The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro: A Pricey But Powerful Contender in the Flagship Killer Arena
The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro has arrived on the scene with a powerful punch, aiming to disrupt the smartphone market with its impressive hardware and aggressive pricing. Boasting a top-notch Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and a 108-megapixel camera for a starting price of Rs 39,999, the Mi 11X Pro ticks all the boxes for spec-conscious buyers. But does this phone truly live up to the "flagship killer" title, offering compelling value for money that will make its competitors sweat? We put it through the paces to find out.
Mi 11X Pro Price in India
The base variant of the Mi 11X Pro comes in at Rs. 39,999, equipping you with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. If you need more space, the higher variant bumps up the storage to 256GB at a slightly higher price of Rs. 41,999. Xiaomi offers the Mi 11X Pro in three sleek color options: Lunar White, Cosmic Black, and Celestial Silver.
Mi 11X Pro Design: Familiar Yet Striking
Visually, the Mi 11X Pro is a twin of its sibling, the Mi 11X. Both share a bold, modern aesthetic with a captivating 6.67-inch AMOLED display encased in thin bezels. The camera cutout is discreetly positioned, avoiding distraction. The Mi 11X Pro adopts a sleek and ergonomic design with slim dimensions and curved sides, ensuring a comfortable grip. Its weight (196g) feels balanced in hand.
Xiaomi has opted for Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection for both the front and back, safeguarding the phone against scratches. The frame is constructed from polycarbonate, housing the fingerprint scanner and volume buttons on the right side. The button placement feels intuitive, with the thumb naturally resting on the scanner during use, making unlocking a breeze. However, it’s surprising to see Xiaomi skip an in-display fingerprint scanner at this price point.
The left side of the frame remains button-free. Xiaomi has neatly integrated stereo speakers at the top and bottom, while an IR emitter cleverly slots into one of the speaker grille holes at the top. The bottom features the SIM tray, USB Type C port, and the main speaker. The Mi 11X Pro boasts IP53 certification, making it dust and water-resistant, with a rubber seal around the SIM tray to prevent water ingress.
Rounding out the package is a substantial 4,520mAh battery and a 33W charger included in the box, promising swift charging times.
My review unit came in Celestial Silver, showcasing a captivating gradient finish at the back that adds a touch of flair. Thankfully, the phone resists smudges remarkably well, minimizing the need for frequent cleaning. But there’s one design aspect that stands out – the prominent camera module at the rear. It significantly protrudes, causing the device to wobble when placed on a flat surface.
Mi 11X Pro Specifications: Powerhouse Performance
The Mi 11X Pro packs a punch with some powerful features. It boasts a full-HD+ AMOLED display with a high-refresh rate of 120Hz, making content come alive. This HDR10+ Samsung AMOLED panel achieves a peak brightness of 1300nits, guaranteeing excellent visibility even in bright environments. It’s shielded by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, ensuring durability.
At the heart of the Mi 11X Pro beats the mighty Snapdragon 888 processor, Qualcomm’s current flagship. This processor is the same one powering the Mi 11 Ultra, the OnePlus 9 series, and the recently released iQoo 7 Legend. Xiaomi has paired this beastly chip with a generous 8GB of RAM, while offering two storage options: 128GB and 256GB. While expandable storage is absent, the minor price difference between the two variants makes the 256GB option a more compelling choice.
The Mi 11X Pro is 5G ready and comes with two Nano-SIM slots. For connectivity, it packs Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, dual 4G VoLTE, and six satellite navigation systems, including India’s indigenous NavIC system.
Out of the box, the Mi 11X Pro runs MIUI 12 on top of Android 11. My review unit had MIUI 12.0.1 with the April Android security patch, the latest at the time of review. The user interface largely mirrors what we’ve come to expect from MIUI 12 on other Xiaomi phones, with no significant changes. Xiaomi remains enthusiastic about pre-installing several apps and even encourages installing more bloatware through GetApps during the initial setup. The ‘Glance’ lockscreen carousel features promotional content, but users can disable it during setup, which I opted to do. Unfortunately, I did encounter some annoying spammy notifications during my review period.
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro Performance: A Smooth and Powerful Experience
The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro boasts a vibrant AMOLED display that truly immerses you in content. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling, while the punchy colors and adjustable output settings provide a customizable viewing experience. The display’s brightness is sufficient for outdoor use, with no issues regarding sunlight legibility.
