Xiaomi launches the Redmi Note 11 series for the Global market

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Jan 26, 2022

Xiaomi CIVI is a China-exclusive device. It is the company’s second attempt at lifestyle smartphones after the Mi CC9 series. Almost four months after its release, the handset gets a special gift box.

Xiaomi has announced a limited edition of Xiaomi CIVI in its home country. It is officially called Xiaomi CIVI Winter Limited Gift Box.

As the name suggests, this version of the phone merely comes in a new retail box. Additionally, as expected, the box includes certain gifts.

According to the official announcement on Weibo, the box consists of three plush accessories. These include a case for the smartphone, a handbag to carry the handset, and a ball that can be attached to a lanyard.

Interestingly, customers cannot buy the limited edition directly. Instead, it is shipped to select lucky buyers when the phone is bought through official online channels.

Talking about the device, Xiaomi CIVI features a glass sandwich design with a metal frame. It has a 6.55-inch 120Hz FHD+ curved display (10-bit OLED) with Dolby Vision, Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, 64MP (wide) + 8MP (ultra-wide) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup, 32MP selfie camera, Dolby Atmos-supported dual stereo speakers, 4,500mAh battery, and 55W fast charging.

The product arrives in three colors and all of them have a unique pattern on their rear AG glass panel. Finally, it starts at ¥2,599 ($411) for the base variant.

Huawei P50 Pro and P50 Pocket global availability officially announced

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Jan 26, 2022

Huawei today officially announced the start of the global availability of its P50 Pro and P50 Pocket flagship phones. Consumers in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South America will be able to buy them quite soon as part of the first phase of release.

Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 888 4G chip. Unlike its 5G variant, the chip comes equipped with only a 4G LTE modem, and so far, Qualcomm seems to have produced it only for Huawei.

The Huawei P50 Pro arrived in China back in July 2021 and has finally made its way to the global market. It features a 6.6-inch OLED screen with 2700 x 1228 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. For photography, there is a quad-camera setup at the rear that has been co-developed with Leica. It consists of 50MP main, 40MP monochrome, 13MP ultra-wide, and 64MP periscope telephoto cameras. The 4,360 mAh battery supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.

The P50 Pro will only come in a single memory variant — 8GB RAM + 256GB storage — that’s been priced at EUR 1,199. Color options are Golden Black and Cocoa Gold.

The Huawei P50 Pocket is a fresh offering, launched only last month in China. It will now be making its way to the global market with its innovative form-factor and compelling specs. The device features a 1-inch Cover Screen on the exterior that lets you interact with notifications, controls, and cameras. And on the inside, you get a 6.9-inch 120Hz OLED panel with a 21:9 aspect ratio. The battery is sized 4,000mAh with support for 40W charging.

The P50 Pocket will be selling in two variants. There’s a regular model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage and costs EUR 1,299. Then, there’s also a Premium Edition with an upgraded design and 12GB+512GB config that costs EUR 1,599.

Pre-orders of both devices went live on Tuesday in Bulgaria where they come with free Huawei FreeBuds 4. Similar offers can be expected in other regions as well.

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Google Assistant can now be shut up simply by saying “stop”

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Jan 26, 2022

Google has been fiddling with quick phrases for quite some time now but started rolling it out to some devices only in October 2021. The feature allows users to perform certain actions without yelling hotwords like “Hey Google” first. A couple of examples include the ability to pick calls effortlessly simply by saying “answer” or silencing alarms by saying “stop.”

The scope of this “stop” command is now getting expanded to Google Assistant as well. If the voice assistant is talking too much, simply muttering “stop” will shut it up immediately — no hotword needed. The feature will also work even if you don’t have Continued Conversation enabled.

📣 Helpful new Google Assistant feature alert! Want your smart display or speaker to stop talking? Just say “stop” — no #HeyGoogle needed.

— Google (@Google) January 25, 2022

This functionality is especially useful if you happen to trigger Assistant accidentally or if the reply to your query is a bit lengthier than necessary — as is often the case with those overly detailed weather readouts.

However, there is a catch. It appears that this Google Assistant “stop” command only works on smart displays and speakers for now. This will hopefully be changing soon if Google is sensible enough to bless smartphones, tablets, and more devices with the feature as well.

There has also been no official indication of this function being triggerable by yelling “stop” in languages other than English. But that’s understandable considering the quick phrases feature is still in its early stages.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup shows up in all colorways ahead of launch

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Jan 26, 2022

Samsung is all set to launch the Galaxy S22 series at the Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event on February 9. Like any other Samsung smartphone, we know almost everything about these phones ahead of their official announcement. Now, we also get to see them in all colors.

