Realme 11 Pro+ review

Design, build quality, handling

The Realme 11 Pro+ is the first Realme from the Number series that looks different and in a pretty good way. The new 11 Pro+, together with the 11 Pro, adopts a brand-new Lychee Leather Design that was co-designed with the ex-Gucci designer Matteo Menotto.

The primary change since the previous generation of Realme mid-rangers is the back panel - it is now as curved as the screen glass. It has a faux leather cover with a Lychee-like texture and 3D-printed stitches surrounding the zipper-like middle. This zipper is sealed with transparent plastic, though, so there is nothing actually to touch here.

The new camera circle is gigantic for sure, but fitting to the overall design and looks like a Huawei high-end setup. The vinyl-like middle part is also eye-catching and complements the elegant shape.

While the Realme 11 Pro+ surely looks expensive, like a fashion accessory, its build quality is not premium. The phone has a glossy plastic frame, and its back panel is also made of plastic, along with the huge camera ring. The screen, of course, is covered by some sort of tempered glass.

The Realme 11 Pro+ is not a splash-resistance smartphone, unfortunately.

The Lychee Leather Design is available for the gold and green models, while the black one has a clean back with a matte finish - there is no leather texture here, no stitches, and no zipper.

The whole front is home to the 6.7-inch AMOLED panel. While its protective glass has curved sides, the screen itself is completely flat underneath.

Naturally, the display has minimal bezels and a tiny perforation for the 32MP selfie camera. And while we do appreciate the small punch hole, the Monk in us is frustrated the camera itself is not centered in that hole.

Anyway, the Realme 11 Pro+ has stereo speakers, with the earpiece sitting above the screen doubling as a speaker. And because of that, there is another grille at the top of the phone for better sound dispersion.

Realme has installed an optical fingerprint scanner under the screen, and it works like a charm. The sensor is fast and reliable, though should you use a screen protector, you will need to rescan your fingerprints.

Realme also offers this neat Quick Launch function, which can launch a specific app upon successful fingerprint scan. You can assign up to five actions on the Quick Launch menu.

We've talked plenty about the designer back panel, but let's look at the huge camera circle. It is jutting out big time out of the back, but because it's massive, there is no space for wobbling when you are using the Realme 11 Pro+ on a desk.

The 200MP camera is at the center of that big circle, surrounded by the 8MP ultrawide camera, the 2MP macro cam, and the LED flash.

The plastic frame of the Realme 11 Pro+ looks nice. It has no controls on the left.

The volume and power keys are on the right.

The top of the frame accommodates the second outlet for the top speaker and one of the mics.

The primary microphone is at the bottom, together with the dual-SIM tray, the USB-C port, and the other speaker. Naturally, the bottom speaker is louder.

The Realme 11 Pro+ is a thin smartphone, lightweight even. Thanks to its unique design, the phone offers a secure grip, and we never felt like snapping the bundled case. Even better, the vegan leather back is not prone to smudges and fingerprints, which is quite rare these days.

We are also quite happy with the build quality - the Realme 11 Pro+ always felt balanced in hand, with a gap-free sturdy design. And while there is no apparent metal on it, it is not cheap; on the contrary, it feels as luxurious as it looks. And despite the fashion-centric design, we never found the Realme 11 Pro+ over-the-top or flashy.

Overall, we are happy with the new Realme 11 Pro+ and its signature design. And the only thing we miss here is some basic ingress protection; everything else is close to perfection.