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Introduction
Mi is no more - the names of Xiaomi's high-end phones will now be one syllable shorter thanks to the company's recent rebranding strategy. We already reviewed the top-of-the-line Xiaomi 11T Pro a while back, and today it's the 11T that we have for you.
A close relative to the Pro, the Xiaomi 11T swaps out the Snapdragon 888 chipset for Mediatek's high-end Dimensity 1200, downgrades the charging capability from 120W to just 67W, and misses out on the Harman/Kardon special sauce for the (still present) stereo speakers and the Dolby Digital certification for the display.
The display is otherwise the same 6.67-inch AMOLED that can show a billion colors, has a 120Hz refresh rate and can go as bright as 1000nits in HDR10+ content. The camera system remains unchanged as well - it's headlined by a 108MP unit, joined by a modest 8MP ultrawide and one of few actually useful dedicated macros in the industry.
The same 5,000mAh battery will take a bit longer to top up on the 11T than on the 11T Pro at about half the maximum power, but this phone may turn out to be more frugal, we'll see about that.
The non-Pro is also packaged in what is essentially the same body. That means the latest Gorilla Glass Victus to protect that AMOLED goodness and an IP53-rated splash resistance - a spec that actually stands out more on this more affordable phone than on its pricier stablemate.
Xiaomi 11T specs at a glance:
- Body: 164.1x76.9x8.8mm, 203g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame, glass back; IP53, dust and splash protection.
- Display: 6.67" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1000 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
- Chipset: MediaTek MT6893 Dimensity 1200 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3x2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G77 MC9.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.52", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4, 50mm, 1/5.0", 1.12µm, AF.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960, HDR10+, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 67W, 100% in 36 min (advertised).
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; Infrared port.
Xiaomi 11T unboxing
The 11T ships in the usual white cardboard box characteristic of Xiaomi, with a large '11' front and center and the full name in smaller print in the lower portion and on the sides.
A sleeve on top of the phone holds a transparent silicone protective case, while a 67W charger and a USB-A-to-C cable can be found under the handset. It's not the richest bundle, but the basics are covered.
Design, build quality, handling
All Xiaomis with 11 in their names share a common design language, making them easily recognizable. There are variations in color, finish and camera count, but the oversized camera rings are always there.
Xiaomi 11s: 11T Pro, 11T, 11 Lite 5G NE
The curved glass back panel sets the 11T and 11T Pro apart from the fully flat Lites. The curvature accommodates the extra battery and allows the phone to feel thinner than its 8.8mm might suggest.
We have the Meteorite Gray option here, and its paint underneath the glass is made to resemble brushed aluminum. The color itself can be described as dark gray, and it has no gradients, just texture below the surface. You can also spot the new Xiaomi logo on the back - there is no longer a Mi insignia.
The cameras are grouped in a large black island in the top left corner. It sticks out enough to make the phone wobble on a table - one potential issue easily solvable by using a case.
As expected, the glossy rear panel with its dark paint scheme picks up fingerprints like there's no tomorrow. It's about as easy to clean too, but that's a short-term solution. A better idea would be to get either the Celestial Blue or Moonlight White colorways or use the included case (though that's hardly a looker, and it'll obviously make the phone thicker).
The frame is also slightly curved. Even though it's aluminum, it's not feeling overly premium due to the thick coat of paint on top. On a positive note, that means better grip and no visible antenna lines - if you care about that.
Again, just like the Pro, the 11T carries an IP53 rating. It's not good for dunking it in the pool, but it should survive just fine in light rain.
Non-Pro as it may be, the vanilla 11T still gets Gorilla Glass Victus protection for its display - that's a level of parity we enjoy. It has a flat panel with rounded corners and a small punch-hole centered at the top to make way for the 16MP selfie camera. The bezels are reasonably thin and balanced.
There is one super-thin grille above the screen for a small earpiece. As is usually the case these days, there is no LED notification light, but the Always-on display and breathing light features can serve that purpose just fine.
The left is completely bare, while the volume and power keys are on the right. The surface of the lock/power key doubles as an always-on fingerprint scanner. It has superb speed and accuracy, but if you touch it way too often while handling the phone (resulting in misreads), just change its recognition trigger from Touch to Press, and that should help.
The top of the 11T Pro accommodates another microphone, and there's also a grille for the second speaker, which also supplies the earpiece with sound.
The other speaker is at the bottom, lovely symmetrical to the top one. The USB-C port is also here, as well as the primary mic and the dual-SIM tray, which doesn't take microSDs.
