Xiaomi ranks second in the world in terms of the number of smartphones sold. The manufacturer captured 17% of the market, and Samsung was in first place with 19%. Xiaomi smartphones are even more popular on the Russian market. In terms of sales volume for the first half of 2022, the Chinese company is the leader with a market share of 32%. The range of manufactured gadgets is huge, so we have prepared a top list of the best Xiaomi smartphones, which will make it easier for you to choose the right device.
Source: gsmarena.com
All prices are indicated at the time of publication of the article.
Package
Xiaomi's packaging was made as discreet as possible: a black and compact, minimalist cardboard box. In the center is a large number 11, and below is the inscription Ultra with an addition indicating premium sound. The younger brother did not get the included charging unit, but the older brother did not do the same.
Inside the box: the smartphone itself, a 67 W charging unit, a USB-type C cable, a paper clip and a case, a protective film is glued to the screen. I must say that the silicone bumper case against the background of the device does not look premium at all.
Flagship appearance
Let's start with what anyone who picks it up will immediately notice - this is its camera module, which occupies a solid panel on the back of the head! It immediately catches the eye, because the world has never seen such a huge platform.
Of course, we will still discuss what having a trunk with such guns brought with it. Looking at this array, you understand what the manufacturer wanted to emphasize. Against the background of a white body, the block looks even more brutal.
Whether you call it a beautiful element or not, it is difficult to even imagine how to fit all these huge sensors. Moreover, there is a small additional display here! A 20 MP front camera is embedded in the upper left corner of the front panel. Initially, due to the dark wallpaper, it is not even noticeable.
The body itself is made royally, from ceramics. The available colors are black and white, laconic. They also announced a white marble color, but sellers do not have it in stock yet.
Talking about the arrangement of elements, we can mention the absence of an audio jack for headphones. The SIM card slot has been moved to the bottom edge. Both the top and bottom ends are flat, and both have holes for speakers for stereo sound. The earpiece sounds from a barely noticeable thin slot in the top edge. As usual, there is also an IR port on top.
Design
Even before the release date of Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 pro, it became known that the model is available in four colors. There are no red and pink, gold and blue in the line. But there are “black classics”. The green color is not too poisonous, it is rich and deep. There are sky blue and purple. The latter is different from all that came out before.
The front panel is standard, the control buttons, as before, are on the side. There is also a slot for SIM cards. The glossy back cover is made of glass. It is hardened, which means it is durable. The camera, flash, sensors are located in the upper left corner. There, but at the bottom, there is a logo. The design of the phone is not very different from its relatives, but fans of the brand will recognize it at first, even a cursory glance.
The main camera is triple. Side keys are power and volume buttons. The clicks are pleasant and clear. Even through the silicone case, you don’t have to put much pressure on them. Dimensions - 163.7 × 76.2 × 8.3 mm. This means that the gadget will easily fit in a pocket, purse, purse, wallet or clutch.
The ergonomics feel comfortable in the hand. It is clear that not only engineers, but also professional designers were involved in the development. All connectors, speaker and charger connection socket are located at the bottom.
Ergonomics
The display has relatively small curves typical of flagships. We have already repeatedly emphasized the lack of rounding, and this disease is also present in Mi 11 Ultra. It can be difficult to enter text while holding your smartphone with one hand; swiping on the keyboard (especially for those who use continuous input) will not always cause the correct reaction.
Due to the rather large ultra-screen of 6.81 inches, it seems like a giant, but it is still not the largest smartphone. The same PocoX3, with its large height, width and thickness (165.3 x 76.8 x 9.4 mm), has a smaller display diagonal - 6.67 inches. In general, it doesn’t feel like a shovel in your hand, and the camera block doesn’t interfere with holding it in any way.
This puck with cameras on the back of the head adds weight to the phone. We can say that it is in the top of the heaviest smartphones, if you do not take into account foldable and protected ones.
There is an optical fingerprint sensor on the front panel under the display, and it works perfectly. By the way, due to the wide camera block, the smartphone will not wobble on the table when you press the screen to unlock or type on the keyboard. There is still some advantage from this.
