Xiaomi has brought its Mi 11 flagship to the rest of the world, and it’s a phone that appears to look and sound great.

Following Samsung’s entry into 2021 with the Galaxy S21 range, it’s now the turn of Xiaomi to launch its powerful flagship phone to the world. Launched last year in China, the global version is now official – and the phone packs an almighty punch.

Given Samsung is using its own Exynos chipset in the global versions of the S21, that means the Mi 11 is amongst the first Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 phone to go on sale (at the time of writing, the exact shipping date for the UK has not been confirmed by Xiaomi).

Snapdragon 888 brings a more efficient 5nm process chipset, with integrated 5G, as well as Wi-Fi 6 support. The Adreno 660 GPU is considerably more powerful, with the CPU also sporting the latest ARM Cortex-X1 ultra-large core for extra performance, balanced with lower powered cores for improved efficiency. The AI functionality is vastly improved too. It’s a major boost over the previous flagship Snapdragon 865.

It’s possible there’s still a Pro and/or Ultra model to come later in the year, but as it stands, the Mi 11 has a very impressive list of specs, including:

A fantastic, durable (thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus), WQHD+ display (3200×1400 pixels) with 120Hz refresh rate and industry-leading 480Hz touch sampling rate, along with HDR 10+ and a DisplayMate A+ rating.
Fast LPDDR5 RAM and equally fast UFS 3.1 storage.
Harman Kardon-tuned stereo audio and certified Hi-Res Audio.
Fast charging (55W wired and 50W wireless).
A large 4,600mAh battery to keep you going a whole day.

Another bonus is that Xiaomi is bundling a 55W Gallium nitride fast-charger in the box, so you won’t need to shell out separately on the best charger for the phone.

It’s also worth noting that the display is also seriously bright; offering up to 1500 nits that will make it easy to see on the brightest of days (ready in time for when the sun decides to make a regular appearance again).

Camera tricks

There’s also a huge 108-megapixel Samsung camera, accompanied by an ultra-wide (13-megapixel) and macro (5-megapixel) camera. On the front in the tiny pin-hole cutout is a 20-megapixel selfie camera.

Not that this alone tells the whole story, because within the camera interface you’ll find an incredible number of new modes that will help make you more creative – along with a bunch of video effects to turn budding content creators into movie sensations without the need for expensive equipment.

Night mode is now present on both the standard and ultra-wide cameras, for stills and video, while AI Erase 2.0 will even remove unwanted subjects from your photos.

Don’t skip a (heart)beat

The in-glass fingerprint sensor can even double up as a heart-rate monitor (subject to an over-the-air update coming soon), adding to the list of innovative features this phone packs in. Another feature that seemed to have fallen out of favour of late is an IR blaster; but thankfully Xiaomi has stopped such a feature going extinct.

On paper, this phone is a beast and with pricing starting at €749, it’s one of the more affordable flagships.

I hope to have a review unit soon, so I’ll be able to check out if all of these impressive specifications translate into a great overall user experience – but it certainly looks like it’s going to be kickstarting an impressive 2021 for new mobile tech.

Pricing and Availability

The Mi 11 comes in two storage variants: 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB, priced at €749 (approx £655) and €799 (approx £700) respectively.

Exact UK pricing, or a launch date here, has not currently been confirmed.

