The last realme phone I reviewed spotlighted how the company focused more on the cameras for the Number Series. Despite also being a Number Series phone, I initially found it odd that the realme 11 focused on its faster charging. (The marketing tagline from realme PH says Charging Beyond Limits.) I’m here to tell you in my realme 11 first impressions that this phone is more than its charging.
Disclaimer: I purchased a realme 11 in Dark Glory from realme’s Official Store in Lazada during the 11.11 sale. It arrived on November 16 and I unboxed it on November 18. I’ve been using it as my main Android phone for 2 weeks.
Unboxing Experience
The unboxing experience of realme phones hasn’t changed much even if the box has slightly changed. (realme’s current box design started with the realme 9 Pro+ in 2022.) The jelly case inside the box still maintains that soft feel while having more structure. Even if I don’t end up using it, it’s always nice to see phone makers include cases for entry-level and midrange phones.
Besides that, everything in the box is typical for what’s included with a realme phone. The standout upgrade is the 67W SUPERVOOC power adapter. I’m glad realme kept its promise of bringing at least 33W fast charging to all the phones it released this year. Fast charging has saved me many times, and I’m glad realme shared this feature throughout its 2023 phones.
Enough about that, here are my actual realme 11 first impressions.
Embracing the Glory Halo Design
I was fortunate enough to review the realme 10 last year. While I liked its flat design, the back was very glossy. Unless you liked seeing fingerprints on the back of your phone, that glossy back got annoying fast! Good thing realme made a change with the Glory Halo Design of the realme 11.
While I’m not certain that the Glory Gold color would feel the same, I’m just glad that the Dark Glory color now has a matte back. Fingerprints are pretty much a thing of the past! Its slim 7.95 mm profile gives a sense of comfort while still feeling more premium.
While we’re seeing more phones ditch this feature, I’m glad realme still has a phone with a microSD card slot. This phone does have 256GB of storage, but it’s always nice to have the ability to add more storage in the future.
Back to 108MP, With a Twist!
When I first found out that the realme 11 would go back to a 108MP main camera, there was a worry that it would be a letdown. The results I got from the realme 9 weren’t exactly that amazing to warrant a recommendation in that aspect.
Yes, the realme 11 uses the same 108MP main camera as the realme 9. The difference this time around is the ability to do 3x In-Sensor Zoom and if realme’s image processing has made huge strides since then. (We can also forget that the only other rear camera present is a 2MP portrait camera.) I won’t comment on whether that’s a good thing or not until the full review. Until then, here are some sample shots!
Click on the photos for full-resolution versions!
The realme 11’s main camera managed to impress me so far. Let’s see if this feeling stays the same in my full review. Until then, that is it for my realme 11 first impressions. What aspect of this phone do you want me to focus on? Sound off in the comments below!
