Xiaomi Mi 11: flagship with triple camera and turbo processor

First things first: The Xiaomi Mi 11 is an all-around improvement over its predecessor, the Xiaomi Mi 10. It is equipped with a higher-resolution screen, useful display functions, faster loading, an improved macro camera, and new video functions.

The Mi line is Xiaomi’s flagship line, and the Mi 11 marks the start of the year 2021. With the Mi line, Xiaomi often moves above the usual range of “low-price, high-spec” phones and the new flagship from China also plays in the league of premium smartphones here.

Technical data of the Xiaomi Mi 11:

So could the Xiaomi Mi 11 end up being one of the best phones of 2021? Here are the technical facts:

Xiaomi Mi 11 Design and Display

For a flagship phone, the Xiaomi Mi 11 is surprisingly light at 196g, and although it’s very large at 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1mm, it’s not too wide, so it’s comfortable too can be held in one hand.

Like its predecessor, the Mi 11 has a volume rocker and a power button on the right edge, there is also a USB-C port for charging and an infrared blaster so that you can use the smartphone as a remote control. However, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack built-in for audio, so you’ll need to use a converter or wireless device for your music apps.

The stepped “camera hill” on the back differs significantly from the standard bars or squares that most smartphones have. On the Xiaomi Mi 11, however, this hill does not protrude too far out of the phone’s casing, as is the case with most Xiaomi phones. The back is equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, a particularly resistant type of glass that will make its debut in the Mi 11.

The mobile phone display of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is a 6.81-inch AMOLED screen, one of the largest screens that Xiaomi has ever installed. The display is also characterized by a resolution of 1,440 x 3,200 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.

The camera

The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a 108 MP main camera, a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle and a 5 MP Tele macro camera, and a 20 MP selfie snapper. Does that make the flagship one of the best smartphone cameras?

The highlight of the triple camera is the Tele-macro camera, which is used for close-ups of details and objects: it is characterized by detailed and colorful photos. In addition, the model is very easy to use. In contrast to most macro cameras, you can hold the Xiaomi Mi 11 at a short distance from the subject and take a photo – this means that you do not have to hold the smartphone directly next to the object, as this would block all the light.

However, the main photographic argument of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is not macro photography, but videography. There are a few modes here that appear for the first time on Xiaomi. These include, for example, some automatic color filters that you can add after taking a photo, improved audio recording, and a few new “movie effects” such as “magic zoom”, “time stop” or “parallel world”.

The battery

As great as photography and videography sound with the new phone from Xiaomi, the battery life is just as sobering. The smartphone is equipped with a 4,600 mAh battery, which at first glance appears to be common in the industry, but of course, you have to include all the features that make the new phone from Xiaomi: large screen, high refresh rate, various tools for upscaling images, Always-on display and live wallpapers. Due to the many functions and tools, the battery of the Xiaomi drops very quickly, and charging becomes inevitable after less than a day of use.

At least the charging of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is quite quick: 55 W wired and 50 W wireless charging ensure the appropriate energy supply.

Performance and software

The Xiaomi Mi 11 uses Android 11 with the company’s own MIUI software, which is easy to navigate and easy to use all around. The processor was the Snapdragon 888 chipset from Qualcomm, paired with 8 GB of RAM – one of the best chipsets currently available in top-end Android phones.

The Xiaomi smartphone also plays in the premium league in terms of connectivity: 5G connectivity and NFC capability are no problem for the flagship and make mobile payment the standard.

The highlights of the Xiaomi Mi 11 at a glance

• 6.81 inch AMOLED display (3,200 x 1,440 pixels)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with 5G connectivity
• 8 GB of RAM
• 128 GB or 256 GB internal storage
• Triple camera: 108 MP main camera, 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 5 MP macro camera
• 20 MP front camera for selfies
• Battery: 4,600 mAh battery, fast charging (55 W), inductive charging (50 W)

Conclusion: Premium flagship with a solid price

Whether it’s enough to make the best mobile phone in 2021 is debatable, but the Xiaomi Mi 11 is a top smartphone with a good price-performance ratio. Design and technical features allow the flagship to keep up with the competition from Apple and Samsung. You only have to cut back on the battery capacity. In terms of price, the Xiaomi Mi 11 starts at 799 euros, but in combination with a fast LTE tariff from Outreach way, it is of course much cheaper.