Android

new mid-range camera champion?

With the 11T, Xiaomi is fully committed to the camera and promises a cinematic experience. The Chinese manufacturer calls this Cinemagic. In our extensive Xiaomi 11T review you can read whether the camera is really that great and of course how the device performs across the board.

Xiaomi 11T review

Xiaomi has been releasing an affordable version of the flagship for several years now. The manufacturer then puts the letter ‘t’ after it. One of the characteristics of the ‘t’ series is that it contains a high-end processor. For half the money of a high-end smartphone, you have a very fast device. The 11T, Xiaomi has decided to omit the word ‘Mi’, therefore has a high-end processor on board, albeit from MediaTek. We have extensively tested how the 11T performs.

Sales package

The 11T comes in a standard rectangular box bearing the number 11 and brand name. More important, of course, is what’s in the box. The content consists of the usual book, a sim needle, the 67W charger with USB cable and a silicone cover.

Design and interface

The look of the 11T is quite plain. When you look at the back, you can immediately see from the camera module that it is a Xiaomi device. The camera module offers space for three lenses, which we will come back to later in the review. The screen is a 6.67 inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, so Full HD. The screen has a refresh rate of 120Hz. A great screen, but the high refresh rate occasionally backfired. Instead of a smooth screen, the screen stuttered when scrolling through apps. Let’s hope this will be fixed with a software update.

The front camera is integrated into the screen at the top in the middle. A speaker is placed above, just like at the bottom next to the USB-C port. The right side offers space for the volume buttons and the power button. The fingerprint scanner is incorporated in this last button. The smartphone is quite large in size. With its 203 grams, the device can not exactly be called a lightweight. This takes some getting used to if you are not used to this.

Xiaomi 11T back cover

Interface

Xiaomi provides its devices with the now well-known MIUI skin. This skin will take some getting used to when you come from a brand. The colorful skin has been improved a lot over the years and now looks great. In addition, Xiaomi has provided MIUI with a number of useful functions, such as the always-on display that you can also set to your own taste, an extensive control center and a second room. Xiaomi has also added a function to expand the RAM. We know this function from the competitor Oppo. You have the option to slightly customize the appearance like the dark mode. The Themes app allows you to set wallpapers and install different theme.

Communication: calling, chatting and surfing the internet

Xiaomi includes the standard apps from Google for calling, receiving and sending messages and the keyboard from Google, Gboard. These apps all do a great job, we have no complaints about this. We also have no complaints about the volume, this can be loud enough.

Xiaomi 11T dialer

In addition, the 11T is equipped with all the usual connectivity. WiFi 2.4 and 5 GHz are supported, 5G and Bluetooth 5.2. GPS, NFC and infrared can also be found on the device. The only thing missing is an FM radio.

Xiaomi 11T display

Multimedia: music and film

A plus are the stereo speakers with which the 11T is equipped. The quality of the sound is also excellent. The speakers can be quite loud, without this being at the expense of the quality. Thanks to the good speakers and the screen, watching movies is a pleasant experience. On a sunny day, the screen can also be bright enough to read. In the dark, the screen is dimmed sufficiently.

Xiaomi 11T camera

Camera: photo and video

Xiaomi is betting high on the 11T’s camera. The main lens also shoots photos with a maximum of 108MP. It is true that you have to turn this on. By default, you shoot photos in 12 megapixels. In addition to this main lens, there are two more lenses in the camera module on the back of the device. The second lens is an 8MP wide-angle lens and the third lens is a macro lens with a maximum resolution of 5MP. The camera app is as we are used to from Xiaomi. Lots of options without it becoming cluttered. The shutter button works quickly, so you can take a photo at the right time.

On paper, all the ingredients are there to make beautiful photos. And this is also true. Photos are of high quality. The quality of the photos is not inferior to photos taken with a more expensive smartphone. Colors are realistic and contain many details. You can also zoom in with the camera, zooming up to five times, the quality is reasonable. If you zoom in further, the quality of the photos will be significantly less, but not unusable. Our advice is to take a photo with 108MP and then crop it. This results in better quality.

Photos taken in the dark are also generally quite good. The device must be kept still, photos are quickly moved when the device is not stable. This will result in a blurry photo. If you want to see more photos we took with the smartphone, visit our Xiaomi 11T photo album.

Xiaomi 11T photo

Video camera

We are satisfied with the video camera. What applies to the photos also applies to the videos. The quality of the videos is fine. You have the option to film in 4K (at 30fps), Full-HD (30- and 60fps) and 720p (30fps).

Other options

The Xiaomi 11T has many features that you can expect from a smartphone. We’ll pick out some of these possibilities that we’ll discuss in this chapter.

Fingerprint Scanner

For the fingerprint scanner, Xiaomi has chosen to process it in the on and off button. The scanner is lightning fast, as we can expect from a contemporary fingerprint scanner. Under settings you have the option to add multiple fingers and turn on facial recognition. The facial recognition also works quickly and accurately.

Xiaomi 11T Fingerprint Scanner

Update Policy

Recently, Xiaomi announced its new update policy. The 11T (and the Xiaomi 11T Pro) will receive Android updates for three years and security updates for four years. It is unknown whether these security updates will be rolled out monthly or quarterly. Given that our 11T installed the August security update, we expect it to be quarterly.

Performance: battery, speed and memory

Under the hood we find the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G. This is currently the fastest chipset from MediaTek, which we also know from the OnePlus Nord 2. And it shows. All tasks that you give the device are performed quickly without the device faltering. Here we should note that when the screen is set to the refresh rate of 120Hz, the device occasionally stutters. Hopefully this can be fixed with a software update. The device has 8GB of RAM on board and 128GB of storage memory. This cannot be expanded with an SD card. The device will also be available in variant with a storage memory of 256GB.

Endurance

Xiaomi has given the 11T a battery of 5000 mAh. Thanks to the 67W included fast charger, you can charge the battery from 0 to 100% within 36 minutes. Practice shows that the battery easily reaches the end of the day. With intensive use, we still had about 30% left at the end of the day with a screen-on-time of more than 5 hours. With less intensive use, the battery can last for two days. For this it is advisable not to turn on the 120Hz screen.

Judgement

Xiaomi has proven several times that it releases very good smartphones for a reasonable price. The 11T also falls into this category. The smartphone is at the top of the middle segment, the device costs just under 600 euros. You get a very complete device in return with only a few downsides. We do hope that the hiccups that occur when the screen refresh rate is set to 120Hz will be solved by a software update. Also for the Xiaomi 11T, this device is an excellent alternative to an expensive high-end smartphone.

You can contact T-Mobile, Tele2, KPN, Vodafone, Bol.com, Coolblue, Mobiel and Belsimpel for the Xiaomi 11T. Until the end of October you will receive a free Xiaomi Smart TV or a lot of money refunded as cashback at participating stores.

Check out our dedicated product page for more news, specifications and prices.

Prices from: 549.00 euros

Xiaomi 11T


  • Design and ease of use – 8.2/10

  • camera – 9.2/10

  • Speed ​​and performance – 9/10

  • Endurance – 9.5/10

  • Value for money – 9/10

9/10

Judgement

Pros

  • Camera
  • Very complete device for a reasonable price
  • Super fast charging
  • Speed
  • Update Policy

Negatives

  • Device occasionally stutters at 120Hz screen refresh rate
  • Memory is not expandable
  • Comes out big

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