Characteristics
Main characteristics of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra:
· Dimensions/weight : 164.3×74.6×8.38 mm (thickness with camera block 12.5 mm), weight 234 g
· Display : 6.81 inches AMOLED, resolution 3200×1440 QHD+, aspect ratio 20:9, pixel density 515 ppi, refresh rate 120 Hz (480 Hz response rate), HDR10+, CorningGorillaGlass6 Victus
· Memory : RAM 8/12 GB LPDDR5, 3200 MHz, built-in 256/512 GB, UFS 3.1
· Processor : QualcommSnapdragon888 (1 Core – 2.84 GHz, 3 Core – 2.84 GHz, 4 Core – 1.8 GHz), GPU – Adreno 660
· Cameras:
Main module – 50 MP, sensor size 1/1.12 inches, aperture f/1.95, 1.4μm (in 2.8μm binning - 12.5 MP), OIS, Dual Pixel Pro AF;
Ultra-wide-angle module – 48 MP, viewing angle 128º, sensor size 1/2 inch, aperture f/2.2, 0.8μm (in 1.6μm binning – 12 MP), fixed focus;
Telephoto lens – 48 MP, 1/2-inch sensor size, f/4.1 aperture, 0.8μm (1.6μm binning – 12 MP), PDAF autofocus, 5x optical zoom (10x hybrid and 120x digital), OIS ;
front camera – wide-angle lens, 20 MP, 1/3.4 inches, f/2.5 aperture, 0.8μm, fixed focus
· Video recording: 8K [email protected] , UHD 4K [email protected] /60fps, FHD [email protected] /60fps, Slow-mo FHD [email protected] /HD [email protected] , EIS
· OS : Android 11, MIUI12.5 shell
Battery : 5020 mAh
· Charger : 67W fast charging, 67W wireless charging, 10W reverse charging, support QC3.0/4.0+
· Features : NFC, IP68 waterproofing, HarmanKardon stereo speakers, Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Wireless Audio, in-display fingerprint scanner, 3.5 mm headphone jack, IR port, 2 nano-SIM tray.
· Colors : white (CeramicWhite) and black (CeramicBlack)
Display
The top-end AMOLED screen in the Mi 11 Ultra will certainly please the eye of its owner. Lei Jun, gen. director of the company, very diligently talked about it at the presentation of the pioneer in the line - Mi 11. It couldn’t be better, for now...
There is no point in repeating the smoothness with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Cheaper models with less powerful processors may not reach these 120 hertz, and this will also affect their stability. Everything here is simply gorgeous. Viewing angles and color rendition are also excellent. In addition, there are many screen settings to suit your perception.
The peak brightness of 1700 nits will definitely not strain your eyes on a sunny day. To protect your eyes from flickering, there is a DC Dimming function. Gorilla Glass Victus, that is, the 6th generation, is responsible for the safety of the display.
Ultraphotos
As we have already noted, the first thing the Mi 11 Ultra pays attention to (no, it just screams!) is the cameras. There is a lot to be said about them here. If only because this is the first smartphone to receive an almost inch sensor from Samsung - S5K GN2.
In the DxOMark rating, the smartphone took an honorable 1st place, receiving 143 points for its success, while the already former leader, HuaweiMate 40 Pro+, reached the bar of 139 points. We will compare the results of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with top flagships from competitors: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Here is another example of photos taken during daylight hours:
In Pro mode, you can save photos in RAW format with full manual settings, but not at full resolution. For lovers of high-quality photographs, this will help to bring out dark areas in particularly difficult conditions.
There is optical stabilization on both the main module and the telephoto lens. By the way, the maximum zoom due to the telephoto lens and digital technologies is a record-breaking one. Mi 11 Ultra boasts a maximum zoom of 120x! The closest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, has a 100x zoom.
See how this approximation compares to the Samsung S21 Ultra:
Of particular note is the telephoto lens – its aperture is quite “dark”, f/4.1. This means that the pictures taken with it will only turn out good during daylight hours.
Video in 8K resolution can be shot on all 3 modules (video examples can be seen in the video review below). Video portraits with Bokeh mode can be recorded directly in real time, although this function does not yet work perfectly. There was also a problem with recording sound on video: at one point it briefly turned off.
You can completely forget about the front camera, having an additional display on the back. Although for video calls it will still be difficult to do without it. If we evaluate it against the background of similar flagships, then everything is on par. The processing algorithms differ, but only slightly.
Well, you can check out how gorgeous a selfie with the main camera looks:
Cameras
The rear camera of Mi 11 Pro consists of 3 sensors. The 50 MP Samsung GN2 with ƒ/ 1.95 aperture is the main one and is responsible for the overall quality of the images. The 13 MP Omnivision OV13B10 with ƒ/ 2.2 aperture is wide-angle. Omnivision OV08A10 with 8 MP is responsible for zoom and macro photography.
