Nairobi News

Are Kenyans getting a raw deal when it comes to mobile phones sold in the country compared to what is sold in China? The answer is yes.

When it comes to smartphones, top brands seem to have the edge over each other. While some brands advertising strategies are more aggressive, others rely on word of mouth and social media posts to gain fans.

This approach may help explain why there are so many Chinese mobile phones in the country.

So, is Xiaomi as good as they market it?

Unlike many other popular brands, Xiaomi smartphones are the same across the globe.

We got a hold of the other version of a Xiaomi brand which is only sold in Kenya and compared it with what they export in the country, Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro (China), Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro.

The China version of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro does not have compatibility of mobile networks of Kenya and with the telephony operators that provide service in Kenya.

Also read: Kenyan artistes to receive Sh300million in royalties by March 2023

The phone with a pre-applied screen protector, documentation, sim ejector tool, a type-c cable, a 67W charger, and a protective case, same with the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G comes with a 120W charger instead of the 67 charger. It’s worth noting that all of them lack earphones.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro line up shares most features when it comes to design. They all have 6.67” Super AMOLED 1080P screens with 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 1200 nits. All of them have Gorilla Glass 5 protection at the front and glass backs.

The Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro Plus 5G have IP53 dust and splash resistance and have Hybrid dual SIM card slots.
Note 11 Pro Plus display has HDR10 support and L1 widevine certification while the Note 11 Pro 5G and regular Note 11 Pro have L3 certification.

All of them have stereo speakers – at the bottom and the top with the Note 11 Pro 5G and 11 Pro Plus 5G using JBL speakers.

All of them have a 108MP camera setup at the back and a 16MP selfie camera at the front housed in the centre punch-hole cut out right below the earpiece in the top bezel.

Also read: Governor Kawira Mwangaza employs jobless man in viral photo

The 11 Pro is capped at 1080p 30fps and 60fps for the main and 1080p 30fps for the selfie camera.

All of the phones just got updated to Android 12 but with various versions of MIUI 13. Note 11 Pro 5G has the highest version with MIUI 13.0.6 with the Note 11 Pro running on MIUI 13.0.4 and the Note 11 Pro Plus 5G on MIUI 13.0.3

The Note 11 Pro and 11 Pro 5G have 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Note 11 Pro has 8GB RAM and with MIUI’s Dynamic RAM expansion feature, you add up to 3GB of virtual RAM to have a total of 11GB.

Note 11 Pro 5G has 6GB RAM with the option to add up to 2GB of virtual RAM to have a total of 8GB. Note 11 Pro Plus 5G has 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage and 8GB RAM and 3GB virtual RAM.

Note 11 Pro has a 5000mAh battery and the Note 11 Pro 5G has a 5160mAh battery. Both support 67W fast charging. Note 11 Pro Plus 5G has a 4500mAh battery with support for 120W fast charging. You’ll notice that the Note 11 Pro has a rather larger battery.

Also read: Watch – Embarambamba releases an ’embarrassing’ dirge to mourn Magoha

Note 11 Pro takes 15 minutes to go from empty to 51per cent while the 11 Pro 5G takes 34 minutes to 100% and the 11 Pro Plus 5G takes 15 minutes to go from empty to 100 per cent.

For the other two, video recording is capped at 4K 30fps, 1080p at 120fps, 60fps and 30fps and 720p at 960fps. The front cameras for both is capped at 1080p 60fps and 30fps.

Sadly, the Note 11 Pro 5G is region locked to China alone and the regular Note 11 Pro global version plays second fiddle in comparison.

Note 11 Pro starts at Sh31,000 for the 6GB/128GB version and Sh33,500 for the 8GB/128GB version.  Note 11 Pro 5G goes for Sh35,000 but you’ll have to import it first as it’s not readily available in the country while the Note 11 Pro Plus 5G goes for Sh50,000.

So why does Xiaomi have different versions of the same phone?

We tried to reach the company for a comment but they did not get back to us by the time of this article’s publication.

Also read: Mr Seed’s baby mama, Elizabeth Sonia, blames the musician for her depression