Review verdict: The Infinix Note 11S is a yet another great budget option for folks in the Philippines looking to make the most out of their money. While the upgrades for this year’s model are toned down compared to other models, the Note 11S still has enough new stuff in it to make it a compelling upgrade for anyone looking to move up to a big-screened, budget phone. 

Pros

• Fast 120hz refresh rate
• Large screen
• Very capable processor of choice for its price

Cons

• 2 other rear cams are virtually useless
• Photos have some color accuracy issues

Infinix Note 11S Review Philippines Specs

• MediaTek Helio G96 processor
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 6.95-inch Full HD+ IPS display, 120hz refresh rate, 180hz touch response rate
• 50-megapixel f/1.6 main camera  2-megapixel macro camera, 2-megapixel depth sensor, LED flash
• 16-megapixel selfie camera
• LTE, 4G
• WiFi, Bluetooth, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Stereo speakers
• 33w charging
• 5000mAh battery
• Android 11, XOS 7.6

Infinix’s Note series always comes to mind when you talk about bang-for-the-buck budget phablets, and their Note 11S continues that legacy. While its main camera has a few issues relating to color accuracy, there’s still enough good things here that make the Note 11S a solid choice for budget-minded shoppers.

Unboxing and Packaging contents

Like the Hot 11S, the Note 11S comes in an electric green box that has the phone name itself in bold and the processor it uses–a Helio G96 processor–stamped at the bottom right part of the box. Inside the box, you have the phone itself, a silicone case, 33w charger, USB-C cable, and documentation.

Design

Despite its under Php 10k price tag, the Note 11S manages to look premium with its textured finish for its polycarbonate back panel. The finish means that the Note 11S is resilient against smudges, which should satisfy even the most OC of customers.

Aside from the Infinix branding, the only other detail in the Note 11S’ back panel is the huge camera bump that houses three cameras and an LED flash. The 50-megapixel main rear camera takes up a big chunk of the camera bump due to its sensor size.

Like Infinix’s other phones, the Note 11S has a SIM card tray on the left side, power button/fingerprint scanner and volume controls on the right side, and USB-C port, headphone jack, and loudspeaker at the bottom.

Display and speakers

The Note series is known for its huge displays, and the Note 11S offers a pretty compelling package with a 6.95-inch Full HD+ IPS panel that has a fast 120hz refresh rate. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a phone priced under Php 10k to have a large display with a fast refresh rate. While it is not a bright as AMOLED panels, the Note 11S’ display rendered colors accurately.

Aside from the display, the Note 11S still has stereo speakers like its predecessor, further cementing itself as a value-for-money phablet that’s perfect for media consumption. The speakers deliver generally good audio quality, and you have the freedom to use wired cans since the Note 11S still has a headphone jack.

Cameras

Unlike the Note 10 Pro, the Note 11S settles for a triple rear camera setup. To our dismay, Infinix decided to ax the ultra-wide-angle camera, replacing it with two 2-megapixel stat stuffers instead. The phone does get an upgraded 50-megapixel main rear camera with the same bright f/1.6 aperture used on the Hot 11S.

The 50-megapixel main camera delivered a great dynamic range based on the photos we took with it, along with detailed shots even in low light. Despite its wide f/1.6 aperture opening and generally good performance, the Note 11S falls short in terms of color accuracy, where it leans towards a more bluish tone in certain shooting scenarios. Hopefully, this can be addressed via a software update, and we hope Infinix rolls out the needed update to the Note 11S soon.

Like the Hot 11S, the Note 11S can shoot video at up to 1440p resolution. It does not have any stabilization, so you will need a gimbal or tripod to shoot clean video footage on the Note 11S and make the most out of its 1440p video recording feature.

Internals

Aside from its immersive display, the Note 11S’ other ace in the sleeve is its Helio G96 processor, which is one of the best SoCs you can get for a phone that is priced at under Php 10k. Compared to other similarly-priced phones, the Note 11S’ processor of choice dominates the competition through most benchmark tests. On top of that, the Note 11S comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage, giving it a great price-to-performance ratio.

The Helio G96 is MediaTek’s current top dog in its 4G SoC portfolio, so it’s natural for the Note 11S to handle the most demanding games with ease–even when it means bumping up the graphics settings to high. We played Mobile Legends, Free Fire, and Genshin Impact on the Note 11S, and the phone handled all those games at the highest settings just fine.

Despite being set at the lowest graphics settings by default, the Note 11S can run Genshin Impact comfortably at up to medium settings at 30FPS. While it is possible to push the graphics to high settings, the Note 11S struggles when you deal with mob fights.

Keeping the lights on is a 5000mAh battery, and despite having a large 6.95-inch 120hz display, we were able to log 12 hours and 17 minutes of battery life, which is very impressive for any phablet. Topping up the battery is fast with its 33w charging solution, and it took us around a little over an hour from 20% to 100%.

Wrap up and Conclusions

Our review of the Infinix Note 11S shows that the brand’s newest budget phablet brings the goods in the Philippines, especially with its under-Php 10k price tag. The large 6.95-inch display gets upgraded with a 120hz refresh rate, and its use of a Helio G96 processor makes the Note 11S one of the best phones to get if you are talking about pure price-to-performance. We don’t mind it having two cameras that are mere stat stuffers, as its 50-megapixel main camera does the job pretty well.

Infinix Note 11S Review Price Philippines

The Note 11S has a price of Php 9,990  and is available at Infinix’s official Shopee store. The Note 11S will be Php 800 more affordable for the rest of November 30 until December 1 in Shopee. Aside from that, Infinix will be bringing over a Free Fire Edition that comes with a customized box and case for Php 9,490 on December 12.