The Xiaomi 11T is one of the first phones to land in the West without the classic “Mi” brand. It went on sale together with its slightly more expensive and stylish sibling, the Xiaomi 11T Pro.
The phone is very similar to the Xiaomi Mi 11, but with a few tweaks, such as faster charging speeds, a redesigned design, and a slightly different camera setup. I have been testing the Xiaomi 11T for a few weeks to see how it performs on a daily basis.
Design and build
- Uninteresting design
- Fingerprints stick easily
- It does not have a microSD card slot
The Xiaomi 11T is available in three colors: Moonlight White, Sky Blue and Meteorite Gray. Unfortunately, the design is uninspiring and generic – it’s hard to distinguish this phone from the ever-growing market.
Make no mistake, this is a big and bulky phone, with dimensions of 164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8mm which makes it bigger and heavier than the Mi 11. Au The phone is not the most convenient to slip into your pockets every day – especially if you wear women’s jeans.
The only good thing about the size of this phone is that video playback looks great on this big screen. The body itself is made up of a sturdy aluminum frame, as well as a polycarbonate rear that houses a sturdy rectangular camera module.
While the back is so reflective that it can double as a hand mirror, it also picks up a lot of fingerprints if it’s not covered with the accompanying case. Plus, it doesn’t look like a high-end phone like its high-end rivals.
The phone has an IP53 rating, which makes it dust and splash resistant. It has a USB-C slot for charging, as well as a dual-SIM slot, but it doesn’t have a microSD card slot. There is also a side fingerprint scanner for biometrics, which I found to work well.
Display and audio
- Clear 120Hz display
- AMOLED display
- Support for Dolby Atmos
The Xiaomi 11T has a 6.67-inch flat screen, FHD +, AMOLED and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The selfie camera of this phone is at the top center of the screen.
This is enhanced by a refresh rate of 120Hz, which delivers smooth images. Unfortunately, there is no VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) so you can choose between 60Hz and 120Hz. The phone also has a touch sample rate of up to 480Hz and supports more than a million colors.
The specs on paper are just as good in everyday use. The phone is bright even in direct sunlight and offers excellent color and detail for watching videos and playing games, this is undoubtedly one of the 11T’s most notable features.
Like many other phones, the Xiaomi 11T does not include a 3.5mm headphone jack. However, both speakers produce punchy sound and Dolby Atmos is supported. If you’re desperate for private listening, you can always opt for wired headphones via USB-C or connect a pair via Bluetooth.
Specifications and performance
- RAM memory limited to 8 GB
- MediaTek Dimensity 1200-Ultra processor
- The phone can get hot
You can get the Xiaomi 11T in two configurations. Both come with 8GB of RAM, then 128GB of storage or 256GB of storage.
This is combined with the MediaTek Dimensity 1200-Ultra sensor. While it’s still a flagship chip, it’s not as powerful as the Snapdragon 888, which houses the 11T Pro. That said, the Xiaomi 11T is still powerful in terms of numbers.
Our official benchmarking tests show it to be on par with phones like the Nord 2 and Pixel 6.
The daily performance is also impressive. The phone is fast and capable of multitasking without any lag.
Sometimes it gets a little hot during heavy work and charging. However, so far it has not affected the performance of the phone.
Camera
- Impressive main sensor
- Mixed portrait mode
- Rare dedicated telemacro lens
The Xiaomi 11T has a triple rear camera setup. This is led by a monstrous 108Mp lens with an aperture of f / 1.75, which is complemented by a Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor that is also found in the Pro version of the 11T.
I liked the images produced by this camera. They’re crisp and clear, and the colors look real and not overdone, which cheaper phones tend to offer. The quality of photos taken indoors decreases compared to those taken in daylight, but this is quite common on mid-range phones.
The rear camera’s portrait mode sometimes struggles to locate the subject in the background, so it’s not as intuitive as other phones I’ve tested. However, when a shot was taken, there was just the right amount of background blur.
Night mode activates automatically on this phone, which turns up the colors, but nothing remarkable. There is a dedicated option for night photography, but the shot takes forever and the results it offers are barely noticeable compared to those obtained with the automatic option.