Power button/FPR on the right • Top speaker and a mic up top • SIM tray on the bottom
The Xiaomi 11T measures 164.1x76.9x8.8mm - that's 1mm thicker and 8 grams heavier than the Mi 11i. Maybe the new battery design is responsible for the extra thickness and weight. Still, the phone is in line with other 6.67-inchers.
The Xiaomi 11T feels great in hand - it's a phone with a solid build and of balanced weight, and we like that it is splash-proof. The phone has slippery glass panels, but the matte frame is grippy and offers enough support for a rather good case-free experience.
The 6.67-inch HRR AMOLED leaves little to be desired
The Xiaomi 11T Pro features a 6.67-inch FullHD AMOLED display that has all sorts of bells and whistles. It's got the 120Hz refresh rate and AdaptiveSync for automatic RR adjustment, as well as a 480Hz touch sampling rate. It can display a billion colors and covers the DCI-P3 color gamut, and it also supports HDR10+ - Dolby Vision is reserved for the 11T Pro.
In our testing, the 11T put out 498nits when the brightness is left up to the user and shot up to 798nits when under bright ambient light and with Auto brightness enabled. The results are ever so slightly lower than on the Pro, but still in that premium OLED category as opposed to the more mainstream 600-ish units.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 498 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 798 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 516 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 837 | ∞ | |
| 0.432 | 512 | 1185:1 | |
| 0.541 | 630 | 1165:1 | |
| 0 | 504 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 805 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 443 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 650 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 450 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 821 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 438 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 633 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 466 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 650 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 484 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 673 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 404 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 823 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 472 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 818 | ∞ | |
The Color scheme menu on the 11T gives you a ton of options for tweaking color reproduction, including several presets, a color wheel, and a multitude of sliders. The out of the box state has Vivid mode enabled, and that offers wide gamut coverage but only okayish accuracy for our DCI-P3 test swatches, a notable blue shift to white and grays (which you can counter with the color wheel). The Original color setting, on the other hand, offers nearly perfect calibration for sRGB content.
The Advanced settings menu has presets for DCI-P3 (about as accurate as Vivid mode above) and sRGB (noticeably less accurate than Original color). It's in here that you can find sliders for the RGB primary colors, Hue, Saturation, and Value, as well as Contrast and Gamma - wonderful options if you know what to do with them, but perhaps a bit overkill.
Display color settings
The AdaptiveSync display branding in Xiaomi promo material might be somewhat of an exaggeration since the 'adaptiveness' is quite crude - more basic, in fact, than on the 11T Pro, which caught us by surprise.
There is no touch-based refresh rate dependency, and whether you get 120Hz or 60Hz is entirely based on the app you're in. So you'd be getting a constant 120Hz throughout the UI, the system apps and Google's suite, browsers and social network apps. But video apps like YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, even the built-in Mi Video player will cause an immediate switch to 60Hz.
Even the in-house Music app will be shown at 60Hz, though YouTube Music does get 120Hz treatment. That's not necessarily all bad, it's more of an observation, and as we'll go on to detail below, the constant 120Hz refresh rate doesn't appear to be that big of a battery drainer.
It's worth pointing out that high frame rate gaming is possible on the Xiaomi 11T. The screen maintained a 120Hz refresh rate in titles that support high frame rates themselves, and the Game Turbo tool reported fps rates above 60fps, often in the 100s.
The phone's HDR capability shows in both Netflix and YouTube, with both streaming services serving high-res HDR content. Amazon Prime Video wasn't as cooperative, and it maxed out at 480p in our experience - that sounds like Amazon hasn't whitelisted the phone to get the higher quality since it does support Widevine L1, and there shouldn't be other limitations.
The AI Image Engine we saw on the 11T Pro is missing on the 11T, though we won't be lamenting that. It includes features we would typically avoid anyway, such as video resolution upscaling, SDR-to-HDR conversion, and motion interpolation.
Xiaomi 11T battery life
The Xiaomi 11T relies on a 5,000mAh battery to keep the lights on, slightly more than the 4,500mAh mark where the bulk of competitors stand. It's also the same capacity as on the 11T Pro, but it needs to feed a SD888, which isn't exactly famous for its power efficiency.
Indeed, the 11T posted great numbers across the board, and it outlasted the 11T Pro in all disciplines. The 11T was good for Just over 23 hours of video playback (14:27h on the Pro) or 14:40h in Wi-Fi web browsing at a constant 120Hz (2 hours more than the Pro), and topped it all with nearly 30 hours of voice calls (7h more than the Pro). What the 11T isn't so good at is standby, and that hurt its overall result.