Popular leaker Evan Blass has shared the entire Galaxy S22 family in all the available hue options on Twitter. According to his tweets, the devices will arrive in four colorways each.

The vanilla Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22+ will be available in similar four colors. Customers will be able to purchase them in either black, pink, green, or white.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will also come in black, green, and white. However, instead of pink, the handset will be sold in bronze color.

As always, not every colorway will be available in all regions. Certain markets may get them all, while others could be limited to select hues.

According to a recent rumor, Samsung may also introduce BESPOKE customizability option. It is said that the company is yet to decide on this matter.

What are your thoughts on the colors of the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup? Do you find them better than the last generation? Let us know in the comment section below.

OnePlus Nord 2T complete specs leaked: Dimensity 1300, 80W charging, & more

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Jan 26, 2022

OnePlus is now gearing up for the launch of the next iteration to last year’s Nord 2 and it will be called the OnePlus Nord 2T, as customary. Going by its near-complete leaked spec sheet, the phone seems to be employing the same formula as its predecessor, offering the very best one could expect from a mid-ranger.

According to OnLeaks (via Digit), the OnePlus Nord 2T will be powered by the Dimensity 1300. The processor is yet to go official so the Nord 2T could be one of the very first to be powered by it. Going by its name, a bump in performance over the Dimensity 1200 can be expected along with a more advanced manufacturing process.

oneplus nord 2 featured — OnePlus Nord 2

Moving on to the display, the Nord 2T has been leaked to feature a 6.43-inch Full HD+ (2400×1080) AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate, putting it in the same league as last year’s model.

Charging has received a notable upgrade though, with the 4,500mAh battery now being capable of being filled up at 80W SuperVOOC speeds via wire. This is the same as the OnePlus 10 Pro, meaning you will be getting flagship-level charging capabilities in a mid-range device.

The camera stack remains largely unchanged when compared to the Nord, although there’s a possibility of the sensors being switched with newer versions. The OnePlus Nord 2T is expected to sport a triple camera setup at the rear, headlined by a 50MP shooter. The primary will be complemented by 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP monochrome sensors. For selfies, you get a 32MP camera that will likely be housed within a punch-hole cutout.

The OnePlus Nord 2T will be offered in 6GB and 8GB RAM options, paired with 128GB and 265GB storage. It will likely be booting into OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12 out of the box.

The launch date and regions remain in the dark but we should be getting more information about that real soon. Judging from the fact that it is only a marginal upgrade over the OnePlus Nord 2, the Nord 2T will likely be launched with the same price tag.

OnePlus is also working on releasing another mid-ranger named OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G.

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Realme 7 Pro gets Android 12 via Realme UI 3.0 Early Access

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Jan 26, 2022

Realme 7 Pro is the latest smartphone from the brand to join the Realme UI 3.0 Early Access program. Interested users of the handset can enroll themselves to experience Android 12 before the general public. Here’s how to do it.

According to the official announcement post on Realme Community, applicants should be on firmware version RMX2170_11.F.10 to register for Realme 7 Pro Realme UI 3.0 Early Access initiative.

To sign up, participants need to go to Settings > Software Update > Trial Version > Apply Now > and submit details to finish the quiz. The candidates who get selected will receive the Android 12 beta release via OTA. Those who don’t get selected can try their luck during the next round of recruitment.

As far as the lucky applicants are concerned, they can roll back to the Android 11-based Realme UI 2.0 stable channel if they don’t find the Early Access program interesting. However, by doing so, they can no longer re-join the initiative.

It’s not clear when the device will get access to the stable release. Because Realme is not known for disclosing the timeline for stable update rollout, unlike OPPO.

Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 is the last major software update for Realme 7 Pro. The phone debuted with Realme UI (Android 10) and was updated to Realme UI 2.0 (Android 11) last year.

Jio 5G leaked speed test reveals ultrafast 420 Mbps download speeds

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Jan 26, 2022

A leaked speed test for Jio 5G has revealed that the network can achieve download speeds of 420 Mbps (52 MBps) and upload speeds of 412 Mbps (51.5 MBps). The latency is fairly low as well at just 11ms and jitter averages out at 9ms.

