Xiaomi’s 108MP Mi 11 is going global – here’s what you need to know about it

Xiaomi doesn’t just have interesting scooter tech on the way, it’s also got one monster of a smartphone headed to market. The Xiaomi Mi 11 is, technically, already out in the market but was previously only available in China.

At an event yesterday, the global version of this moviephone (you’ll see) was made official. Here’s what you need to know about it.

Turning the camera up to 11

Everybody is boasting about their camera tech and since Xiaomi tends to get theirs from Samsung, we reckon they can be a little snobbish. The Mi 11’s rear camera arrangement is an “…ultimate pocket-sized movie studio”, if you believe the marketing hype. The presence of a 108MP main sensor, alongside a 13MP ultrawide and 5MP telephoto/macro lens, goes some way towards justifying Xiaomi’s claims.

The triple camera is rather advanced, letting users adjust shutter speeds, ISO, EV and aperture at will. Recording supports HDR10+ and the company’s AI Erase 2.0 tech lets you yank unwanted objects out of the frame with a click. The included night mode reduces noise at RAW level, plus there is a raft of AI-powered effects and editing effects to play with. Plus, it’ll take some decent photos.

Quite a bright idea

The 6.81in AMOLED display is sheathed in a Gorilla Glass Victus panel. It’s also the company’s best display to date, and it’s not just Xiaomi saying that. The screen has an A rating from DisplayMate, and they really know what they’re talking about. The 3,200 x 1,440 WQHD+ panel supports HDR10+ (well, it would, given the camera chops) and a refresh rate of 120Hz. There’s a fingerprint sensor tucked behind the panel, and it’s also got 480Hz touch sampling. If you’re going to be playing online games, this is the phone to have.

The power of the Mi 11

Like we said, this phone was out last year. It was the first to feature Qualcomm’s fastest mobile processor to date, the Snapdragon 888. That’s the same chip seen in the American version of Samsung’s S21 Ultra and it’s the speediest Android you’ll get this year — barring a random refresh. There’s a superfast 5G modem included, in the shape of the X60, so it’s a good thing South Africa’s actually getting the wireless tech (at last).

There are a couple of variants of the phone on the way — all of them include 8GB of RAM, 50W wireless charging and 55W wired, while your storage options are either 128GB or 256GB. It’ll also wirelessly charge other devices, with 10W reverse charging part of the package.

The only tricky bit will be finding one here in South Africa when it arrives later this year. The handset starts in Europe at €749, or about R13,500, for the 128GB version. If the Xiaomi Mi 11 rocks up on these shores at this price point, there will be a whole lot of flagship smartphone vendors who will be very, very upset indeed. The people who buy a Mi 11? Not so much.

Would you like to know more?

If you have a few hours on your hands this fine South African Tuesday, you can check out the entire launch event for yourself. It won’t tell you much more than we’ve detailed here and it’ll take you significantly longer to get through, but some people are always trying to ice skate uphill. We’re sure you’re not one of those people, though. You read Stuff, after all.

If you absolutely must, the Mi 11 announcement kicks off around the 44:00 minute mark, closing out at around 1:28:00. Once you’ve checked it out, come back here so we can say “told you so.”