The camera delivers stunning images in all conditions and is even capable of recording 8K video at 30 FPS. There is an option for optical image stabilization and optical zoom. It is possible to shoot Slo-Mo videos at a maximum speed of 960 frames per second.
The front camera is a 20 MP Samsung S5K3T2 sensor with an ƒ/ 2.3 aperture. It provides photos of rare beauty and uses the power of the smartphone's artificial intelligence during shooting. Automation almost never makes mistakes. There are also very advanced post-processing algorithms that can turn even an ordinary photo into a real masterpiece.
The front camera can record video in Full HD format at 30 frames per second.
| Main camera | 50 MP + 8 MP + 13 MP |
| Front-camera | 20 MP |
| Flash | Dual LED |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Optical stabilization | Yes |
| Main camera video | 8K at 30 fps 4K at 60 fps 1080p at 60 fps 720p at 60 fps Slow motion 960 fps |
| Selfie camera video | 1080p at 30 fps 720p at 30 fps |
You can see examples of photos from the cameras of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro mobile phone in various conditions on the DXOMARK website when they test them.
Performance
Friends, the hardware of the smartphone is maximally charged! At the head of the core in the Mi 11 Ultra is the top-end Snapdragon 888 processor. There is nothing more powerful than it on the market today. We know that such a beast must still be able to be calmed, since it can heat up to cosmic temperatures. Here, a special cooling system is responsible for this: the Chinese announced a kind of “solid liquid thermal pad” that has better thermal conductivity and better dissipates heat.
In practice, they could not completely overcome the heating. Under maximum load, our case heated up to 51ºС. Although this did not affect the fps during the game, it is not comfortable to play in this case. There was no significant throttling either. At the same time, the gaming AsusRogPhone 5 heated up even more, and its performance immediately decreased.
As for memory, this is also top notch. Although there are several memory variations, both boast advanced LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 technologies. Naturally, this also affects the speed of the interface, and not just the speed of reading/writing files.
Which Xiaomi smartphone to choose in 2021
Users who want maximum performance and the best camera should take a closer look at the flagship Xiaomi Mi 11 and Mi 11T Pro models. These are devices with top processors, the best lenses and modern AMOLED displays, but they also have a corresponding price.
Gamers can definitely recommend Black Shark 4. Buying one of the flagships is also a good decision, but they will cost more.
If photo quality comes first, and maximum performance is not needed, the Xiaomi Poco F3 camera phone is suitable. The budget model Poco X3, despite its similar name, lags behind both in terms of characteristics and performance. It is suitable for people who just need a good smartphone for everyday tasks. They can also recommend Xiaomi Redmi 10 or the younger version of the flagship Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite.
Autonomy
Of course, this sperm whale’s energy needs to be provided by a powerful battery. Xiaomi has equipped its creation with a new type of battery with a capacity of 5020 mAh. The material from which the battery is made is also innovative. In practice, you are unlikely to notice the innovation, but it most likely helped save space. And such a powerful battery needs to be charged with a powerful charger.
Luckily, everything is great here too. Fast charging via wire? Please! A 67 W unit is included. Fast wireless charging? On those! The same power is maintained. Even reverse charging will provide 10 W for your other devices that support this feature. Manufacturers assure that a full battery charging cycle will last no more than 36 minutes.
⇡#Autonomous work
The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a battery capacity of 17.48 Wh (4600 mAh, 3.8 V) - slightly less than the Mi 10, but slightly larger than the Mi 10 Ultra. With a larger display, the manufacturer clearly relied on the increased energy efficiency of the new Qualcomm platform, but, alas, the hope was not justified. Autonomy is average - weaker than that of Mi 10 and Mi 10 Ultra. The smartphone creaksly survives until the evening with the standard format of use, and if you “sit on the phone” without stopping, you will have to carry an external battery with you without fail - the device will not withstand daylight hours.
In our traditional test with Full HD video playback at maximum brightness, with updates and notifications turned on, the smartphone lasted just under 11 hours - this is not a failure, but for a smartphone with an OLED screen the result is average.
