{"id":59646,"date":"2023-11-09T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T09:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=59646"},"modified":"2024-05-20T10:10:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T02:10:00","slug":"realme-11-review-mid-level-pricing-for-flagship-level-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2023\/11\/09\/realme-11-review-mid-level-pricing-for-flagship-level-features\/","title":{"rendered":"realme 11 review: Mid-level pricing for flagship level features"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

#ChargeBeyondLimits
#realme11<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

realme 11 arrives at a time when various phone companies have been launching units with must-have features, and yet are within reach of many price-wise. We ask, therefore, if realme 11 is \u2013 well \u2013 worth considering, and so here\u2019s Upgrade Magazine<\/em>\u2019s closer scrutiny of the unit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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THE LOOK, THE LOOK<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

realme 11 has a 6.4\u201d AMOLED screen size, comfortably fitting most hands, which is a necessity particularly for those who can\u2019t be separated from their gadgets. It helps that the bezel isn\u2019t that thick, guaranteeing more space for viewing, et cetera.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At only 7.95mm thick, this is a thin unit. Used to stuffing 6.7-inch smart phones in my pockets, there were times when I worried I\u2019d break realme 11 into two (or at least crack it), though \u2013 with that not happening \u2013 the unit was actually easier to carry with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weighing 178g, realme 11 is comfy to use for longer periods of time (e.g. think gaming, or movie or reel marathons). Good, too, that even if the unit\u2019s light, it still feels premium (not akin to plastic units).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the right side of the unit, there are two buttons \u2013 i.e. the power button that also serves as the fingerprint sensor (this read my fingerprint fast, too), and the volume rockers. As a side note related to the fingerprint sensor, you may record more than one fingerprint to gain access to the phone, which is good for those sharing gadgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located at the left side of realme 11 is the triple card slot \u2013 i.e. for two nano-SIM cards, and an extra slot for micro-SD Card support (up to 1TB expandable storage via micro-SD card). The tray is thin, and \u2013 when one SIM was placed \u2013 I was worried I\u2019d break it into two.<\/p>\n\n\n

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At the bottom are the USB Type-C charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the speaker grill. On the latter (i.e. the speaker), realme 11 boasts of a 200% UltraBoom Speaker, a single downward-firing speaker (said to be \u201cdesigned to produce louder audio with more clarity both on treble and bass\u201d). In truth, the sound is LOUD and clear (no \u201cbasag<\/em>\u201d\/broken sound here), but even when the volume is maxed out, I noticed it doesn\u2019t sound \u201cencompassing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the front, located at the top left portion, is the front-facing 16MP selfie camera, similar to realme 10\u2019s off-center positioning. Many other units out in the market now position the selfie cams this way, but this actually requires getting used to. I was recording for facial recognition and I found it awkward since I kept recording only half my face. But when already used to this, the front cam\u2019s fast capture is worth emphasizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the back of realme 11 are 108MP + 2MP cameras, encased in a circular cutout at the top left part of the unit. That circular cutout is actually pleasant to look at, adding some class to this unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

realme 11 comes in two colors: Glory Gold and Dark Glory. The latter was the review unit, and \u2013 it must be noted \u2013 the material used did not smudge easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FYI: The unit came pre-installed with a screen protector, and a jelly case was found in that yellow envelope in the unit\u2019s box. Though you may eventually decide to replace this jelly case with something made of stronger material, this temporarily suffices, considering the thinness and the lightness of realme 11.<\/p>\n\n\n

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USING THE PHONE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gentle reminder: Be cautious when setting up realme 11 \u2013 e.g. there are \u201cInstall All\u201d commands you may accidentally press, causing the dumping (for lack of a better word) of not-your-choice and instead forced-upon-you apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, setting up was breezy (even faster than realme Pad 2, for instance), thanks to the MediaTek Helio G99 processor. OS used is realme UI 4.0 (based on Android 13), with the unit also boasting 8GB of RAM and 256GB of ROM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connectivity-wise, realme 11 can use WiFi (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth (Bluetooth 5.2), and frequency bands 2G\/3G\/4G. That this unit is not 5G-compatible may not be okay for some since it means foregoing some of the 5G benefits. But particularly for those who\u2019d use this unit in places where 5G still isn\u2019t the norm, you\u2019d hardly notice any difference in the speed, latency, et cetera<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 90Hz refresh rate , realme 11 was powerful enough for multitasking \u2013 e.g. I was editing some of our WordPress accounts (the issue here was the size of the unit, since doing this proved challenging because of the small-ish screen), surfing online, playing random YouTube videos, and browsing Facebook and Messenger all at the same time. No apparent lag was noted, thank goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FYI, I noticed that realme 11 \u201cpushes\u201d some apps, so that, as an example, even when you remove folders \u201cHot Apps\u201d and \u201cHot Games\u201d from your screen, in a day or two or three, these folders will just appear on your screen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For gaming, some apps (e.g. Shadow Fight 3<\/em>, Yeager: Hunter Legend<\/em>) were downloaded to check the responses to different demands. No matter the gaming app, one thing should be stated first \u2013 i.e. the graphics were clear as can be. Warming was noted after prolonged use, even if at least no floundering was noticed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This unit has a 5000mAh battery capacity. Used as a secondary phone, I remembered waiting for the unit\u2019s battery to go flat\u2026 and after three days, I was still around 50%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can actually charge the 5000mAh battery in only 45 minutes\u2026 though only if you use realme\u2019s 67W SUPERVOOC charging solution. But accompanying the unit when bought is a 33W SUPERVOOC adapter. Also: No wireless charging with this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAM OBSERVATIONS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

realme 11 has a single 16MP front-facing selfie camera that\u2019s located off-center, at the top left side of the front of the unit. Truth be told, this takes some getting used to, particularly for those whose past and\/or existing units have cams located at the to middle part of the front of the units. But it helps that the single front-facing camera is maximized with realme\u2019s Fusion Algorithms and Multi-Facial Focus, both adding a dynamic flare \u2013 if you will \u2013 to the selfies taken.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Shots taken inside the Palanan (in Makati) wet market showed clear details, and captured colors well.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The camera seemed to work hard with ECUs (extreme close-ups), with details still there, but colors not as crisp anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How does the front cam perform, you ask? Using normal lighting, the cam captured images well; too well, in fact, that the images seemed pre-filtered. For those wanting grimy realism when shooting, you\u2019d find this somewhat off-putting; but for those who\u2019d primarily use this for socmed uploads, you\u2019d appreciate that OOTB, you just have to point and shoot and you\u2019d automatically get already-uploadable images. And yeah\u2026 even in darker settings, the front cam \u201cglares\u201d to provide you that extra lighting (no ring lights needed, LOL) so that the end-product looks good enough to upload.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For the 108MP+2MP rear\/back cams, here are some observations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n