After teasing for days, Xiaomi finally announced the Redmi Note 11 and the Redmi Note 11S in India earlier today. However, unlike the Redmi Note 10 series launch event that happened in March 2021, this year’s conference was not so interesting despite the live stream being AI-generated. Because the products are sort of boring as compared to last gen.
The newer models do bring some upgrades but then again, that’s what the latest generation should offer. Anyhow, the pricing of the new smartphones is unlike Xiaomi.
In a nutshell, we really don’t think that Xiaomi India ‘Set the Bar’ with the Redmi Note 11S.
Xiaomi India had been hyping the launch of the Redmi Note 11S in the country even before the device went official in other markets. Specifically, the company uses the term ‘Set The Bar’ to promote this phone.
But deep down we all, including Xiaomi, know that the company had actually ‘Set the Bar’ last year with the India-exclusive Redmi Note 10 Pro.
For those unaware, the Redmi Note 10 Pro sold in India is not available anywhere else. This phone packs all the features of the Redmi Note 10 Pro sold in other international markets, except for the 108MP primary camera.
The device uses a 64MP main camera. As a result, it debuted at ₹3,000 cheaper than the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, which is actually the Redmi Note 10 Pro that’s available elsewhere.
This handset was introduced at ₹15,999 for the base 6GB + 64GB memory configuration. Almost a year later, Xiaomi launches the same variant of the Redmi Note 11S in India a bit higher at ₹16,499.
For starters, the Redmi Note 11S is not a successor of the Redmi Note 10 Pro. It actually succeeds the Redmi Note 10S, which debuted at ₹14,999 for 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.
The Redmi Note 11S is a better handset than its predecessor. But it’s definitely not on par with the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Because the latter not only offers a matte rear glass finish but a better chipset in the form of Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G and a capable 5MP telemacro camera with autofocus.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro went through multiple price hikes and the base variant was discontinued long ago. Anyway, the mid 6GB + 128GB version and the top 8GB + 128GB are still on sale for ₹17,999 and ₹18,999 respectively.
In other words, the handset is only ₹500 costlier than the same memory configurations of the Redmi Note 11S. In our opinion, one should better get the older phone than the newer one.
The Redmi Note 11S is a good smartphone standalone. However, its pricing makes the year-old Redmi Note 10 Pro a better deal in India. Having said that, we are not sure how long Xiaomi will continue selling the last-gen model.
What are your thoughts on the Redmi Note 11S in India? Do you think Xiaomi should have retained its predecessor’s price? Let us know in the comment section below.
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