Realme 11 Pro+ 5G: Striking Balance Between Premium Features and Software Woes

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G has officially made its debut in India, and judging by its name, it appears to be the follow-up to the Realme 10 Pro+ 5G (Review). Nevertheless, due to the impressive upgrades it features, the 11 Pro+ 5G ends up contending with pricier competitors like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G (Review), Motorola Edge 40 (Review), iQoo Neo 7 (Review), and the Poco F5 5G (Review). The device showcases an impressive array of specifications, including a 200-megapixel main camera, rapid 100W charging, and robust performance capabilities.

Given these features, is purchasing the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G worth considering? Read on for our comprehensive review to assist your decision.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G pricing in India

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is available in two configurations. The entry-level option comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at Rs. 27,999. We have the model equipped with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, listed at Rs. 29,999.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G design and display

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is offered in three colors: Astral Black, Oasis Green, and Sunrise Beige. The green model has a faux-leather back, which appears to be a new popular trend. I find it appealing as it feels significantly more premium than traditional plastic finishes and effectively minimizes fingerprints and smudges. The beige variant also features a faux-leather back.

Both variants weigh around 189g, and the textured finish provides excellent grip and comfort in hand. A stitch-like pattern vertically runs through the center of the rear, giving it a stylish leather jacket-like appearance. For those preferring a more understated look, the black version is also available, weighing slightly less at 183g.

The plastic frame has a shiny finish and includes the power and volume controls on the right side, while the base hosts the USB Type-C port, primary speaker, and hybrid SIM slot.

The faux-leather textured back enhances grip and handling comfort

The front design of the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G retains much from the 10 Pro+ 5G, which isn’t a downside. It features the same 6.7-inch curved-edge AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen delivers a fantastic multimedia experience, rich in colors with sufficient brightness for outdoor viewing. It also boasts HDR10+ certification, enabling compatibility with YouTube, though Netflix did not recognize it. Despite the curved edges, I did not encounter any issues with unintended touches.

The chin bezel of the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is among the slenderest within its category

Equipped with an in-display fingerprint reader, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G offers quick authentication and unlocking. I would prefer if the scanner were positioned slightly higher, as it is close to the bottom of the display.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G specifications and software

Under the hood, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, a minor refinement of the Dimensity 1080 SoC in the 10 Pro+ 5G. Additionally, it packs a 5,000mAh battery with 100W quick charging capability. The phone is equipped with dual speakers, Wi-Fi 6 support, Bluetooth 5.2, and GPS.

As for the software, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G operates on Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0 on top. This customized interface based on Oppo’s ColorOS 13 provides a plethora of personalization options. Users can modify icon shapes and sizes, alter fonts, wallpapers, and themes. The colors of system icons can be synced with the wallpaper as well. There is also an Always-on Display feature that allows for some customization, including the addition of a Bitmoji.

Bloatware within the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G can clutter the app drawer

However, Realme UI 4.0 suffers from excessive bloatware and app suggestions. Among the various custom interfaces, it appears to be the most bloated. Alongside the preinstalled Hot Apps, Hot Games, and Hot FreeGames, numerous third-party apps like Josh, Dailyhunt, Moj, PhonePe, Spotify, and LinkedIn come preloaded.

Furthermore, the Game Centre, App Market (Realme’s own app store), and Theme Store frequently bombard the notification panel with recommendations. Additionally, whenever a new app is installed, users are directed to a new screen with options to launch it or explore more in the App Market, which includes advertisements for other applications available there.

On a positive note, Realme has committed to providing two major Android updates and three years of security support for the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G performance and battery life

The device handles everyday activities and casual gaming remarkably well. There were no signs of lag or stutter, except for minor animation jitter while playing videos (particularly on YouTube) in picture-in-picture mode.

For gaming, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G can run BGMI at ‘Ultra’ framerate with ‘HDR’ graphics or at a higher ‘Extreme’ framerate with ‘Smooth’ graphics. I truly enjoyed my gaming experience on the 11 Pro+ 5G as it performed without lag or stuttering. The device does generate a slight warmth around the camera region, which I found typical. The raised camera module can be a bit cumbersome when holding the phone horizontally, requiring some adjustment.

