Xiaomi announces Mi 11 flagship device, touting top specs

• Features 108MP triple camera setup with Snapdragon 888 chipset, priced at €749
• Supports 50W wireless charging, with 55W GaN charger included in box

This writer was the proud owner of a Xiaomi Mi 3. That was back when Xiaomi’s flagships were still in sub-US$300 price points – something that has changed over the years, as the Beijing-headquartered company increasingly pushed the boundaries of premium features with non-premium prices.

Xiaomi’s mainline devices may not melt wallets the way an iPhone or a Galaxy S device would, but it’s still strange to see new Mi devices breaching past the US$900.

At any rate, the Xiaomi Mi 11 – which just saw its global announcement – seems to be pushing the boundaries further. This flagship device features Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 888 chipset, alongside a 108MP triple-rear-camera setup and 50W wireless charging.

It’s also Xiaomi’s most premium device to date with a pricetag at €749 (approx. RM3,662, though that’s not the official Malaysian price). This puts it on par with a Samsung Galaxy S21, or last year’s Galaxy S20 FE.

You won’t be looking at skimped specifications, though. At the core of the Mi 11 is its triple-rear-camera setup, which features a 108MP primary shooter coupled with a 13MP ultra-wide angle camera with a 5MP tele-macro lens.

The primary, ultra-wide and 20MP front camera features night mode capabilities. Xiaomi is also touting a cutting-edge video night mode technology, which offers RAW-level noise reduction for brighter night video shooting.

On top of the studio-level shooting control that the Mi 11 now offers, the device includes HDR10+ recording, a new Pro Time-lapse mode, as well as options for adjusting shutter speed, ISO, aperture and EV (exposure value). Xiaomi has also included editing capabilities with advanced AI features, including AI Erase 2.0, which lets users remove unwanted objects or lines from images with just a tap.

All the premium parts

The Mi 11 features a 120Hz 6.81-inch AMOLED DotDisplay, which offers WQHD+ resolution and 10-bit colour. It also claims to have a 'Super Resolution' technology upgrades low-resolution videos to WQHD+ quality without affecting data consumption.

The display sports a quad-curved smooth edges and rear glass finishing, with an in-screen fingerprint sensor underneath. Rounding up the multimedia features is a Harmon Kardon dual speakers.

It’s worth noting that the Mi 11 is the first smartphone to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. This is a 5G-ready flagship performance mobile platform based on a 5nm processor that lends to stronger performances and better power efficiency, the company claimed.

The Mi 11 allows it to support 2K, 120fps HDR gaming. To top it off, its 3,200MHz LPDDR5 ensures data transfer speed that has been increased from 5,500Mbps to 6,400Mbps. The device is equipped with the latest LiquidCool heat dissipation system, which helps keep temperatures low while the smartphone deals with graphics-intensive gaming.

Speaking of gaming, Xiaomi will be collaborating with MiHoYo, the developer of the popular game Genshin Impact, to offer Mi 11 users better and smoother gaming experience. More details on the collaboration is expected to come later.

On the battery front, the Mi 11 features a 4,600mAh battery. The phone supports 55W wired charging, 50W wireless and 10W reverse charging, with a 55W GaN charger included in the box. Notably, the GaN charger will not be included in China.

Mi 11 comes in two storage variants: 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB with enhanced LPDDR5 3200MHz RAM and + UFS 3.1 storage. Starting at €749, Mi 11 will be available globally soon, with local pricing and availability to be announced at a later date.