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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2023
After a little annoyance with StraightTalk and another pre-paid provider I can’t remember at this moment, the seller of this Redmi phone recommended I go to T-Mobile to connect my Redmi Note 11 5G. T-Mobile are all over the place and easy to find in Colorado, and were able to sell me a nano SIM with pre-paid unlimited calling, unlimited text, and unlimited broadband. I find the phone connects to my xfinity subscription wifi great at home, and as a subscriber with the hotspot app I can connect to xfinity hotspots all over the city with minimal inconvenience. However, the unlimited mobile data is problematic, constantly unavailable and I never find if I shut wifi “off,” that the phone can reach that 5G mobile data nor 4G, not 3G, or any mobile network, wifi only. When you pay extra for mobile data, you expect to reach it. I have no clue if the problem is the manufacturing of this device, or if the new 5G signals that started rolling out to customers late 2020 - early 2021, are just too weak to reach anyone’s phone. I found mobile data reception to be a little better with xfinity mobile data, who uses Verizon’s network, but I enjoyed the best coverage in my city with cricKet, who uses AT&T’s network. All the years I subscribed to cricKet, I never had difficulty reaching mobile data. I don’t think cricKet will connect the Redmi Note 11 5G to their network, but I haven’t asked. I can’t remember if I left cricKet before or after the 5G rollout, I hate to switch back and learn the inability to connect to mobile data is inherent in all 5G networks. It is a problem if I use the Uber or Lyft app to travel to the supermarket, but can’t get a ride home because mobile data is non-existent. Happens to me constantly, I have to walk out into the freezing cold night to find a wifi signal so I can order a car for my trip home, again no mobile data, can’t tell you why.
Look, your phone is your lifeline, choose wisely.
There is also a pervasive issue with the microphone(s) and speakers on this phone when placing and receiving phone calls. Callers can’t hear me, sometimes I can’t hear the caller. I don’t know if this is a hardware issue, or a software issue, it doesn’t matter. When medical transportation comes to take me to scheduled medical appointments, I need to have a conversation with the driver so they know where to pick me up from a 180 unit high-rise with 4 entrances, and parking on 3 sides of the building, I don’t want to chase their car around the parking lot when the doctor has me in a wheelchair so I can recover from foot surgery. I regret I did not return this phone while the return window was still open. I have phoned the person back 3 or 4 times and still heard dead air after they connected the call, but when I caught them later, they insisted they were hollering to me the entire time. As I yell at some callers they repeatedly ask me “what?” “huh?” because my microphone or software is not functioning properly. I have never experienced problems like this, to this degree, with other phones.
Make sure to use only the brick (plug) and USB-C cable that comes with the phone. If it gets lost or stolen (like mine) get equivalent wattage brick, and if you want longer cables so you can use the phone while charging, make sure they are able to provide the Mi Turbo Charging, which in my opinion is faster than QuickCharge 3.0. When the charging animation begins, a very VERY brief popup message will inform you that you are either charging, fast charging, or Mi Turbo Charge, which is the fastest. I have several USB-C cables in my desk, from cheap throwaways that came in purchases as extra, to mostly premium quality purchases alone, only ONE USB-C that didn’t come from Xiaomi was capable of providing Mi Turbo Charge. I have not been able to determine what is added to the USB-C cables to make it capable of Mi Turbo Charge, extra wires or a chip in the plug? Fast charging has to already be built into the phone’s battery and CPU also.
Look, your phone is your lifeline, choose wisely.
There is also a pervasive issue with the microphone(s) and speakers on this phone when placing and receiving phone calls. Callers can’t hear me, sometimes I can’t hear the caller. I don’t know if this is a hardware issue, or a software issue, it doesn’t matter. When medical transportation comes to take me to scheduled medical appointments, I need to have a conversation with the driver so they know where to pick me up from a 180 unit high-rise with 4 entrances, and parking on 3 sides of the building, I don’t want to chase their car around the parking lot when the doctor has me in a wheelchair so I can recover from foot surgery. I regret I did not return this phone while the return window was still open. I have phoned the person back 3 or 4 times and still heard dead air after they connected the call, but when I caught them later, they insisted they were hollering to me the entire time. As I yell at some callers they repeatedly ask me “what?” “huh?” because my microphone or software is not functioning properly. I have never experienced problems like this, to this degree, with other phones.
Make sure to use only the brick (plug) and USB-C cable that comes with the phone. If it gets lost or stolen (like mine) get equivalent wattage brick, and if you want longer cables so you can use the phone while charging, make sure they are able to provide the Mi Turbo Charging, which in my opinion is faster than QuickCharge 3.0. When the charging animation begins, a very VERY brief popup message will inform you that you are either charging, fast charging, or Mi Turbo Charge, which is the fastest. I have several USB-C cables in my desk, from cheap throwaways that came in purchases as extra, to mostly premium quality purchases alone, only ONE USB-C that didn’t come from Xiaomi was capable of providing Mi Turbo Charge. I have not been able to determine what is added to the USB-C cables to make it capable of Mi Turbo Charge, extra wires or a chip in the plug? Fast charging has to already be built into the phone’s battery and CPU also.
