Xiaomi’s latest entrant in the mid-range segment is a piece of art. The Mi 11 Lite, which is launched alongside the Mi Watch Revolve Active, reveals its excellence with a super-thin compact design. Featuring a 10-bit AMOLED display sized 6.55-inch, 64 MP triple cameras, and a 4,250 mAh battery with 33W fast charging, all available in the slimmest package in its segment. Here’s what we have to say about the mighty Mi 11 Lite.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Specifications
- Display: 6.55-inch AMOLED display, 90 Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color depth, 800 brightness (peak), 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, HDR10, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Software: MIUI 12, Android 11
- CPU: 8 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G octa-core SoC
- GPU: Adreno 618 Graphics
- Memory: 6 GB OR 8 GB RAM, LPDDR4X
- Storage: 128 GB storage on-board, UFS 2.2 type, external microSD card support (SIM2)
- Main Camera: Triple Cameras (64 MP f/1.79 Samsung GW3 primary + 8 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle 119 degrees FOV + 5 MP f/2.4 tele/macro), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 16 MP f/2.45
- Connectivity: USB Type-C, IR Blaster, Wi-Fi 5 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, Glonass, Beidou
- Sensors: Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Electronic compass, Linear motor, IR blaster
- Security: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Others: Dual Speakers, IR Blaster
- Cellular: Dual 4G network, nano SIMs
- Battery: 4,250 mAh
- Charging: 33W Fast Charging, 100% in 65 minutes, 62% in 30 minutes
- Colors: Jazz Blue, Tuscany Coral, Vinyl Black
- Dimensions: 160.53 mm x 75.73 mm x 6.81 mm
- Weight: 157 grams
- Box Contents: Mi 11 Lite, Adapter, USB Type-C Cable, Type-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Adapter, SIM ejector tool, Soft case, User guide, Warranty card
- Price: ₹21,999 (6 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹23,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage)
Design, Display, & Build
Xiaomi has made the Mi 11 Lite super slim, compact, and light in weight. The smartphone is 157 grams in weight and 6.81 mm thin making it one of the slimmest and lightest smartphones in its class. Its super-slim compact design has glass on both sides giving you a premium feel. The back has an anti-glare matte finish surface that prevents fingerprints.
The side frames are still plastic and to be honest, Xiaomi could have used metallic frames to offer the best build quality on this phone, the Mi 11 Lite is still great at its design, it has solid build quality even though with plastic frames.
Another charmer is its display, the Mi 11 Lite has a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with something up its sleeves. This is a 10-bit display far better than the regular 8-bit displays found in most mid-range smartphones, it offers more color depth to the image, eventually giving you colorful image quality.
In technical terms, an 8-bit file works with RGB using 256 levels per channel while 10-bit jumps up to 1,024 levels per channel. This means a 10-bit image can display up to 1.07 billion colors, while an 8-bit photo can only display 16.7 million.
Usually, high-end smartphones tend to use such types of displays and the Mi 11 Lite has it. Furthermore, the display offers a 90 Hz refresh rate, a resolution of Full HD+, a peak brightness of 800 nits, and a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The display is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
No IP certification has been provided means there’s no waterproof rating on the phone. Plus, there’s no 5G support, as well as, no 3.5 mm port on the phone, you will have to use the provided converter in the box to use the 3.5 mm earphones or headphones.
The bottom side has a USB Type-C port, loudspeakers, microphone, and hybrid SIM tray with 4G support. The top side has an IR Blaster and a 2nd microphone while the earpiece above acts as a dual speaker for stereo output. The right side has a fingerprint scanner embedded on the power button, and just above it is a volume rocker.
The box includes the Mi 11 Lite, adapter, a USB Type-C cable, Type-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter, SIM ejector tool, a transparent soft case, user guide, and warranty card.
Software & User Interface
You will find the Mi 11 Lite running on Android 11 with MIUI 12 skin on top and the security patch level is dated 2021/03/01. About the MIUI 12, it’s loaded with features, new icons, new wallpapers, and the new Settings page. There are several additions in the UI that makes the Android 11 more intuitive.
The user interface is clean and neat, less likely to have bloatware. The interface also feels buttery smooth, its 90 Hz AMOLED screen plays an important role in the smoothness, the performance of the UI is amazing and works flawlessly in our usage.
The MIUI 12 is optimized for performance and battery, it’s now smoother and better as compared to older MIUIs. There are new themes that you can make use of, new wallpapers as well. Other features like Game Turbo and Ultra Battery Saver in addition to the regular features you will find on the MIUI 12.
About the pre-installed apps or the bloatware on the phone, you do get a few apps pre-installed on the phone and if you don’t like them, you can simply uninstall them. The apps on the phone are Netflix, Mi Store, Mi Pay, Prime Video, Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mi Credit, and Zili, all can be uninstalled.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
Speaking of the hardware and performance of the Mi 11 Lite, it is equipped with an 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G octa-core SoC clocked at 2.3 GHz. This is the same CPU that we saw on its Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and Redmi Note 10 Pro, however, the pricing of both smartphones is cheaper as compared to that of the Mi 11 Lite.