Specifications Sheet

Press Release

Mi 11 Takes Studio-grade Camera Features and Pro Performance Global
Xiaomi launches its latest Mi 11 flagship for global markets, putting a movie studio in users’ pockets.
Feb. 8, 2021 — Global technology leader Xiaomi today announced the global release of Mi 11, the latest flagship in its popular Mi smartphone lineup. A truly premium device, Mi 11 debuts with some groundbreaking improvements over its predecessor, including a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888 chipset, 108MP triple rear camera, cinematic audio, and 50W wireless charging.
Unleash your creative potential with 108MP triple camera and a slew of advanced AI movie modes
The ultimate pocket-sized movie studio, Mi 11 turns any novice photo and video enthusiast into a film director with its triple rear camera setup. Boasting the world’s highest resolution 108MP wide-angle camera sensor for its primary shooter, Mi 11 captures crystal-clear images with dazzling detail comparable only to that of professional-grade DSLR or mirrorless cameras. A 13MP ultra-wide angle camera and 5MP telemacro lens round out the rear camera setup, offering impressive landscape and detail shots with brilliant bokeh. On the front, a 20MP punch-hole front camera minimizes bezels on the homescreen while still ensuring users look their best when snapping a selfie or video chatting with friends.
Building on Xiaomi’s existing technology, Mi 11 touts remarkable new features for photography and videography. Improved night mode capabilities offer photo night mode on not one, not two, but three of its cameras: primary, ultra-wide, and front. Mi 11’s cutting-edge video night mode technology completely redefines industry standards with its RAW-level noise reduction for brighter night shooting. Six one-click AI cinema features make artsy shooting a breeze, from Parallel World – which duplicates and inverts your scene to give the appearance of a mirrored world – to Freeze Frame Video – which freezes and clones video frames to create the illusion that parts of your video are frozen in time. Real film buffs will appreciate the Magic Zoom mode, creating an illusion of the camera simultaneously zooming in and out of the scene, a trick originally popularized through thriller films.
Shaking up industry standards even further, Mi 11 now offers studio-level shooting control with its HDR10+ recording and new Pro Time-lapse mode, capable of adjusting shutter speed, ISO, aperture and EV to handle even the most challenging lighting situations. Studio-level control also extends to editing with advanced AI features, including AI Erase 2.0 which allows users to remove unwanted objects or lines from images with one simple click.
See and hear every detail with striking 120Hz 6.81’’ AMOLED DotDisplay and SOUND BY Harman Kardon
Mi 11 offers one of the best screens on the market that has received an A+ rating as well as a best display award from DisplayMate, the world’s leading professional display review institution. Featuring a premium 120Hz 6.81” AMOLED DotDisplay, Mi 11 is as impressive to look at as it is to use. Xiaomi’s most advanced
display shines with its WQHD+ ultra-high resolution, and 10-bit color technology, allowing for breathtaking clarity and smooth color transitions. Simplicity meets convenience with its Super Resolution technology, which upgrades low resolution videos to WQHD+ quality without the worry of increased data consumption.
Boasting a 480Hz touch sampling rate and in-screen fingerprint sensor, Mi 11 allows users to smoothly and swiftly unlock their device without intrusive notches or bezels blocking the display. Along with its sleek lightweight body and timeless look, Mi 11 offers a comfortable swiping experience and in-hand feel with its quad-curved smooth edges and rear glass finishing.
Touting Harmon Kardon professionally tuned dual speakers, Mi 11 delivers supreme cinematic audio and its Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus™ safeguards against costly damage from falls and drops. Mi 11 embraces an advanced dual anti-glare frosted finish that catches light, not fingerprints, and will be available in two color variants: Midnight Grey and Horizon Blue*.
Stay one step ahead with the world’s most advanced performance
Mi 11 was the first phone to feature the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888, redefining flagship performance with the world’s most advanced mobile platform. The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888 completely redefines premium processing standards with its Adreno™ 660 GPU, 6th generation Qualcomm® AI engine and X60 modem – blending AI technology with lightning fast 5G connectivity.
Featuring cutting-edge 5nm process technology, Mi 11 is faster, more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor. The device not only supports 2K/120fps/HDR gaming, but also sports an octa-core design, and ultra-large core Arm Cortex-X1 which ramps up performance dramatically. All that while its 3,200MHz LPDDR5 ensures incredible data transfer speed that has increased from 5,500Mbps to 6,400Mbps.
Equipped with the latest LiquidCool heat dissipation system, the device effortlessly deals with extreme gaming and other high-capacity operations while staying cool. At the same time, its 4600mAh (typ) and the staggering triple combination of 55W wired, 50W wireless and 10W reverse charging ensures that Mi 11 stays powered up for any adventure life throws your way.
Xiaomi has also prepared a big surprise for all the gaming fans out there. The launch of Mi 11 marks the start of Xiaomi’s collaboration with the developer team of the phenomenal 2020 global hit – Genshin Impact. Thanks to the strategic collaboration, users can experience exhilarating adventures in Genshin Impact’s wondrous open world try out a diverse range of characters and unravel countless mysteries with ultra-image details and smoother gameplay via Mi 11. Stay tuned for more updates!
Smoothest MIUI yet – Introducing MIUI 12.5
MIUI 12.5 is an intermediate update based on MIUI 12 with a strong focus on system optimizations. After a complete revamp of the system UI, its CPU usage was reduced by up to 22% while power consumption – by up to 15%, ensuring frictionless performance and graphics.
This is most visible in screen gestures that will now be smoother than ever. In previous systems, gestures and other tasks were rendered on a single thread resulting in a queue of tasks competing for CPU usage. Naturally, under this scenario an overload of tasks could cause lags. However, in MIUI 12.5, gestures received a dedicated thread, making sure that no other tasks will interfere with them, and guaranteeing instant response.
Another highlight of MIUI 12.5 is uninstallable system apps. The vast majority of apps in the new system can be uninstalled, while a small number of apps that are engraved in the system core can be hidden.
The first batch of devices will start receiving the MIUI 12.5 update in Q2, 2021, it will include: Mi 10T,Mi 10T Pro, Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, Mi 11. The second wave will include 11 more Xiaomi devices. The release schedule for other devices will be gradually published on MIUI.com.
Mi 11 comes in two storage variants: 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB with enhanced LPDDR5 3200MHz RAM + UFS 3.1 storage. Starting at €749.
Honouring Xiaomi’s commitment to offer only the best to its consumers, Mi 11 comes with a two year warranty free of charge, double of what is typically offered for flagships. On top of that, users will be eligible for a one-time free repair service at their local Xiaomi Service Center during the first twelve months after the purchase.