With all the numbers taken into account, the Xiaomi 11T's Endurance rating works out to 98h.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
The web test was done at the highest refresh rate option, as usual, and on the Maximum setting, the phone maintained 120Hz constantly. Opting for the Standard setting and its 60Hz refresh rate resulted in a 10% longer battery life of 16:05h. We reckon the 120Hz result is easily good enough to render the 60Hz mode unnecessary, but if you absolutely need the extra minutes, the option is there for you.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage - check out our all-time battery test results chart.
Charging speed
Bundled with the 11T is Xiaomi's 67W adapter that can vary its output voltage between 5V and 20V and its current between 6.2A and 3.25A, respectively, when fast charging. It's pretty compact for its rated maximum power, which is nice.
That adapter got us from 0% to 100% in 41 minutes - 5 minutes more than what Xiaomi promises, though we do carry out the test with the phone-powered one, and their number could be with the device switched off. Not that we're complaining about 40-minute charge times now. If you only have half an hour to spare for charging, the phone will get to 86% from flat in that amount of time. Sure, the Pro with its 120W charging and 20-ish minutes for a full top-up is quicker, but the non-Pro is good enough.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 11T Pro
100% - OnePlus 9
100% - Realme GT Master
100% - OnePlus Nord 2
98% - Realme GT Explorer Master
96% - Realme GT 5G (65W)
87% - Xiaomi 11T
86% - ZTE Axon 30 5G
76% - vivo X60 Pro
68% - Motorola Edge 20
68% - Galaxy S20 FE (25W)
57% - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
53% - Galaxy S20 FE (15W bundled)
37%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Xiaomi 11T Pro
0:21h - OnePlus 9
0:29h - Realme GT Master
0:30h - OnePlus Nord 2
0:31h - Realme GT Explorer Master
0:33h - Realme GT 5G (65W)
0:39h - Xiaomi 11T
0:41h - ZTE Axon 30 5G
0:48h - vivo X60 Pro
0:58h - Motorola Edge 20
1:01h - Galaxy S20 FE (25W)
1:10h - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
1:17h - Galaxy S20 FE (15W bundled)
1:35h
Speaker test
The 11T features stereo speakers in a setup that's somewhat unusual outside of Xiaomi's lineup. There's one speaker on the bottom; that much is standard. Up top, on the other hand, the second speaker fires both up and forward to double as an earpiece. That does bring benefits in terms of creating a better soundstage, but it also means a lot of sound gets blasted away from your ear and into your surroundings when on a call, robbing you of some privacy.
Another peculiarity of the 11T is that the top and the bottom speaker are always left and right channels respectively, with no accelerometer-based switching depending on orientation. So if you happen to be holding the phone the wrong way, with the top to the right, the channels won't be correct.
Bottom speaker • Top speaker
The 11T does feature Dolby Atmos, and it is enabled by default. However, what's missing on this phone is any Harman/Kardon branding like you'd find on the 11T Pro. While you'd think that's a recipe for a dramatic difference between the two, that's not necessarily the case.
While the 11T was still slightly quieter, it did rank in the same 'Good' category for loudness as its more upmarket stablemate. On top of that, even though the OnePlus Nord 2 5G and the Realme GT Explorer Master rank higher for loudness, the Xiaomi 11T has a notably more balanced output with plenty of presence in the low end that the two above lack. Ultimately, the 11T has a solid speaker setup that is among the best ones in the segment despite its quirks.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 11 with MIUI 12.5
The Xiaomi 11T boots Android 11 with MIUI 12.5 at the time of release. MIUI 13 should be arriving by the end of 2021, and logic points to the newest phones being among the first to get it. Unrelated to that, with the new 11T series Xiaomi announced its commitment to delivering three major Android updates and four years of security patches - a most welcome development.
Meanwhile, the current MIUI 12 has been around for quite some time, and it is plenty familiar already.
Starting at the Always-on display on the 11T, it offers the usual choice of being always on, appear according to a schedule, or just show up for 10s after a tap. MIUI 12 has a ton of AOD themes you can choose from, and you can customize many of those and make them truly yours. The Always-on display also supports breathing light - the curved edges of the display will flash with colors upon new notifications.
Always-on display
Biometric security is taken care of by the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The reader is easy to set up, blazing-fast, and the accuracy is superb. We advise you to set the unlock method to Press as the always-on reader will often attempt reading your palm and/or other fingers and eventually disable the fingerprint unlock until you input your PIN. A 2D Face Unlock is available too, but it is far less secure than the fingerprint option.
