Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Analysis: Experience, Features and Price

Different design, groundbreaking aesthetics

If you have read or seen some of my analysis on our website or on the YouTube channel, you will know that I like to start talking about the design section. And with more reason I want to start here on this mobile, because I do not think that it leaves anyone who sees it indifferent, either for better or for worse.

If we look at this Mi 11 Ultra from the front, it cannot be denied that it is a beautiful mobile and that it transmits that super premium finish. We have a 6.81 ”AMOLED screen with 3200 x 1440 resolution, more than 515 pixels per inch, DCI-P3, HDR10 +, a 120 Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 1,700 nits. A series of specifications that makes this mobile seem like it has more surnames than the royal family, but in the end everything means that we are facing one of the best screens that have passed through my hands.

Everything looks incredibly good, with very striking colors, a deep contrast thanks to AMOLED technology, that feeling of fluidity when playing games or scrolling through the menus at 120 Hz . The experience I have had in this section with the Mi 11 Ultra is simply spectacular. As a detail to give even more the feeling that the panel occupies the entire front, the edges of this are curved that, coupled with such a large screen, you may worry about accidental touches. In my experience I have not had this problem at any time, although it is true that my hands are quite large, so it may be due to that.

And speaking of the issue of size, is it uncomfortable to use the Mi 11 Ultra with those dimensions? The truth is that it is a very large and quite heavy phone, that is undeniable. Personally, it has not seemed uncomfortable but, if you have small hands, or even the standard size, it is more than likely that you will be forced to handle it with two hands in your day to day life.

To further enhance this multimedia section, this phone comes with a double speaker system signed by Harman Kardon . Personally, I am a bit reluctant to read about these types of unions because, in many cases, it is more marketing than anything else. But, in the case of the Mi 11 Ultra, once again I can tell you that few phones I have tried that sound better, more powerful and resounding than this one.

One last detail that stands out from its front is that, in the upper left corner, we have its only front camera. I’ll talk to you later about how it performs taking photos, but now, what I want to do is talk about its use in the security and biometrics section . In other words, from its use for facial recognition.

Unlocking is done practically instantly at any time and position, without almost any hesitation. It is true that it does not have the most advanced facial unlocking system on the market but hey. But, the one that has surprised me a lot is the fingerprint reader that is under the panel. Not only because it works very fast and without errors, but because it implements a curiosity that I had not seen until now in a phone: heart rate measurement . We just have to enter the special functions menu in the settings, place our finger on the reader and, after fifteen seconds of waiting, it gives us the measurement.

But of course, I have started this section of the design by mentioning that the Mi 11 Ultra would not leave anyone indifferent, and I did not say it because of its screen or because of those “special” features that I just told you about. What is most surprising about the physique of this mobile is the back, or rather, the immense module at the back.

And it is that seeing it in the distance we will be able to recognize this mobile if it shows us the back. In it, as usual, we find the camera system with its 3 lenses that I will tell you about later, because they are equally striking. But, in addition, we also have something that will characterize this phone: a rear screen .

A small panel that is located next to the cameras and that is useful for several functions:

• From it we can see the time and the status of the battery.
• We will also find an animation when we are loading it.
• We can answer calls.
• It serves as a reference if we want to take a photo with the rear cameras (as a selfie).

We can configure this small screen to our liking through the phone settings. We can, for example, put an image, make it activate with a double tap, change the colors, etc. But here, anticipating my experience with cameras a bit, I would like to request something from Xiaomi. Just as we can use it as a reference for the photographic section, the interface does not give us the possibility of doing it with the video section. Something that I would personally appreciate.

A 10 for components, a 9 for performance

Now I want to tell you about certain details of a section that, belonging to the range in which the Mi 11 Ultra is, there will be nothing that surprises you … Or yes.

The table of specifications that this mobile includes inside is the latest of the latest:

• Snapdragon 888 processor . Manufacturing in 5 nm and with 5G connectivity.
• 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM
• 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
• 5,000 mAh battery , with 67 W fast charge .

And, as you can imagine, (almost) everything runs very well. We can navigate fluently through the menus, consult websites, watch videos on YouTube. What we need this mobile will give us.

But, I have found something strange when we demand maximum power from it. In games like COD mobile I have noticed sporadic slight lags, something rather anecdotal. But, in the case of the Asphalt 9, putting all the settings to the maximum, the game literally freezes. It does not always happen, there are times when it goes well but others when I have had this problem that, after pressing on the screen again, plays again to be caught a few seconds later.

I don’t think the fault comes from the game, since I can reproduce it perfectly on other mobiles like the Oneplus 9 without problems. In my opinion, I think the problem is in the Xiaomi layer, which, as you already know, is about MIUI . It runs on Android 11 . This is not the cleanest layer by any means and you may have a small problem that, for sure, can be solved with a future update. And more considering that it is its flagship of the moment.

