Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G review: a little too light?

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G is a mid-range device that stands out for its very “fresh” design. Thin and light (6.8 mm and 157 g), it also displays beautiful colors with a matt back that does not leave unsightly fingerprints. It comes with its 33 W charger and a transparent shell. No jack or IP68 specification, but a side fingerprint sensor as well as a photo island that does not protrude much from the body of the device. A pleasant device to hold which is offered at 349 € in 4G version (238 € currently at Bangood) and € 369 in 5G version (but we’ll come back to that). Before starting the test, and if you are a little confused with the different models and ranges of the manufacturer, we did an article last year to explain a little the inexplicable …

Top screen and more than honorable performance

Let’s start with what strikes first when turning on the device: the screen. It is a 6.55-inch (16.6 cm) AMOLED panel with a definition of 2400 x 1080 pixels scanned at 90 Hz. As usual, it will take a little detour through the display properties to adjust the colorimetry to your liking, but this is one of the strengths of this device. It is bright, well calibrated: it is a success. In this category, we do not do better. On the performance side, this Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G (engraved in 8 nm) with 6 GB of DDR4X RAM. It’s a nice combo, but the 5G version includes a Snapdragon 780G engraved in 5 nm and much faster on paper.

The price difference is so minimal that one wonders what is the point of this 4G version. Even if you are not interested in 5G, the performance gain alone is worth the 20 € more… Please note, the Mi 11 Lite 4G is not at all a snail: you can play with the latest 3D games without overdoing it. sacrifice in the settings, we just want to point the finger at the sometimes bizarre strategy of Xiaomi with this bloated offer. Well after, that does not really seem to harm them since the firm is currently in the first place in the world in terms of smartphones passed ahead of Samsung and Apple.

A main objective of quality, but …

The Mi 11 had done strong in the photo and expectations were high on this Lite version. Here there is a main module of 64 megapixels, an ultra wide-angle of 8 MP and a macro lens of 5 MP. Let’s move on, as usual on the latter which does not bring much in terms of photography: an unimpressive sensor for a penny and a starving zoom. In short, as usual, it’s useless: you might as well take a picture in 64 MP and zoom in digitally. Because the main objective makes it possible to take pictures of 64 megapixels, even if the basic definition is 16 MP. As you know, the goal is to group the pixels by 4 and improve light capture when necessary. Colors look slightly richer outdoors in 64 MP mode, but indoors or when the light is lacking, 16 MP mode is fine. The pictures still lack sharpness. This is not the Berezina, but we have more the impression of dealing with a Redmi than with a Mi. Afterwards, when we look at the price difference of a Redmi Note 10 Pro and this Mi 10 Lite, we understand… No telephoto lens on this Mi 11 Lite, so avoid forcing the digital zoom so as not to end up with large blocks of pixels.

Regarding the Night mode, the colors are fairly well respected even if it sometimes turns yellow. Be careful, the result will be convincing with a few light sources, even artificial ones. Without this, the device does not work miracles. The ultra wide-angle of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is a bit of a pain on paper (8 MP – f / 2.2), but it does quite well. Admittedly the corners are lacking in sharpness and a distortion is felt, but the lack of light is not a disqualifying element. This device allows video capture in 4K 30 fps, but we prefer to opt for 1080p 60 fps, more versatile. On the selfie side, it’s not Byzantium. On the front, the 16 MP sensor makes photos a bit dull with a clipping that lacks precision for the bokeh effect. From the back, the lack of a dedicated sensor is a little felt. Without being bad, clichés don’t shine.

Average autonomy

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G has a 4250mAh battery with 33W fast charging that goes from 8 to 60% in 33 minutes. While Xiaomi often gratifies us with marathon runners, this is not the case for this model. Without disappointing, it does less well than the Redmi Note 10 Pro, however, in the range below. It will largely last the day for intensive users (social networks, Internet, geolocation, etc.) and almost 2 days for others. Be careful, gamers could have unpleasant surprises at the end of the day. Fortunately, MIUI’s energy-saving mode makes it possible to straighten the bar in the event of a hard blow.

Our verdict:

This Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is overall a success in a segment where devices around 280 – 350 € are quite numerous. A neat design, good battery life, honorable performance … Only the photo part remains a little behind, because at the same price you can acquire a Google Pixel 4a which offers better results. Do you really fall for the design of this Mi 11 Lite? We understand, but for 20 € more, you can acquire the 5G version which also offers superior performance …

Shooting tests