JOIN USXiaomi 11T Pro 5G review: Power-packed phone
Last month, Xiaomi launched a new upper mid-range phone 11T Pro in India. It comes in three configurations— 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage— for Rs 39,999, Rs 41,999 for the 8GB + 256GB and Rs 43,999, respectively.
On paper, Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G comes with a really good spec-sheet and the highlight feature of the device is the super-fast HyperCharge technology. Does it deliver a smooth performance or does the device over-heat during charging? Let's check it out.
Design, build quality, and display
It features a smooth shell covered with a glass panel on the back design and aluminium rails around the edges offering structural stability to the phone. It exudes a premium hand-feel experience and looks lovely with psychedelic colour reflection when looked at from a certain angle, but the design language is not unique and is not distinguishable from other phones in its class.
The device is said to come with a special coating to prevent fingerprint smudges, but it does not fully work, as I am able to see imprints when looked at from a certain angle on the celestial magic variant. Thankfully, the company offers a transparent silicone shell cover with a retail box and also a pre-applied screen guard on top of the display, making the device more durable. Also, does not obstruct the visual aesthetic of the device.
Add to that, the device comes with an IP53 rating, meaning the device can sustain accidental water splashes. Also, the display is a protected Gorilla Glass Victus shield, which is understood to be the second toughest screen protection cover we have seen on an Android phone.
Recently, the Galaxy S22 series came with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus Plus series, which is said to be tougher compared to the predecessor in certain parameters. Nevertheless, I am happy Xiaomi has ensured Xiaomi 11T Pro will serve longer to its customers.
The A+ category display panel comes with Dolby Vision and supports HDR10+ to ensure a great viewing experience. I had the best time-consuming multimedia content on the 11T Pro. It features a punch-hole camera at the top like a small bindi and doesn't obstruct the viewing.
Xiaomi 11T Pro features a 6.67-inch full HD+ True 10-bit AMOLED HyperView screen. It is bright, vibrant, and supports a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. You will love watching nature documentaries on the Xiaomi 11T Pro and of course, you can lend the device to children for online classes for long hours and not worry about any stress to the eyes.
Also, the speaker is well tuned with the Harman Kardon system and delivers really good audio output.
Furthermore, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor which also doubles up as the power button works like a charm. It responds fast to the finger impression and opens the lock screen in no time with a low false rejection rate.
Performance
Xiaomi 11T Pro ships with Qualcomm's 5nm class Snapdragon 888 octa-core chipset (2.84 GHz Kryo 680 x 1 + 2.42 GHz Kryo 680 x 3 + 1.80 GHz Kryo 680 x 4) backed by Adreno 660 graphics engine.
Our review unit comes with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. It works smoothly without any issues as such be it playing games, operating a camera or any other day-to-day chores.
However, some might feel disappointed that the device runs on Android 11-based MIUI 12.5.2. We see less expensive phones with Android 12 OS.
Having said that, I believe Xiaomi is playing safe by taking more time to fine-tune Android 12-based MIUI 13, as we have already seen how the v12 in other branded phones have brought in a lot of performance issues and ruined the user experience. Even Google Pixel phones have suffered glitches due to the latest update.
Hopefully, Xiaomi's engineers work on weeding out the bugs and roll out the public version as early as possible.
I have come to understand that Xiaomi will be offering three years of Android OS updates and security software support for four years.
Coming to the most notable attribute of the Xiaomi 11T Pro. It boasts HyperCharge technology and I am happy to note that the device works true to its promise.
The massive charging brick, which by the way comes with the retail box can power up the device from zero to 100 per cent under 20 minutes. It's the fastest out there in the Indian market and most importantly, the heat generated during the charging process was never overwhelming.
With just 10 minutes of charing, users can play up to seven hours of videos on the phone, or record two hours of full HD (1080p) videos, or use Google Maps for five hours.
I am really impressed with this aspect and I have been told, the device's battery power retaining capacity won't be affected much despite the super-fast charging. It can function normally for at least 800 charging cycles, that's more than two years of usage.
