Xiaomi continues with its factories at 200% and, with the launch of the Mi 11 family, one of the smartphones most requested by most users arrived: the version of the Mi 11 Lite . A phone that this year has one more variant that, in addition to 5G connectivity , incorporates a series of interesting improvements for the user with, yes, a price increase. How does the 5G model perform and is it worth it? I have been able to test this Xiaomi phone during the last weeks and today I am telling you about my experience with it.
The most elegant of the mid-range
With such a large catalog of phones, it might seem that Xiaomi could forget details such as design within the cheapest product ranges. While some models are not the most elegant, options like the latter Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G or the POCO F3 Pro seem to me to be precious phones to belong to the mid-range.
We are facing a mobile with a glass back with a matte finish that, when it reaches the upper left corner, turns into a glossy material to highlight the camera module. A section that we will talk about in more depth later but that, obviously, is very reminiscent of the design that Apple already brought us with its iPhone. As for the colors, we will have it available in green, yellow and black , the latter being the one that I have been able to test. You know, if you have read other analyzes made by me or have seen them on our YouTube channel, that I personally prefer sober smartphones, which is why this color usually stands out. But do not think that it will be bland by no means, since the mixture of matte finish versus glossy looks fabulous.
In addition to being beautiful, something to highlight about this new member of the Xiaomi catalog is the thickness . Without going into numbers, the thinness of this mobile is above many other options on the market, which means that we are facing an elegant and stylish option that, as I told you at the beginning, for me has been a pleasant surprise as it is a mid-range mobile.
Regarding the front, we find a 6.55 ″ AMOLED panel and FullHD + resolution . A panel that, as Xiaomi usually does with the rest of its smartphones, looks very good, with a great contrast as usual when using this technology and that both outdoors and at home will allow us to reproduce content and view it correctly, thanks to its 800 nits.
It also has a refresh rate of 90 Hz and a sampling frequency of 240 Hz that, without being the highest on the market, will make the user experience very pleasant, especially in games.
Extra in power, extra in 5G
Now is the time for me to tell you what this phone hides under its panel. And it is that another of the novelties that the 5G model presents versus the 4G is the change of processor and base storage. This model has a Snapdragon 780G processor , accompanied by a single RAM and storage capacity of 8 GB + 128 GB , respectively. A plus that, incorporating this processor that has greater power and better optimization, will make the experience even better.
In my case, I cannot fault the Mi11 Lite 5G in the performance section. Whatever you put in it, everything goes incredibly well. Whether it is web browsing, social networks, system or games at the highest quality, it runs perfectly and without any lag or problems.
If it is true that I am not an extremely fan of MIUI 12 , Xiaomi’s customization layer that runs in this case on Android 11 , but I have to admit that it is increasingly optimized and works better. A cape that for lovers of customization and adjustments everywhere will be a true delight. But I prefer something more minimalist.
In addition, this Xiaomi phone comes with Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, infrared emitter, dual speakers (which sounds pretty good, but without too much fanfare) and NFC.
And, to close the circle, we have a 4,250 mAh battery , which will be charged through the USB-C port with the 33 W charger that it incorporates in its box. It will not be one of those batteries that lasts 2 days of use but, on the one hand, the phone is very thin and, on the other, thanks to the fast charging system we can fill half the battery in less than 30 minutes . So, for my part, nothing hits with the autonomy of this phone.
Betting on a higher quality selfie
One more year and one more model, Xiaomi continues to show that we do not need to spend a lot on a mobile phone for it to take good photos. In the case of the Mi11 Lite 5G we have a photographic section that will sound a lot like 4G but, yes, with a clear improvement: the selfie.
- 64 MP main sensor , with f / 1.79 aperture.
- 8 MP wide-angle sensor , 119º of vision and f / 2.2 aperture.
- 5 MP telemacro sensor , with f / 2.4 aperture and the possibility of approaching between 3cm – 7cm from the subject to be photographed.
- 20 MP selfie sensor , with f / 2.24 aperture.
A set that is very likely to sound familiar to you within the bet of the Chinese manufacturer, betting very hard for those who like to take a lot of self-portraits.
How does the whole behave on a day-to-day basis? Well the truth is that quite well. The main sensor fulfills it in all situations with high quality, color management and a very successful HDR, although in specific situations it can capture somewhat forced photos. Although it is something anecdotal.
The wide angle is the one that perhaps worse behaves as usual, with less vivid colors and a somewhat worse exposure management than the rest of the lenses.
And, once again, I want to highlight the operation of that lens that Xiaomi baptizes as the Telemacro. Maybe the function to get very close to an object is something that we use from time to time but, yes, unlike other mid-range mobiles this one if it takes very, very successful photographs if the light is good. Although, yes, I would prefer that the function to activate the macro mode was in the carousel of main camera options, and not within the settings.
When the light begins to fall, the results that we can capture with the cameras of this mobile drop in quality, the usual. Even so, it seems to me that the Mi 11 Lite 5G can manage to defend itself relatively well in these conditions compared to other mobiles in the same range.
Regarding the video , once again, it is demonstrated with this phone that we do not need a super premium range mobile to capture good video. The colors are fine, the quality is very, very decent, being able to reach a maximum of 4K at 30 fps with the main lens and, to my surprise, the stabilization is very correct. We do not expect to record video as if we were carrying a gimbal, but we can obtain a better result if we activate the digital stabilization mode that it incorporates in the camera interface.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, can you ask for more for less?
At this point, it’s time for me to tell you about that last section that makes us finally decide or not when it comes to buying a new mobile: the price.
This Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G has an official cost of 399.99 euros in the manufacturer’s own store. Just 100 euros more expensive than the 4G model.
Is it worth going for the 5G model? Well, in this case, I would say yes but not for 5G itself. Doing a bit of summary, the main differences of this model are: better processor (more powerful and with greater optimization), greater storage capacity, better selfie camera and 5G of course. I think all of these differences will make this phone a better product and will of course give you a more satisfying experience in the long run.
So, for my part, I would go with my eyes closed for the Mi 11 Lite 5G if you are looking for a great phone without spending too much money.
