’t. And you can find proof here.
Important things to note:
- Last year there was only ONE Redmi NOTE 10 Pro. This year, there are two.
- Last year, the Redmi NOTE 10 had variants including a 5G model. But the 5G model cut a lot of costs in terms of other specs.
Specifications of the new Redmi NOTE 11 Pro:
With the processor issue out of the way, everything else is similar. And these are as follows:
- 108MP main camera plus 8MP Ultrawide and 2MP macro.
- 16MP Selfie camera.
- 6.67” AMOLED display.
- 1080p+ resolution with 20:9 aspect ratio.
- 120Hz refresh rate with 360Hz touch sampling rate.
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
- 6 or 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB or 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage.
- IP53 rating for dust and splash resistance.
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
- 5000mAh battery with 67W fast charging. Xiaomi is promising 0-50% charge in 15mins.
About the Non-Pro Models:
The two non-pro models are also not quite different from each other. Xiaomi has really gone a long way into making the choice of what to get quite hard this year. Here are the differences between the Redmi NOTE 11 and the Redmi NOTE 11S:
| Redmi NOTE 11 | Redmi NOTE 11S |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 680 processor | Helio G96 processor |
| 6.43 inch 90Hz 1080p LCD display | Same |
| 50MP main camera | 108MP main camera |
| 6GB RAM only | 6GB or 8GB RAM |
| 33w Fast charging | Same |
| 5000mAh battery | Same |
As you can probably already tell, the Redmi NOTE 11S shares a lot of similarities with the Redmi NOTE 11 Pro 4G model. The differences between those two are on the displays, the IP Rating, and the fast charging speeds.
It will be such a task for Xiaomi to explain all these new devices to potential customers.
As someone who really liked the Redmi NOTE 10 Pro, I am really looking forward to using the Redmi NOTE 11 Pro – maxed out. What about you? Which phone are you looking forward to?
Pricing and availability:
Well, we know for sure Xiaomi Kenya will be bringing the NOTE 11 Series to the market. We expect of course all four of them to be available from February. International pricing is as follows:
- Redmi NOTE 11 Pro 4G – from $299
- Remi NOTE 11 Pro 5G – from $329
- Redmi NOTE 11 – from $179
- Redmi NOTE 11S – from $249
