The market is now overcrowded with many flagships, and new trends are emerging that dictate the fashion and direction of device development. In an effort to stand out from the crowd, realme today introduced the latest smartphones in the realme 11 Pro series – realme 11 Pro+ 5G and realme 11 Pro 5G.
Root-Nation received these two models for testing, even before the official presentation in Europe, so we have prepared reviews! Let’s start with the most interesting realme 11 Pro+.
Read also: Realme GT Neo 3 review: a great smartphone with 150W charging
Positioning and price
realme 11 Pro+ is the successor to realme 10 Pro+, which was released not so long ago – in October 2022. But this is a lot for smartphones, so we already have a new product. You can compare the smartphones at this link. In short, the new device has a fresh design, a more powerful processor, more memory, better cameras, and faster charging.
The Plus version differs from the junior model of the realme 11 Pro series in that it has a 200 megapixel camera, more storage and faster boot-up. The comparison is available here.
The official price of the smartphone in Ukraine is not yet known, but on Aliexpress, the device in the 12/256 GB version can be purchased for about $410. Currently, the new product is on sale at a discount, so the 11 Pro+ will cost about $287.
As you can see, the price is quite reasonable. It looks like the new product will repeat the market success of smartphones like the realme C55, realme 10, or GT3. So let’s take a closer look at the realme 11 Pro+!
Read also: Test drive of the Realme GT3 smartphone: Need for speed
Technical specifications of realme 11 Pro+ 5G
- Screen: AMOLED, 6.7 inches, 2412×1080, 21:9, 120 Hz, Gorilla Glass protection, HDR10, up to 950 nits
- Processor: octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 6 nm, 8 cores, 2×2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 and 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55
- Video chip: Mali-G68
- Memory: 12/256 GB, no memory card support
- Battery: 5000 mAh, fast charging
- Cameras:
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- Main camera 200 megapixels (f/1.7, 23 mm, 1/1.4″, 0.56 μm, PDAF, OIS)
- Wide-angle module 8 megapixels (f/2.2, 16 mm, 112˚)
- Macro sensor 2 megapixels (f/2.4)
- Front camera 32 megapixels (f/2.5, 22 mm)
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- Data transmission: 5G, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, A-GPS, GLONAS
- Operating system: Android 13, realme UI 4.0 interface
- Dimensions and weight: 161.6 × 73.9 × 8.2 mm, 183 g
- Additional features: in-screen fingerprint scanner, parental controls, gyroscope, compass.
Equipment
The equipment is standard, it has everything you need for comfortable work.
As for the contents of the box, I’m satisfied, that’s why:
- There is a powerful 100W charger
- There is a case that protects the device from traces of use
It’s best to put the case on right away, as the camera module is large, glassy, and protruding.
There is also a SIM card eject tool and documentation. It is worth adding that the screen already has a protective film.
Read also: Review of the budget smartphone realme C55: unusual in everything
Design and layout of elements
realme 11 Pro+ is in my TOP of the strangest smartphone designs. And I mean that in a positive way. Just look at the gadget market: each new product is similar to the previous one, with almost no differences or imagination on the part of manufacturers. Here, everything is completely different.
The creamy white back panel is a pleasant and classic unisex colour. It is made of eco-leather, very soft to the touch. The only decorative elements left are vertical stripes that “drain” from the main camera (I have an association with a zipper). The body bezels are golden, and although they are made of plastic, they look metal. So, this not very expensive smartphone really gives the impression of a premium gadget.
The huge camera module with a golden ring is also unusual and eye-catching. These features make the design more interesting, but you should be careful – it’s easy to collect scratches on the module, even if you just keep the phone in your pocket or bag.
I should add that there are two colour versions of the smartphone on sale – beige with gold, like ours (eco-leather panel), and black. The black realme 11 Pro+ has a plastic back cover, rough to the touch and durable. I’m sure this variant will find its fans, because it’s not so striking.
A green leather version is also available, but it is not available in all European countries.
The front of the smartphone is minimalistic, with only a protective film on the screen and a built-in round camera. The screen itself is rounded on the sides. Previously, we have seen such solutions only in flagship smartphones. It looks beautiful, helps make the device thinner, and the screen bezels are unobtrusive.
The fingerprint scanner is located below the screen (bottom centre) and works flawlessly.
