Alongside Xiaomi’s flagship smartphones, the Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11X Pro, the company also launched its upper-midrange smartphone, the Mi 11X featuring Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G octa-core CPU with a 120 Hz AMOLED display. What’s more on the phone? The stereo speakers, Android 11 out-of-the-box, premium-looking design, new MIUI 12 interface, and long-lasting battery. Here’s what we have to say about the Xiaomi Mi 11X in our review.
Xiaomi Mi 11X Specifications
- Display: 6.67-inch AMOLED, Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate MEMC, 1300 nits brightness, HDR10+, 360 Hz touch sampling rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, punch-hole display, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.0.3
- CPU: 7 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G octa-core SoC
- GPU: Adreno 650 Graphics
- Memory: 6 GB OR 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 128 GB storage on-board, no microSD card support
- Main Camera: Triple Cameras (48 MP f/1.8 primary + 8 MP f/2.2 wide + 5 MP f/2.4 macro), LED flash, 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@960fps
- Selfie Camera: 20 MP f/2.45
- Connectivity: USB Type-C, 3.5 mm port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
- Security: Fingerprint scanner (Side-mounted)
- Cellular: Dual 5G network, 2x nano SIMs
- Battery: 4,520 mAh
- Charging: 33W fast charging
- Price: ₹29,999 (6 GB RAM), ₹31,999 (8 GB RAM)
Design, Display & Build
The backside has a glossy surface with glass materials that captures the finger smudges as well as the side frames that are made from plastic, however, the overall design doesn’t seem cheap, it feels premium and looks high quality. Xiaomi should upgrade the body to metallic for even a better build.
There’s a flagship-grade display that you find on high-end Android smartphones, this one packs a 6.67-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display with a 120 Hz MEMC refresh rate and 1,300 nits peak brightness. It supports HDR10+, 360 Hz touch sampling rate, 20:9 aspect ratio in a punch-hole camera design and covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
You get the IP53 certification just like the Redmi Note 10 series which indicates that the phone is resistant to dust and water, it can survive water splashes and light rains but don’t try to submerge it underwater, it’s not recommended though.
The backside could have used a 108 MP camera (found on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max), however, it uses a standard 48 MP Sony IMX582 camera that you might have seen on their Redmi series smartphones. The rest design indicates a Xiaomi logo with a 5G label.
The bottom side has a USB Type-C port, loudspeakers, a microphone, and a hybrid SIM tray that supports dual 5G SIM cards or one SIM plus one microSD card. The top side has one more speaker making it dual stereo loudspeakers, no dedicated 3.5 mm jack, but an IR blaster for controlling infrared devices, also a noise-canceling microphone.
The right side has a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner and volume keys just above it whereas the left side has nothing to show. As for the box contents, the Xiaomi Mi 11 X comes with a 33W fast charger, a USB Type-C cable, and a TPU case of good quality.
Software & User Interface
The Xiaomi Mi 11X has been topped with Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 12.0.3 update which is based on Android 11. As a result, the phone comes with a number of extra features from the MIUI 12 aside from the stock Android 11 features. The Mi 11X offers Android 11 out-of-the-box with a security patch level dated 2021/02/01 and is far ahead of the competition as still there are phones stuck with Android 10.
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, the interface feels buttery smooth, a big thanks to the 120 Hz screen, the performance here for the UI is amazing and works flawlessly in our usage.
You do get a few pre-installed apps on the phone and if you don’t like them to be on the phone, simply uninstall them. The apps on the phone are Netflix, Amazon, Prime Video, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mi Credit, Mi Pay, and Mi Store, all can be uninstalled.
The interface is optimized for performance and battery, as well as bug fixes, the new MIUI is now smoother as compared to older MIUIs. There are new themes that you can make use of, new wallpapers as well.
