Xiaomi launched the International version of Mi 11 on 20th Feb 2021. Xiaomi heard us. A strong chipset, amazing camera aiming at Zoom, AMOLED screen with higher resolution, and long battery life. It’s the latest smartphone and there are a number of aspects that assure that the smartphone will end up as one of the best in the first quarter of2021 and the Mi-series as well. The smartphone made many improvements over the predecessor Xiaomi Mi 10. It not only eradicates some issues but also adds a bunch of premium features.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Specs at a Glance
| Body | Size and Weight: 164.3×74.6×8.1mm, 194g; Glass front: (Gorilla Glass Victus) Glass back: (Gorilla Glass 5) Purple and Beige color version Leatherback: Gray, Blue, White color version Frame: Aluminium |
| Software | Android 11, MIUI 12 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 (5 nm): Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680; Adreno 660 |
| Display | 6.81″ AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak), 1440x3200px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 515ppi. |
| Memory | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM |
| Front Camera | 20 MP, f/2.2, 27mm (wide), 1/3.4″, 0.8µm |
| Rear Camera | Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.9 Ultra wide-angle: 13 MP, f/2.4 Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4 |
| Video | Rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+ Front camera: 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@120fps |
| Battery | 4600mAh capacity Fast charging 55W: 100% in 45 min (advertised) Fast wireless charging 50W: 100% in 53 min (advertised), Reverse wireless charging 10W: Power Delivery 3.0, Quick Charge 4+ |
Xiaomi Mi 11 Unboxing
Xiaomi Mi 11 Unboxing
It is the first smartphone of Xiaomi which comes in a charger-free box in Asian markets. But if you want one, the company provides you with a charger at your request. While the clients from the rest of the countries will have a charger in the retail box by default. Apart from this, the device comes in a thin paper box that looks like an iPhone’s packaging. Charger availability in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh is in question and we did try to find out from Mi local stores. However, at the moment it still is a mystery.
Price of Xiaomi Mi 11 in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India
| Country | Price |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | PKR 99000 |
| Bangladesh | B.D.T 70,000 |
| India | INR 65,000 |
| USA | USD 800 |
Colors and Variants
Xiaomi has always tried to provide its users a mixed blend of colors which portrays the personality of its users very well. This time, it has come up with five splendid colors of Midnight Gray, Horizon Blue, Frost White, Lilac Purple, and Honey Beige.
The Gray one is the most sought-after one as a huge amount of users looks up to this. Ladies usually tend towards the Frost White. Blue is aimed at trend seekers. Purple and Beige are there in case you are captivated by something different. These two have got leather back and this color plus leather texture combo looks amazing.
If we talk about its variants, Xiaomi Mi 11 is available in three storage variants and these are:
8GB RAM 128GB Internal Storage
8GB RAM 256GB Internal Storage
12GB RAM 256GB Internal Storage
Design and Feel
This is the first time Xiaomi has introduced its flagship model made up of leather. The back of the Purple and Beige version is composed of leather and that is why these are not slippery. Also, the one who is not in favor of carrying a phone case should buy this one.
The other three versions comprise a Gorilla Glass front and back and both are curved. There is an aluminum frame that holds everything together. The dimensions of the smartphone are 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm. The device with a Glass back weighs 196 grams while one with a leatherback has a weight of 194 grams. This figure doesn’t feel light but the smartphone is not difficult to hold. You wouldn’t feel like dropping it while witching in your hands.
There is a rounded rectangle at the back housing the triplet cameras. Xiaomi Mi 11 is not a water-resistive smartphone but the speakers’ area is plated such that it can resist rainy weather and droplets. But I wouldn’t recommend taking it with you while swimming or underwater shoots. The smartphone supports Dual-SIM and there is a dual stand-by of Nano-SIM.
Display
The smartphone features an AMOLED display of 6.81 inches with an extended resolution of 1440 * 3200 pixels. The refresh rate is 120Hz with HDR10 support. AMOLED screen provides excellent sharpness of 515 ppi and the aspect ratio is 20;9. There is a hole for the selfie shooter at the top left corner. The maximum brightness of the smartphone is 1500 nits which shows that the device provides the best viewing even under bright light.
Edges are curved but the AMOLED panel beneath is flat. The screen-to-body ratio of the smartphone is approximately 91.4%. The display has the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. In short, it provides the best display with a higher resolution which is worth buying in 2021.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Camera
The smartphone features a triple camera at back with two shooters in a line and third line ups with LED Flash. These three snappers are 108MP primary, a 13MP with ultrawide angle, and a 5MP macro camera. The predecessor Mi 10 had 4 shooters with 2MP of macro and depth. But this one has come up with three and depth one is missing. The company has provided a 5MP of a telephoto lens to make up for the lacking.
The Mi 11s camera seems identical to that of Xiaomi Mi 10T but when observed closely. The Mi 11s photo has a larger resolution. It comes out of 27MP after 4-in-1 pixel binning of 108mp. This meaning that the individual pixels are smaller. The main camera of Mi 11 doesn’t provide satisfying results but in the availability of the light source, the results are amazing.
