The Mi 11 Ultra is Xiaomi’s less expensive alternative to Samsung’s most recent flagship phone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Not only does the Galaxy S21 Ultra appear to perform better than Xiaomi in terms of price, but it also has superior features like a quick preview display on the back. The phone does, however, heat up like a saucepan, so there are some drawbacks.
To put it mildly, I had an interesting time with the new Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra for about a week. The Mi 11 Ultra’s performance under stressful conditions will be examined in this section to determine whether it should be your next flagship smartphone.
price:
According to reports, flagship smartphones have never been more expensive than Rs. 1,000,000. However, OnePlus and Xiaomi attempt to compete with the major players by selling flagship smartphones, like the Mi 11 Ultra, at much lower prices.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra costs Rs. 69,999 and includes everything the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra costs Rs. 1,05,999 plus more. However, despite its superior appearance, the spec sheet does not guarantee actual performance. We’ll look into that further down.
Construct and plan:
Except for foldables, the majority of leader cell phones today are metal and glass sandwiches. Xiaomi has attempted to break away from this stale appearance by including a secondary quick view display on the back and a quad-curved display.
For the front and rear displays, the company has used Gorilla Glass Victus, Corning’s most recent and strongest glass. Additionally, rather than using glass, the company has cast the phone’s back out of ceramic, giving it a little bit more durability. Additionally, this gives the impression of much higher quality.
The back of the Mi 11 Ultra houses one of the largest camera modules we have ever seen. This is due, in part, to the secondary display, two substantial 2-inch sensors, a sensor measuring 1.12 inches, and a 120x digital zoom telephoto setup.
The phone does feel quite heavy at 234 grams. Due to the large camera module, the phone was not as heavy as I had anticipated. The device was very well balanced and did not tip to either side when held. This level of detail is welcome and greatly appreciated.
I received the Ceramic Black model for review, which looks nice but is very reflective and draws fingerprints. The Ceramic White variant would have been far superior.
A thin metal strip that is cut out of the top of the frame is covered by an end cap. On the bottom edge, there is a speaker grille, its primary microphone, a USB Type-C port, and a SIM card tray with two SIM card slots. On the right edge, the volume rockers and textured power button are located, while the left edge is unadorned. On the upper edge, there is a secondary speaker grille and a secondary microphone. It also features branding from Harman Kardon and an IR blaster.
The Mi 11 Ultra has wireless charging as well as an IP68 rating for dust and water protection, which has become one of today’s most important features.
In general, I was very impressed by the Mi 11 Ultra’s high-quality materials and solid construction in terms of fit and finish.
Additional display:
The secondary display on the back of this smartphone is one of the main reasons you should buy it. This 1.1-inch AMOLED secondary display serves not only as an always-on display but also as a selfie display for the primary camera setup and allows you to accept or reject calls.
When using the always-on display feature, the secondary display is less bright in direct sunlight.
I used the rear display the most for quick call rejections and notification previews. However, I do believe that the display’s ability to take selfies will be used by those who purchase this phone.
The secondary display can be touched, but it only works for making calls. I would have appreciated it if Xiaomi had integrated more touch-enabled features into the display, which would have made it significantly more efficient.
Keep in mind that smartphones with rear displays are not new. Devices from Meizu and a few other manufacturers have already been released with rear displays that are comparable to one another but offer significantly more functionality.
Display:
One of the best smartphone displays I’ve ever used is the 6.81-inch AMOLED display on the Mi 11 Ultra. It starts out with a 60Hz refresh rate and the full HD+ resolution, but you can change it to WQHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The refresh rate will continue to fluctuate, ranging from 30Hz to 120Hz.
The primary display is a joy to use and view content on at its highest settings. Even though the refresh rate of the display is variable, it does not feel sluggish in any way; rather, it is quite smooth and appears to be pretty good.
The Mi 11 Ultra is advertised to have a maximum brightness of 1,700 nits, which is a great number. However, the display only appeared sufficiently bright when used outdoors in direct sunlight. When I saw the peak brightness levels, I had hoped for a little more power. The display might dim just enough to not bother the eyes in low-light conditions.
The device’s pictures and videos had vivid colors and stark contrasts. The videos with 120Hz upscaling appeared extremely smooth, and the images were very sharp.
I noticed that the device adjusted the color science based on the lighting to provide the best viewing experience when used in various situations. Using the phone was a lot of fun thanks to these small touches.
The Mi 11 Ultra also has a lot of tools for changing the display settings if you don’t like the default one. The native upscaling of any content to high-res, among other options, can be set in these settings.
This was my first device with a quad-curved display, with the exception of the software tweaks and display color science. The tight curves along the edges made using it amazing. My palms did not cause any erroneous smudges on the content as it moved along the edges.
