For now, Xiaomi is launching a single flagship smartphone, the Mi 11, as there won't be any Pro, Plus, or Max versions, at least not for now. The Xiaomi Mi 11 also shows what to expect from flagship smartphones in 2021, including the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, big 120Hz AMOLED screen, high-power charging, new camera system, and the Android 11 OS.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is built around a 6.81-inch AMOLED screen with 3200x1400 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and high 1,500nits brightness. The screen has a 480Hz touch sampling rate and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
The 6.81-inch screen means this will be a big smartphone, measuring at 164.3x74.6x8.1mm and weighing in at 196g for the version with a glass back, while the leather version will be somewhat thicker at 8.6mm but also lighter at 194g. It uses an aluminum frame, so we expect a solid-built phone.
The heart of the Xiaomi Mi 11 is Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset, the 5nm Snapdragon 888 SoC, which is paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal UFS 3.1 storage. There is also no microSD card slot, so you are stuck with internal storage.
Xiaomi also updated the rear main camera system, which includes the main 108MP sensor behind the 7P f/1.85 lens, which has been seen on the Mi 10 series, as well as the 13MP sensor with 123-degree FoV and f/2.4 ultrawide lens, and a 5MP sensor with f/2.4 lens for macro. This is somewhat a surprise, as earlier rumors also showed a phone with a periscope lens, but that system might be reserved for a Pro version which could come at a later date.
The front camera is a 20MP one placed behind a 27mm wide lens.
Other features include a 4,600mAh battery with 55W wired and 50W wireless charging support. It supports Power Delivery 3.0 and Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+. but does not come with an included charger in the box. Xiaomi will give a free 65W GaN adapter for free but it is not clear if this will be a limited offer.
Xiaomi also equipped the Mi 11 with Harman-Kardon tuned stereo speakers, standard connectivity options, including dual 5G (sub-6 GHz support), WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC. The Mi 11 will also use an under-display optical fingerprint scanner from Goodix, which suggests it might get heart-rate monitoring as well.
The Mi 11 will be available in Black, White, Blue, Khaki Vegan Leather, Purple Leather, and Special Edition versions, so there is plenty of color and back choices. Pre-orders have already started, and the first ones should ship on January 1st when Xiaomi will also hold its first flash sale. The price starts at CNY3,999 ($610/€500) for the base version, and the 12GB/256GB one will sell for CNY4,699 ($720/€580). Of course, this goes for China only, so hopefully, we will hear more about international availability soon.