Security options
The homescreens are business as usual - they are populated with shortcuts, folders, and widgets. The leftmost pane, if enabled, is Google's Discover.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • Google Discover • Homescreen settings • Navigation
The high-end phones running on MIUI 12 support a feature called Super Wallpapers. It's a type of dynamic wallpaper that zooms each time you pass a certain screen. While not something groundbreaking, it does provide a very coherent visual experience that is a feast for the eyes and, in the meantime - connects the parts of MIUI in a subtle yet striking way.
There are now five Super Wallpapers available, the newly added Snowy Peaks joining the older Home (Earth), The Red Planet (Mars), Faraway rings (Saturn), and Geometry.
Super Wallpapers
MIUI 12 offers an app drawer, and it automatically organizes your apps into categories. The first is All, meaning it contains all apps. Then follow Communication, Entertainment, Photography, Tools, New, and Business. You can edit these categories or even disable them altogether.
You can disable the app drawer entirely if that's not your thing.
App drawer
Another interesting feature is the Notification shade split into Notification Center and Control Center. It's clearly inspired by iOS, and you even summon them in the same fashion - pull down from the left part of the screen for the Notification Center, pull down from the right for the Control Center.
If you are not fond of this split - you can disable the Control Center, and the shade will revert to its normal looks and operation.
Notification Center • Control Center • Control Center • Options • Classic Notification Shade
The default task switcher is the MIUI-specific one that shows all your recent apps in two columns. Tap and hold on a card for the split-screen shortcut, or just swipe it left or right to close it. There is a Floating Windows button on top, which lets you put a compatible app in a floating state, but you can only have one floating window at a time.
If you don't like the MIUI task switcher, you can set a classic horizontally scrollable layout with a rolodex of vertical cards.
Task Switcher • Window options • Floating Window • Split screen • Traditional is an option
Themes are a huge part of MIUI, and they are available on the 11T's version of the software. You can download new ones from the Themes store, and they can change wallpapers, ringtones, system icons, and even the always-on display style.
Themes
Xiaomi enhanced MIUI 12 with a couple of additional privacy options. Now, when sharing stuff, like photos and videos, you can opt to remove location info and/or other metadata (incl. device info) and thus protect your privacy better. It will ask you the first time you choose to share stuff, but the setting is there in the menu if you change your mind afterwards.
MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps, and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.
Proprietary Gallery, Music, and Video player are included, and in some regions, the music and video apps may include paid streaming options. Mi Remote for the IR blaster is available, too.
The Notes app has been enhanced with even more Task checklists and subtask options.
Gallery • Privacy Settings • Security • Music • Video • Mi Remote
MIUI 12 supports Dark Mode, too, and you can even force it on wallpapers or restrict its application on incompatible individual apps.
Dark Mode
Synthetic benchmarks
The 11T is powered by the Dimensity 1200, Mediatek's top-of-the-line 5G-capable chipset that's manufactured on a 6nm production line. It features a 1+3+4 CPU with one Cortex-A78-based Ultra core that's clocked at up to 3.0GHz, three more A78s limited to 2.6GHz and four A55s reaching up to 2GHz. A Mali-G77 MC9 GPU is in charge of graphics. Two storage versions are available - 128GB (our review unit) and 256GB, and both come with 8GB of RAM.
In GeekBench, the 11T posted slightly lower than usual numbers (for a Dimensity 1200) under single-core loads with the OP Nord 2 and the Reno6 Pro 5G outperforming it slightly, and the Realme X7 Max 5X even further up. SD778 and SD780 handsets also have a minor advantage over the 11T. SD800-series devices are significantly more powerful, be it the 870 or 888 that ticks inside them.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Realme GT 5G
1139 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
1124 - Xiaomi Mi 11i
1114 - vivo X60 Pro
1034 - Realme GT Explorer Master
1020 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
985 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
972 - Motorola Moto G100
950 - OnePlus Nord 2
814 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
813 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
803 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
787 - Realme GT Master
785 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
771 - Motorola Edge 20
762 - Xiaomi 11T
742 - Poco X3 GT
693
Under multi-core loads, the Xioami 11T is, in fact, slightly ahead of the other Dimensity 1200 phones we've tested though it still loses to SD870 or SD888 models.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 11i
3641 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
3582 - Realme GT 5G
3555 - vivo X60 Pro
3490 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
3160 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
3140 - Realme GT Explorer Master
3050 - Realme GT Master
2917 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
2909 - Motorola Moto G100
2860 - Xiaomi 11T
2834 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
2832 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2801 - OnePlus Nord 2
2792 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
2621 - Motorola Edge 20
2550 - Poco X3 GT
2310
In Antutu, the 11T is on par with the Nord 2, the overachieving Realme X7 Max 5G, meanwhile, posting uncharacteristically high scores for the chipset. SD778 handsets are behind the Xiaomi here, while the high-end Snapdragon-powered rivals are way ahead.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Realme GT 5G
810433 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
804626 - Xiaomi Mi 11i