While nowhere close to 5G’s theoretical speeds and latencies, it is a great start and even beats the median global 5G download speed which has lately fallen to around 166 Mbps. The info comes from a screenshot shared by a pilot tester to 91mobiles.

jio 5g speed test mumbai — Image: 91mobiles

The figures get more impressive when put up against the Reliance-owned Indian telecom company’s highest average 4G data download speed of 21.9 Mbps. Compared to 4G, 5G achieves around 20 times faster download speeds, meaning your 4K movie downloads should take only a matter of minutes. Real-world performance once 5G actually rolls out will most likely differ from these controlled pilot test results — but let’s just marvel at those triple-digit speeds for now.

Speaking of rollouts, 5G in India is expected to reach 13 metro cities before the end of this year, according to the Department of Telecom (DoT). Jio appears to be leading the race and recently even announced that it has completed its 5G rollout plans in around 1,000 cities in the country.

Earlier last year, Jio had managed to reach speeds of 1 Gbps as part of its 5G field tests. These were obviously performed with the operator having complete control over the situations though, so users shouldn’t expect to see Gbps-class speeds anytime soon. Further, Gbps speeds can only be achieved when the network utilizes the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum, which is something no telecom provider appears to be interested in presently.

Current 5G implementations seem to be favoring distance over speeds, utilizing sub-6GHz frequencies that can hit a few hundred Mbps tops but also cover much wider coverage areas.

Jio will be joined by Airtel and Vi rolling out their respective 5G networks in India in late 2022 and early 2023.

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Realme Pad to get Android 12 update in Q3 2022: Official

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Jan 26, 2022

A few days back, Realme disclosed that it will be not providing Android 12 for its first and only tablet – Realme Pad. But now, the company has backtracked on this decision. It now says that the device will be updated to the next generation of Android later this year.

The Realme Pad is one of the best Android tablets in its price segment. Mostly because it offers better hardware than its competitors.

However, earlier this month, the brand shocked everyone when it revealed that its tablet will not receive an update for Android 12. Due to criticism from the media and public, the company has now made changes to the device’s software update policy.

The Chinese tech giant has confirmed to Android Authority that it will be releasing the Android 12 update for Realme Pad in Q3 2022, in addition to 3 years of security updates. At present, it is not known whether the tablet will get the regular Android 12 or the large screen-optimized Android 12L.

Realme Pad’s competitors still offer better software support. HMD Global has promised 2 Android updates and 3 years of security updates for the Nokia T20. Whereas, Samsung is known for delivering two Android updates for its budget tablets, in addition to four years of security patches.

The only brand that matches Realme is Lenovo. The latter is known for providing only a single Android update for its inexpensive tablets.

Redmi Note 11 series global launch on Jan. 26: what to expect & how to watch event

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Jan 26, 2022

The Redmi Note 11 series was first unveiled in China back in October 2021 and it’s now finally on its way to the global market, although the global variants will have almost nothing in common with their Chinese counterparts. Sure, they carry the same name and their designs are quite comparable but the specifications seem to be differing greatly as well as the pricing.

The global Redmi Note 11 series is comprised of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, Note 11 Pro, and Note 11, and below is their quick roundup to help you decide your pick from the trio.

Redmi-Note-11-Pro-Global-Variants — Redmi Note 11 Pro

Let’s start off with the priciest among the three. The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, just like its name implies, will be the sole 5G-supporting Note 11 model. The 5G bit has been made possible by the Snapdragon 690 5G chipset. Supporting the chip will be RAM/storage in 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB configs. The display has been sized 6.6-inch and is an FHD+ AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz.

For photography, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G packs a triple rear camera setup led by a 108MP sensor. The primary is joined by an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro sensor. The front camera is a 16MP sensor housed within a center-aligned punch-hole. The battery is sized 5,000mAh with 67W charging support.

Next up is the Redmi Note 11 Pro that will likely be powered by the Mediatek Helio G96 SoC. Just like the Pro 5G, this one also features a 6.6-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel. The photography will be handled by a quad-camera setup comprised of a 108MP primary, complemented by 8MP + 2MP + 2MP sensors. The front camera is again expected to offer a 16MP resolution. The battery is identical to the Pro 5G.

Last but not least, we get the standard Redmi Note 11 that’s rumored to feature an FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Tasks will be handled by the Snapdragon 680 4G chip. The quad-camera setup at the rear will be topped by a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 primary sensor. The battery is sized 5,000mAh again, although the charging speed has been reduced to 33W.

All models of the Redmi Note 11 series are expected to come with a stereo speaker setup and boot into Android 11-based MIUI 13 out of the box.

As for pricing, the Redmi Note 11 is expected to start at EUR 250 (~Rs 21,140) but the rest of the models’ pricing remains in the dark.

Regardless, matters should get clear with the global launch event that has been scheduled for today, January 26th, 12:00 pm GMT. You can watch the event through Xiaomi’s official website, Twitter handle, and even YouTube channel.

