In early 2020, Xiaomi announced an aggressive roadmap for its Mi line up of smartphones. Taking this plan to reality, the company launched the Mi 10 series smartphones last year. Likewise, in 2021, Xiaomi launched a slew of devices, including the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro. Among the three smartphones launched so far in the Mi lineup this year, the Mi 11X Pro is an affordable flagship offering. Here is a review to see if this device can perform and succeed in the competition.
Box Contents
- Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro smartphone
- USB Type-C Cable
- 33W charger
- SIM ejector tool
- Clear protective case
- User manual
Display, Hardware, and Design
The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro bestows a 6.67-inch ultrawide AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 400ppi. The screen supports HDR10+ content and has a maximum brightness of 1300 nits. This makes the display visible even under bright sunlight. Also, similar to the other best-performing devices in this price category, this Xiaomi offering supports a fast refresh rate of 120Hz for smooth navigation and has a 360Hz sampling rate that will come in handy while playing games.
The smartphone uses Samsung’s E4 panel that is bright and delivers an impressive contrast ratio. The punch-hole cutout at the top to house the front-facing camera measures just 2.76mm, thereby making it too small that it doesn’t interrupt the visuals. In addition to these, Xiaomi offers features such as True Display and MEMC technology, which got it an A+ from DisplayMate. Not to mention the presence of Gorilla Glass 5 protection at the front and rear.
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro has a similar design as the Mi 11X. The 6.67-inch display dominates the front of the smartphone, surrounded by narrow bezels at the bottom. However, the rear panel grabs our attention with an attractive gradient finish despite its plastic build. Talking about its rear, the camera module protrudes significantly from the body. In fact, it persists even after snapping on the case bundled in the package. Besides the camera setup, there is a minimalist design with the Xiaomi and 5G brandings in silver so that these do not look too contrast.
There are not many surprises in the port and button placements as compared to other Xiaomi smartphones. It comes with an IR emitter at the top, which is hidden inside the grilles. The volume rocker sits at the right alongside the power button. The latter appears to be slightly elongated as it doubles as a fingerprint sensor. There is a card slot at its bottom that can house two nano-SIM cards and no microSD card slot, alongside a Type-C port and a speaker grille. The other notable aspect is the inclusion of stereo speakers.
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro measures 7.8mm in thickness and features curved edges that add to its ergonomics. If you take the protruding camera module into account, then it will become thick. The other highlights you need to know include an IP53 rating and a weight of 196 grams. Notably, it is large enough to make it unsuitable for single-handed usage. Otherwise, you can choose to buy the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro in three color options – Celestial Silver, Cosmic Black, and Lunar White.
Camera
The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro adorns a 108-megapixel primary sensor with a q 1/1.52-inch sensor and an f/1.75 aperture. The other camera sensors include an 8-megapixel f/2.2 wide-angle shooter and a 50-megapixel f/2.4 telemacro camera. The pinching cutout houses a 2-megapixel sensor.
The camera interface is quite identical to the already existing Xiaomi smartphones. While it has a 108-megapixel sensor, it has to be enabled from within the menu. The Samsung HM2 sensor can capture 12-megapixel images by default, and it uses the nine-pixel binning method to capture high-resolution images.
The images captured in daylight shots are impressive and have a good color reproduction, though there is a loss in the sharpness of zooming in. The AI mode is capable and detects the subject in a scene efficiently. The close-up shots result in a natural bokeh effect and the colors pop out well, but the edge detection isn’t too accurate. The 108-megapixel sensor captures many details, but colors aren’t vibrant, and some parts appear slightly washed out. On the other hand, low-light photos retain details and control the noise levels. Even the night mode has improved sharpness and colors. Check out the camera samples captured by the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro.
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro can shoot 8k videos at 30fps, but it misses out on dynamic stabilization. The notable video recording features include magic zoom, slow shutter, and audio zoom. Even the selfie camera does a pretty good job but there is a lot of noise in the selfies. While the Mi 11X Pro cameras are not on par with flagship smartphones, it makes justice for its pricing category.
Software, UI, and Apps
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro runs Android 11 topped with MIUI 12.5. It has a ton of useful features including the brand’s exclusive apps – Mi Pay, Mi Credit, and others, and a few preloaded bloatware too with apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, etc. Thankfully, many of these can be uninstalled. There is an app drawer, a utility section, and more. MIUI 12.5 also offers a calendar, shortcuts, etc. on-screen. However, some issues might be rectified with an update.
Fingerprint sensor and Face unlock
The fingerprint sensor at the side is quite fast, and it unlocks the device in just a blink of an eye. It lets you register various fingerprints as well. Also, there is a face unlock that appears to work pretty decently even in low-light conditions.
Music player, FM Radio and Multimedia
The Mi 11X Pro uses the default Music Player with the usual audio effects and equalizer presets. There is FM Radio with recording capability and the stereo speakers are quite loud. It comes with Widevine L1 support making it possible to stream HD videos.
Dual SIM and Connectivity
It supports Dual 4G VoLTE, thereby supporting 4G on both SIM cards at the same time. It features other connectivity aspects such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS. There is USB OTG support as well.
Performance
The Mi 11X Pro uses the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888 chipset based on the 5nm SoC. It is teamed up with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM that makes it blazing fast. The device does not hang or stumble at any moment with this hardware. Even gaming turned out to be impressive with game titles such as Call of Duty Mobile and Garena Free Fire. It delivers smooth graphics performance with Adreno 660 GPU. But it heats up after gaming for over 30 minutes at a stretch. For storage, there are 128GB and 256GB storage options. Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below.
Battery Life
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro’s battery is one of the most highlighted facets. It uses a 4520mAh battery that delivers great endurance. It can last up to one day on a single charge. The device can last up to 12.5 hours on average usage. The device bundles a 33W charger touted to charge it from 10 to 100 percent in nearly an hour.
Conclusion
The Mi 11X Pro is a great option that will not be disappointing, thanks to its capabilities, while it’s priced under Rs 40,000. It bundles a stunning display, capable battery life, and a camera department that needs improvement. It competes against rivals including the OnePlus 9R and iQOO 7 Legend that fall in the same price bracket.
The phone starts at Rs. 39,999 for the 8GB + 128GB version and is available from Amazon.in, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores.
Pros
- Good display
- Attractive design
- Superior performance
- Long-lasting battery life
Cons
- Protruding camera bump
- No telephoto camera