Pros:
– Perform decently well despite the low price
– Great battery life
– Cameras work well in the daytime
– Stylish design
– 120Hz display
Cons:
– Displays don’t work that well under the sun
– Secondary cameras don’t add much value
– Slow charging on the Realme 11X
– Displays lack HDR support
– Tons of bloatware and ads on UI
Rating:
– Realme 11 5G: 3.75/5
– Realme 11x 5G: 4/5
Price:
– Realme 11 5G: Rs 18,999 for 128GB + 8GB
– Realme 11x 5G: Rs 14,999 for 128GB + 6GB
Following the introduction of the Realme 11 Pro and 11 Pro+ earlier this year, Realme has expanded its 11 series portfolio with the unveiling of two new smartphones. These newly introduced devices, known as the Realme 11 and 11x, exhibit notable distinctions from their Pro counterparts.
Notably, they are very competitively priced and come for less than Rs 20,000. The Realme 11X is especially more enticing given that it starts at just Rs 14,999.
Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that the Realme 11 and 11x feature specifications, including the new MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ System on a Chip (SoC), have been moderately scaled back when compared to their Realme 11 Pro counterparts.
To delve into finer details, the Realme 11 and 11x essentially share many similarities. For all intents and purposes, they are the exact same device. However, the two areas where they differ, are its cameras and charging. For this reason, we have reviewed both the devices together.
Realme 11 and 11x Review: Design
The Realme 11 is quite the looker, especially in its Glory Gold version, which is the one we got. But if gold isn’t your thing, you can also snag it in Glory Black. As for the 11x, you have the Purple Dawn and Midnight Black colour options. For my review, I got to play around with the Purple Dawn shade, and I must say, I was quite taken with its rear panel. It’s got this fantastic iridescent and glittery finish that really adds to its appeal.
One thing that’s hard to miss on both these smartphones is the rather sizeable camera module. It’s this circular setup that sits a bit off-centre and grabs your attention, though not always in a good way. To some, this module might come across as a tad oversized.
And if you take a closer look at the horizontally aligned camera sensors within, they might remind you of someone giving you a curious look. On the plus side, this module serves as a practical advantage – it makes typing on the phones while they’re lying flat on a surface a breeze.
Moving beyond the camera module, these devices have flat edges and nicely curved corners, which really add to their comfortable, ergonomic grip. Holding them for extended periods shouldn’t pose any discomfort, thanks to their lightweight and slim build. What’s even more impressive is that despite packing a substantial 5,000mAh battery, the Realme 11 and 11x manage to keep their weight at just 190 grams.
When it comes to connectivity, both the devices get a USB Type-C port at the bottom, along with a speaker grille and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The fingerprint scanner is cleverly integrated into the power button on the right side, and it does an excellent job of swiftly unlocking the device with the right fingerprint.
Realme 11 and 11x Review: Display
Both the Realme 11 and 11x boast 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS LCD displays, which surprisingly manages to deliver a pretty good visual quality experience, despite being an LCD panel. The images are sharp and true to life, with good viewing angles. However, it falls a bit short in terms of dynamic range. The panel supports an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. This not only enhances your gaming and reading experiences but also makes content consumption fun at times.
Do note that there are quite noticeable bezels on all sides, especially on the chin but this is forgivable given the budget-friendly price tags of these phones.
Both the devices have up to 550 nits peak brightness, which works well indoors but might feel a bit lacking under direct sunlight outdoors.
You can fine-tune the colour profile of these phones to your liking via the settings menu. They are also Widevine L1 certified, enabling you to stream FHD content from platforms like Netflix.
While the viewing experience is respectable, the audio quality is a bit underwhelming. Both the Realme 11 and 11x come with a mono speaker, which, in 2023, might seem like a less-than-ideal cost-cutting choice.
Realme 11 and 11x Review: Camera
When it comes to photography, both the Realme 11 and Realme 11x feature a dual rear camera setup, with some differences in their primary sensors. The Realme 11x is equipped with a 64MP main shooter, whereas the Realme 11 steps it up with a 108MP camera. Both phones also share a 2MP depth sensor for those artistic shots. For selfies and video calls, the regular Realme 11 boasts a more substantial front camera with 16MP, while the 11x settles for an 8MP shooter.
In terms of camera performance, it’s safe to say that both phones deliver quite comparable results. In good lighting conditions, they both excel in quick focus and shutter speed. The images they produce are generally pleasing to the eye, although the colours might appear slightly oversaturated. However, these sensors do a commendable job of maintaining exposure and highlights in most situations.
