Realme 11 Pro+ review

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The Realme 11 Pro+ may not be the overwhelming upgrade some users might have hoped for, but it has a couple of unique traits that could give it an edge over the competition. Yes, we are talking about the fashionable design, the 200MP flagship camera, and the 100W fast charging.

The first smartphone that comes to mind as a direct competitor is the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ by Xiaomi. It is nearly identical to the Realme 11 Pro+, both specs and price-wise. The Redmi trumps the Realme with IP53-rated design, even if simplistic, and Dolby Vision support for the screen. It all boils down to which launcher you prefer - MIUI or Realme UI.

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is also in the same price bracket as the Realme 11 Pro+. It's a fully waterproofed smartphone with a bit smaller OLED and slower charging, but faster hardware and more impressive ultrawide and selfie cameras. You should give it a try if you fancy proper ingress protection.

The Poco X5 Pro is even cheaper than the Realme 11 Pro+, and yet it will trump it with a Dolby Vision OLED, a faster chipset, and a splash-resistant design. The phone is not as stunning, though, and its main camera is less impressive.

Finally, if this design has caught your eye, but you don't mind a more mainstream 100MP camera and slower 67W charging, you can spend less and get the Realme 11 Pro instead.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ • Samsung Galaxy A54 • Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro • Realme 11 Pro

Our verdict

The Realme 11 Pro+ turned out to be an excellent smartphone with a charming design, modern specs, a flagship camera, and incredibly fast charging. We also appreciate the promise of two major Android updates and three years of security upgrades.

We liked the design; in fact, we found the Realme 11 Pro+ quite easy to love. The phone offers a bright and color-accurate OLED, the speakers sound nice, the battery life is excellent, and the charging is incredibly fast.

That's not all, of course. The Dimensity 7050 5G chipset, while not the fastest in this price bracket, is adequate for a mid-ranger and provides smooth performance all-around. The doubled base storage is much appreciated, too.

The main camera is the real showstopper on the Realme 11 Pro+ - it's as flagship as on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the photo and video quality are as premium as it can get these days. The ultrawide and selfie cameras do offer a good experience, too, but they are more fitting to the mid-range class, which could be a letdown for some.

There are a few omissions on the Realme 11 Pro+ - splash protection and electronic stabilization for the 4K video capturing on the main camera. And, yes, it could have been a faster phone, but we won't hold the rebranded chipset against it, we promise.

We have plenty of positive impressions from the Realme 11 Pro+ at the end of this review, which easily sweeps over the few imperfections we found along the way. If you want one of the best cameras in the mid-range class, coupled with a truly one-of-a-kind design and super-fast charging, you should get the Realme 11 Pro+. Meanwhile, there are better offers out there for more demanding gamers and/or regular pool users.

Pros

• One-of-a-kind fashion design.
• Excellent OLED, fast, bright, color-accurate.
• Superb battery life, incredibly fast charging.
• Flagship-grade photos and videos from the main cam.
• Good ultrawide and selfie experience.
• Adequate performance, no throttling, 256GB base storage.
• 5G, dual-SIM, NFC, stereo speakers, 2 major Android updates guaranteed.

Cons

• The selfie camera is not centered in its punch-hole.
• No splash protection.
• No EIS for 4K videos.