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A new Huawei Mate 40 with MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset is coming

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Jan 26, 2022

TD Tech is one of Huawei’s hardware licensees. The company has so far released a single smartphone called TD Tech N8 Pro, which is essentially a rebranded HUAWEI nova 8 Pro 5G. The firm is being long rumored to release its own version of HUAWEI Mate40E. An interesting detail about this device has now emerged on the internet.

HUAWEI Mate 40E 5G Featured A — HUAWEI Mate40E 5G

According to Weibo user 旺仔百事通 (via ITHome), the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 phone from TD Tech will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset. Interestingly, he does not use the word Huawei Mate 40E.

Previous reports have revealed that this particular phone will have model number TDT-MA01. Further, the handset will have support for 40W fast wired charging, however, it will not ship with a charger. A TikTok video had even exposed the device’s rear design with ‘TD Tech’ branding at the bottom.

Unfortunately, the release date of this smartphone is still a mystery. Even if it gets launched, we are not sure how many units will be up for grab as the TD Tech N8 Pro sold out very quickly.

Having said that, we expect to learn more about this forthcoming handset in the coming days. We are also looking forward to other Huawei products from TD Tech.

Realme 9 Pro series teaser officially confirms 5G connectivity support

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Jeet

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Jan 26, 2022

Realme is all set to launch its new Realme 9 Pro series in the Indian market and the brand has confirmed to launch two models in India — Realme 9 Pro and Realme 9 Pro+ but the actual launch date has not been revealed.

Ahead of the official launch in the coming days or weeks, Realme India’s chief Madhav Sheth has taken to Twitter and confirmed that both these new smartphones will come with 5G connectivity support.

Apart from this 5G support, nothing more about the phones has been revealed by the company’s executive. However, several details about the Realme 9 Pro series have already leaked online, including specs and features.

The Realme 9 Pro is expected to have a 6.59-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate while the Pro+ model will have a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is quite odd as going by the phone’s name, the Pro+ model should have a higher refresh rate.

Under the hood, the 9 Pro will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC while the Pro+ model will come powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset.

In the camera department, there will be a triple-camera setup on both these upcoming smartphones, featuring a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide angle lens, and a 2MP macro sensor while the Pro+ model will replace the 64MP lens with a 50MP sensor.

On the front side, both smartphones will come with a 16MP snapper for taking selfies and video calling, housed inside a punch-hole cutout. The 9 Pro will be powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support while the Pro+ will pack a 4,500mAh battery and have 65W fast charging support.

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Global Redmi Note 11 pricing tipped before launch

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Jan 26, 2022

The Redmi Note 11 lineup will be heading to markets outside China starting from today. The company will be launching the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G featuring Snapdragon 690 and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G driven by Dimensity 920 today in the global markets. The lineup also includes the Helio G96 powered Redmi Note 11S, which is scheduled on Feb. 9 in global markets. The Redmi Note 11 4G featuring the Snapdragon 680 is also expected to go official soon. The device has been recently spotted at some retailer sites with few pieces of information on its specs. Tipster Chun has shared the official price of the Redmi Note 11 4G for the Vietnamese market.

Redmi Note 11 official price leaked by FPT Shop before release
4,490k VND ($197). With the voucher, the price will only start at 3,990k VND ($175)
On sale date: tomorrow!https://t.co/n0XorCZUuN pic.twitter.com/008hoChZiL

— KFC Simp (@chunvn8888) January 26, 2022

A promotional page of the Redmi Note 11 is now live on the Vietnamese retailer site, FPTShop.vn. The listing reveals that the handset will go on sale tomorrow in Vietnam. The tipster has shared a screenshot of the Facebook post of the retailer site. It mentions that the device is priced at 4,490,000 (~$198). He added that it will be available with a discounted price of 3,990,000 through a voucher. The Facebook post is no longer accessible, which suggests that it may have been taken down.

The Redmi Note 11 landing page on FPTShop states that the device will be available in two variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. There is a possibility that the Note 11 may go official later today along with the Note 11 Pro 5G and Note 11 Pro+ 5G.

Redmi Note 11 specifications (rumoured)

The global Redmi Note 11 is expected to feature an AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It will be equipped with the Snapdragon 680 mobile platform.

For photography, it will be fitted with a 50-megapixel quad-camera unit. The handset will draw power from a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging.