While in the case of ultrawide, we hardly notice any improvement when we zoom in on the picture. It is 13 MP with an f/2.4 lens and the focus of the lens is fixed. We are familiar with the telephoto macro lens as this is the same that was used in Redmi K30 Pro. It’s 5MP with an f/2.4 macro lens. Autofocus is also available. As concerned with the video quality of the back camera, it supports 8K videos at 30 fps and 4K at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps.
The selfie camera is a 20MP Quad-Bayer with a focal length of 27mm and the results are amazing with good colors and contrast. It shoots a video of 1080p at 30/60fps. Other features of the camera are dual-tone LED flash, HPR, and Panorama.
Hardware
Chipset
Xiaomi Mi 11 has a chipset of Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 while the CPU is made up of octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680). The smartphone features the GPU of Adreno 660. It doesn’t provide a card slot for the inclusion of extra storage.
Read our review of Snapdragon 888 vs Exynos 2100
Xiaomi Mi 11 Battery
The device is equipped with a non-removable Li-Po battery of 4600 mAh. Which is very less with what competitors have to offer. Battery life is the main problem of the device and it consumes very fast. While playing games with maximum brightness, it consumes up to 16% in 38 minutes approximately (depending upon ambient temperature and conditions).
But the best thing to make up for this drawback is that the battery charges very fast. With 55w wired charging, it gets charged 100% in 45 minutes. The device also supports wireless charging and you need to get Xiaomi’s 50w air-cooled wireless charging dock. The wireless charging speed of the device is 100% in 54 minutes. It also supports reverse wireless charging of 10w.
Speakers
The smartphone has stereo speakers. But turned out at our team didn’t like the quality much especially seeing the price tag of the phone. We were expecting much more. Also, a 3.5mm jack for the wired headset is absent. The device also lacks the card slot for the inclusion of additional storage. Also, there is a dual stand-by for Nano-SIM.
Software and Performance
Xiaomi Mi 11 runs on Android 11 based on MIUI 12. It features Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 which is very sturdy and also comes in the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra US version. Figure 888 resonates with a word of the Chinese language which symbolizes fortune and good luck. Maybe gesturing that the device would bring good luck. Try out yours. There is an under-display fingerprint scanner that unlocks the smartphone.
The device also supports a 2D face lock but I think this is less secure. MIUI 12 has super cool wallpapers which provide an amazing visual experience. Homescreen has the usual shortcuts, widgets, and folders. The notification bar of the device splits into notification center and control center which is a distinct feature of the device and is the same as that of the iPhone. If you don’t like this feature you can disable the control center and can move to a normal look.
The device also has a security app that controls data usage, backlist, and battery behavior. The device uses a GPU of Adreno 660 which offers 35% increased performance over Adreno 650 which was previously used in Mi 10. Connectivity options of the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, Infrared port, and USB. Sensory options in the device include an accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass.
Direct competitors
Xiaomi Mi 11 first competitor surprisingly is its own Mi 10T Pro which has a four-camera setup and features Snapdragon 865 which is the fastest in the market. Also, the price tag is low. Howsoever it offers less charging rate.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ is yet another flagship that falls in the same price bracket. Its other Competitor is Realme Narzo 20 Pro whose storage is the same and price far less than it.
Besides this Infinix series has come up with high storage devices at a very affordable price, Infinix Hot 10 is one of them which is Xiaomi Mi 11’s biggest competitor for storage a little less than it. Not only this One Plus 8T is its other competitor with a price more than Mi 11 but camera pixels and storage are the same. iPhone 12 mini is another competitor of Mi 11 which falls in around the same price bracket.
One plus 8 Pro is also its biggest competitor whose storage is very high and price less than Mi 11. Other Competitors include Realme Narzo 20 A and Tecno spark Go 2020. Former has high memory than Mi 11 and later has a very little price as compared to Mi 11 but same storage. All these competitors have direct competition with Mi 11 for storage and camera.
Verdict
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pros
Xiaomi Mi 11 was released at the end of December 2020 and will surely prove itself as one of the best smartphones of 2021 in the first quarter of this year. The device has got so many distinct features like the fastest chipset, pleasant design and build, some new video tricks, and a super-fast charging rate.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Cons
In the same way, there are some issues with the device as well. Like it doesn’t make a significant upgrade over Mi 10 and the speakers quality is worse than Mi 10 as the back panel vibrates when the volume is high. Also, the smartphone gets overheat with heavy usage. But the device doesn’t fail to impress us with fast wireless charging, looks and feel, and MIUI 12 based on Android 11. The best thing I liked about the device is its 6.81’’ AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh which provides an amazing viewing experience.
What about Mi 11 Ultra
We already broke the news about Mi 11 Ultra (read here). Like Mi 10T and Mi 10 Pro, we know that Mi 11 Ultra is also coming and it will definitely surpass Mi11 in many areas, including price. So stay tuned and we got you covered once it finally here.
Good one!
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