Overall, the display is pretty easy to use and produces images that are bright and sharp. Additionally, the color science was flawless. However, I worry about its durability due to its quad curved edges.
Speakers:
Harman Kardon-tuned stereo speakers are included with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. With a good sound stage, crisp vocals, excellent audio response, and balanced bass, the speakers are loud enough to fill a medium-sized room. Additionally, the mids and highs were fairly even. Please note, however, that I did not test the device in a proper sound room to accurately measure the audio output.
While playing games like Call of Duty, these proved to be extremely useful: Using a mobile device to watch Netflix movies.
Overall, I would like to say that the tuned speakers by Harman Kardon were excellent, and I would love to see how the business develops this partnership.
Security:
Personally, I dislike in-display fingerprint sensors, but they have recently become significantly faster and more accurate. The Mi 11 Ultra has a fingerprint sensor that is comparable, making it very simple to unlock the device. The fingerprint sensor’s speed is comparable to that of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Also, Face Unlock is pretty quick. The front camera module, which is less secure than the integrated fingerprint sensor, is used by the device for facial recognition. Therefore, it is suggested that you unlock the device by using the fingerprint sensor.
Software:
The company’s own MIUI 12 skin is used on top of Google’s most recent Android 11 operating system on the Mi 11 Ultra. Although the company has stated that an update to MIUI 12.5 will be released soon, no timetable has been provided.
Since its early days, MIUI has matured quite a bit and now includes a lot of useful features that are easy to like. In addition, the company has begun offering users significantly more customization options, easing the learning curve even further.
The custom animated UI elements and fonts were something I liked personally, but they are subjective, so not everyone will agree with me.
There is bloatware on the device, including Netflix and double apps like Files by Google and a file manager. Some of this bloat can be removed, but not all of it. However, it can be handled by having sufficient RAM and storage space.
With all Xiaomi smartphones, the software experience is the same. Customers who use Xiaomi devices don’t have to make a lot of changes to use the company’s flagship products, which is a good thing.
Overall, Xiaomi still needs to make a few minor software adjustments. However, considering the current software enhancements, I am eager to test the upcoming MIUI skin version.
Camera:
Since the Mi 11 Ultra is primarily a camera-focused smartphone, let’s start with the camera specifications and then talk about my experience with it. On the back of the Mi 11 Ultra, there is a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary wide angle sensor that supports OIS and has an f/1.95 aperture. A 48-megapixel sensor, an ultra-wide-angle lens, and PDAF support are included. Last but not least, there is a 48-megapixel sensor with an OIS and PDAF-capable periscope lens. Photos can be taken with this sensor zoomed in at 5x optical, 10x hybrid, and 120x digital. The highest zoom setting that is currently available on consumer smartphones is 120x. The camera can record 4K videos at 60 frames per second and 8K videos at 24 frames per second. A single 20-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 0.8-millimeter lens make up the front camera module.
In conditions of good lighting, both indoors and outdoors, the primary camera produces excellent images. The clicked images have vivid colors and are fairly crisp. However, I did discover a small flaw in the color science: the camera does slightly overexcite the colors, particularly those with warmer tones like yellow. The images of objects with a warm hue would sometimes even appear oversaturated, making them appear unnatural. Other than this, the exposure and white balance are perfect and did not require much adjustment.
In good lighting, the ultra wide angle lens also does a good job. However, as is to be expected from an ultra wide angle lens, there is some distortion around the edges. The clicked images have vibrant colors and a wide dynamic range. Once the Covid-19 pandemic is over, I would like to use this sensor to take crisp group selfies and wide-angle landscape shots. I’m content right now with taking pictures of the park below my building.
When it comes to the zoom lens, the device has quick zoom options that range from 5x to 120x. You can also use the pinch-to-zoom feature to get the perfect shot. The color and image quality of the periscope camera at 5x are excellent, and there is almost no noise. I was pleased with all of the 5x zoom shots. Similar to the 5x zoom, images captured with the 10x hybrid zoom appear to be quite solid. This performance continues until about 30x zoom, at which point the image noise levels significantly rise.
You will be able to capture distant objects with the 120x zoom, but the image will have a lot of grain and dull colors. You will be able to identify the majority of the images that are off, but that is all. At its 100x zoom, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, on the other hand, takes better pictures. Although Xiaomi may improve the mode in future software updates, it is not yet a standout feature for me.
Low-light photography yields a variety of outcomes; while some images simply capture all of the elements perfectly, others have trouble focusing, exhibit jittery color science, and introduce grain. However, the first variant made up the majority of the low-light shots.
Considering the device’s flawless shots, future updates could make low-light photography even better.
The Mi 11 Ultra can take in a lot of light thanks to its large sensors, resulting in optimal performance. It produced images with a lot of detail, pleasing colors, and a wide dynamic range.
