realme 9i vs Redmi Note 11: Specs Comparison

Xiaomi released earlier this year one of its competitive midrange level smartphones in the Redmi Note 11 series. Only recently, there’s a new challenger to this and that is the realme 9i and it also offers competitive specs with a relatively low price. Which do you think is better? Let’s find out in our specs comparison below.

realme 9i vs Redmi Note 11: Specs Comparison

Display

In terms of display, both smartphones have a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate which gives a bit of a buttery-smooth visual as a midrange level smartphone. When it comes to display size, the realme 9i is slightly larger with a 6.6-inch FHD+ compared to the 6.43-inch FHD+ on the latter.

The Note 11 also has an AMOLED display which gives brighter and higher contrasting colors protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 compared to the IPS display of the realme 9i which offers a more natural-looking color and Dragontrail Pro Glass protection.

Chipset

Both smartphones feature the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor manufactured using a 6nm process with a clock speed of up to 2.4Ghz partnered with Adreno 610 GPU.

Memory and Storage

The Redmi Note 11 in the Philippines offers 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB options. On the other hand, realme 9i launched in the Philippines sports only a 6GB RAM with a twist because you can boost the RAM with an additional 5GB virtual memory on top of it and a 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. Both smartphones support a dedicated MicroSD card slot.

Cameras

In terms of the camera setup, the Redmi Note 11 boasts a quad-rear camera configuration consisting of a 50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth. The realme 9i sports the usual triple-rear configuration with 50MP main, 2MP macro, and 2MP B&W. When it comes to selfies, the realme 9i takes the crown with a 16MP shooter compared to the 13MP front camera of the other phone.

Connectivity and Features

Both smartphones have dual-sim, 4G connectivity, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS. Both devices also have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, USB type-c, dual speakers, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The only difference is that the Redmi Note 11 also features an NFC, IR lasters, and an IP53 Rating. In terms of the OS, the Redmi Note 11 runs on Xiaomi’s MI Ui 13 (based on Android 11) while the realme 9i runs on realme UI 2.0 (based on Android 11).

Battery

In terms of battery, both smartphones pack a sizeable 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. This fast-charging capability gives you at least 70mins to 80mins before fully charging your battery. They’re basically tied in this department, considering the chipset and battery capacity are identical.

Price

The Redmi Note 11 4GB + 64GB is priced at PHP 8,999USD 153INR 13,000EUR 146CNY 1,117, while the 6GB + 128GB is priced at PHP 9,999USD 170INR 14,445EUR 162CNY 1,241. On the other hand, the realme 9i which has a lone variant of 6GB + 128GB is priced at PHP 11,990USD 204INR 17,321EUR 195CNY 1,488.

Which one to get?

If you’re on a budget and need more options, the Redmi Note 11 is the one that we recommend as it offers two options that are both affordable — an AMOLED display with a Gorilla Glass 3 protection, a quad-rear camera setup, an NFC, IR blaster, and IP53 Rating.

If you have a little more budget, you can opt for realme 9i which offers a larger screen, a 6GB RAM expandable to 11GB thanks to the 5GB virtual RAM, a Dragontrail Pro Glass protection, and a 16MP selfie camera shooter.

We hope that we gave the right justification for this comparison to help decide on picking your next smartphone. What do you think? Which do you think gives the best value for money — the Redmi Note 11 or realme 9i? Let us know in the comments section down below.