realme 11 Pro+ Impressions | One-of-a-kind Zoom Shooter

realme is gearing up to launch the realme 11 Pro+, its latest premium mid-range offering that promises excellent photography capabilities, thanks to its impressive 200MP main camera.

Yes, you read that right, this phone has a 200MP main camera in its triple rear shooter setup. While 100MP cameras have become more common, this 200MP shooter blows those right out of the water in terms of pure megapixel count. Of course, megapixels aren’t everything as having more of it doesn’t mean better camera capabilities. So, what exactly is the 200MP shooter for in the realme 11 Pro+?

Well, it’s there specifically for telephoto shots.

Many smartphones are equipped with telephoto shooters these days, though most of these phones are either flagships or near-flagship devices in terms of price. Typically mid-range phones don’t come with telephoto cameras as they’ll make these phones more expensive.

The new realme 11 Pro+ is a premium mid-range phone that also doesn’t have a dedicated telephoto camera. Though realme has an innovative 200MP main camera for the new phone that doubles as a telephoto shooter.

How does it work? The phone’s main camera’s high megapixel count and In-sensor Zoom technology in collaboration with Samsung, gives the phone lossless 2x and 4x zoom as if it had a dedicated telephoto shooter.

On a technical level, this 2x and 4x lossless zoom essentially crops the image taken by the main camera, but it promises to be better than traditional digital zoom thanks the features listed above.

Here are some samples:

While this is not an exhaustive test, the initial results are quite impressive as 2x and 4x zoom daytime photos don’t have a noticeable dip in quality from standard 1x photos. In these first sample shots, realme seems to have delivered its promise of bringing lossless zoom without a dedicated telephoto.

Of course, we’ll need to test out the 200MP shooter a bit more to see how well the lossless zoom holds up in other scenarios. And we’ll also need to check the capabilities of the rest of the phone’s cameras.

Aside from the shooter setup, the realme 11 Pro+ also has some other distinctly premium features that promise to give it an edge in today’s competitive mid-range smartphone segment. Among these is the phone’s unique design.

Instead of glass or polycarbonate for its back, the realme 11 Pro+ has a unique vegan leather back that not only gives it a stand-out look but also a luxurious feel. In the Sunrise Beige colorway, the phone is probably one of the most striking devices that we got to try this year in terms of looks.

The phone’s premium looks also extend to the front as the 11 Pro+ has a curved 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and an FHD+ resolution. This screen also has TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light and Strobe-Free Certification that promises to make it comfortable for the eyes.

We can’t judge the phone’s screen from a comfort standpoint yet, but our impressions of it for binge-watching movies/shows are positive. Thanks to the vibrant colors of the AMOLED screen, this phone should be a good partner for those who watch on the go. At least, that’s based on our initial time with it.

What we also need to test further is its gaming capabilities. But from the looks of it, the phone should be powerful enough for today’s popular games thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC that’s paired with 12GB of RAM.

According to reports, the Dimensity 7050 is essentially a rebadged Dimensity 1080, so the performance should be quite similar to phones with the 1080.

Battery life-wise, the phone’s 4870mAh battery should make this an all-day partner. Though it still needs further testing before we can fully claim that it can last for a day.

What we can say for certain is that it’s one of the fastest-charging phones out there as it features 100W SUPERVOOC Charge support. Yes, it comes with a 100w fast charger inside the box, so it won’t be long until the phone reaches full charge, even from zero.

From our initial time with it, the realme 11 Pro+ is already shaping up to be an excellent premium mid-range offering thanks to its premium looks, blazing-fast charging, and innovative 200MP main camera with telephoto-like zoom capabilities.

Though before we give it a final recommendation, we’ll still need to test out its gaming performance, as well as its camera capabilities in more scenarios. But if the phone does not disappoint in these tests and is priced competitively, realme will have a compelling mid-ranger in its hands.

realme 11 Pro+ Specs:

• Mediatek Dimensity 7050 Processor
• Mali-G68 MC4 GPU
• 8/12GB RAM
• 6.7-inch AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage
• 200MP f/1.7 main (with 2x/4x in-sensor zoom) + 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide + 2MP macro triple rear camera setup
• 32 MP, f/2.5 front camera
• 3G, LTE, 5G Dual SIM
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, fingerprint scanner (under-display), USB Type-C
• 4870mAh battery with 100W fast charge support
• Sunrise Beige, Oasis Green colors
• Android 13, Realme UI 4.0

The realme 11 Pro+ will be launched in the Philippines on August 23, 2023. Pricing and availability details will be announced there.