779481 - vivo X60 Pro
720352 - Realme GT Explorer Master
717879 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
711090 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
701991 - Motorola Moto G100
681559 - OnePlus Nord 2
598022 - Xiaomi 11T
590837 - Poco X3 GT
578505 - Realme GT Master
529263 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
527663 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
522490 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
506432 - Motorola Edge 20
488574
In graphics benchmarks, the 11T is tightly packed with the rest of the 1200 Dimensities. Its Mali GPU is a tangible upgrade over the Adrenos in the SD700-series, and it's a match for the Adreno 650 in the SD870-powered phones in most tasks. The Adreno 660 in the SD888 still reigns supreme.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
118 - Realme GT 5G
112 - Realme GT Explorer Master
99 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
96 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
92 - Motorola Moto G100
91 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
81 - Xiaomi 11T
77 - OnePlus Nord 2
75 - Poco X3 GT
74 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
65 - Motorola Edge 20
57 - Realme GT Master
56 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
56 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
56
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
93 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
84 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
83 - Motorola Moto G100
79 - Xiaomi 11T
72 - Poco X3 GT
68 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
61 - Realme GT Explorer Master
60 - Realme GT 5G
60 - OnePlus Nord 2
57 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
57 - Motorola Edge 20
51 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
49 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
49 - Realme GT Master
46
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
69 - Realme GT 5G
65 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
60 - Realme GT Explorer Master
59 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
57 - Motorola Moto G100
56 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
48 - Xiaomi 11T
47 - OnePlus Nord 2
46 - Poco X3 GT
44 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
40 - Realme GT Master
33 - Motorola Edge 20
33 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
33 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
33
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme GT 5G
55 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
54 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
51 - Realme GT Explorer Master
50 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
49 - Motorola Moto G100
47 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
42 - Xiaomi 11T
40 - OnePlus Nord 2
38 - Poco X3 GT
38 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
35 - Motorola Edge 20
29 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
28 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
28 - Realme GT Master
27
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
41 - Realme GT 5G
38 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
35 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
34 - Motorola Moto G100
33 - Realme GT Explorer Master
33 - Xiaomi 11T
29 - Poco X3 GT
28 - OnePlus Nord 2
26 - Motorola Edge 20
20 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
20 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
20 - Realme GT Master
19
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
39 - Realme GT 5G
39 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
33 - Realme GT Explorer Master
32 - Motorola Moto G100
31 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
31 - OnePlus Nord 2
30 - Xiaomi 11T
30 - Poco X3 GT
29 - Motorola Edge 20
19 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
19 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
19 - Realme GT Master
18
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme GT 5G
5872 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
5714 - Realme GT Explorer Master
4255 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
4236 - OnePlus Nord 2
4224 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
4206 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
4191 - Xiaomi 11T
4172 - Motorola Moto G100
4114 - Poco X3 GT
3991 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
3136 - Motorola Edge 20
2494 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2491 - Realme GT Master
2481 - Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
2477
The Xiaomi 11T showed good stability under sustained load in the GPU department, posting a 93% stability rating in the 3DMark Wild Life stress test. It was a bit shakier under CPU load, its performance dropping to around 70% of the initial result. Overall, the 11T and its Dimensity 1200 are dependable and deliver plenty of performance for the money, if not quite up to SD870 level.
CPU throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test
Triple camera with a 108MP main unit and a tele macro
The Xiaomi 11T has the same camera setup as the 11T Pro, and it's a configuration we've seen on a bunch of Xiaomi phones before, including the Mi 11i, the Redmi Note 10 Pro (more or less) and even the Mi 11 proper (at least in principle). Basically, the 11T has a big-sensor 108MP primary camera, an ultrawide, and a telemacro.
The main camera employs a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 1/1.52" sensor with 0.7µm pixels and an f/1.75 aperture 7-element lens. The color filter is Nonapixel, meaning 9 sensor pixels are combined into a large 2.1µm one, and the default output resolution is 12MP. PDAF is available, though there is no optical stabilization. This camera supports Night Mode.
The ultrawide camera uses an 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor behind an f/2.2 lens. The focus is fixed at infinity. Night Mode is supported on the ultrawide cam, too.
The macro camera relies on a 5MP Samsung S5K5E9 1/5" sensor with 1.12µm pixels behind a 50mm f/2.4 lens. Autofocus is available on this camera, and it works for distances between 3cm and 7cm.