Concerning the selfie camera, its performance during my testing period was quite satisfactory. The images were clear and had vibrant colors. The telephone streamlined my skin a little, notwithstanding, you can switch the beautification mode off in the event that you favor regular pictures. Edge detection issues plagued portrait images taken with the front camera, frequently blurring out the subject’s edges.
Additionally, you can use the secondary display on the back to take selfies with the rear cameras, which are significantly superior to the front sensor in terms of quality.
The device even let me record 8K video, which turned out pretty well. The footage was crisp, vivid, and visually appealing.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed by what the cameras on the Mi 11 Ultra can do right now. Although it is a very good point-and-shoot camera, there are a few issues with it, such as the oversaturation of warm tones. One of the device’s best camera features is night photography, which I explored and would like to investigate further in the coming days.
Performance:
In addition to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage, just like the majority of Android flagships.
Since several smartphones with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor are already on the market now that the first quarter of 2021 is over, the Mi 11 Ultra would be on par with the best smartphones at the moment. However, the device appears to have an advantage over competitors thanks to its fast UFS 3.1 storage and allocation process, as well as 12GB of RAM.
The device managed to score 783894 in the AnTuTu benchmark test, which is surprisingly higher than the Asus ROG Phone 5, which is the current leader with a score of 731376. Taking a look at the synthetic benchmark results, we find that the device managed to score 783894. The device achieved scores of 247 and 1404 in the multi-core and single core Geekbench tests, respectively, which are comparable to those of its rivals. The device was able to score 5576 on the 3DMark Wild Life test.
The device would frequently stop the fake benchmark tests and display an overheating warning of more than 45 degrees. However, we discovered that the back would reach temperatures above 55 degrees after the tests were stopped. During prolonged gaming sessions, the temperatures reached similar levels. Similar heating effects could also be obtained by recording images or video for some time. Overheating of this kind is not appreciated and can harm hands if held for a long time. If this occurs for extended periods of time, it will even have an impact on the glue’s ability to adhere, compromising the IP68 rating.
The Mi 11 Ultra did not present me with many issues during day-to-day use, with the exception of the overheating issue that persisted throughout my review period. I was able to use all of my social media apps, play a few games, watch videos on Netflix and YouTube, and do other things throughout the day thanks to the device. I never encountered a single stutter in the user interface.
During my initial tests, I switched between Chrome, Brave, and Opera after opening approximately forty tabs. There were no noticeable lags or stutters, and neither the browser apps nor the tabs were killed. I moved on to my multi-app test, where I opened approximately fifty different apps, including games, productivity apps, and more, to take it to the next level. Similar to the browser test, I kept switching between them, and the results were the same for both.
Regarding the gaming experience, I played several games on the device, including casual titles like Crash On The Run!, From heavy and demanding games like Call of Duty: Head Ball 2, Marvel Champions, and Crowd City and others: Asphalt 9, Mobile: Pokemon Go, legends, and more The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra performed flawlessly and never displayed any lag or stutter, regardless of the game I chose. The device did manage to reach 50 degrees Celsius after three hours of intense gameplay, which was too hot for me to continue playing. The surface got too hot too quickly as a result of the ceramic construction’s attempt to dissipate heat more quickly than glass did.
Until the overheating issue forced me to leave the phone on the side, my gaming experience was overall smooth. Aside from that, I had no problems using the phone on a daily basis, and I found it to be quite convenient to carry.
Battery:
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery that can charge wirelessly or wired at 67W. However, due to regulations, the company has included a 55W charger with the device in India. The company has stated that, although it will take time, it is attempting to bundle the 67W charger with the phone.
I was able to use the device for a full day with the default settings (full HD+, 60Hz refresh rate) from around 8 a.m. to around 12 a.m. with about 32�ttery remaining. The device only managed to last a full day on the highest setting, with approximately 1% to 2% remaining at the end.
The 55W charger is able to charge the device fairly quickly, despite the fact that the 67W GaN charger is not included in the package. My tests showed that the device could be charged to 100% in 47 minutes, to 22% in 10 minutes, to 42% in 20 minutes, and to 66% in 32 minutes.
Verdict:
With a price tag of just Rs 69,999 in India, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is an intriguing option that is significantly less expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. This smartphone does not have all the features of a flagship, but it does come close with its overall performance and gimmicks like the rear display. However, some aspects, such as the problem with overheating and the overhyped 120x zoom camera, bring it down a little.
Overall, taking into account all of the benefits and drawbacks, the Mi 11 Ultra, along with a few others like the OnePlus 9 Pro, is currently one of the most affordable and high-end flagships available on the market. This is the phone to get if you can get past all of the issues mentioned above.