The main question when buying a modern flagship smartphone is whether there is a charger in the box? Xiaomi has two answers to this: yes and no. As you wish. In China, two options are available for purchase: if you care about the environment, take the version without a charger; If you want a charger, take it with it. Same price. It is not yet clear what will happen in Russia. Be that as it may, the original 55 W “charger” has reached us. With its help, the smartphone is fully charged in 45 minutes. The Quick Charge 4.0 standard is also supported, so you can charge the gadget very quickly even with third-party chargers or using an external battery. Supports Mi 11 and wireless charging up to 45 W - a proprietary system, however, will have to be purchased separately. There is also reverse wireless charging for accessories.
Interface
It’s worth noting right away that the version of MIUI on the test sample is still damp. The commercial version already has MIUI 12.5 firmware. In the meantime, some strange things still happen to him, and, sadly, precisely with the camera.
Particular mention should be made of the rear mini-display (by the way, also AMOLED, exactly the same as in the Mi Band 5 fitness watch). It can be customized: set any picture, display a large clock or inscription. But it can be active for no more than 30 seconds, after which it goes out.
Using the second display, you can not only see yourself during a royal selfie, but also interact with the phone. For example, you can answer a call or reject it, but you won’t be able to work with messages (and why this sadomasochism anyway?).
Here we can also mention a software bug - several times it was not possible to switch to the second display to take a selfie. I had to reboot. This will probably be corrected by Xiaomi programmers in the next firmware updates.
And again, mention of the proximity sensor - it works better than in the same Redmi Note 10 Pro. But it’s not ideal; random presses still occur during a call.
When Android is equal to iOS
Material Design at its best
By the way, MIUI 9/10 based on Android 9 , pre-installed on Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, has a couple more interesting features.
One of them is gestures , borrowed from the iPhone X. With their help, you can disable on-screen keys and gain another centimeter of screen from the system.
The accuracy of MIUI is the same as that of the latest iOS. No lags, no microfreezes.
In general, the proprietary MIUI, similar to iOS, has become even closer to modern versions of the Apple system. And in some ways it excels: you can customize everything that requires the use of third-party programs or complex life hacks in other mobile systems.
Sound and features
The older brother from the line also sounds like a flagship! The sound is provided by speakers from Harman Kardon, which emphasizes its premium performance.
What about water protection? It couldn’t be otherwise - Xiaomi equipped the model with moisture protection according to the IP68 standard. It implies that the smartphone “can be briefly immersed in fresh water to a depth of 2 meters” (if anything, this was a quote from the official Xiaomi website).
Summarize
How much are you willing to pay for the characteristics described above? $700? $800?$1000? At the time of writing, its cost in China was $1,400 for the 12/256 GB version. The 8/128 GB version will not be released on the global market. It is unlikely that Xiaomi’s goal was to release a competitive model for mass sale. She cannot boast of success and popularity. It's hard to believe that there are many people in the world who are willing to pay that kind of money for a product from a Chinese company. Moreover, so far it has not been possible to get rid of all the shortcomings inherent in the brand’s products.
pros:
- The best display on the market
- Great set of top cameras
- Fastest processor
- Memory size and type
- Premium case materials
- Excellent stereo sound
- Fast wired/wireless charging
- Ability to take high-quality selfies using the main module
- Moisture protection
Minuses:
- Price
- Imperfect camera and interface software (for now)
- Proximity sensor
- Case heating under load
- Design and size of the camera block (although this is individual)
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite - mid-range flagship
The design of this smartphone from our top Xiaomi 2021 can be seen in the style of the Mi 11 series, but in terms of technical characteristics it lags behind the older flagship. The phone also has a high-quality AMOLED display. Its diagonal is 6.55” with a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels. The maximum frame refresh rate is 90 Hz.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite does not have the most productive Snapdragon 732G processor. The amount of RAM is 6 or 8 GB. The built-in storage size is 128 GB - this is the maximum. You won't be able to enjoy the latest resource-demanding games, but the smartphone can cope with applications.
The mirror back cover of the smartphone looks amazing. Source: root-nation.com
The smartphone has three cameras in the main block located on the back of the case:
- wide-angle 64 MP;
- ultra-wide-angle 8 MP;
- 5 MP macro sensor.
The manufacturer has chosen the optimal set of cameras in terms of price and quality ratio. The smartphone allows you to take good quality pictures not only during the day, but also at dusk. The front camera has a resolution of 16 megapixels, and it also produces good shots.
The battery capacity of 4250 mAh lasts for 10-12 hours in video viewing mode. With normal use of the smartphone, the battery lasts for an average of one and a half days. The battery is charged to 100% in 70 minutes.
Price: 27,000—36,000 depending on the configuration.