On the right side, you can see the dual volume rocker and the power button. The left side of the realme 11 Pro+ is empty. Below is a Type-C connector, one of the speakers, a SIM card slot, and a microphone. On top is an additional microphone and a second speaker.
The smartphone is quite large, but you can get used to it and operate it even with one hand. The rounded glass of the screen only helps with this.
There is no moisture protection class, but it is still not a flagship.
Read also: Realme Book Prime review: is the manufacturer’s first laptop a success?
realme 11 Pro+ display
I can say a lot about the screen, first of all, it is bright and elongated. It holds a lot of content, and in games, everything is visible in detail. In terms of dry numbers, we are dealing with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2412×1080 pixels, which is protected by Gorilla Glass. The screen occupies 90% of the phone’s surface and looks great thanks to its streamlined shape.
In fact, given the presence of an AMOLED screen, I did not expect any shortcomings, and my expectations were met one hundred percent. The screen has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a good colour palette, deep blacks and decent detail, all of which contribute to the overall comfort of use.
With a peak brightness of 950 nits, the content on the screen remained legible even on a very sunny day. Even on a bench in the garden or in the city, you could work comfortably.
By default, the display’s automatic refresh rate mode is activated, changing according to the task to save battery power. But there is also an option for 120 Hz only and 60 Hz only. In general, there are many options for customising the screen to suit your needs.
Sound
The sound in realme 11 Pro+ is extremely good. The stereo speakers sound loud and voluminous, and even the bass is noticeable.
There is support for Dolby Atmos and various sound profiles.
The only thing that can upset you is the absence of a 3.5 mm jack, which may be relevant for some users.
realme 11 Pro+ cameras
Here we have the following picture:
- Main camera 200 megapixels (f/1.7, 23 mm, 1/1.4″, 0.56 μm, PDAF, OIS), Samsung ISOCELL HP3 SuperZoom sensor
- Wide-angle module 8 megapixels (f/2.2, 16 mm, 112˚)
- Macro sensor 2 megapixels (f/2.4)
- Front camera 32 megapixels (f/2.5, 22 mm)
The 200-megapixel main camera is the only one of the three modules that I completely like. It takes good pictures with decent contrast and good colour reproduction. Every element in the image is bright and clear. Optical stabilisation works very well. I can hardly complain about anything.
ALL PHOTOS FROM REALME 11 PRO+ IN ORIGINAL RESOLUTION
Only when I wanted to take pictures of bright objects (for example, green bushes or flowers) did the shot turn out unnatural and oversaturated. But this is still a subjective opinion, not a criticism of the module, because you can really take good shots with it.
Night shots are of good quality, the smartphone captures a lot of light.
There is a special ultra night mode, when the photo is taken a little longer, but with a higher level of light. Whether to use it is up to you. I’m just showing you an example, night mode on the right:
ALL PHOTOS FROM REALME 11 PRO+ IN ORIGINAL RESOLUTION
But 200 megapixels is actually marketing and a big, beautiful number. The camera sensor is not large enough to use this many megapixels. By default, we get photos with a resolution of 12 megapixels. There’s a separate 200 megapixel mode, but I don’t see much point in it, as images take too long to form, even in perfect lighting. In this folder, you can find a few pictures for comparison – in normal mode and at maximum resolution. As you can see, the dynamic range is also slightly different, and not in a good way for the 200 megapixel mode.
The main module also has the advantage of 4x optical zoom without loss of quality. Results in order, here are a few examples:
In general, the subject can be magnified up to 20 times (digital zoom), but the larger the zoom, the poorer the quality. Examples:
As for macro, I don’t think a sensor is that necessary. In more expensive models where the photo quality is good, yes, but not in this format. 2 megapixels is simply not enough, poor detail, a lot of noise and post-processing. In addition, it is difficult to take a clear shot, often the results are a bit blurry. Although, if you are patient, you can get some good photos, but rather for fun, you will soon forget about the macro mode (especially since it is hidden deep in the menu).
As for the front camera, on the one hand, it takes good selfies on a bright and sunny day, but on the other hand, as soon as the light becomes less, the face becomes pale and lacks natural colours. I would like to have more contrast, even when it’s already approaching evening. At the same time, night selfies turned out quite well, as a frame automatically appeared to illuminate the face.