The selfie camera is based on a 16MP 1/3.06" OmniVision OV16A1 sensor with 1.0µm pixels and a Quad-Bayer filter (4-Cell in OV speak). The sensor is behind an f/2.4 aperture lens that has a fixed focus.
The camera app is a rather straightforward implementation, though it does have its quirks. First things first, basic operation for changing modes works with side swipes (on the black bezel!), and you can also tap on the modes that you can see to switch to those directly. Up and down swipes don't work for switching between the front and rear cameras; only the toggle next to the shutter release does that.
You can add, remove, and rearrange modes in the main rolodex by going to the More tab and navigating to the edit button, and you can access that from the settings menu as well. The unused modes will still be in that More tab, but you can switch to a (less intuitive) pull-out pane that's summoned from a line next to the shutter release.
The hamburger menu at the far end is where you'll find additional options, including the Super Macro mode (why here and not a mode in the rolodex?), plus the icon to access the settings. Next to that hamburger menu, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, an AI toggle, shortcut to Google Lens, and a magic wand with beauty effects and filters.
On the near end, you have the camera zoom switch that operates in one of two fashions. The first one is simply tapping on one of the three dots that represent the ultra-wide, primary, and 2x digital options. Or you can tap on the active magnification and slide sideways to reveal even more zoom levels - 2x and 10x, plus a slider for intermediate magnifications.
There's a nicely capable Pro mode, where you can tweak the shooting parameters yourself, and you can access each of the three cams, including the macro. You get to pick one of 4 white balance presets or dial in the light temperature with a slider, there's a manual focusing slider (with peaking as an option, particularly useful for the macro), and shutter speed (1/4000s to 30s/20s for macro) and ISO control with range depending on which camera you're using. A tiny live histogram is available, and a toggle for zebras can be found in the hamburger menu.
As expected, there's a host of extra modes, including Long Exposure with its own set of different presets - moving crowd, neon trails, oil painting, light painting, starry sky, and star trails. There's no Supermoon.
Night mode is available on the main and ultrawide cameras, as well as at the 2x zoomed-in level (but there's no Auto there). Auto night mode is a toggle in settings, enabled by default, and it lets the phone decide whether to use Night Mode or not. It would display a pop-up with the projected duration of the shot only for the main camera, something you don't get in the actual Night mode. Xiaomi does not offer exposure settings for either Night Mode.
Camera UI
There's also Dual video mode which can record a 50-50 split between the selfie cam and the main camera on the back. Finally, the Movie Effects mode reveals the special Hollywood modes that Xiaomi is so loud about - they include Magic Zoom, Slow Shutter, Time Freeze, Night time-lapse, and Parallel world. We covered those in detail on the vanilla Mi 11.
Finally, thanks to the three mics around the Xiaomi 11T Pro, you can enable optional Audio Zoom when capturing videos. This way you can focus better on a particular subject, say a speaker or a singer.
Daylight image quality
The 11T takes really nice photos with its primary camera - better, we'd say, than the ones we got out of the 11T Pro when we reviewed that one. The default 12MP shots are rich in detail, and it's rendered in a more organic fashion than the Pro phone - complex fine textures like grass or gravel don't exhibit the excessive sharping we saw there.
Colors are pretty saturated, but we wouldn't call it excessively so and, together with the consistently accurate white balance, make for an overall very appealing presentation. Dynamic range is good, and it is only in particularly harsh light (like the iPhone mural shot) that the more contrasty tone curve of this phone may leave you with some blown highlights.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x)
Full-res 108MP images are actually pretty good depending on the scene and subject matter and could get you some noticeable extra detail. Of course, extra noise is also part of the equation, together with an increase in file sizes, but the color and dynamic range don't necessarily suffer.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 108MP
It's then a little surprising that the 2x zoom shots straight out of the phone actually look noticeably worse on a pixel level. It would be a better idea then, if you need tighter framing, to shoot in 108MP and crop to your desired result.
Daylight samples, main camera (2x)
The unassuming ultrawide puts out a surprisingly great performance. Its images are sharp and detailed for their 8MP while noise is kept in check. Dynamic range is very good too. Slightly off the mark is the color rendition where we're getting hints of coolness and desaturation, but not enough to ruin the good impression.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Low-light image quality
The main camera's default behavior is to apply Night mode processing to some extent in low light, a feature controlled by a toggle in settings you can disable if you want full control of things. We say you leave it on, though, as it makes for very good results. You can expect balanced exposures with well-preserved highlights and decently developed shadows. Colors maintain their saturation, and there are no weird white balance issues in tricky lighting. These are not sharp throughout - darker areas can be a bit mushy, but where there's illumination, there's sharpness and detail.
