Xiaomi 11T Pro Review

In a Nutshell

Xiaomi 11T Pro is an affordable all-around flagship smartphone with fantastic OLED screen, and very fast Snapdragon 888 processor. Featuring premium speakers, 120 W fast charging support, and 108 MP camera, this phone should satisfy even the most demanding smartphone users.

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• Fantastic system performance
• 120 Hz screen refresh rate
• Top-notch camera
• Pleasing aesthetics
• Premium build quality
• 120 W battery charging
• Accurate fingerprint sensor

• No microSD card slot
• No support for wireless charging
• Not waterproof

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At first glance, the new Xiaomi 11T Pro impresses with its attractive exterior, which is accompanied by excellent hardware specifications, among which the 120 W fast charging stands out. Being cheaper than the full-blooded Mi 11 version, it has already gained the status of flagship killer. However, whether it really justifies this title it remains to be seen. To find out more, read our in-depth review.

Xiaomi 11T Pro Specs

Xiaomi introduced the new smartphones from the 11T series in September this year, which are the 11T and 11T Pro models. As you can imagine, the 11T Pro is stronger thanks to the Snapdragon 888 processor and some other features, while the 11T is based on the slightly weaker Dimensity 1200 processor. As you’ve probably noticed by now, these new smartphones, like all other upcoming devices from the popular Chinese company, don’t have the Mi in the name – which is very confusing in the case of the 11T (Mi 11) series.

This change has already started with the MIX 4 model – Xiaomi’s first smartphone with a camera under the screen. All smartphones before the MIX 4 model had the Mi prefix in front of their names, so this is a big change as it affects almost the entire Xiaomi product portfolio.

Xiaomi did not state any particular reason why it decided to abandon the Mi prefix in the device name, however, this move could be a way for Xiaomi to simplify the naming (branding) of its products in order to be as recognizable and memorable as possible on the market. This is also a welcome change considering that the company in China is already selling some devices without the Mi prefix in the name.

The new 11T series smartphones come with 120Hz AMOLED variable refresh rate screens and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection as well as with 108 MP main rear camera. In addition, these devices also come with either 8 GB or 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal memory. In our opinion, the most interesting feature of our test 11T Pro smartphone is the brutal 120 W Xiaomi HyperCharge fast battery charging technology, which allows you to charge this phone under 17 minutes (according to manufacturer).

We tested the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone in a memory configuration that includes 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory. The contents of the white box that comes with the Xiaomi 11T Pro are standard, and in addition to the device itself, it includes everything you need, which is quick start guide, a pin to open the SIM tray, a USB cable, a charger and a mask.

Design & Aesthethics

A full-blooded elite smartphone, in addition to top hardware specifications, must also offer an exterior that stands out and attracts attention. When it comes to elegant lines and attractive design, Xiaomi smartphones don’t fall below expectations. The Xiaomi 11T Pro follows the design expression that is characteristic of the company’s models this year, but not to those from the Mi 11 series, but more to smartphones from the Redmi series. In direct comparison with the Redmi Note 10 Pro model, it is quite difficult to distinguish the two phones at first glance.

In addition to the beautiful design, it is important to mention the feeling in the hand, which is very good and it’s simply impossible not to feel that you are holding a device of the highest class in your hand. Besides being pleasing to the eye, it does not lag behind the often much more expensive flagship competition in terms of material of construction, and here we primarily mean Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protective glass.

The front panel of the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protective glass, while for the back panel the company did not say what type of material it is made of. This is a new generation of Gorilla Glass protective glass with a significant improvement in performance in falls and scratches. According to official tests, Gorilla Glass Victus glass can survive falls on hard and rough surfaces from a height of up to 2 meters. In addition, the resistance of Gorilla Glass Victus glass to scratches is up to 4x better than the usual protective glasses, so there is no fear of various damages that occur with some everyday normal use of a smartphone. In addition to Gorilla Glass Victus protection from various damages, the front panel is also protected by a protective foil on the screen.

The large AMOLED screen offers an image with minimal interference in the form of a hole in which the selfie camera is housed. Due to the slightly larger screen diagonal, this smartphone may not be liked by people with smaller palms or those who like to use the smartphone with one hand. Shiny glass surfaces are the perfect base for greasy fingerprints, to which our Xiaomi 11T Pro is not immune.

The triple rear camera module is slightly raised above the rear panel, but more gradually than evenly. When the protective case is used, the rear camera module is not in contact with the surface while the device is placed on a table or other surface. Xiaomi does not state whether the rear camera module is equipped with additional protection like sapphire glass that we have had the opportunity to see on some of the company’s previous flagship devices.

