Just a couple of days ago, Xiaomi unveiled its new flagship smartphone called the Xiaomi Mi 11.
Like most smartphone models, the Xiaomi brand is trying to be the first in something. This time the company has released the perfect monster powered by the flagship Snapdragon 888 processor. So, the model of the Mi 11 smartphone, which is powered by the new 2021 Snapdragon processor.
In this full review, I'll walk you through all the features, share my performance impressions, show benchmarks, and even show you what the main camera is capable of.
I'm sure many of you are already guessing about the price of the future flagship. If not, the price of the Chinese version of the Xiaomi Mi 11 will set you back $ 890. Of course, compared to competitors like OnePlus, Samsung, Apple and others, the price is very tempting. I believe that in a few months the price tag for the flagship from Xiaomi will still fall, and it will be possible to disassemble it even at around $ 600.
Geekbuying.com
Banggood.comNow let me tell you about the technical stuff, but there is definitely a lot to see here. For example, on the front is a large 6,81-inch AMOLED screen with WQHD resolution, the latest Android 11, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 108-megapixel module. In addition, the smartphone boasts a large 4600mAh battery with 55W fast charging.
So, I want to share with you my emotions from the new Mi 11 smartphone, and also you will learn about the main advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, I will begin my full and in-depth review with unpacking, and then go through all the sections that interest you.
Xiaomi Mi 11: Specifications
| Xiaomi Mi 11: | Technical specifications |
|---|---|
| Display: | 6,81 inches Super AMOLED with 1440 x 3200 pixels, 120 Hz |
| CPU: | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Octa Core 2,84GHz |
| GPU: | Adreno 660 |
| RAM: | 8 and 12 GB |
| Inner memory: | 128/256 GB |
| Memory expansion: | Not supported |
| Cameras: | 108 MP + 13 MP + 5 MP main camera and 20 MP front camera |
| Communication: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax, dual band, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and GPS |
| Battery: | 4600mAh (55W) |
| OS: | Android 11 (MIUI 12.5) |
| Connections: | Тип C |
| The weight: | 196 grams |
| Dimensions: | 164,3 × 74,6 × 8,1 mm |
| Price: | 889 USD |
Unpacking and packaging
The appearance of the packaging of the flagship device surprised me a lot when comparing it with a standard smartphone from Xiaomi. For example, the packaging is made of sturdy white cardboard, but the dimensions are small in thickness.
Also on the front there is only the brand logo, company name and model. In addition, there are other key features like a 108MP AI camera, a Super AMOLED screen with HDR10 +, and Harman / Kardon sound.
Inside the box is the smartphone itself in a protected cellophane packaging. In a separate envelope, I found a protective silicone transparent case, documentation and a needle for the SIM tray. This completes the package, you won't find a Type-C charging cable here, nor a power adapter.
But to get an adapter and a charging cable, you can just ask the seller, and he is obliged to provide it to you for free. Why was this done? As I understand it, in order to reduce production and simplify transportation.
Apple products are guided by this principle. Therefore, in a separate box with a smartphone, I got a 55 W power adapter and a Type-C cable.
Design, build quality and materials
Unsurprisingly, the new flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 11 is completely made of premium materials. In its combination, the device received a tempered protective glass on both sides, and the smartphone frame is made of aluminum alloy.
If you look at the dimensions, the Mi 11 module measures 164,3 x 74,6 x 8,1 mm and weighs approximately 196 grams. Taking into account the fact that they received a slight rounding on the front side of the smartphone screen, I felt comfortable using the phone even with one hand. Even taking into account that the screen size was huge - 6,81 inches.
In my review, the smartphone is made in white, but the Mi 11 is also available in many other versions. It is black, blue and purple. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the back panel of the smartphone is made of frosted glass. Yes, maybe it is not as bright as, for example, gloss.
But in practice, the matte combination is quite a practical phenomenon. That is, fingerprints on the matte glass do not remain at all and the smartphone always looks clean and not stained. Unless, of course, you are using a protective case. But I do not advise you to do this. I always wear protective silicone cases, they will save your smartphone even if it falls on a hard surface.
A significant drawback that I can attribute is the lack of any protection against water. Most of the flagship devices have full IP68 protection, but the Xiaomi Mi 11 does not, which is a big problem.
On the right side of the smartphone, you can see the power button and volume rocker. There is nothing on the left side, but at the bottom there is a slot for two Nano SIM cards, a Type-C port, a microphone and one speaker. There is another additional speaker at the top of the device. There is also a noise canceling microphone hole and an infrared port for home appliances.
As for the sound quality, it is here of a very decent level. Yes, it uses speakers from Harman / Kardon, and thanks to them the sound quality is really spacious, rich and bass. At the same time, there is enough volume reserve for everyday use.
But like most flagship devices, the Mi 11 doesn't have an extra memory card slot. But I think this will not be a big problem, since the minimum internal memory is 128 GB.
The back of the smartphone received only a triple main camera module and an LED flashlight. This is an unusual camera design that I have not yet seen from any competitor or predecessor. This is an oval camera module with smooth corners and a bright metal frame.
But the fingerprint scanner is on the front of the smartphone under the screen. It works very quickly and is practically not inferior to any flagship of the mobile market. In addition, it has face recognition protection. That is, you can use your face to unlock your smartphone. Works quickly and smoothly even in the dark.
Screen and image quality
The main feature of the flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 11 is its bright and colorful screen. As I mentioned more than once, this model uses a rather large 6,81-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2K or 1440 × 3200 pixels.
At the same time, the aspect ratio of the screen was 20: 9 and the ppi density was 515 ppi. Compared to competitors, the screen quality is even better in some points than the current flagships. For example, in normal use, the brightness level is 800 nits and the maximum brightness is 1500 nits. For example, for comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max peaked at 1200 nits, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra peaked at 1342 nits.