Low-light samples, main camera, Auto Night mode
The proper Night mode introduces improvements to shadow exposure and helps reveal detail in the darkest areas - highlights don't get much different, but there was hardly anything more to ask for there. The heavier sharpening will bring that processed Night mode look, but the Xiaomi does maintain a measured approach to that, so we're not really complaining.
Low-light samples, main camera, Night mode
With no Night mode of any sort - in Photo mode with Auto Night mode disabled - you can expect more blown-out highlights, but generally similar levels of shadow development. These images can have a small advantage in sharpness under certain light conditions than the Night mode ones, so if you have a less contrasty scene with more balanced lighting (and you can be bothered), it could be worth turning off the auto toggle.
Low-light samples, main camera, no Night mode
At the 2x zoom level, with Auto Night enabled, you'd get the same prompt in the viewfinder reminding you to keep the phone steady, but in our experience, there was no actual Night mode processing in this case. Images will tend to be soft and blotchy in this case, though a decently well-lit scene might make for a, well, decent shot for sharing here or there. We were getting limited dynamic range in these, particularly at the highlight end.
Low-light samples, main camera (2x), no Night mode
That at least is fixed if going into Night mode, which will reign in the highlights. It will also pull up shadow detail somewhat. The downside is that heavily sharpened watercolor Night mode look. You can't tell from afar, though, and these are, arguably, more likable at fit-to-screen than the no-Night mode shots.
Low-light samples, main camera (2x), Night mode
You'll be faced with similar trade-offs on the ultrawide, though here we're leaning even more heavily towards the Night mode rendition. The Photo mode shots can be underexposed, with deep scary shadows, but also blown-out highlights. Night mode brings dramatic improvements at both ends with an added benefit of better color saturation - the Photo mode shots are duller than they should be.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera, no Night mode
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera, Night mode
Once you're done with the real-world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Xiaomi 11T stacks up against the competition.
Xiaomi 11T against the OnePlus Nord 2 5G and the Realme GT Explorer Master in our Photo compare tool
Macro
We've often praised Xiaomi for offering an actually useful dedicated macro camera, and the 5MP 50mm-equivalent unit with autofocus on the 11T can get you some pretty nice closeups. You get very good detail on your tiny subjects (within the limitations of the available 5MP, of course), and colors have a pleasing level of pop.
Close-up samples
Portrait mode
Portrait mode on the 11T generally brings excellent subject separation and even did surprisingly well with that bum of a reviewer's messy hair. The subject detail is great, background blur is natural-looking. The one negative point we have to add is the missing HDR, which may ruin scenes with more demanding lighting.
Portrait mode samples
Selfies
The selfies from the 11T aren't too great - sourced from the 16MP Quad Bayer sensor, they don't have nearly as much detail as the resolution suggests. The exposures are pretty dim, and shadows are too dark for our liking. Skin tones aren't bad, but the overall color rendition is muted.
Selfie samples
Portrait mode will take away the HDR processing, which will leave backlit scenes with blown-out highlights, though it'll still expose for the face, which is good. Subject isolation is prone to imperfections, particularly along the borders between clothes and backgrounds.
All in all - these will do, but if selfies are of utmost importance, don't get the 11T.
Selfie samples, Portrait mode
Video recording
The Xiaomi 11T records video up to 4K30 with its main camera - there's no 4K60, and there's no 8K either, and for those modes, you'll need to look at the 11T Pro. You do get 1080p at 60fps on the 11T if you're into high frame rate recording. The ultrawide, meanwhile, maxes out at 1080p at 30fps.
You get a choice of codecs as usual - the h.264 for better compatibility and the h.265 for smaller file sizes. Electronic stabilization is available in all modes. Audio is recorded in stereo, with a generous 256kbps bit rate.
4K30 out of the main camera (50Mbps bit rate) looks excellent - particularly so for the class, but also in absolute terms. We see some great detail, and it's rendered in a very likable, natural way. White balance is accurate, colors are appealingly lively, dynamic range is flagship-grade.
If you absolutely must, you can record in 4K at the 2x zoom level, but refrain from looking at it from up close - its shows a very strong watercolor effect from the digital zoom and subsequent liberal sharpening. On a global scale, it still looks very nice, keeping the main camera's color rendition and dynamic range, but real 4K it isn't.
The ultrawide isn't quite up to the main camera's high standard, though it's not bad either. It does maintain a good dynamic range, and detail is alright for a 1080p ultrawide, it's just that the footage is a bit washed out in terms of both color and contrast.
