As the mobile market is getting more competitive, there we more features has been added into the new launched phones. Even the mid-range phone has recently adopted more sophisticated features from the high range phones. But with the added features also means that it’s needs more hardwares to supports it. Which will makes the phone more heavier at least. We have tried out Xiaomi’s latest Mid-Range phone; the Mi 11 Lite daily for the past one month. Our first impression, the Mi 11 Lite feels excellent in hand and we have to thank its lightweight design. The compact size also means that using the phone with one hand was relatively easy.
For past many years, Xiaomi smartphones are known for offering excellent value for money and packing impressive specs over everything else. With the Mi 11 Lite, the company is taking a different approach as it wants to sell a phone that caters to an audience that values the design and in-hand feel over specs and performance. For this Mi 11 series, Xiaomi has cleaned up its software offering to deliver a good user experience. So is it the right phone for you? Below are some of our opinion about the Mi 11 Lite.
The Design
The Mi 11 Lite focuses on the design and in-hand feel, an aspect that’s largely ignored by most other smartphones in the market. As Xiaomi markets the Mi 11 Lite as a lifestyle phone, it means that the phone’s design is its key highlight rather than its specs, performance, or camera.
If you have a chance to pick up the Mi 11 Lite, you will then be impressed with how light it is (5.53oz/157g) when its on your hand. This is further complemented by its compact size, thanks largely due to the 6.55-inch display at the front which indeed most of us needs.
But wait! Is the phone design sufficient for you to consider this phone? Let’s get into more details.
The Screen
The Mi 11 Lite was covered with Gorilla Glass on both the front and rear which makes it looks premium and also a plastic chassis. The phone has a flat design, with the chassis slightly curved to help with in-hand ergonomics. At 0.26 inches (6.81mm), the Mi 11 Lite is as thin as a pencil. What’s impressive is that the camera hump barely protrudes from the phone’s body despite the thin body which makes us more comfortable to put it on the able with the camera facing the table.
The 6.55-inch AMOLED display on the Mi 11 Lite won’t get any awards for its brightness levels or color accuracy. However, the 10-bit panel offers more than adequate brightness levels, supports HDR10, and its colors and contrast are also on point. Keeping in mind an average user, the Mi 11 Lite’s display is excellent from every angle.
The display also supports 90Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling, which further helps with overall smoothness.
Despite the focus on thinness, the Mi 11 Lite features dual speakers and an IP53 rating making it dust and splash-resistant. The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button. I had no qualms with its accuracy or unlocking speed. A few years ago, the Mi 11 Lite’s display would have been regarded as flagship quality. Now, you get the same panel in a premium budget smartphone. If anything, this shows the rapid pace of growth of the smartphone market which benefits us as the consumers.
The Camera
The Mi 11 Lite features a triple-camera setup at the rear, including a 64MP f/1.79 primary shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, and a 5MP f/2.4 telemacro camera. A 20MP f/2.45 shooter does the selfie duty at the front decently. Mi 11 Lite also supports 4K@30fps, and 1080p@30/60/120fps video recording.
The hardware is further complemented by a barrage of camera features, including Movie Effects like Time Freeze, Slow Shutter, six Long Exposure modes, and more. One fo the special feature were its Pro mode, which is as detailed as it can get with photo and even videos. You can control almost every aspect of the camera, including the shutter speed, white balance, focus peaking, and more. What’s impressive is that the Pro mode is available for all three camera lenses, and it even works while recording videos too!
The phone can take some great shots as long as there’s enough light around. The photos come out with a decent amount of details in ample light, with the colors and contrast being boosted slightly to make things pop a bit.
In low light, the Mi 11 Lite tends to capture photos with a warmer temperature and muddy details. Nevetheless, the Mi 11 Lite’s light mode does help improve the overall brightness of shots taken in low light with slightly improvements on the details.
The 5MP telemacro camera might seem like a gimmick, but it is actually useful. You can use it to take close-up macro shots that can look quite stunning. If anything, the camera lets you capture photos with a completely different perspective. If you like photography, you can use the telemacro camera to capture some really amazing photos.
Phone Performance
With a Snapdragon 732G chipset, up to 8GB RAM, and a speedy UFS 2.2 storage, the Mi 11 Lite is not the fastest mid-range phone in the market. Nonetheless, the Mi 11 Lite offers more than adequate performance for most users. You can happily use WhatsApp, Messenger, surf the web on Chrome, and play an odd game or two of Temple Run 2 or Call of Duty Mobile without any issues.
However, don’t expect the Mi 11 Lite to run games at the highest possible graphical settings or smoothly multitask between a lot of heavy apps like the premium range phone. Comparing to the same mid-range phones in the market, the Mi 11 Lite works very will in any circumstances. As long as you keep your expectations in check and don’t demand too much from the phone as if it was a premium phone, it will serve you just fine. Other new Xiaomi phones have seen a noticeable improvement in their general smoothness post the MIUI 12.5 update, so expect the Mi 11 Lite to deliver the same in this regard.
If you want a device with more performance, you can look at the 5G version of the Mi 11 Lite. It ships with a more powerful Snapdragon 780G chipset, with all other specs between the 4G and 5G variants remaining the same.
Battery Life & Storage
The Mi 11 Lite are equips with 4250mAh Battery and 128 GB of memory. So far we could safely say that the Mi 11 Lite are be able to last for more than a day without the need to recharge for normal use.
With the large storage we could also maximize it’s camera photos without the need to worry we will be running out of storage. It also comes with a 33W fast charging USB-C cable and adapter which is rare for a new phone brand or companies to add that in. Whats more is; the Mi 11 Lite also comes with a phone jack adapter and also a phone case too.
The Mi 11 Lite supports 33W fast charging, and thankfully Xiaomi also included a fast charger in the box. The 33W charger is good enough to charge the Mi 11 Lite from 0-100% in just 60 minutes. The Mi 11 Lite misses out on wireless charging which we feels its okay to forgo that feature given its focus on slimness and pricing.
If you just want an Android phone that’s not too expensive but still stands out from a sea of other monolith glass slabs out there, the Mi 11 Lite will be an ideal choice for you. The Mi 11 Lite is ideal for someone who values in-hand feel and experience more than the overall specs. The 4G variant of the Mi 11 Lite definitely won’t please power users. For them, Xiaomi does offer the Mi 11 Lite 5G, with a more powerful Snapdragon 780G chipset. The additional horsepower does come with a higher price tag as well, though.
If you would like to check out the Mi 11 Lite, you could visit Xiaomi Malaysia’s website at https://www.mi.com/my/ or purchase is at Xiaomi Offical Shopee Store.