The phone comes with several important features like Dual Apps, Second Space, App Lock, Floating Window, Game Turbo, and Ultra Battery Saver are available in addition to the regular features that you find on the MIUI software.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
Under the hood, the phone is powered by the new 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, a flagship chip that’s slightly below the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888 SoC found on the premium smartphones like the OnePlus 9 Pro. It sports an Adreno 650 GPU for graphics applications and gaming on the smartphone.
There are a total of two LPDDR5 RAM variants with the same UFS 3.1 storage, the Mi 11X comes in either 6 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM both in 128 GB storage with no option to expand, sad for some users who use a microSD card slot. The price for the Mi 11X with 6 GB RAM variant starts at Rs 29,999 and the price for the 8 GB RAM variant is Rs 31,999 both with 128 GB storage.
About the Snapdragon 870 SoC (SM8250-AC), it consists of 1 high-performance Kryo 585 core clocked at a massive 3.2 GHz and another 3 performance Kryo 585 cores clocked at 2.42 GHz. The rest of the four cores are Kryo 585 cores for battery efficiency and they are clocked at 1.8 GHz.
The 7nm Snapdragon 870 is fast and powerful and leaves all the major chips behind in terms of performance and benchmarks. You can expect a performance boost if compared to the Snapdragon 750G (Samsung Galaxy M42), Snapdragon 765G (OnePlus Nord), and other similar chips. The flagship Snapdragon 888 SoC is the fastest Android CPU available till now.
For gamers, you don’t have to worry about the gaming performance, the GPU won’t disappoint you in any way, the Adreno 650 is capable of playing every modern game with demanding graphics on high settings. Be it PUBG, Fortnite, or any other that requires more GPU resources.
Cameras
The triple cameras on the Mi 11X can be a little underwhelming when you see the camera specs, you get a 48 MP Sony IMX582 primary camera and two other cameras, 8 MP wide-angle and 5 MP macro all three on the rear side. The front camera is 20 MP for video calls and taking selfies.
The 48 MP camera uses Sony IMX582 and it may sound a little odd as the same sensor is also found on the half-priced midranger Redmi Note 10. However, the quality of the camera shows that the images seem neutral and work fairly well in the daylight, the macro camera appears to amazing, takes great shots.
Even though it has three cameras on board, the Mi 11X packs a punch when it comes to the camera features. The Camera app is loaded with features and it’s good for a camera enthusiast, features such as Dual Video, VLOG, Movie Effects, Long Exposure, Night Mode, Pro Mode, AI, along with all the standard modes that you have seen in the MIUI camera app.
Talking 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. No, you don’t get 8K video like the Mi 11 Pro, but it is what it is at this price. There’s nothing to flaunt about 8K at this price point.
No wonder the quality of the cameras can be an exception, but to be honest, it’s still worthy in my opinion, check out the camera samples attached below.
Mi 11X Camera Samples
Battery Life & Charging
The Mi 11X does offer a decent battery life, with a battery capacity of 4,520 mAh, you get a day and a half on moderate use and up to 2 days if used less obvious. It’s not among the phones with a mammoth battery (Samsung Galaxy M51 with 7,000 mAh battery), but this has enough power to keep the phone alive for at least a day and a little more.
You get a total of 528 hours of standby time, 11 hours of long gaming, 21 hours of 1080p video playback, and 61 hours of music playback on a full charge. These numbers show that the phone has quite a decent battery performance, plus the MIUI 12 has battery optimizations that extend the battery life even further.
To charge the phone, it comes with a 33W fast charger that charges in about 52 minutes from 0% to 100%. Rivals like the realme X7 Pro offer a similar battery of 4,500 mAh with a powerful 65W SuperDart charger that is capable to charge in just 35 minutes from 0% to 100%.
Verdict
From its great hardware to its premium-looking design, and worthy cameras, this mighty device packs a lot and leaves nothing to be desired. In addition to that, the 120 Hz AMOLED display, stunning gaming performance, stereo speakers add to its overall package. The Mi 11X is a great contender in this price bracket (₹29,999 for 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage) and it’s recommended for those who are looking for a phone with the best hardware in its class.