Stabilization is spectacular from both the main and the ultrawide cameras if you just keep the phone pointed in one direction, and panning is smooth and trouble-free. The phone might struggle to remove some of the walking shakes if you stomp your feet too much, but it's certainly not every step that makes it to the end clip.
Here's a glimpse of how the Xiaomi 11T compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Xiaomi 11T against the OnePlus Nord 2 5G and the Realme GT Explorer Master in our Video compare tool
Competition
The Xiaomi 11T retails for around €550, give or take, depending on country and retailer. That's a base model we're talking about, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while doubling the storage will cost you €50 extra. That sets it up against some pretty tough competitors.
We don't know which is which at this point
First up, let's get it out of the way - the 11T Pro is a hard sell for its €100-150 price premium. The Pro does have advantages, but do they really matter? For starters, is Snapdragon 888 is a slightly more powerful chip but a certified heavy throttler. 21 minutes from 0 to 100% sure is nice, but it's not like the non-Pro's 41 minutes are sluggish, plus the vanilla model lasts longer to begin with in anything that isn't standby. Then it's the camera - despite supposedly identical hardware, we're liking the non-Pro's images better. So we'd save the €100 and go vanilla 11T.
Speaking of savings, the OnePlus Nord 2 5G in its fully tricked out 12GB/256GB configuration is already cheaper than the base model Xiaomi. The difference gets to a tangible €150 euro for a matching 8GB/128GB spec. The Nord's display isn't as good - not as bright and just 90Hz vs. 120Hz on the 11T, but that's not a dealbreaker. Battery life is comparable between the two, and the slightly quicker charging on the Nord is appreciated, but hardly a gamechanger against the Xiaomi. The 11T is easily the better cameraphone, and that might make it worth the price difference after all.
For roughly €500, you can snatch a Galaxy S20 FE, while an S20 FE 5G will set you back an extra €100. LTE-only or 5G capable, the somewhat aging Galaxy comes with a proper IP68 rating for dust and water protection and a real tri-set of cameras, including a 3x telephoto - no macro, though. It's can also record 4K60 video, with its selfie camera too, plus it has a memory slot. The 11T battery will comfortably outlast the Galaxy in screen-on activities, and will be much quicker to charge, too - that could be worth considering if you're constantly on your phone.
We'd like to mention the Realme GT Explorer Master here, but that's still not widely available, so how about the Realme GT 5G. The SD888 inside it will be faster than the Dimensity 1200 in the 11T, but only as long as you use it in shorter bursts and not in gaming - so does it really matter? The Xiaomi is the all-around better cameraphone of the two; its battery lasts longer where it matters, and its display is superior. The GT 5G isn't quite as good in any of these areas, but it's not half bad either, and the best bit about it is the price - about €100 less for a matching memory configuration.
Xiaomi 11T Pro • OnePlus Nord 2 5G • Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G • Realme GT 5G
Verdict
Every now and then, the non-Pro is the better package than the higher-end model. We believe this to be the case with the Xiaomi 11T duo. The change of chipset from the SD888 to the Dimensity 1200 means lower peak performance but better sustained results, and aside from the high-ish battery drain in standby, we'd say the SoC swap is a success. The other battery numbers support that claim, and the 11T is so much better than the 11T Pro across the rest of the tests. Ah, but it only charges half as fast, taking a good 40minutes for a full top-off - only that's not bad at all.
Then it's the display - it's missing Dolby Vision and MEMC, and its 120Hz refresh rate isn't as adaptive as on the Pro, but in our books, HDR10+ is good enough, and if this one gets such battery life, mostly at 120Hz, why bother adapting. And unless you absolutely must have 4K60 and 8K video, then the non-Pro's camera is better, too.
The stiff competition in this upper midrange segment means some careful consideration is due, so you get the right phone for your priorities. As a whole, we think the Xiaomi 11T is well worth its asking price.
Pros
- Great build with attractive design, splash resistance.
- Excellent OLED display - bright, sRGB-accurate, 120Hz, HDR.
- Speedy charging.
- Stable sustained GPU performance, okay at prolonged CPU loads too.
- MIUI is great, 3 major Android updates promised.
- Excellent photo quality day and night.
- Great videos from the main camera.
Cons
- Unremarkable standby performance ruins overall battery life.
- Display is missing the Dolby Vision certification, MEMC, SD upscaling and the adaptive bit in the high refresh rate compared to the 11T Pro.
- No OIS, telephoto camera or lossless zoom.
- Meh selfie camera is long overdue for an upgrade.
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