The Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: A Gorgeous Screen and Design

Camera - HDR

While telephoto is interesting, on a phone like this what’s most important is the quality of the main camera at its native 1x modes, as well as the ultra-wide module. HDR processing this generation should have changed given that we’re using a new SoC with a new ISP, with possibly different algorithms.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 ( ) ]

In this demanding scene, we’re seeing that the new optics on the Mi 11 fare much better than on the Mi 10 Pro, producing apparently less optical flares in the sun and also producing more contrast than the predecessor.

It’s also immediately visible that the Mi 11 is able to produce a more natural colour temperature compared to the Mi 11, this applies to the main sensor as well as the ultra-wide module. What I don’t think is as great is the details in the shadows, where the Mi 11 more notably clips details to black.

In terms of dynamic range, the Mi 11 does well, but it’s noticeable that it falls behind the competition with less details in the highlights and shadows.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 ( ) ]

In this scene, we again see the Mi 11 produce a better colour temperature than the Mi 10 Pro, and the phone also has better dynamic range versus its predecessor, but again lags behind the competition when it comes to pure HDR detail recovery in the highlights and shadows.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ][ Note20U(S) ]
[ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 (  ) ]

Next up, the most visible generational improvement is again the colour temperature which is more accurate with the Mi 11 now.

This is also a good scene to talk about the detail capture of the Mi 11. The Xiaomi devices are the only phones which actually capture auto-shots at 27MP resolution, and in that sense, are actually far superior to all other devices in the market right now which capture at 12MP, especially against those which also employ artificial detail sharpening.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 (  ) ]

In less demanding HDR shots like here, the Mi 11 again shows minute improvements over the Mi 10 Pro, I notice the colour temperature again being much better, and there’s also slight improvements in the shadows.

The 27MP picture gets a tremendous amount of natural detail – the S21 Ultra appears to be sharper at first glance but comparing the textures 1:1 to the Mi 11 and the Fuji results showcase that it’s more of a detail enhancement in post-processing.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 (  ) ]

The ultra-wide on the Mi 11, although not as strong in the dynamic range as the S21 series, is able to produce a much more natural rendition of the details, although we do see not so strong optics as there are quite a lot of chromatic aberrations and fringing happening towards the edges of the frame.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 (  ) ]

This shot had an extremely stark difference between the Mi 11 and the Mi 10, where the new phone blows the old out of the water in terms of the end-result – at least on the main camera as the ultra-wide isn’t that different.

Although the shadow retention isn’t the best amongst the phones, the highlights and overall metering on the Mi 11 was amongst the best of all phones in my view.

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 ( ) ]

The next shot on the main camera also what pops out is the better colour temperature of the Mi 11 compared to its predecessor. Details are strong and natural throughout the frame, lacking any of the post-processing we see on other phones. 

[ Mi 11 ] [ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ S21U(S) ] [ S21U(E) ]
[ S21(E) ] [ S20+(E) ] [ Note20U(S) ]
[ iPhone 12 Pro ] [ Mate40 Pro ] [ Pixel 5 ]
[ X-T30 ( ) ]

When it comes to quite flat scenarios with little dynamic range, the Mi 11 really shines in terms of resolution as it differentiates itself with its 27MP default mode, and here it just captures way more information than any other phone.

Overall Daylight Verdict: Very Competent

The Xiaomi Mi 11 doesn’t have a very fancy camera setup in that its main module and the ultra-wide have to carry the phone through all everyday scenarios. Although it’s a simple solution, it also does it quite well and consistently, even though it might not reach as far as some competing devices.

What I found to be quite good for this generation was just the overall better colour temperature rendition of the Mi 11 which popped up to me as the most evident change compared to the Mi 10 Pro, which is extremely welcome.

HDR this generation has also improved, although there are competitor devices which can do better – but the Mi 11 is a top-performing contender still.

What really differentiates the Mi 11 and Xiaomi’s phones in general compared to the competition is the fact that the main camera is just much higher resolution than the competition. The 2x2 binning of the 108MP sensor results in 27MP auto images. While these are not pixel-perfect, they are just far superior to that of any other phone’s 12MP shots, particularly against devices which have more artificial sharpening and structure enhancements in post-processing.

Overall I think the Mi 11 is an extremely capable day-light shooter, and fits well within the price-range of the device.