Review of Xiaomi Mi 11 - a sleek, thoughtful and balanced smartphone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The case when the manufacturer managed to strike an almost perfect balance between characteristics, design and cost in the segment of expensive phones.

In terms of variety, the Xiaomi Mi 11 lineup is not very competitive with any other. We have already tested the younger Mi 11 Lite and the older Mi 11 Ultra. Now the turn of the smartphone has come without any additional indexes. And if the same Mi 11 Ultra or, for example, Mi 11 Pro is cooler, and Mi 11 Lite is simpler, then Mi 11 is the "base" of the line, its basis and essence. The rest of the models are just modifications created for a specific audience.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Design and ergonomics
• Display
• Iron
• Operating system
• Sound and vibration
• Cameras
• Autonomy
• Outcomes

Specifications

Operating system	Android 11, shell MIUI 12.5
Screen	AMOLED, 6.81 inches, 3,200 × 1,440 pixels, 515 ppi, 60 and 120 Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm)
Memory	8/12 GB - operational, 128/256 GB - built-in.
Cameras	Main: main - 108 Mp, f / 1.9 with a 1/1, 33 ″ sensor, 0.8 μm pixels and PDAF and OIS focusing; wide-angle - 13 Mp, f / 2, 4 with a 1/3, 06 ″ sensor; macro - 5 Mp, f / 2, 4 with a sensor 1/5, 0 ″. Front: 20 MP, f / 2, 2.
SIM cards	2 × nanoSIM
Connectors	USB Type ‑ C
Communication standards	2G, 3G, LTE, 5G
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Battery	4,600 mAh, charging: 55W - wired, 50W - wireless, 10W - reverse wireless.
Dimensions (edit)	164, 3 × 74, 6 × 8, 06 mm
The weight	196 g
Additionally	NFC, optical fingerprint reader, stereo speakers.

Design and ergonomics

The Mi 11 we got for the test is incredibly beautiful. It has a rough back panel that softly shimmers from a pale blue to golden yellow. And you can admire this change of colors for a very long time, simply by turning the smartphone in your hands. I don't even want to cover it with a complete cover, especially considering that the back panel is matte and practically does not get dirty. And it is protected by a fairly strong Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The camera block looks the same as that of the Mi 11 Lite, the only difference is the inscription "108 MP OIS ASPH." on the bottom tab, which indicates the characteristics of the main camera.

The rounded edges of the rear of the Mi 11 merge into a pale blue metal frame. It is designed in exactly the same way as the Mi 11 Ultra: on the bottom - a USB Type-C connector, speaker, microphone and SIM-card tray, on top - a speaker with a microphone and IR-port. The volume rocker and power key are located on the right side.

The edges of the screen are bent quite a bit. It is the same as in Mi 11 Ultra - with minimal frames, a good oleophobic coating, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Ergonomically, the Mi 11 is reminiscent of the Mi 11 Ultra. But touching a rough matte back panel is much more pleasant than a glossy ceramic one, and a simpler camera unit does not affect the weight distribution of the smartphone so much, so it is more comfortable and stable in the hand.

Display

The screen of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is exactly the same as that of the Mi 11 Ultra. This is an AMOLED ‑ panel with a diagonal of 6, 81 inches, WQHD + resolution (3,200 × 1,440 pixels) and support for a frequency of 120 Hz. And the settings are the same: you can choose a palette to your taste, set a lower resolution to save battery power, add comfort when reading in the dark, and reduce the flicker frequency.

There is also a system for improving the display of content using AI in Mi 11, which increases the resolution and adjusts the color rendition depending on what the smartphone is currently showing on the screen. And, of course, the Always On Display mode, which illuminates individual pixels on the locked display when displaying notifications.

The impressions from the Mi 11 screen are exactly the same as those from the Mi 11 Ultra: it is juicy, bright, with pleasant color reproduction, which does not go into excessive acidity even in the most saturated mode. It is a pleasure to use it.

Iron

The hardware platform of Mi 11 practically does not differ from the Mi 11 Ultra platform: the same Snapdragon 888 with Adreno 660. Only smaller memory: RAM can be 8 or 12 GB, and user memory - 128 or 256 GB. We got a version with 8GB ROM and 256GB for apps and other content. There is no memory card slot, the SIM tray supports two cards.

Another difference between Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra is the lack of IP68 dust and moisture protection. The SIM card slot, for example, doesn't have a rubber band to keep moisture out. Of course, Mi 11 survived a walk under the shower, but swimming with it is prohibited.