Xiaomi says that it has used a dual-cell 5,000mAh battery (2,500mAh capacity each) with graphene coating. With dual-charge pump and MTW(Multiple Tab Winding) technologies, the device is ensured of efficient current flow during charging at all times.
Also, the company has carried out multiple levels of testing and around 35 safety checks to ensure the device has less chance of overheating.
As far as the battery life is concerned, it consistently lasted a full day under normal usage.
I'd like to reiterate what I had mentioned in my first impression article about the 11T Pro is that the device supports 13 5G SA/NSA (n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/66/77/78) bands and whenever the infrastructure gets ready, device users will be able to enjoy high-speed internet up to 7.5 Gbps (download) and 3Gbps upload speed.
The company also offers the device in two more configuraitions-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage.
I believe, these two can perform more or less like the top-end model would do and certainly save you some money and you can invest it in something else other than the device. As said before, the company offers a screen guard and shell cover with the retail box.
Photography
Xiaomi 11T Pro ships with feature-rich camera hardware— main 108MP (1/1.52-inch sensor, f/1.75, 26mm (wide), 0.7µm pixel size, PDAF: Phase Detection Auto Focus) with 120-degree ultra-wide-angle 8MP (f/2.2, 1/4-inch sensor, 1.12µm pixel size) and 50mm Tele-macro (3-7 cm 5MP (f/2.4, 1/5.0-inch sensor, 1.12µm pixel size, AF: Auto Focus) with with dual-tone LED flash on the rear side.
In normal HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos, the subjects particularly the flowers look beautiful with warmer colours. The pink rose in the sample picture below is actually dull to the naked eyes, but the 11T Pro's native camera has done a good job of enhancing the colour a bit darker to make it more appealing.
With macro mode, you need to have some patience and also a steady hand to get that perfect close-up shot. And, yes, the resultant pictures are really good compared to any of its rival brands in its class.
In a low-light condition such as under the shadow and during the evening or early morning, the picture comes off good.
With the ultra-wide-angle mode too, the phone does a fine job opening up the lens to accommodate more space of the landscape into the frame. Also, keep the tall structures straight and not bend much.
In the night mode, the picture quality is decent at best. It manages to capture the colours and essence of the night, but it can't prevent noise from creeping into the frame. It will not show much on the compact screen of the phone, but it appears when viewing on the big screen of the PC.
If you post the picture on social media platforms, it is unlikely to be noticed as people use Facebook or Instagram or Twitter on phones than on a computer.
It is capable of recording high-resolution video up to 8K at 30fps (frames per second), 4K at 30/60fps, 1080p at 30/60/120/240/960 and HDR10+. With gyro-EIS (Electronic Image Stabilisation) support, it does a pretty good job of capturing good quality and stable videos.
As far as the selfies are concerned, the device's 16MP wide (f/2.5, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.0µm pixel size) front camera does an excellent job capturing the subject's face. Of course, like any other smartphone in the market, the software smoothens the surface to make it more appealing.
Even if the user is not satisfied by the standard photo, they get a plethora of beautification tools to adjust eye size, chin, cheeks, and even nose.
Final thoughts
Xiaomi 11T Pro's USP-- the super fast HyperCharge technology is just top-notch and saves a lot of time.
Though the Xiaomi device can easily last a day with normal usage, it lessens the anxiety of battery draining if we go overboard with binge-watching content on OTT apps. Within 20 minutes, we have 100 per cent. The experience and seeing the super-fast charger at work are magical.
I am pretty sure, there are people ready to get Xiaomi 11T Pro just for the HyperCharge tech.
In terms of other aspects too, it is good too. Backed by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, it performs smoothly be it day-to-day chores to playing games for an extended session or operating the camera for high-resolution video recording. Also, the camera hardware is decent too.
Right now, Xiaomi's 11T Pro is the best value-for-money premium phone out there in the market.
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