The two glass panels are connected by an aluminum frame that brings a standard arrangement of physical buttons on the right that serve to unlock the screen and control the volume. The left side of the frame remains clean, while the lower part of the frame is reserved for the SIM tray, USB Type-C port, microphone and speaker. At the top of the frame there is another microphone opening, and an additional speaker with Harman Kardon signature and an infrared port.

Perhaps the only criticism the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone could have in terms of construction is that it lacks IP certification. This strikes us as odd, given even some of Xiaomi’s mid-range Redmi devices have an IP certification.

What is characteristic of all glass smartphones is that they are very slippery under the fingers, and the silicone case that came in the package with the device helps a lot. Let’s also mention the dimensions of the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone, which are 164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8 mm and weigh 204 grams.

Display Screen

Despite the larger screen diagonal of 6.67 inches, the Xiaomi 11T Pro remains in relatively acceptable dimensions due to the thin edges around the screen, thanks to which it fits perfectly in every pocket. This gorgeous screen is adorned with an FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080 pixels) resolution image that has a 20:9 aspect ratio and HDR10+ support.

We believe you already know that the characteristics of the AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen are vibrant and pronounced color with high contrast. Featuring such display, visibility in daylight on the Xiaomi 11T Pro model is really great, which is not surprising since it brings brightness of 1,000 nits. So the screen has above-average brightness and can be used outdoors without any problems. In the screen settings, it is possible to adjust the colors to vivid or natural, and in addition, the user can additionally adjust the white balance for vivid colors.

It is possible to set the screen refresh rate to the standard 60 Hz or 120 Hz. Setting the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz increases the battery lifetime, while at 120 Hz you get more realistic animations and better, faster, and more fluid screen movement, which is especially pronounced while scrolling. Let’s also mention that the touch sampling rate of this screen is 480 Hz.

The speed of the screen refresh definitely makes a difference and that is why this smartphone is even more desirable to the end user, especially one who enjoys playing games and a great gaming experience. In addition, the quality of the display of this screen is guaranteed by a number of other features such as Sunlight display 3.0 technology for better visibility in the open.

There’s also a popular dark mode that uses a dark color palette on the screen for system and application backgrounds, and the main task is to reduce eye strain when the device is used in darker spaces with less natural light. In addition, there is a favorite Reading mode 3.0 feature for all readers, which offers real relief to those who like to read on their smartphone in the late hours of the night. Namely, when this mode is switched on, the emission of blue light, which is otherwise tiring when reading, is reduced, the light becomes warmer and yellowish and it is much easier to read in the dark, and you can adjust the color level manually in the settings. You can turn on this mode as well as the dark mode yourself whenever you want. There’s also the aforementioned Always-On Display, which shows basic information when the device is locked.

Overall, this screen offers an excellent display of colors, contrast and viewing angles, as well as warm and vivid colors, and in every respect it belongs to the very top of the smartphone industry. Whatever you do on this screen, be it playing games, watching videos or just surfing the internet, you will enjoy using it. Xiaomi has listed many other features related to the 11T Pro’s screen, but one of the best is that DisplayMate has given it an A+ rating for outstanding performance in brightness, contrast, color calibration and resolution.

Hardware

In addition to its impressive exterior, the Xiaomi 11T Pro impresses with what it offers in terms of hardware specifications. This is a device that contains the best and strongest that is currently offered in the world of smartphones, and that is primarily the Qualcomm’s flagship processor for this year – the Snapdragon 888.

As expected, the new generation flagship processor brings improvements in all areas. There is a 35% increase in performance in gaming, a 25% increase in CPU performance, but somehow the most outstanding performance is in the AI ​​segment (by as much as 70%). The only question is to what extent the user can use all the power and capabilities of this processor at all.

The main feature of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor is a new architecture made on a 5nm manufacturing process with the new Kryo 680 cores running at a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz with Arm Cortex-X1 technology. With this processor also comes powerful Adreno 660 graphics for an elite gaming experience that brings a Variable Rate Shading (VRS) feature to increase performance by up to 30% and a Qualcomm Game Quick Touch feature that increases responsiveness by up to 20%. In fact, it is very difficult to list all the features and characteristics of this processor, and for those who are interested, they can visit Qualcomm’s official website where they will find all the desired data.

In terms of working and internal memory, Xiaomi has given customers several options to choose from. The Xiaomi 11T Pro in the weakest memory combination still delivers a respectable 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 GB of UFS 3.1 internal memory. If someone thinks that this is not enough, a model in 8 GB + 256 GB variant is also available, while for the most demanding, a variant with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory is reserved.

Overall, the hardware configuration of the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone represents the very top of the offer of what is currently offered in the world of smartphones. The speed of opening applications, their loading and multitasking are at the highest possible level. It is unlikely that the user can take advantage of all the features this phone has.