And, apparently, this is the rare smartphone that was able to cope with the heating of the Snapdragon 888, which has already become a meme. If Mi 11 Ultra began to bake after flipping through Twitter and watching the broadcast on Twitch for half an hour, then Mi 11 did not react to them.

Operating system

The smartphone runs Android 11 with MIUI 12.5.1 shell. And, unlike Mi 11 Ultra, it perfectly fulfills all clicks. If the superflagman sometimes did not respond to the camera button and pondered in the gallery, then Mi 11 never gave a hint during the test.

The interface, as usual, is friendly, it seems that there are even more customization settings than an ordinary user needs, and advertising can still be turned off.

Sound and vibration

Mi 11 has stereo speakers. A strange moment: the speaker mounted in the top end is also spoken. Because of this, it becomes more difficult to correctly position the phone so that the interlocutor can be heard well. With exactly the same design, Mi 11 Ultra did not have such problems: perhaps, due to the wide block of cameras, the grip of the smartphone itself was different and the speaker immediately found itself where it was needed.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Stereo System was created in collaboration with the experts at Harman / Kardon, and it sounds great - crisp, clear, even at high volumes. There is no audio jack in the smartphone, but it supports all modern Bluetooth codecs.

But the vibration response of the Mi 11 is the same as that of the Lite model: powerful, resonant, and eye-catching.

Cameras

The cameras in the Mi 11 are a cross between the cameras in the Lite and Ultra models. It is based on the proven 108 megapixel main module, 13 megapixel ultra-wide angle and 5 megapixel macromodule.

The images are clear, bright, juicy, but in conditions of a lack of lighting, artificial oversaturation and gray white balance can appear - a post-processing feature found in many Xiaomi smartphones.

Shooting with the main lens indoors in daylight and electric light. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens indoors in daylight and electric light. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens in daylight. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens at sunset. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens at sunset with 2x zoom. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens in full size at sunset. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens in daylight. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens in daylight. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Macromodule Mi 11 works adequately from a distance of about 2-3 cm, so you need to bring your smartphone very close, and autofocus is naughty. But if you catch the right point, the pictures will turn out good - you can consider every feather on the marigolds, if you set such a goal, or start a photo hunt for bumblebees. The Mi 11 Lite had less responsive autofocus.

Shooting with a wide-angle lens. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting in macro mode. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

The wide-angle module is slightly paler than the main one in terms of color rendition. Distortion at the edges is corrected neatly, does not give a strange effect. Zoom only digital, up to 2X.

Shooting with the main lens. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with a wide-angle lens. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with the main lens. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting with a wide-angle lens. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

The 20MP selfie camera is the same as the Mi 11 Ultra, offers beautiful blur that can be turned off, and overall is sharp and true-to-life.

Night mode does not suffer from excessive overexposure and does not even seem too pensive. Sharpness is enough, there is no strong artificial yellowness, but to some extent it is still present.

Shooting as usual. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting in night mode. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting as usual. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting in night mode. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting as usual. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

Shooting in night mode. Photo: Alina Rand / Lifehacker

The video capabilities of the Mi 11 are serious. It supports 8K recording at 30fps, 4K up to 60fps and Full HD up to 480fps (slow motion). There are several stabilization options, which in fact are not very different from each other, but they all work quite well.

Autonomy

The battery of the Mi 11 is slightly smaller than that of the Mi 11 Ultra - 4,600 mAh instead of 5,000. But this is quite enough for the smartphone to live a little less than a day, if you set a high screen resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. If you lower the resolution and frequency, then the Mi 11 will surely live for about 30 hours.

The kit includes a 55W power supply, with which the smartphone fully charges from scratch in about 50 minutes. Another strange moment: Mi 11 did not want to work with the official Sony fast charger with support for Power Delivery. He showed that he was connected to the network, but the recharging was not going on. There were no such problems with Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Lite - they were easily charged from the same adapter.

Mi 11 also supports fast wireless charging up to 50W and is equipped with a 10W reversible wireless charging function.

Outcomes

Xiaomi has turned out a classic flagship smartphone - on a powerful hardware platform, with a camera worthy for its category, with a gorgeous screen and excellent design. You still need to look for such a beautiful device.

Xiaomi Mi 11 works stably, produces nice photos, has a high-quality audio system. It is convenient to use it, and it does not weigh as much as the same Mi 11 Ultra.

Among the competitors, OnePlus 9 Pro immediately comes to mind - however, it has a slightly cooler wide-angle lens.

Now in Russia, Mi 11 in our configuration - 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of user memory - can be purchased at a discount for 57,000 rubles. In terms of price, quality and performance, it looks perfectly balanced.