If you have around $400/£400 burning a hole in your pocket and are looking for a mid-range smartphone to buy, then the iPhone SE (2022) and Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G have to be among them. of the conversation
So which of the two is the better buy? It's a tricky comparison, given that the two phones look and function completely different from each other.
Both phones have their advantages and quirks, but we've found a clear winner, at least for most people. Let's take a closer look.
iPhone SE (2022) vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G: price and availability
The iPhone SE (2022) starts at €429 / £419 / AU$719 for the 64GB model. The 128GB model costs €479 / £469 / AU$799, while the 256GB model costs €579 / AU$569. €/AU$969. It hit stores on March 18, 2022.
There are various configurations of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, but not all of them are equally available. The base model, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, is priced at €329, although it is not available in the US. The most common model is the one that comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and It has a list price of €349/€319. There's also a 128GB/8GB model for €379, but it's not for sale in many regions.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro is definitely the cheaper phone of the two, but its availability is a bit chaotic compared to the iPhone SE (2022).
iPhone SE (2022) vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G: Design
The iPhone SE (2022) looks a lot like the 8-year-old iPhone 5, which is positively old in terms of smartphones.
You get a phone with a prominent forehead and chin, a physical home button (though it doesn't actually move), and a tiny 4.7-inch screen. At 138,4 x 67,3 x 7,3mm and 144g, it's one of the smallest phones on the market.
We love how different it is from any other phone on the market, but let's not pretend here. It's an outdated approach and we wish Apple had moved the line to a fresher design language.
Compare that to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, which is a much more modern phone but also more anonymous. We hollowed out the glass back, which isn't a common feature on an Android phone at this price point, but the frame is square plastic rather than aluminum like on the iPhone SE.
It's a big phone at 164,2 x 76,1 x 8,1mm and 202g; certainly much larger than the iPhone SE (2022) anyway. It also packs a much larger camera module than its rival, for reasons we'll cover in the relevant section.
While the iPhone houses a fingerprint sensor in its dedicated home button, the Redmi hides its own sensor in the power button on the right edge. It's good and fast, but no one beats Apple at this.
Both phones give you stereo speakers, which is great to see at this price.
One final advantage to the iPhone SE is that it has an IP67 rating, while the Redmi Note 11 has a low IP53. The SE will better withstand downpours and dusty pockets.
Simply put, the Redmi is bigger and more modern, but the iPhone is better built and uses premium materials.
iPhone SE (2022) vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G: display
With such a small body and huge bezels, the iPhone SE (2022) screen was never going to be huge. However, at 4,7 inches, it's really small.
Plus, it's just an IPS LCD panel, meaning it lacks the vibrant color and contrast of its OLED rival. It's also not overly sharp at 750 x 1334 resolution and isn't particularly bright at 625 nits, while its refresh rate peaks at 60Hz.
The Redmi Note 11 5G sweeps this round in all aspects. It is a 6,67-inch Super AMOLED with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 (FHD +) and a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. Its brightness goes up to 700 nits in normal conditions and reaches a maximum of 1200 nits.
Bigger, sharper, brighter, smoother, and more dynamic. It's simply better than Apple's old-fashioned display, just as good as it was in its heyday.
iPhone SE (2022) vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G: camera
You can assume that the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G has the camera in the bag, especially if you just go by the facts and figures.
Xiaomi's budget phone has a triple camera system for the iPhone's single camera system, and the main wide sensor is 108MP compared to 12MP on the iPhone.
But in terms of actual image quality and reliability, the iPhone SE (2022) is way ahead. Thanks to Apple's unparalleled image-processing skills, combined with the A15 Bionic chip, the iPhone SE produces shots our reviewer found "easy on the eyes, color-accurate, and often beautiful."
"Overall, the photo quality of this mid-range phone can still rival that of competing phones that sell for almost double," they concluded.
Smart HDR 4 and Deep Fusion techniques ensure these shots are far better than you'd expect from such modest hardware. Plus, Apple remains the undisputed king of video capture up to 4K 60fps.
By comparison, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is disappointing, given its flashy hardware. "We captured too many blown-up skies, and it often eludes twilight scenes," our reviewer observed.
While it was still able to capture great results, it just wasn't as consistent as we would have liked. You'll have to work with settings more, whereas the iPhone SE is wonderfully fire-and-forget.
Still, you can at least take ultrawide photos with Redmi, thanks to its dedicated 8MP ultrawide camera. Sure, the results are a bit soft, there's also an obvious drop in dynamic range and you can't use Night mode at the same time, but at least the option is there, unlike on the iPhone.
The iPhone absolutely destroys the Redmi when it comes to video recording, capturing high-quality images up to 4K. The Redmi can only handle 1080p.
iPhone SE (2022) vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G: specifications and performance
There's no competition on the power front either, with Apple's phone again taking a clear victory. The iPhone SE (2022) is powered by Apple's A15 Bionic chip, which is the same one that powers the iPhone 13 family.
It's enough to beat the best Android flagship phones, not to mention the Redmi Note 695 Pro 5G's modest Snapdragon 11 5G.
We found the latter to be relatively slow, even in terms of a mid-range Android smartphone. The Redmi specs also explain the phone's crippled video capture capabilities as mentioned in the previous section.
Needless to say, while the iPhone SE can run Fortnite and Genshin Impact, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is more of a mid to weak type of device.
It also makes the iPhone SE (2022) much more upgradable. It's going to stay fast for years to come, while the Redmi Note 11 5G already seems to be reaching its limits in places.
Aside from the CPU, the iPhone SE (2022) gives you 4GB of RAM and the option of 64, 128, or 256GB of RAM. The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G offers 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB or 128 GB of storage. Both phones support 5G connectivity.
Another win for the iPhone comes with software delivery. With iOS as standard, like any other iPhone, you know you're getting a clean, elegant operating system with guaranteed timely updates.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G comes with MIUI 13, Xiaomi's clunky custom UI based on the outdated Android 11 operating system. Our reviewer called it "mostly... pretty harmless," which is damning with little praise if we ever hear it.
In particular, we found that MIUI aggressively closed apps running in the background, which was especially annoying for background audio apps.
The small body of the iPhone SE (2022) houses a compact 2018 mAh battery. It's bigger than the previous generation, but still small by modern standards.
Throw in 5G connectivity, and it's no surprise that our reviewer often couldn't get through a full day on a single charger. It usually lasted 12 hours before giving up the ghost.
By contrast, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G packs a much larger 5000mAh battery, which lasted a full day of heavy use without running out of juice. This was also with the screen set to 120Hz.
The Redmi also wins when it comes time to recharge. Xiaomi has integrated a 67W fast charger, which will take you from 1 to 48% in 15 minutes.
Apple didn't give you a charger with the iPhone SE, and it only supports up to 20W in any case. On Apple's plus side, the SE supports 7,5W wireless charging, while the Redmi doesn't.
To go
While the iPhone SE (2022) may seem like a much older device than the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, its performance, main camera, and software are on a whole new level.
By contrast, the Redmi has a much bigger and better display, longer battery life, faster charging, and the ability to take ultra-wide photos.
Overall, we have to give the iPhone SE (2022) the upper hand in a direct mid-range head-to-head. While these two phones have fundamental trade-offs and the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is certainly cheaper, it's the iPhone SE (2022) that is likely to offer more consistency and more value over time.