In benchmark tests, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G recorded 5,37,230 points on AnTuTu (v10), which falls short of the Motorola Edge 40’s score of 7,64,083 and the Poco F5’s score of 10,94,798. In Geekbench 6’s single-core and multi-core benchmarks, it scored 921 and 2138 points, respectively.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G supports 100W fast charging through its USB Type-C port

With a single charge, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G provides impressive all-day battery life. It averaged around eight hours and 35 minutes of screen-on time during the review. In our HD video playback battery test, it lasted for approximately 23 hours and 16 minutes, which is notably commendable. Charging with the proprietary charger took about 40 minutes to reach full capacity, roughly 14 minutes longer than the advertised time.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G cameras

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G boasts a triple camera arrangement at the rear, featuring an innovative 200-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor with an f/1.69 aperture, claiming to deliver up to 4X lossless zoom. It also includes an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

The main camera performs admirably in daylight, capturing well-defined details, although it tends to overly saturate colors. The dynamic range is commendable, generally exposing the image effectively and providing good detail in both highlights and shadows, although it often renders the night sky as overly blue instead of grey or black.

Samples taken with the primary camera of the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G (tap for full size)

The 4X lossless zoom feature holds true in well-lit conditions, but in more challenging scenarios, it may compromise some detail when zoomed in.

In Photo and Portrait modes, the primary camera exhibits inconsistency in capturing human skin tones, often resulting in a reddish hue. Notably, the 2X portrait mode provides a more consistent background blur than the 1X mode, which sometimes fails to maintain focus on all parts of the subject’s face.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G primary camera’s lossless zoom test (Tap to view larger)

 

A new Moon mode has also been introduced in the camera app, activating automatically when AI Scene recognition is enabled. Personally, I find it to be more of a gimmick than a useful feature. When aimed at the moon and zoomed in at 20X, the camera captures an AI-enhanced photo. However, if any objects such as tree branches obstruct the view, the obstructed parts of the moon will appear blurred, while the rest remains sharp. It’s a fun feature, but lacks practical utility.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G 20X zoom, Moon mode samples: Without obstacles (top), With obstacles (bottom)

Photos taken with the ultra-wide camera display a different color temperature compared to those captured with the main camera. Nonetheless, dynamic range performance remains impressive.

The front-facing camera performs notably well, offering accurate skin tones and good dynamic range. However, it occasionally blurs elements like hair or ears in portrait shots.

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Camera samples from the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G (Top: Ultra-wide, bottom: Selfie portrait mode)

Video recording capabilities allow the Realme 11 Pro+ to capture videos at 4K 30fps with the rear camera, while the front camera is limited to 1080p 30fps. Both cameras manage to expose the subject well, with the rear camera providing a better dynamic range and color representation.

Conclusion

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G aims to elevate the features seen in the Realme 10 Pro+ 5G, showcasing enhancements in camera performance and design while also providing improvements in battery life and charging. It stands out as one of the best-designed smartphones in its category and offers an impressive multimedia experience along with extended battery life. The performance is commendably solid for its price, but competition such as the Motorola Edge 40 (Review), iQoo Neo 7 (Review) and Poco F5 5G (Review) may have a slight edge in certain areas.

The camera capabilities are where this phone falters. While the main camera’s performance under daylight is commendable, low-light results can be inconsistent, and post-processing can vary. Moreover, the software experience is somewhat cluttered. Realme UI offers a wealth of features, but the intrusive bloatware and advertisements detract from an otherwise positive user experience.

When reflecting on the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G, the Yin and Yang concept comes to mind. The device boasts remarkable hardware and features (the Yang), but its bloated software and inconsistencies within the camera system hold it back considerably (the Yin). 

Compared to its closest competitor, Motorola’s Edge 40, which has a sleek design, a curved display and marginally superior performance, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G struggles with its camera capabilities and software bloat. Conversely, if performance is your primary concern and you prioritize technical specifications over design, consider the Poco F5 5G (Review) as a viable option.


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