Infinix Note 12 VIP vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro

If you were us, you’d be in a dilemma. From our review, we pitted the device directly against the Reno7 from Oppo. The 4G model. Why? Well, not only do the two devices share much in the way of specifications, they are, most importantly, similarly priced. Anyone in the market for a device in the same ballpark as the Infinix Note 12 VIP is definitely going to have a look at the Reno7. The 4G variant, since the 5G model is way out of the way as far as pricing goes.

We are faced with the same dilemma, and in a much greater way, when looking at what to compare the Note 12 VIP to from Xiaomi’s fold. Its Redmi sub-brand has quite the selection to offer but, of particular interest to us are its latest similarly-named “Note” smartphones. There’s a whole Redmi Note 11 series, the latest in our market.

Given its pricing and feature set, the standard Note 11 is definitely out of the way. That leaves us with the Note 11 Pro and the awkwardly-named Note 11 Pro+ 5G, the hero device of the series and the 5G variant of the Note 11 Pro.

Now, here is where it gets interesting. While we’ll obviously just pit the Redmi Note 11 Pro against the Infinix Note 12 VIP as they both share lots in common, we’d need a variant with at least twice the storage for the Note 11 Pro to compete adequately against our Note 12 VIP. As far as we know, that model doesn’t exist in the Kenyan market, at least via official distributors. That leaves us with the Note 11 Pro+ 5G, a whole 5G device. Its Kshs 46,000 price tag puts it at just Kshs 4,000 more than the Infinix’s cost. On the same breath, the Note 11 Pro’s price, at just 128GB onboard storage, puts it a whole Kshs 7,000 high.

See now why this is hard on us?

If you’re in the market and comparing what Xiaomi has to offer to what Infinix has to offer, as far as pricing goes, that is the dilemma you’ll be in.

While we did think that 5G would’ve been a worthy addition to the Note 12 VIP from Infinix and would make it almost beyond reproach at its price, if we went with the current local market sentiment (where it is not much of a deal-breaker but just a “nice to have” feature that provides some sort of future-proofing that isn’t guaranteed) and disregarded it, then the Note 12 VIP goes head to head and undercuts the Redmi Note 11 series singularly in pricing.

There are nice bonuses like the `120W HyperCharge that the Infinix has but this, in our opinion, is easily balanced by the far superior software experience on the Xiaomi devices.

Both devices feature dual speakers, USB Type-C and NFC, making for good connectivity options we are only starting to get used to at this level of the market

Both devices (Note 12 VIP and Redmi Note 11 Pro), too, have similar chipsets and high refresh rates on their displays.

Oh, and there’s the big matter of the 108-megapixel sensors on both devices.

At the end of the day, it will come down to one’s preferences and any other incentives that may be thrown in as the devices are almost at par as far as features go, at least on paper. Where the Xiaomi may have a leg up in terms of the software experience, the fact that it is dated (though there should be updates), gives the competition some much-needed leeway.