realme 11 Pro+ Review
I have been using the realme 11 Pro+ for 2 weeks now. There’s quite a number of good things that I like about it. In fact – without preempting the totality of this review – this is realme’s most significant upgrade to their numbered series, and it definitely hits the right features that “ugpraders” have been looking for. However, like any other devices, realme 11 Pro+ is not a perfect device and it misses some things that could have made it the best midrange device this year.
Design
I personally did not like last year’s design of the realme 10 Pro+, so consider my take on the realme 11 Pro+ a little biased. In fact, this new series’ design is a direct antithesis to design of the previous generation; a complete overhaul, if I may say.
realme 11 Pro+ is made with a premium vegan leather design. In fact, according to realme, this design is co-created with former Gucci Prints and Textile Designer Mateo Menoto. This what makes its design a more premium than any other midrange smartphones I’ve seen in the market. I did not put the silicone case on this phone because its design is “demanding” me flaunt it. From the stitches that encircles around the thick camera bump to the obvious middle line, realme 11 Pro+ is just so beautiful to both look at and touch.
Display
realme 11 Pro+ features a 6.7-inch precision curved Curved FHD+ Resolution OLED display. It has a refresh rate of 120Hz and touch sampling rate of 360Hz. According to realme, the touch sampling rate can spike up to 1,260Hz depending on the activity demand. Just to be clear, this is pertaining to touch sampling rate, which can be very relevant to how responsive the display is to the user’s touch. This is helpful in minimizing input lag when playing games like Mobile Legends or Farlight 84, ensuring responsiveness throughout the gameplay.
As expected from an OLED display, photos and videos look amazing on the realme 11. Colors are punchy – but not overblown, and the level of detail and clarity are beyond my expectations. The phone also has O1 Ultra Vision Engine, which enables users to boost the video color and even increase the brightness of the display when HDR is enabled.
Overall, while the display seems identical from the previous generation, it features minute upgrades that provide better user experience.
Hardware and Performance
The new realme 11 Pro+ is powered by 6nm processor. It is packed with a fairly new chipset by MediaTek, the MT6877V Dimensity 7050. For comparison’s sake, this is similar to the one on the OPPO Reno10, which was recently released.
The phone’s performance is decent and acceptable for the price realme asks but falls short of my expectations. I know it can do better as a PhP24,999 device but instead gives a somewhat mediocre overall performance. Don’t get me wrong though: this is not something that I barely noticed when playing games. Games like Mobile Legends and Diablo Immortal play at flawless 60fps at High Settings. Farlight 84 and Honkai Star Rail play at 57 and 55 average FPS respectively. Again, when you are into playing these games, you will barely notice that the phone is powered by a midrange chipset. However, if I zero intoits price relevant to its chipset, realme could have thought of pricing this differently.
Then again, the star of the show is not entirely its chipset but the set of cameras realme overwhelmingly promotes. If we look into that, then its price is definitely warranted and justified. I know, this duality may confuse some but I’ll get into talking more about cameras later.
We subjected the realme 11 Pro+ to a series of synthetic tests that you can try and replicate. Below are the list of synthetic benchmarks we have used. Benchmarks were done with a total of 16GB memory (12GB + 4GB).
- Antutu Benchmark is a widely used and popular benchmarking tool for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. It evaluates the performance of a device by measuring its CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage capabilities, as well as testing its UX (user experience) and overall performance. The benchmark provides a comprehensive score that helps users compare the performance of different devices and make informed decisions based on their specific needs and preferences.
- Geekbench 6 serves as an indispensable tool for individuals who seek reliable and comprehensive information about the performance capabilities of their devices. By providing accurate and standardized benchmarks, Geekbench 6 enables users to choose devices that cater to their specific requirements, ensuring a seamless and efficient user experience.
- 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme is a benchmarking test that measures the performance of graphics cards in mobile devices. It is designed to push graphics cards to their limits, simulating demanding gaming scenarios and providing an accurate assessment of their capabilities. With Wild Life Extreme, users can evaluate the graphical performance of their devices and compare them to other devices on the market. It is a reliable and comprehensive tool for assessing the gaming potential of a mobile device and making informed decisions about their hardware choices.
- PCMark Work 3.0 is a benchmarking tool specifically designed for smartphones. It assesses the performance of various aspects of a smartphone’s functionality, focusing on work-related tasks. This benchmark evaluates the device’s ability to handle daily productivity tasks such as document editing, web browsing, video conferencing, and data manipulation. By running PCMark Work 3.0, users can accurately gauge their smartphone’s efficiency and compare it to other devices on the market. This information enables users to make informed decisions regarding their smartphone choices, ensuring optimal productivity and performance in their daily work routines.
Benchmark Results
Cameras
Apart from its design, I believe that the camera sets of realme 11 Pro+ gives a lot value to its price. You get 200MP main sensor with 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro at the back, and a 32MP infront. While the megapixels count fall short compared to the Honor 90, I believe that the ones on the realme 11 Pro+ perform better, overall.
realme 11 Pro+ excels in portrait (using back and front cameras), telephoto, landscape and video. You can maximize its sensor by enabling 200MP mode using the camera application. The phone also works very well in low light thanks to its bright aperture OIS, and gyro-EIS. You can also shoot up to 1080p60 and 4K30.
Based on my experience, the phone falls short on macro photography where I felt very limited with its capability. It also has an insane amount of rolling shutter effect, which can be seen when shooting photos and videos.
Software
The realme 11 Pro+ is running on realme UI 4.0 on top of Android 13. it features quite a number of new features that improve the overall user experience of the phone. The phone now employs a new card-like layout, large folders, dynamic widgets, auto pixelate and Private Safe. The latter features AES or advanced encryption standard, which adds an additional layer of protection for your private files.
The new software gives more ways for the user to control the phone’s settings. From always on display settings down to home screen, realme UI 4.0 was built for overall better user experience.
Battery Performance and Charging
This is another feature that realme 11 Pro+ shines. The phone packs a 5000mAh battery and it can be full charged from 0 to 100% for 28 minutes. While it does not have wireless charging capability, the included 100W charger is more than enough to compensate for what it lacks.
Performance wise, this managed to reached 14 hours and 25 minutes in my PCMark benchmark. I also managed to use this for about 18 hours with moderate usage at 75% brightness. This is insanely good for a device with 5000mAh battery. Again, this is where you can appreciate realme’s decision to sacrifice a bit of performance in favor of good battery life.
Verdict
The realme 11 Pro+ outperforms the previous generation; and while it isn’t a perfect device, its features put value to its initially perceived expensive price. Yes, they could have chosen a better chipset, but I later realized that the decision stems from giving the phone a good battery management system.
The phone has incredibily good sets of camera. The underwhelming macro photography features and rolling shutter effect are outshined by its ability to take amazing portrait and landscape photos. The realme 11 Pro+, overall, is a fantastic upgrade that is worth taking a look at.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
