Day: February 10, 2021

All eyes on the most happening smartphone brand! – Presenting the Xiaomi Mi 11 which has made its worldwide debut

Chinese tech brand Xiaomi just doesn’t stop making headlines and the Xiaomi Mi 11 is its newest flagship smartphone. Its specifications and price have turned it into Samsung Galaxy S21’s latest rival as well as rivaling phones such as the OnePlus 9 and Oppo Find X3.

The front side of Xiaomi Mi 11 in Horizontal position
The front side of Xiaomi Mi 11 in Horizontal position | Source: Android Police

When was the Xiaomi Mi 11 first seen?

The Xiaomi Mi 11 was first seen at its Chinese launch event somewhere in December 2020. Yet, the phone got another global unveiling, and that too on February 8, 2021, before it could be released globally. This is a pattern Xiaomi follows with its Mi lone of smartphones though the global launch of their phones is usually done at Mobile World Congress (MWC) held each year (This year’s MWC will be held in June).

Whenever tech-savvy people think about the name ‘Xiaomi’, they think of devices having high-end specifications that are good on the budget and available in competitive price ranges. However, the pricing aspect may not be friendly when it comes to the Mi 11.

Yet, the specifications Xiaomi Mi 11 has are pretty impressive including its features. No one should be surprised to see this phone get ranked among the best Xiaomi has to offer.

Before anyone gets to test the phone, we decided to round almost anything and everything everyone would love to know about the phone especially its specifications, features, and availability; helping everyone get a good idea of the Xiaomi Mi 11.

Some brief facts about Xiaomi Mi 11

  • The phone is Xiaomi’s newest flagship phone of 2021.
  • It will be released worldwide somewhere in March this year.
  • Its price will start at €749 (equivalent to USD$ 900, AUD$ 1,175, and GBP£ 660).

Price and availability of the Xiaomi Mi 11

After its global launch event in February 2021, Xiaomi Mi 11 will be launching in various regions across the world in March.

At the moment, the price for the phone is available in Euros instead of US Dollars, Pounds Sterling or Australian Dollars. Due to instance, no one is expecting the phone to be available in the United States. Yet the phone will have conversions so people can get an idea when it comes to the phone’s price.

Another view of Xiaomi Mi 11
Another view of Xiaomi Mi 11 | Sources: Mi Official Website and TechRadar

For the set having 8GB RAM and 128GB Storage, the price will be €749 (equivalent to almost GBP£ 660, AUD$ 1,175, and USD$ 990). If consumers wish to have more storage, they can obtain 256GB for €749 (equivalent to GBP£ 700, AUD$ 1,250, and USD$ 960). Another version of the phone with 256GB storage and 12GB RAM was unveiled in China, which may not be released globally.

For context’s sake, the Xiaomi Mi 10 cost GBP£ 799 (equivalent to AUD$ 1,699 and USD$ 990) with 8GB RAM and 128 GB Storage. Hence, the Xiaomi Mi 11 can cost approximately the same or a little less in comparison to its predecessor.

What are the specifications of the Xiaomi Mi 11?

Here is an overview of the specifications of Xiaomi’s flagship phone:

SoC (Chipset)Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM8/12 GB LPDDR5
Storage128/256 GB UFS 3.1
Display6.81-inch DotDisplay with AdaptiveSync (30/60/90/120Hz), 20:9, 3200×1440, 515 PPI, 1500 Nits max, HDR 10+, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Rear cameras108 MP main camera: 1/1.33”; f/1.85; 1.6 µm (4 in 1 Super Pixel); OIS; AF; 7P lens 13 MP ultrawide; f/2,4; FOV up to 123° 5 MP macro: f/2,4; 50mm; AF (3 to 10cm)
Front camera20 MP selfie: 1.6 µm (4 in 1 Super Pixel); f/2,2
Power4,600mAh battery with 55W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless
ConnectivityDual SIM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, IR, USB-C (PD)
Bands (European model)5G: n1/n3/n5/n8/n20/n28/n38/n41/n77/n78/n79 4G: LTE FDD: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/12/17/20/28/32/66 4G: LTE TDD: B38/40/41/42 3G: WCDMA: 1/2/4/5/8 2g: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900 MHz
Operating System (OS)MIUI 12.5 on Android 11
Dimensions164.3 x 74.6 x 8.06MM (Glass)/ 8.56mm (Leather)
MiscellaneousStereo speakers, in-display fingerprint sensor with heart rate sensor, IR blaster, 55W GaN charger included.
ColorsTrimsGlass (Midnight Gray, Horizon Blue, Frost White) and Vegan Leather (Honey Beige, Lilac Purple).
Specifications of the Xiaomi Mi 11 (Source: Android Police)

It runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 888

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with 5G capabilities | Source: Mi Official Website

The Xiaomi Mi 11 carries Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 888 chipset backed by 8GB RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, which makes it quite a powerful phone. No one will notice an instant difference from the Snapdragon 865 processor which was also a fast one. Yet, Qualcomm promises improvements in the CPU and GPU performance by 25% and 25% respectively in Snapdragon 888.

The display and batteries are flagship-level

The Xiaomi Mi 11 from another angle showing its curved body and display
The Xiaomi Mi 11 from another angle showing its curved body and display | Source: Mi Official Website

The Xiaomi Mi 11 features a spectacular waterfall screen complete with a 6.81-inches OLED panel that is exceptionally bright and clear regardless of the lighting conditions. The peak brightness is at 1500 nits making it the brightest phone available yet.

Additionally, the phone has wide quad HD plus resolution (3,200 x 1,440 pixels) and 120Hz refresh rates, which can be used together or can be put in reserve to save the phone’s battery life.

A vast majority of phones have refresh rates of 60Hz, meaning the screen refreshes 60 times in a second. Displays of 120Hz look much smoother when scrolling through webpages in comparison. The Xiaomi Mi 11 also has an in-screen fingerprint reader, which according to Xiaomi doubles up as a heart-rate sensor.

With mild usage, the battery can easily last a day and a half. Even when it runs out, recharging the phone’s 4,600-mAh battery is done relatively quickly with thanks to its 55 Watt wired charger. It takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to bring the battery to 50-60% from zero percent while almost an hour is all it takes to completely recharge the battery.

It is hence safe to say that battery anxiety is an object of history when people will begin using the Xiaomi Mi 11. One thing to keep in mind that the phone supports 50W of wireless and reverse-wireless charging.

Loud and crisp speakers are another hallmark of the Xiaomi Mi 11

Harmon Kardon speakers in the Xiaomi Mi 11| Source: Mi Official Website

One of the features that stood out in last year’s Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro was its pleasingly loud and crisp speaker system complete with one speaker on each end of the phone. Now Xiaomi stated that it has leveled up in the speaker aspect in Mi 11 through refining its audio experience in partnership with Harman Kardon, a well-known and decades-old manufacturing firm specializing in audio equipment and stereos.

The Xiaomi Mi 11’s speakers are loud and crisp, and it has the right bass to boot up with. Hence, Xiaomi has raised the stakes in the speakers’ game.

Three rear Cameras are present on the Xiaomi Mi 11

Three rear cameras of the Xiaomi Mi 11 | Source: Sareena Dayaram & CNET

The Xiaomi Mi 11 has three rear cameras, one less than its predecessor. Fascinatingly, quality beats out the quantity aspect.

The cameras are the main camera of 108 Megapixels with 13 MP ultra-wide and 5 MP telephoto macro. The latter cameras are designed for both close-up and zoomed shots. The first two cameras match the results and effectiveness of the Mi 10 whereas the third camera is a major improvement.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 had a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth-sensing snapper which had low functionality and not an impressive resolution. Perhaps the Mi 11’s 5MP camera will supersede it as it does bring the ability to provide a good zoom.

The front and back sides of the Xiaomi Mi 11 in various colors | Source: GSM Arena

The video mode of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is intriguing thanks to night videography. Low-light photography (also known as night mode) has become the phone’s proving ground where competitors need to stand out and the company has extended the feature to video shooting.

AI Erasure is another camera mode that can automatically remove people from the background of both a photo and video. AI cinema modes help replicate the look of professional film cameras and HDR10+ recording video capture is a focal point of the Xiaomi Mi 11.

On its Weibo account, Xiaomi posted some pictures and sample videos of the phone.

Conclusion

Xiaomi has never failed to amaze anyone, thanks to its cutting-edge technological prowess in all electronics it has made. With 5G set to become mainstream, the Xiaomi Mi 11 has not only raised eyebrows but is also set to outpace competitors with its pioneering cameras, speakers, display, battery charge, and processing power.