That being said, the larger sensor on the Realme 11 does give it a slight edge over its counterpart in terms of detail. This is noticeable in both daylight and low-light shots, with low-light scenarios particularly highlighting the difference. The images taken by the Realme 11x in dimly lit environments tend to appear grainy, even after using night mode. In a similar context, the Realme 11’s images show less noise, resulting in superior details.
On the downside, the portrait mode on both the Realme 11 and Realme 11x could use some improvement when it comes to edge detection. Both the front and rear cameras tend to distort the subject around the edges. As for the selfie camera, these devices do a decent job of capturing skin tones and facial details in well-lit settings. Once again, you’ll notice that the level of detail in selfies is superior on the Realme 11, thanks to its larger sensor size.
Realme 11 and 11x Review: Performance, Software Experience and UI
At the core of both the Realme 11 and Realme 11x, you’ll find the new MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC. This chipset features two powerful performance cores, six efficient cores, and an ARM G57 MC2 GPU. When put to the test in benchmarking, these smartphones performed admirably. They managed to maintain their performance even when subjected to the CPU Throttle test with 50 threads for half an hour.
The Realme 11x comes in two configurations: 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage or 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. On the other hand, the standard Realme 11 offers only one RAM option, which is 8GB, but you have the choice of pairing it with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. While the RAM isn’t expandable, both phones provide a dedicated microSD card slot for expanding your storage. It’s also worth noting that both these phones are 5G capable.
In everyday use, these devices handle regular tasks with ease, showing no signs of hesitation. They’re also quite proficient at multitasking, but it’s a good idea to keep an eye on background apps, as having too many of them open could lead to occasional slowdowns. When it comes to gaming, the phones can handle graphically demanding games like BGMI and COD: Mobile at moderate graphics settings for short periods. I was able to play BGMI for half an hour without encountering any stutters or lags, although I did notice the device warming up slightly after the gaming session.
Both the Realme 11 and 11x run on Android 13-based Realme UI 4 right out of the box. This software is feature-rich and comes with a variety of pre-installed apps. However, it’s important to note that the devices come with some third-party apps, which you can manually remove after the initial setup. On the downside, the phones also display a lot of ads and push notifications, which can be a bit bothersome.
On the brighter side, you have a wealth of customization options at your disposal to tweak the user interface, app icons, and more to your liking. These devices also offer various handy features, such as call recording and screen recording.
Realme 11 and 11x Review: Battery & Charging
The Realme 11 is equipped with a 5000mAh battery, and while it’s not the absolute best in terms of battery life, it does the job quite satisfactorily. If you’re not indulging in extended content consumption or heavy gaming throughout the day, this battery should easily see you through the entire day. Moderate users won’t have to tote their charger around all day. However, if you fall into the heavy user category, you might need to top up your battery in the evening.
Realme generously includes a 67W charger in the box, along with a USB Type-C cable. This charger does a swift job, taking just around 50 minutes to fully charge the battery, which is quite impressive.
As for the Realme 11x, it also packs a 5000mAh battery. During my usage, which involved tasks like calling, social media browsing, reading articles, attending video calls, listening to music, indulging in light gaming, and some light editing, the battery comfortably lasted the entire day. I usually plugged it in for a recharge at night.
In the box, you’ll find a 33W SuperVOOC adapter, which may not be the fastest in the market, but it gets the job done. It takes about 75 minutes to charge the battery from 0 to 100%, and around 35 minutes to reach the halfway mark. While it might not be the speediest charger around, it’s still quite decent, especially considering the price point.
Realme 11 and 11x Review: Verdict
The Realme 11 and Realme 11x have made their way into the Indian market with competitive pricing that’s sure to catch the eye of budget-conscious consumers. The base model of the Realme 11x with 6GB of RAM is available at an introductory price of Rs 14,999, while the 8GB RAM variant comes in at Rs 15,999. Meanwhile, the Realme 11 starts at Rs 18,999 for the base model and goes up to Rs 19,999 for the higher-end variant.
When it comes to overall performance, both the Realme 11 and the Realme 11x hold their own against competitors, with one exception being the display quality. However, if display quality isn’t your top priority and you’re more interested in a smartphone with the latest chipset, impressive battery life, a decent display, and respectable daylight camera performance, then these new Realme 11-series smartphones could be a solid choice for you.
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