The CPU on the Mi 11 Lite is further paired with either 6 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM (LPDDR4X type) and comes in a single UFS 2.2 storage option i.e. 128 GB. Moreover, the SoC also offers Adreno 618 GPU for gaming and graphics applications.
The Mi 11 Lite has two RAM variants – 6 GB RAM priced at Rs 21,999 whereas its 8 GB RAM variant is priced at Rs 23,999. The storage remains the same in both variants, you will get 128 GB with a microSD card expansion to it on the SIM2 slot.
The Snapdragon 732 SoC consists of two high-performance Kryo 470 Gold cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and six power-saving Kryo 470 Silver cores clocked at 1.7 GHz. The Kryo 470 Gold cores are equivalent to the ARM Cortex-A76 and the Kryo 470 Silver cores are equivalent to the ARM Cortex-A55.
The performance is a marginally upgrade when compared to the Snapdragon 730G, but the GPU is now more powerful in speed, the rest seem to the very identical. The performance of the smartphone could be similar to the Snapdragon 730G powered smartphones, however, the increase in the GPU clock may give you better performance in gaming.
Cameras
Just like a regular midranger, the Mi 11 Lite also offers a triple camera setup at the rear side which may not sound compelling since we can see its siblings offering quad cameras on a lower budget. But our review tells a different story, the camera on the Mi 11 Lite appears to be underrated, but it has performed well and it’s reliable enough for this price.
Digging more into the cameras, the Mi 11 Lite packs a 64 MP main camera utilizing the Samsung GW3 image sensor with f/1.79 aperture while the other two cameras are 8 MP ultra-wide-angle with 119 degrees FOV (Field Of View) and f/2.2 aperture, and 5 MP f/2.4 telemacro lens that doubles as a portrait lens i.e. depth measuring capabilities. The front side has a 16 MP f/2.45 snapper using Sony’s IMX471 image sensor.
The Mi 11 Lite packs a punch when it comes to camera features, the Camera app is loaded with features – Dual Video, VLOG, Movie Effects, AI Skyscaping 3.0, Magic Clone, Telemacro, Long Exposure, Night Mode, Pro Time Lapse Mode, Super Slow Motion, along with all the standard modes that you have seen in the MIUI camera app.
The Dual-View mode can be used to record from both the cameras simultaneously, the front and the back. The Movie Effects comes with 6 different effects – Magic zoom, Slow shutter, Night Time-lapse, Freeze Time, Parallel World, and Freeze Frame Video.
The primary sensor is a charm, it captures amazing still shots in the daylight and decent night shots. The telemacro shots are amazing, the camera performance here is reliable. About the video capabilities, this phone is capable of capturing 4K videos at 30fps, 1080p videos at 60fps, and 720p videos at 960 fps in super slow motion mode.
Take a look at some shots that we have captured from the Mi 11 Lite cameras.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Camera Samples
Battery Life & Charging
The Mi 11 Lite packs a 4,250 mAh battery which is capable of providing a full-day battery life, you can watch 16 hours continuos of videos or play 101 hours of continuous music on the Mi 11 Lite on a full charge. The 4,250 mAh battery does perform well and offers a decent battery life considering a mainstream battery.
A typical smartphone in this segment could offer a battery as much as 5,000 mAh, a higher capacity battery than the Mi 11 Lite has to offer, but as we know the Mi 11 Lite is built in a compact, slim and light-weight package, battery size has been narrowed down and it sounds reasonable.
The MIUI 12 is also optimized for power-saving traits giving up to 2 days of battery life on a single charge. Expect the battery life anywhere between 1.5 to 2 days on average usage.
The Mi 11 Lite supports 33W fast charging that charges the battery from 0% to 62% in just 30 minutes and from 0% to 100% in 65 minutes. The charging is fast, not too fast, but fast enough for this segment.
Verdict
The Mi 11 Lite has impressed us with its super-slim compact and lightweight design (157g) and with its 10-bit colorful AMOLED display that shines out loud. Both these aspects of the smartphone are unrivaled in this segment. Aside from these, you get stunning daylight photos and macro shots from its cameras as well as reliable fast charging and dual stereo speakers. All of these make the Mi 11 Lite a solid package to buy.
A few things that we would miss on this phone are its water-proof rating, 5G support, and storage options. For those who are looking for 5G capability on this phone, you can wait for its 5G variant to launch once the 5G services are available in India.
Strength
- Super Slim Glass Design | Compact & Light Weight (157g)
- 10-bit AMOLED Display (1.07 Billion Colors) | 90 Hz Refresh Rate
- Amazing Daylight Photography | Impressive Macro Shots
- 33W Fast Charging Support | 100% in 65 minutes
- Featured-Pack MIUI 12 Interface
- Dual Stereo Speakers
- Dependable Performance
- microSD card slot (SIM2)
- IR Blaster
Weakness
- No 5G Support
- No 3.5mm Port (Uses A Converter)
