I spent a few days with Realme 11x 5G and here are my first impressions

Realme 11X 5G has arrived as the latest addition to Realme’s 11 series in India. The company has already launched Realme 11 Pro 5G and Realme 11 Pro+ 5G in the country. The newly launched Realme 11X 5G smartphone comes with a host of features such as a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, MediaTek Dimensity 6100+, 5000mAh battery and up to 8GB RAM, which can be further extended up to 16GB and many more. Before we dive into the initial impressions, let’s have a quick overview of its specs, features and price. 

Realme 11X 5G price and availability 

Realme 11X 5G is offered in Purple Dawn and Midnight Black colour options. It is available in 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and 8GB and 128 storage configurations. The former is priced at Rs 14,999 and the latter is available for Rs 15,999. Interested buyers can avail up to a Rs 1000 discount (inclusive of bank offers and Rs 500 coupon) on Realme 11X during the “Early Bird Sale” on August 23 between 6PM and 8PM on Realme’s official website and Flipkart.  

Realme 11X 5G specifications 

Realme 11X 5G is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ octa-core SoC clocked at 2.2GHz and Mali G57 GPU coupled with 6GB or 8GB RAM, extendable up to 16GB, and 128GB storage. The smartphone runs Realme UI 4.0 based on Android-13. Coming to the display, Realme 11X has a screen size of 6.72 inches with 2400 x1080 pixels resolution, a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, touch sampling rate of 240Hz and a peak brightness of 550nits.  

The newly launched Realme 11X features a dual camera setup at the back with a 64MP main sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, the smartphone has got an 8MP front camera. Realme 11X is backed by a 5000mAh Li-ion battery and the smartphone support 33W SuperVOOC fast charging and charges from 1 to 50 percent in 29 minutes, as per the company’s claim. The 5G smartphone support 2.5GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands and Bluetooth 5.2. It weighs 190g and measures 65.7mm in length, 76mm in width and 7.89mm in thickness.  

Realme 11X 5G quick review 

First coming to what you get in the retail box: the handset, a silicon case, a charger, a USB data cable, a SIM ejector tool and some guides. Realme offers a screen protector with the handset and like other smartphone manufacturers, Realme also does not offer any earphones in the box with this smartphone.

 Coming to my initial impression of the design, the Realme 11X has got a boxy design. The corners are not very curved or rounded, so it feels like a flat surface when you hold it in your hand. That may be aesthetic but slightly uncomfortable if you are going to use the phone for a long time. At the bottom, the smartphone has a 3.5mm audio jack, a mic, a Type C charging port and a speaker, which is loud but lacks bass. The top edge has a noise-cancelling microphone. On the one side, the smartphone houses volume keys and a decently responsive fingerprint sensor. The other side has just a dual-SIM slot. The front has a punch-hole camera, earpiece speaker and proximity sensor at the centre of the top edge. The back panel has a glossy glass finish and a big round camera module. 

The Realme 11X weighs 190g, which feels light on hand, but I find the weight a bit concentrated towards the camera. The smartphone has a decent thickness but its rare camera module bumps outwards, which is easily noticeable and makes it prone to scratches.  

As for its performance, the Realme 11X has got a bright display. However, I found the touch lagging a bit, but the refresh rate seems good. In my limited review of the smartphone, I did not find it lagging or overheating while clicking photos, recording videos and scrolling through my social media accounts and I will comment on the gaming performance of the smartphone in my detailed review later. While I have yet to fully test the battery runtime on the Realme 11X, my initial observation says the battery can easily last a day. In case it doesn’t, the 33W fast charging helps in quickly get enough juice for when I had to be on the go.

Coming to the camera, 64MP+2MP rear camera did a good job at capturing details and edge detection in portrait mode is good, but I find the camera missing edges in some cases. It also has an AI mode, but I did not notice any difference between normal and AI modes. However, I did not find the 8MP front camera performance satisfactory as it fails to capture details. I will be back with full review of the cameras on the Realme 11X soon. 

Stay tuned for the full review of Realme’s latest budget smartphone that surely can appeal to customers. It goes on sale later this month.