Camera

Smartphones with a triple rear camera have become the most desirable solution in the flagship segment, and this trend has been embraced by the Xiaomi 11T Pro model. Xiaomi has decided to equip the Xiaomi 11T Pro model with a 108 MP ISOCELL HM2 primary sensor that Samsung introduced in September 2020. It is the third generation of Samsung’s 108 MP sensors. It delivers 9-in-1 super pixel pixel merging technology where 0.7μm pixels are combined into a large 2.1μm pixel. Official data says that the light sensitivity of this sensor is increased by 900%, and Night mode 2.0 with RAW multi-frame feature effectively reduces noise.

The Xiaomi 11T Pro features a triple camera on its rear, which includes the aforementioned primary Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor with an aperture of f / 1.75. There is also an ultra-wide-angle Sony IMX355 sensor with 8 MP (FOV 120°) aperture f / 2.2. The third telephoto macro camera comes with a 5 MP sensor that can shoot objects at a distance of 3 to 7 cm. Inside this camera module, there is also an LED flash. As we expected, 108 MP photos do not bring much better images than those captured in automatic settings, and those who want and know how to get the most out of these cameras will use manual (Pro mode) settings.

Photographs taken in high light conditions have a large amount of detail, accurate colors and high contrast. The noise level is extremely low, while the dynamic range is quite good. Overall looking at the resulting photos they look very natural. The 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor is also very capable of great photos that abound in detail, above-average dynamic range, high contrast and vibrant colors with little noise.

A macro camera with a 5 MP sensor can be used at a distance of 3 to 7 cm. The photos obtained with this camera have a fairly large amount of detail, however slightly worse contrast as well as the washed colors. The most important thing with this camera is to have as calm a hand as possible.

Even when recording video content, the Xiaomi 11T Pro does not lag behind other flagship models, so it can record 8K resolution video at 30 fps, 4K video at 30 or 60 fps, FHD video at 30 and 60 fps, HD at 30 fps. It records slow motion images in FHD and HD resolution at 120, 240 and 960 fps.

Although it falls into the background due to the excellent rear camera, the selfie camera is not neglected and comes with a 8 MP OmniVision OV16A1 sensor and an aperture of f / 2.45. For better selfie photos, there is AI Beautify software that offers the user many natural filters, and in addition there is AI makeup, AI studio lighting and other AI options. For better photos in low light conditions, the Selfie night mode feature is also available to users. The selfie camera can record video content in 1080p and 720p resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second as well as slow motion HD and FHD resolution at 120fps, and in addition to taking photos and recording, this camera also uses the Face Unlock feature to unlock the device by recognizing user faces.

Audio & Video

To give the 11T Pro a better audio experience, Xiaomi has teamed up with one of the most influential companies in the field of sound, Harman Kardon. It is a company that has 60 years of experience in the field of sound, and since the founding of the company they have focused exclusively on sound and how to reproduce it faithfully, cleanly and originally.

On the bottom of the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone is a speaker slot that is traditionally located next to the USB Type-C port. The sound is as expected for a flagship device and has excellent quality and power that will be satisfactory for the vast majority of users. But to make things even better Xiaomi has added another speaker at the top to this device to get surround sound. Stereo speakers as we mentioned carry a Harman Kardon signature that guarantees superior sound. The sound quality is at a very good level and the reproduced sound is extremely rich, above average loud and in one word spectacular. Listening to music, watching movies or playing games on the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone turns into a real experience thanks to superior surround sound.

Some may miss the 3.5mm audio output, but the USB Type-C port is in charge of transmitting the audio signal instead. With this device, unfortunately, we did not get the corresponding headphones that support this standard, nor the USB Type-C in the 3.5 mm audio adapter, which until now usually came in a package with Xiaomi smartphones without a 3.5 mm audio output.

User Experience

The Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone runs on a stable global MIUI 12.5 user interface based on the Android 11 operating system. MIUI 12.5 on the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone is almost indistinguishable from any other company device and brings standard features such as the dark mode, as well as gestures for navigating the user interface. The MIUI 12 user interface on the Xiaomi 11T Pro model runs extremely fast and stable.

In order not to undermine the quality of workmanship and good specifications, Xiaomi also made sure that the software side of the story with their devices is very well done. Here we primarily think of the MIUI user interface with which Xiaomi has won the sympathy of many users, including ours, however there are some things that are an integral part of MIUI that annoy us. Here we primarily mean the ads that appear in system applications, however we did not have such problems with the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone.

These ads (if they appear) bother someone more, someone less. Some people like MIUI and some don’t, but the fact is that MIUI 12.5 offers a really pleasant user experience. For those who care about security, they will like the possibility of two types of biometric unlocking of the device, namely fingerprint scanning and user face recognition. It is characteristic of MIUI that it comes with a number of bloatware applications, of which there were only a few on the Xiaomi 11T Pro model and it was not a problem to uninstall them.