The 8Mp ultra-wide sensor has a decent field of view, but there’s a noticeable drop in quality compared to the main camera. Ideal for travel or large group photos. Otherwise, stick with the main camera whenever possible.
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A unique feature of the 11T series over other midrange competitors is the inclusion of a 5Mp “telemacro” lens, which can be used for both 2X telephoto and macro photography. The 11T is decent either way, which is unusual for a phone at this price point.
On the front there is a 16Mp selfie camera. The portrait effect here seems more reliable than on the main camera, although I sometimes had trouble finding the most optimal lighting conditions in my very bright office. That being said, I was impressed with the images taken here, with precise colors and good textures.
Video can be recorded up to 4K at 30 fps, although there is no optical stabilization.
Battery life
- Long battery life
- 67W fast charge
- No wireless charging
The Xiaomi 11T packs a large 5000mAh battery, which unsurprisingly offers solid use. You can easily use this phone, watch Twitch, use social media, and more for about two days as long as you keep the refresh rate at 60Hz.
If the refresh rate is increased to 120Hz, the battery drains faster, but not as much as I’ve seen from competitors.
A 67W fast charger is included in the box. This charger can take the battery from being 87% empty in just 30 minutes. While those numbers aren’t as impressive as the 11T Pro (which comes with a 120W charger), it still sits at the top of charging speeds, especially considering the lifespan of the battery pack. the battery is very decent. .
Unfortunately, wireless charging is not available on the Xiaomi 11T.
Software
- Android 11
- MIUI does not measure up to its rivals
- Application congestion
Although at first glance the MIUI 12.5 Android skin looks like Android 11, there are some bugs that other Android skins do not have.
While notifications and settings can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen, one is confused by swiping from the left side and the other from the right.
I prefer the standard version of Android, where notifications and settings are brought together, and the latter can be accessed by a drop-down arrow. Having the options on either side of the screen means swiping down quickly can bring up the wrong option, which is annoying if you’re trying to open something quickly.
There is also a bit of clutter of preinstalled apps, some of which cannot be removed from the phone. Also, like the Mi 11, you can’t get Disney + in Q11 – although the reason is currently unknown.
Pricing and availability
The Xiaomi 11T comes in two configurations. If you choose the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage option, you will pay 499 $, although now thanks to Black Friday there is an offer that allows you to buy it for 449.99 $.
That price goes up to $ 599 if you choose 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and now with Black Friday you’ll pay $ 499, which makes it a pretty good price.
For that price you get a ton of stuff. The decent triple camera setup, long battery life, and an impressive display.
Currently, you can buy it directly from Xiaomi or Amazon.
Of course, if you want better features, prices for the Xiaomi 11T Pro start from $ 599. For that extra $ 100, the processor is upgraded to a Snapdragon 888, faster load speeds and the option of 12 GB of RAM are obtained.
The tradeoffs the 11T makes versus the 11T Pro are in the right areas, making it a better buy overall. Of course, there are other mid-range rivals like the OnePlus Nord 2 and Honor 50 to consider that excel in other areas.
Verdict
The Xiaomi 11T isn’t without its flaws, with a lackluster design and cluttered MIUI software that’s nowhere near on par with its rivals.
That said, the crisp 120Hz display, decent performance, long battery life, and attractive camera setup make it a good mid-range offering and more competitive than the Xiaomi 11T Pro.
Characteristics
- Android 11 MIUI 12.5 Skin
- 6.67-inch flat screen, FHD +, AMOLED, 120 Hz
- Side mounted fingerprint sensor
- MediaTek dimension 1200-Ultra
- 8 GB RAM
- 128 GB / 256 GB storage
- Main camera 108 MP, f / 1.75
- 8 MP ultra-wide camera
- 5 MP macro camera with telephoto lens
- Rear video up to 4K at 30fps
- 16 MP front camera
- Dual speakers
- Dual SIM
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.2
- 5000mAh battery
- 67W load
- 164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8 mm
- 203g
- Launch Colors: Meteor Gray, Moonlight White, Sky Blue
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