There are two levels – regular and group.
And here’s a selfie in normal and portrait mode (right).
A wide-angle module may not be perfect, but given the price of a smartphone, it’s quite normal, here are examples:
ALL PHOTOS FROM REALME 11 PRO+ IN ORIGINAL RESOLUTION
The realme 11 Pro+ records video in 4K@30 fps, 1080p@30/60/120/480 fps, 720p@960 fps. The quality is quite good, examples are available here. Noises were sometimes heard during video recording, the noise cancellation function is not the best, but overall it’s a decent result for a mid-range device.
The camera app is standard for realme, user-friendly, and contains quite a few settings.
For example, there is the famous Street Photography 4.0 mode, when the phone captures moving objects better. You can also add colour filters. Here’s an example of a photo taken in this mode:
Read also: Realme C33 review: what to expect from a $140 smartphone?
Data transfer
The model has all the necessary capabilities from this point of view. It has 5G, tri-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, A-GPS, GLONAS. And, of course, there is an NFC function for contactless payments.
Performance
The smartphone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset with a Mali-G68 graphics card. There are several variations of the smartphone, with models with 8/256 GB and 12/256 GB of RAM available in Ukraine. Of course, 12 GB of RAM is enough for all tasks, but you can add up to 4 GB of virtual memory in the settings. The smartphone is very fast, any games run smoothly on it.
There is no support for microSD cards, but 256 GB should be enough for most.
Read also: Realme 10 Smartphone Review: A New Mid-Range Hit?
Software: Android 13 with realme UI 4.0 shell
The smartphone runs on Android 13 with realme UI 4.0, and I confess that I have been playing with the settings a lot. There are many options that I can customise to suit my own needs.
Almost every setting can be changed to your liking. realme takes great care of user privacy and data protection, so we have the ability to protect our data, save and download copies, and run security diagnostics on the entire device. Special features include realme cloning and parental controls. It’s cool that several gestures are available to control the phone, as well as a functional sidebar with quick shortcuts.
You can also easily change the screen by adding a different wallpaper and icon style, font size and dark mode. There are even experimental features in the settings (dual Bluetooth audio mode, heart rate measurement with a fingerprint sensor, and a mode for easy sleep)!
The interface is organised and sorted by category and function, so it’s easy to use even for an older person or child.
Overall, the phone is fast and responsive. I didn’t notice any lags during testing. And the background apps instantly switched on and started working as if nothing had happened.
Read also: realme 9 Pro+ Review: Sturdy Middle with Curious Design
Operating time and battery
Thanks to its 5000 mAh battery, realme is a great choice for influencers and gamers, if only because of the battery life. Of course, everyone has their own specific usage scenario, but I will share my own impressions.
In active use, the phone lasted 10-12 hours. On the other hand, just making calls and exchanging instant messages resulted in almost 30 hours. For a person who does not expect too much from the phone, it will last for 2-3 days of use, and this is a great result.
Despite the fact that the realme does not have wireless charging, the 5000 mAh battery charges quite quickly thanks to the 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging support. You can get 100% of the battery charge in 45 minutes, about 70% in 25 minutes, which is very good.
Read also: realme Buds Air 3S headphones review: Good sound for an affordable price
Conclusions
The realme 11 Pro+ is one of the many phones I tested that I would use myself. It’s not too expensive, has decent functionality, a good screen, good cameras, an interesting design, and is fast.
Of course, it’s not a flagship, but the realme still left a good impression. The operation was comfortable and hassle-free, I was a little worried about the safety of the camera unit, but the case saved the situation. Well, I recommend it – it’s a successful “flagship killer”.
Advantages of realme 11 Pro+
- Functional and simple software
- 100 W charger included
- Protective film with case included
- Custom and unique design
- Amazing, large 120Hz AMOLED screen
- Long working time and fast charging
- Cool photos from the main camera module
- Nice price
Disadvantages of realme 11 Pro+
- No 3.5 mm jack
- No protection against moisture
- No wireless charging
- No significant improvements over previous models
Read also:
- Sony Xperia 5 IV review: A compact flagship for pocket photography
- iPhone 14 Pro Max experience: Is it as perfect as everyone thinks?
- Motorola ThinkPhone review: top business class smartphone
Where to buy realme 11 Pro+