Additional features include HDR10 + support and 120Hz refresh rate. Naturally, you can choose a black theme as it is white by default. If you are interested in the Always-On Display feature, this feature is also available. Plus, you don't need to worry about scratches as it uses Victus Corning Gorilla Glass.
In the screen settings you can choose the maximum WQHD resolution or use the Full HD resolution. The latter will save battery power. In addition, in the settings you can select a very large number of characteristics, colors, shades. I can also note that if you don't like the black cutout for the front camera, you can hide it. But after that, you will have a big black border at the top of the screen.
Performance, Benchmarks and OS
“The new flagship of 2021 needs a new processor,” every brand thinks as they create new devices. Therefore, the world's first Qualcomm processor, namely the Snapdragon 888, is installed on the Xiaomi Mi 11.
This chipset uses 5 nanometer technology and has eight cores. Where one core is a Kryo 680 clocked at 2,84 GHz, three Kryo 680 clocked at 2,42 GHz and four more Kryo 680 clocked at 1,8 GHz.
If you look at the AnTuTu test, the device scored almost 690 thousand points. For comparison, Huawei Mate 40 Pro scored 694 thousand points, and Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra - 678 thousand points. That is, the new Snapdragon 888 processor is about 3% better than its predecessor Snapdragon 865. Also below you can see the test results of other synthetic tests.
In terms of gaming capabilities, the Mi 11 model received the Adreno 660 graphics accelerator. Naturally, in gaming tests it showed excellent performance. For example, you can play heavy games at ultra-high graphics settings with little or no heat. And 120 FPS while shooting will give a lot of emotions and joy from smooth operation.
In terms of memory, everything just has 8 and 12 GB of RAM in LPDDR 5 format and 128 or 256 GB of internal memory in UFS 3.1 format. As I mentioned, expanding the memory will not be possible as there is no memory card slot.
Of course, the new flagship uses the new Android 11 operating system that runs the MIUI 12.5 custom interface. I have a Chinese version of the smartphone on review. Therefore, the device only has English and several Chinese languages, while others are not yet available. When the global version is presented, I have no information available.
From the UI chips, I can point out that there are many different settings, control gestures, quick settings menu selection, curtains, themes and much more. Overall, the user interface is fast and fluid.
In addition, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, fast GPS module, NFC for contactless payment installed inside the case were available. Therefore, it is not just a productive smartphone, but also a high-tech device for wireless communication.
Camera and sample photos
The front of the Xiaomi Mi 11 uses a 20MP selfie camera module. It has good photo quality and on top of that, you can even take portrait shots with a blurred background. But the maximum video resolution is only 1080p and 60 frames per second, but there is even video recording with bokeh effect.
At the same time, on the back of the smartphone, there is a 108-megapixel main camera with f / 1,85 aperture. It shows very good and clear images both day and night. This is probably the best sensor that Xiaomi has optimized well and has shown 100% performance.
The second sensor was created for ultra-wide images and has a resolution of 13 megapixels. The quality of this mode is very good. For example, good detail, high contrast and vibrant colors.
Xiaomi Mi 11 108MP main camera sample
Xiaomi Mi 11 13MP ultra wide-angle camera sample
The third sensor has a resolution of 5 megapixels and is designed for macro mode. Yes, this mode will be useful if you want to photograph a subject very close at a distance of 2 cm or more.
The main camera sensor can shoot at a maximum resolution of 8K and 30fps, but I think 4K and 30fps or 60fps would be most optimal. Video shoots well, optical stabilization does an excellent job.
sample for comparison photo Xiaomi Mi 11 with Mate 40 Pro
sample photo for comparison Xiaomi Mi 11 with Mate 40 Pro
sample comparison photo of Xiaomi Mi 11 with Mate 40 Pro
sample comparison photo of Xiaomi Mi 11 with Mate 40 Pro
Battery test and charging time
Inside the case of the flagship device Xiaomi Mi 11, the battery capacity is 4600 mAh used. If we compare the battery capacity with its predecessors, for example, the Mi 10 had a capacity of 4780 mAh and the Mi 11 Pro had 4500 mAh.
As my practice has shown, with active use, a smartphone can live for about one day. But if you turn off some functions, for example, the screen refresh rate of 120 Hz, do not play heavy games for a long time, then the smartphone can work for about 2 days.
At the same time, the charging time of the Mi 11 via the 55W power adapter was about 57 minutes. It's pretty fast for a flagship smartphone. But I want to remind you that the Mi 10 Ultra model had a 120W power adapter, and charging was even faster.
Conclusion, reviews, pros and cons
Xiaomi Mi 11 is a great flagship smartphone that made me very happy in early 2021. All this device received a modern Snapdragon 888 processor with good performance.
Also, I liked the build quality and the materials used. As the smartphone was made of durable Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and Gorilla Glass on the back with an aluminum frame.
A bright and saturated screen with a Super AMOLED matrix, 2K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate showed good performance. Also, the camera with a resolution of 108 megapixels shows perfect images at any time of the day. I also really liked the battery life, charging and even stereo sound.
But I still can't call a smartphone perfect. Since the Xiaomi Mi 11 has not received any water protection, there is also no memory card slot and 3,5mm audio jack. I don't see much point in macro photography either. And, of course, the Chinese version of the firmware.
Price and where to buy cheaper?
I think you will definitely be interested in this smartphone model and you will especially appreciate its price. You can now buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 at a tempting offer in the 8/256 GB version for $ 889 and the 12/256 GB version for $ 999.
Despite its flaws, this smartphone definitely deserves your attention. It has many positive aspects with excellent technical characteristics and performance.