On the other hand, in terms of autonomy, this is a particularly greedy phone for its screen. Can we get to the end of the day without problems? Indeed, yes. But, if we give it a lot of cane, we will not be able to overstretch its battery. Of course, Xiaomi solves this with a brutally fast charge of 67 W with its cable charger and 67 W for wireless charging . And, in case you want to charge other equipment, a 10W reversible charge . Which means, finally, that in approximately 40 minutes we will be able to do a full charge.

My favorite camera on Android to date

Now it is my turn to tell you about my experience with what for me is one of the most important sections of using a mobile phone: cameras. And especially on this smartphone, photography and video stand out in their own range.

At the specification level, which I know there are many who like to see and talk about this, we have a triple rear camera:

• 50 MP angular sensor , with f / 1.95 focal length, with optical and dual pixel stabilization. We can record video with 8K resolution up to 24 fps and 4K up to 60 fps using HDR10 technology.
• 48 MP wide-angle sensor , with f / 2.2 focal length, 128º field of view and phase detection autofocus. 8K video up to 24 fps and 4K up to 60 fps. In this lens we will not be able to use HDR technology.
• 48 MP telephoto sensor , with x5 optical zoom, x10 hybrid and digital zoom up to x120 increases. This sensor also features optical image stabilization and phase detection focusing. 8K video up to 24 fps and 4K up to 60 fps. In this lens we will not be able to use HDR technology.

And, for the front camera , it has a 20 MP sensor, with which we can record video up to 1080p at 60 fps.

A priori, all this data sounds pretty good, but how do the cameras of the Mi 11 Ultra behave on a day-to-day basis? Well, the truth is, just as we might expect.

When we take photos during the day, the photographs that we can get to capture are of a very high quality and a more than correct sharpness. It is true that Xiaomi’s processing system tends to slightly over saturate and this is noticeable in the captures, but this time it is not too aggressive.

As you can imagine, the one that performs the best of all the sensors is the main one, and then I was very surprised by the zoom. Up to those 5 optical magnifications, the quality is beastly, being above many of the high-end competitors. But even using the hybrid zoom, the photos we can take are very good. Of course, the 120 increases is more marketing than anything else because the results are tremendously bad.

On the other hand, the lens that comes off the worst is the wide angle, with somewhat more unreal colors and a general quality that is one step behind the rest of the sensors. Although it complies, do not think that the results are of low quality or worse than what we usually see in this range. It is average.

Regarding the selfie, here it is clearly noticeable that the lens leaves photos of a much lower quality. A poor contrast, very evident oversaturation and, although the detail comes to fulfill, don’t expect much either. Although of course, having that little screen with which to be able to take selfies with the main camera…. Who wants the self portrait lens in that case. And speaking of this, to activate the rear screen to take photos, we will have the option in the camera settings. We just have to click on it and turn the phone to use it.

When the light falls, this Mi 11 Ultra still meets all its objectives quite well but, as usual, the quality is somewhat lower in these types of situations. Although, to alleviate this a bit, Xiaomi implements the night mode.

And, on the video side, the dynamics that we see in the photographs is the same that is repeated in this section. The quality is very good, the HDR10 + makes the colors look incredibly good and, together with the 8K recording , it will surely be more than enough for most users. Of course, in my opinion I would prefer to record at this high resolution only at specific moments and, normally, shoot in 4K at 30 or 60 fps .

As a curiosity, the camera settings are full of interesting details if you are passionate about this aspect. For example, we can record with 2 lenses at the same time, either in separate files or as a montage of both. We will also have a pro mode, to take raw photos or record video with logarithmic profiles. Or even record video in macro mode or use the audio zoom mode to capture it locally.

A great mobile that not many will have

Having said all this, now that I have told you about my experience and everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, it is time for me to tell you about my conclusions. And I already tell you that, unfortunately, they are not very encouraging.

But first, of course, I want to tell you that this phone will be available for an official price of 1,199.99 euros through the Xiaomi website and its distributors.

For me, this Xiaomi phone is a 9.5 cell phone. By this I mean that it fulfills very well no matter where you look at it. At the design level it seems very beautiful and spectacular. The rear module may be hideously large and sticking out a lot from the body, but in the end I think I would get used to it. At the level of technical specifications it is unbeatable, and those little problems when I put it to the maximum I think they will fix them very soon with a software update. And, speaking of photography, it seems more than correct.

But of course, we are talking about a mobile that exceeds almost 1,200 euros, and in that range, many users may decide to bet on the Samsung or the iPhone on duty instead of giving this phone a chance. The dynamics that usually occur with the top launches of OPPO, Oneplus and other manufacturers.

So, in my opinion, if you can afford to spend that money on a mobile, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is a guaranteed bet. That, in addition, has character and will be easily recognizable as it happens with other mobiles of the more premium range.