The overall impression is that everything will work super fast and fluidly on the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone, but that doesn’t surprise us in the least considering its very capable hardware configuration and 120 Hz screen refresh.

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the Xiaomi 11T Pro offers everything you could want from a single flagship smartphone, and here we primarily mean support for 5G networks. Support for 5G networks in the smartphone industry is slowly becoming standard even with mid-range devices, and manufacturers are happy to promote it as a very desirable feature, which is why we will be happy to set aside a slightly higher amount for a smartphone.

Xiaomi 11T Pro has a slot for two NanoSIM cards, and in addition to support for 5G networks and Dual SIM (Dual Standby) support, the 11T Pro also comes with Dual SIM VoLTE HD (Voice over LTE) standard for voice calls over 4G+ network that guarantees better sound quality when making phone calls.

We did not have the opportunity to try the reception of the 5G network, but for the reception of 4G signals we can confirm that the volume and sound quality were fine, there were no problems. Users who like to control their home appliances, such as air conditioners or TVs, with a smartphone will appreciate the fact that the Xiaomi 11T Pro comes with an infrared port. There is NFC support, and in terms of positioning, this smartphone already has standard support for GPS (L1 + L5), Galileo (E1 + E5a), GLONASS (G1) and Beidou. Through the Google Maps app, we tested the navigation, which worked flawlessly.

Battery

In our opinion, the most interesting and attractive feature of the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone is its battery, but not because of its capacity or autonomy, but because of the charging speed. High charging speed has long been a very desirable feature on all smartphones, while with flagship devices it is almost mandatory. When it comes to fast charging technology, Xiaomi has taken this story to a whole new level that was completely unthinkable a few years ago, and now the company’s new flagship models such as the MIX 4 or our test 11T Pro come with support for 120W HyperCharge fast charging.

In addition to fast charging, the Xiaomi 11T Pro has another feature that will attract customers, and that is a large capacity battery of as much as 5,000 mAh. Although the company states that the battery capacity of this smartphone is 5,000 mAh, these are actually two batteries of 2,500 mAh each, and each of them has a separate charge. As single battery charging is limited, the dual battery structure doubles the available input.

Xiaomi 120W HyperCharge technology works by lowering the voltage and increasing the amperage to overcome common voltage limits and allow for higher power input. The company states that with the new fast charging technology comes as many as 34 safety features that cover the entire charging cycle from charger to battery as well as 9 thermal sensors that monitor the temperature in real time ensuring that charging is always safe. One of the side effects of fast charging is that the battery heats up more, but Xiaomi seems to have solved this problem very well, because the 11T Pro does not heat up much. This, according to the company, was achieved by using LiquidCool cooling technology as well as using graphene-based lithium-ion technology, which makes the Xiaomi 11T Pro model’s battery more conductive than traditional batteries.

Wondering how long it takes for the 11T Pro smartphone’s battery to fully charge over a 120W charger? Xiaomi states that this smartphone only needs an impressive 17 minutes to fully charge. And indeed it does, since in our test the battery would fully charge under 17-18 minutes! It is also worth mentioning that our charging time to up to 50% of the battery capacity was only 7 minutes.

When it comes to battery life, the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone will not disappoint anyone. With a maximum screen refresh rate of 120Hz included, along with using social media, surfing, taking photos, trying out various phone features, and watching YouTube video and playing games, there would be approximately 40 to 50% battery life left at the end of the day.

Performance Benchmarks

The Xiaomi 11T Pro is based on Qualcomm’s latest and currently most powerful Snapdragon 888 flagship processor reserved for high-end devices. The results of benchmark tests are approximately at the level of other smartphones powered by this processor. Whichever memory combination you use this smartphone with, it is inevitable that it will do all the tasks you put in front of it smoothly and super fast, and we did not expect anything less from this hardware configuration. In the table below you can see our benchmark results.

Conclusion

Xiaomi 11T Pro proved to be a worthy successor of the last year’s model, which along with a number of attractive features makes it very interesting. As expected, the Xiaomi 11T Pro brings many key and desirable flagship features such as an attractive design and high-end hardware specifications, but what makes this smartphone stand out is the 120 W fast charging technology. The Xiaomi 11T Pro can also boast with a high-quality AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh. Overall, our impression is that the Xiaomi 11T Pro smartphone brings a real experience of a pure-blooded flagship smartphone for which you will not have to spend a small fortune.

In our opinion, the only flagship features that are missing from this device are water resistance, wireless charging and optical image stabilization for the camera, but we doubt that anyone will notice this drawbacks, since this phone is already able to offer almost too much for the price it asks. Like many of the company’s other devices, the Xiaomi 11T Pro offers a really great value for money, so we believe that you won’t go wrong if you decide to buy this particular smartphone.

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