Realme 11x 5G Review: An All-Rounder on a Budget

As part of its ever-expanding portfolio to offer great smartphones across price points, Realme launched the Realme 11 and Realme 11x 5G in August. Both of these new devices have an impressive spec sheet, and feature a sleek and lightweight design. While the Realme 11 costs Rs 18,999 and has good display and powerful cameras, the Realme 11x 5G seems to be its toned-down sibling, priced around Rs 15k. Take a deeper dive with us in this review to see how well the affordable offering in the Realme 11 series, the Realme 11x 5G does in the real world.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Design and display

1. The Realme 11x 5G comes with a plastic body.
2. It supports 120Hz refresh rate.

At the first glance, the Realme 11x 5G looks very similar to the Realme 11. The shiny plastic back, the display panel, the coarse texture of the frame and, of course, the huge circular camera module on the rear – everything looks exactly the same. You can read more about the design of the Realme 11 here.

The fingerprint scanner on the power button, and the volume rocker just above it, are conveniently placed. Also, there’s a headphone socket present at the bottom – we haven’t seen that in a long time, and aren’t we glad to see that here!

At the front, you will find a run-of-the-mill LCD panel. The silver lining here is the 120hz refresh rate support, which makes doom scrolling in the night a bit more pleasurable. The peak brightness of 680 nits is just good enough to be used in harsh sunlight, but we feel the viewing angles could have been better.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Performance

1. We didn’t noticed any major heating issues on the Dimensity 6100+ SoC
2. Realme UI 4.0 has plenty of customisation options, but bloatware is a bit of a headache.

What’s surprising is the fact that Realme chose to not nerf the specifications of the 11X 5G. Instead, they gave it the same processor as its pricier sibling. It’s not the first time we are seeing the Dimensity 6100+, it previously made its way to the Narzo 60X as well.

Its benchmarks are above the average scores in the sub-Rs 15,000 category and a few notches below what the Redmi 12 5G managed. In real-world usage, we did not observe any major stuttering issues or moments when the phone seemed to give up while performing heavy multitasking. Gaming experiences were also nothing to complain about. Call of Duty could run smoothly, and maxes out at Medium Graphic quality and High frame rates.

Complementing the hardware is Realme UI 4.0, offering you smoothness, customisation options, and simplicity at the same time. It is also heavily optimised for prioritising battery life when the phone is not in use. Power users would love the customisability – it automatically matches the system colours to the wallpaper you select and offers a plethora of icon and text packs. As is the case with the other Realme phones, there is a ton of bloatware here. It requires physical effort to get rid of that takes up about 15 to 20 minutes of your time.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Camera

1. The primary camera can take well detailed and sharp pictures.
2. The Realme 11x 5G can record video up to 1080p at 30fps.

While the Realme 11x 5G’s primary camera can take some great photos in daylight, the 2x in-sensor zoom also adds as a nice touch. Realme likes to keep colours on a punchier side in its processing algorithm, and that holds true here as well.

1X Camera Samples of Realme 11x 5G

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It is also capable of taking HDR photos, while doing a good job of retaining shadow and highlights in scenarios with harsh backlighting. The bokeh in portraits can appear a bit too obviously processed and the edge separation is not the best either.

2X Camera Samples on Realme 11x 5G

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Pictures clicked in low light have some noise to them. Night mode tries to suppress that, while introducing a noticeable delay in photo processing. So, you need to keep the phone stable for a few seconds to get a good shot in low light to avoid blurry pictures.

Selfies on Realme 11x 5G

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In favourable lighting, the front camera captures photos with good details and accurate skin tones. However in low light conditions, the photos have a noticeable amount of grain and some over-smoothening going on to the skin tone.

Low light camera sample on Realme 11x 5G

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Realme 11x 5G Review: Battery

1. The Realme 11x 5G can last for about a day’s worth of use in medium to heavy usage.
2. While the Realme 11 comes with support for 67W SUPERVOOC charge, this one is limited to 33W.

In normal usage, the Realme 11x 5G can last for about a day with normal to heavy usage on a full charge. The 33W fast charger takes around 70-75 minutes to take it from 0-100 percent. The 11x 5G went on for about 14 hours in the PCMark battery test, which is pretty good for the price.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Alternatives

If you are looking for a clean, non-bloated experience, you might want to look elsewhere. The Lava Blaze Pro 5G or the Moto G54 are great options for this usage.

Another ‘all-rounded’ alternative is, of course, the Redmi Note 12 5G, with a better AMOLED panel, but slower charging speed. If display is your main priority, you may also take a look at the Samsung Galaxy M34 or itel S23+. If you want something that charges quickly, take a look at the Tecno Pova 5 Pro with 68W fast charging.

Else, if you are still confused between the Realme 11 and 11x 5G, you need to decide your priorities. The four grand premium only gets you faster charging and a camera that is capable of in-sensor zooming.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Verdict

The Realme 11x 5G is a good all-round sub-Rs 15,000 smartphone. It offers great battery life, while offering the same firepower and design as the more expensive Realme 11. There are a few compromises in the camera department, and you get 33W charging instead of 67W, but that’s excusable given the price it is selling for.