RELATED:

Realme 9 Pro 5G specifications, pricing tipped

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Jan 26, 2022

Realme 9 Pro series of smartphones are expected to launch in February. Recent reports have revealed plenty of information on the specs of the Realme 9 Pro and 9 Pro Plus smartphones. Now, a tweet by Yogesh Brar has tipped the specs and pricing of the Realme 9 Pro 5G.

Realme 9 Pro 5G specifications (rumored)

The Realme 9 Pro 5G will come with a 6.59-inch FHD+ display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. Previous reports have claimed that it features an AMOLED panel. For security, it has a side-facing fingerprint scanner.

It has a 16-megapixel camera for capturing selfies and video calls. The back panel of the device has a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel lens, and a 2-megapixel snapper. The handset will come preinstalled with Android 12.

Realme-9-Pro-Blue — Realme 9 Pro render by OnLeaks and SmartPrix

The device will be driven by the Snapdragon 695 chipset. It will be accompanied by up to 8 GB of RAM and will offer up to 128 GB of built-in storage. The handset will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging.

Realme 9 Pro 5G pricing (rumored)

A recent leak claimed that the Realme 9 Pro 5G will come in variants such as 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. It may come in three colors such as Midnight Black, Aurora Green, and Sunrise Blue. The new leak claims that the handset may carry a starting price of Rs 17,000 (~$228).

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Realme C31 battery size revealed through certification

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Jan 26, 2022

Realme is working on a couple of new C-series of smartphones such as Realme C31 and C35. A recent report revealed that the Realme handset with RMX3501 model number was recently certified by Thailand’s NBTC authority. The handset has been also spotted at TUV, Europe’s EEC, and Indonesia’s TKDN authorities. Now the same device has been approved by the FCC authority in the U.S.

Realme C31 (RMX3501) Appears On FCC Certification Website, Launch Imminent.

– 4890mAh (5,000mAh) Battery
– 10W Charging
– Android 11
– Bluetooth 5.0#Realme #RealmeC31 pic.twitter.com/llAYk1XET2

— Tech Master (@Tech_Master18) January 26, 2022

The Realme C31’s FCC listing has revealed that it runs on Android 11 OS, and it is backed by a 5,000mAh battery. The handset is equipped with usual connectivity features such as dual SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth.

The previously seen TUV listing of the device revealed that it carries support for 10W charging. The other details of the smartphone are under the wraps.

In related news, the Realme C35 that has an RMX3511 model number has been approved by multiple certification platforms such as NBTC, China’s 3C, Indonesia’s SDPPI, and India’s BIS. The handset has been also spotted at the Geekbench benchmarking site in the recent past.

Some of the specs of the Realme C35 that have surfaced through the above-mentioned certifications include the Unisoc T616 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, Android 11 OS, and 18W fast charging. The other details of the Realme C35 are yet to be revealed. There is no word on the launch date of the device.

Last year, Realme announced the Realme C20, Realme C21, and Realme C25 smartphones in April this year. Hence, it is likely that the Realme C31 and Realme C35 could be heading to India around the same timeframe this year. It is likely that these devices may go official in some southeast Asian markets before coming to India.

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Redmi Note 11S fresh renders give a look at its blue, white, black color options

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Jan 26, 2022

Redmi Note 11S is scheduled to go official in India on Feb. 9. The device will be sold exclusively through Amazon India apart from Xiaomi’s online and offline channels. A recent leak revealed the entire specifications and pricing of the device. Now, well-known tipster Evan Blass has shared fresh renders of the Note 11S to give a look at its color options.

Redmi Note 11S design

The overall design of the Redmi Note 11S is not too different from its predecessor, the Redmi Note 10S. Placed on the front side of the device is a punch-hole display.

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Instead of a side-facing fingerprint scanner that was made available on the Note 10S, its successor is equipped with an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The Note 10S offered users 64-megapixel quad-cameras, but the Note 11S will treat its buyers with a 108-megapixel quad-camera unit.

Redmi Note 11S specifications (rumored)

The Redmi Note 11S will be sporting a 6.4-inch FHD+ 90Hz AMOLED display, a 13-megapixel camera, a 108-megapixel (main) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) + 2-megapixel (macro) quad-camera unit. It will run on MIUI 12.5 and Android 12 OS.

The Helio G96 will be present under the hood of the Redmi Note 11S. It will ship with 4 GB / 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB / 128 GB of internal storage. The device will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W rapid charging.

The Note 11S is speculated to cost around Rs 1,000 (~$13) or Rs 2,000 (~$27) more than its predecessor. Hence, it appears that it may go official with a starting price of around Rs 15,000 (~$200).

RELATED:

OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G launch date revealed in a leak

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