Infinix could soon become a household name in India. Not many people know of the brand until a few years back, but with the recent launches, it is sure to catch the fancy of smartphone users in India. Infinix’s latest offering in India is the Note 11 series. The company has introduced two new models in the Note 11 series. Unlike the “Notes” of other smartphone brands, the “Note” offered by Infinix has been launched in the entry-level segment. However, Infinix has not taken away the grandeur of the “Note” moniker despite pricing the smartphone low.

Launched at Rs 11,999, the Infinix Note 11 is quite a looker with a slim profile and flat design. I have the turquoise colour variant for review. The smartphone features a 50-megapixel camera, an AMOLED screen, fast charging support and a dozen other features that call for attention. So is it safe to call the Infinix Note 11 the undisputed king of the budget smartphone segment? Read the review to know the answer.

Infinix Note 11 review: Design

Infinix is getting better with every phone it is launching in India. This was the first thought I had when I held the Note 11 in my hand. The slim, lightweight phone with a square-edge design and the flat rear panel is sure to catch your eye. The watch seems to be heavily inspired by the Oppo Reno 3 and even the Moto Edge 20. Both the smartphones feature the same flat-edge design but cost a lot more than the Infinix Note 11.

The Infinix Note 11 is 7.9mm thick and weighs 184 grams only. It is made up of polycarbonate, and the rear panel has a matte finish. The best bit about the matte finish panel is that it doesn’t attract fingerprints and smudges. The smartphone also offers a solid grip, all thanks to the flat corners. The panel also has a rectangular camera island which features a giant primary camera lens along with two other sensors and quad-LED flashlights. The camera island has a glossy finish and protrudes. The glossy finish looks a bit tacky. It doesn’t go with the matte finish panel well.

The Note 11 features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a waterdrop cutout on the front. The display has very thin bezels around the corners, and the chin is also relatively slimmer. Overall, the display looks stunning. It is, in fact, one of the best displays I have seen on a budget smartphone. The volume rocker and the power button is placed on the right side. The power button is hardly distinguishable as it completely blends in with the body. The power button also doubles up as the fingerprint scanner. On the left side, there is a dual-sim tray and SD cardholder. The bottom of the smartphone houses a USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a speaker grille. There is nothing on the top side of the smartphone.

Overall, the Infinix Note 11 has completely won me over with its stunning design. For the price it comes for, such designs are a rarity. Smartphone makers tend to make their smartphones look really boring, especially if it is a budget offering. Infinix seems to have played with the design well to attract more buyers. After all, the majority of Indians prefer entry-level smartphones to premium ones.

Infinix Note 11 review: Performance

While Infinix Note 11 deserves all the accolades for its design, it is the performance that decides the fate of the smartphone. To begin with, the smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G88 chipset and coupled with 4GB of RAM. I have been using the smartphone for a little over a week now, and I can say that the basic functionalities are handled pretty well by the Note 11. It may not be the fastest phone out there, but it is not disappointing either. The smartphone does not support a high refresh rate, but even with the standard 60hz refresh rate, the screen unlocks faster than most smartphones at this price point.

The smartphone runs on Android 11, and it is based on the company’s proprietary XOS software. The app comes pre-loaded with a plethora of apps, and that is the most annoying bit of smartphones. Most apps that are pre-loaded are absolutely useless and populate the notification panel with endless notifications. The panel gets so crowded with all the notifications from the apps that sometimes you can even miss seeing the important notifications like missed call alerts or missed SMSes. I do not understand why Infinix feels the need to stuff the phone with so many pre-loaded apps. The bloatware can affect the performance of the smartphone in the long run because you will someday or the other end up clicking on spammy ad links. The worst bit is that you cannot even uninstall the pre-loaded apps. This is exactly when we miss phones like Motorola, Nokia that provide near stock-android experience.

The Infinix Note 11 houses a 5000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. It is a rare sight to see an entry-level smartphone bundled with a 33W charger. Most smartphones at this price point either come with 5W chargers or 18W chargers. So Infinix has clearly taken the lead here. Now coming to the battery performance, the smartphone lasted me one whole day on a single charge. Which I feel is decent enough for a smartphone with a 5000mAh battery. The Note 11 also comes with Power Boost, Ultra Power Saving, Smart Scenes features that can help save the battery.

I have a mixed view about the performance of the smartphone. In some areas, the Note 11 has performed exceptionally well, whereas I believe it could have been better in some areas.

Infinix Note 11 review: Camera

Infinix features a giant 50-megapixel primary camera at the rear along with a 2-megapixel depth sensor along with AI-lens. The camera app is loaded with multiple modes, including the Night Mode, Portrait mode, Beauty Mode, Short Video mode, Code scanner, among others. There are other special modes using which you can make your body look slimmer, tone your legs and others.

The primary camera captures decent images in daylight or good lighting conditions. The images are sharp and crisp. The 2-megapixel depth sensor also manages to capture good portrait shots with decent edge detection and background blur. However, lighting conditions play a huge role here because the portrait shots come out well only when there is adequate lighting. In low light conditions, the primary sensor and depth sensor falter a lot. The images are saturated and grainy. The pictures clicked using the Super Night Mode turned out well. The photos are detailed and adequately bright. You wouldn’t find any unnatural colours added to your images clicked in the night. However, the phone took less time in processing the photos because if you move the camera while still processing the image, you might end up clicking shaky, blurry pictures. So you will have to keep your hand and focus still.

Now, there is one thing that is missing, and it is the macro lens. It is rather surprising that Infinix had not included a macro lens because most smartphones at this price point come with a macro sensor. Infinix’s immediate competitor Moto G31 also comes with a macro lens. Nonetheless, the overall camera performance is satisfactory.

Infinix Note 11 review: Should you buy it?

Infinix Note 11 has what it takes to become the best pick in the budget segment. The smartphone features an eye-catching design, and it has a powerful processor and a good primary camera. The battery comes with fast chairing support and lasts over a day.

The smartphone doesn’t come with a macro mode, and the low-light pictures are underwhelming. Another annoying bit about the smartphone is the bloatware.

Overall, the performance of the phone is quite satisfactory. It does not come with support for a display with a high refresh rate, but the 60Hz works just fine. If you are looking for a phone under Rs 12,000, this is one of the options you should consider. But if you want a clean Android experience, the Moto G31 comes at a similar price point.