Tik Tech: What our test reveals about Xiaomi's Mi 11 -
20 Minutes
Launched with a technical sheet full of promises, the new Mi 11 from Xiaomi wants to battle with the iPhone 12 from Apple and Galaxy S21 from Samsung.
Launched at 749 euros in 128 GB and 799 euros in 256 GB, this 5G terminal is one of the most powerful on the market.
Who can do the most, little the least: the Mi 11 unfortunately suffers from a few shortcomings, especially in photos.
Xiaomi sold us its Mi 11. The new premium and 5G smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer comes with the technical sheets of the biggest, like the iPhone 12 from Apple or the Galaxy S21 from Samsung, which it wants to compete with a price entry at 749 euros *.
Promises, always promises… that we wanted to confuse with reality.
Xiaomi's Mi 11 5G is available in two colors.
- XIAOMI
It rolls mechanics
He is beautiful, powerful and he claims to know how to do everything and to do it well.
In short, the ideal smartphone.
But what is Xiaomi's Mi 11 ultimately worth, he who was rolling mechanics during its press presentation on February 8?
Tested in due form, this 5G terminal confirms its status as a major telephony player.
But it also reveals certain shortcomings and weaknesses, some of which could calm the enthusiasm of potential buyers.
A screen like a showcase
So yes, he is beautiful.
Freeing itself from the codes in force, the Mi 11 proudly advances its photo block.
Slightly surpassing the back cover of the smartphone in blue or charcoal gray, this module can even look elegant.
Unfortunately, we have seen how fragile the colored coating of the Mi 11 can be after having had it rub shoulders with a car key in our pocket.
The beautiful gray coating of the mobile that was given to us did not resist and fine scratches immediately appeared.
Protective shell compulsory!
The beautiful coating of the Mi 11 is very fragile.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
At the front, the phone's 6.81 '' / 17.29 cm screen is very slightly curved on all four edges.
The Mi 11 thus gives off an impression of greater finesse.
WQHD (3,200 x 1,440 pixels) and HDR10 +, it offers a definition far superior to that of its designated enemies, the iPhone 12 Pro (2,532 x 1,170 pixels) and Samsung Galaxy S21 (2,400 x 1,080 pixels).
Nothing to say on this point: the Amoled panel of the smartphone acts as the backdrop for all games and video content.
Depending on the use, it is possible to choose the refresh rate: 60 Hz or 120 Hz (better suited for video games).
As on the Samsung Galaxy S21, it is adaptive: if you select 120 Hz, the smartphone will increase the fluidity of its screen depending on the content viewed.
Note that it is possibly possible to opt for a Full HD + resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels) rather than WQHD +.
If the image quality will be slightly impaired, the battery life will be better preserved.
Good sound, but nothing more
Without a headphone jack, the Mi 11 is obviously equipped with Bluetooth connectivity to add an audio headset to it, but also a sound “system” signed by Harman Kardon.
Harman Kardon (owned by Samsung) is the parent company of JBL or AKG.
And it is clear that here, it can be heard ... a little.
But not enough.
Quite high-pitched, as with all smartphones, the sound of the Mi 11 remains quite warm and can be listened to at high volume.
But the promise associated with the Harman Kardon brand is hardly kept and the Mi does not send "heavy", as some have liked to write.
An incomplete photo set
What about the Mi 11 photo promises?
With its three rear sensors **, the smartphone is well equipped.
But… “Hello Beijing, we have a problem: there is no telephoto lens on board Xiaomi's flagship!
".
And that is terribly missing.
If the terminal allows digital zooming up to x30, the results obtained at high magnification are unusable as shown in these photos taken at x10 and x30.
The machine oars, and oars a lot.
The Mi 11's x10 zoom picks up.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
As for the x30 zoom, it is unusable ... - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
Too bad, because on the other hand, most of the images we took with the Mi 11 are excellent, bright and rich in detail.
Portraits that flatter the retina.
- Christophe Séfrin / 20 Minutes
However, there is a premium for Macro photos, even if paradoxically (and while the Mi 11 has telemacro optics), this photo mode is not one of the possible selections.
A distance of 10 cm is thus necessary between the smartphone and its subject to achieve a very close-up.
The macro photos of the Mi 11 appeal to the retina.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
And you have to do it several times to be sure that the point is correctly made.
But by dint of effort, we can obtain some satisfactory results.
Night photos are for their part flawless, if not with the ultra wide-angle sensor which generates often blurry views.
The portraits are decent and the 20-megapixel selfies are ultra-detailed.
Beware of perfectly restored (even amplified!) Wrinkles, pimples and other skin imperfections that can damage your reputation.
A word of advice: the “Beautify” mode will be your ally!
Video is a gift!
Two words on the video.
Filming up to 8K at 30 frames / second (owners of an 8K television, raise your hand!) And in 4K up to 60 frames / second, the Mi 11 does a great job.
An interesting Blog mode allows you to choose a model among fourteen available with different filters and soundtracks.
This allows you to create small clips of pro quality by adding the mini-sequences that will be associated automatically.
Xiaomi's Mi 11 launched from 749 euros.
- XIAOMI
Impossibility of expanding the memory with a microSD card, and relative waterproofness (the Mi 11 can resist splashing water but not be submerged): details that can be counted on and on which the manufacturer has visibly cut back.
The result: as good and exciting as it is, Xiaomi's latest toy is incomplete and in some ways can create more frustration than disappointment.
We can bet that the manufacturer has in its drawers a Mi 11 Pro that it will draw soon and which will fill the small gaps of its predecessor.
* 749 euros in 128GB / 8GB and 799 euros in 256GB / 8GB.
** 108 megapixels (wide-angle - f / 1.8); 13 megapixels (ultra wide-angle 123 ° - f / 2.4); 5 megapixels (telemacro - f / 2.4)
Full power
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is the first smartphone launched in Europe with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 processor.
This succeeds the 865 which equips the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro.
Coupled with 8 GB of RAM, this
ultra-powerful
chipset
gives the terminal an incredible speed.
This manifests itself in multitasking, but also (and that's why we love it) for video games.
Thus, even by adjusting the display settings to maximum quality, the
Fortnite
game
(very power-hungry) runs on the Mi-11 without the slightest difficulty.
Competitors of the 888 are on the side of the "home" processors of Samsung and Huawei, respectively called Exynos 2100 and Kirin 9000.
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