Xiaomi’s decision to include stereo speakers complements the stunning display. These speakers are loud enough to fill a small room but lack a sense of fullness in their sound. Fortunately, Dolby Atmos is onboard, and flipping this setting on significantly enhances the audio experience. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is remarkably fast and reliable, flawlessly unlocking the phone during my review period.
Naturally, with top-of-the-line hardware, the benchmark scores were impressive. The Mi 11X Pro achieved a whopping 780,671 points in AnTuTu, nearly matching the Mi 11 Ultra’s score. In Geekbench 5’s single and multi-core tests, it secured 1,136 and 3,246 points, respectively. Furthermore, the Mi 11X Pro secured 113fps and 60fps in GFXBench’s T-Rex and Car Chase tests, respectively.
Given its powerful hardware, the Mi 11X Pro is capable of effortlessly handling any app or game from the Play Store. Diving into Call of Duty Mobile, the phone automatically set the graphics to Very High and the frame rate to High. Without hesitation, I bumped the frame rate to Very High, and the game remained smooth and responsive. I played for 20 minutes without encountering any slowdown or stutter. While the performance was exceptional, the top half of the phone did get slightly warm to the touch.
Battery life on the Mi 11X Pro was exceptional, easily lasting for over a day. In our HD video loop test, it ran for an impressive 14 hours and 53 minutes, only slightly edging out the Samsung Galaxy S21. Xiaomi’s included 33W charger ensures fast charging, but the device tends to heat up in the process. It managed to bring the phone to 64 percent in 30 minutes and to 99 percent in an hour.
Mi 11X Pro Camera Performance: A Capable Shooter with Room for Improvement
The Mi 11X Pro’s camera department is a star player, featuring a triple-camera system with a 108-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.75 aperture as its shining star. Alongside it is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 119-degree field of view. Rounding out the trio is a 5-megapixel “telemacro” camera with an f/2.4 aperture and 2X zoom capability. For selfies, the Mi 11X Pro relies on a 20-megapixel front camera with an f/2.45 aperture, housed in a compact hole on the display.
The Mi camera app remains unchanged from previous iterations, making it easily navigable and providing access to various shooting modes. However, the Macro camera toggle requires a two-step process, which could be a hurdle for some users. A streamlined, single-step access to Macro mode would be a welcome change.
In daylight, the Mi 11X Pro proved to be a capable shooter. It captures detail with commendable accuracy, although I wished for better dynamic range. The phone appears to sharpen photos in post-processing, leading to a minor loss in quality in the shadows. Pictures are saved at 12-megapixels by default, but you have the option to shoot at the full 108-megapixel resolution. While the 108-megapixel shots lacked the brightness of the pixel-binned 12-megapixel counterparts, they showcased more detail when zoomed in.
The ultra-wide-angle camera doesn’t offer the same quality as the primary sensor, but it allows you to capture expansive scenes, which can be useful for shooting challenging compositions. The output did exhibit some distortion at the edges.
Close-up shots taken with the Mi 11X Pro displayed accurate color reproduction and effectively captured textures. Portraits benefited from accurate edge detection, with adjustable blur levels before taking the shot. The "telemacro" camera is a valuable addition, allowing users to capture close-up macro shots without getting uncomfortably close to the subject.
Low-light performance is decent, with the Mi 11X Pro effectively controlling noise. There’s no unnecessary sharpening here, which is a plus. Pictures taken in Night mode showcased enhanced brightness with improved detail in the shadows. The ultra-wide-angle camera, however, falls short in low light and is best avoided in such situations.
Selfies turned out well but are mildly softened as beautification is enabled by default. Portraits taken with the selfie camera exhibited good edge detection. Selfies captured in low light produced satisfactory results.
Video recording capabilities peak at 8K 30fps for the primary camera and 1080p 60fps for the selfie camera. Footage captured at 1080p and 4K, particularly in daylight, benefited from good stabilization. However, low-light footage exhibited a noticeable shimmer effect. The camera app features a dual-video mode that enables simultaneous shooting with the primary and selfie cameras, which could be useful for vloggers. It’s worth noting, however, that the selfie camera footage did not appear stabilized in this mode.
Verdict: A Strong Contender with Potential
Xiaomi appears to have drawn inspiration from OnePlus’ playbook, crafting a compelling "flagship killer" with the Mi 11X Pro. They haven’t cut corners when it comes to hardware, offering a more robust package than the OnePlus 9R for the same price point.
The Mi 11X Pro isn’t limited to the Snapdragon 888 processor; it also boasts a remarkable AMOLED display, stereo speakers, solid cameras, and an IP53 rating. The UI, however, could use some refinement. Thankfully, MIUI 12.5, intended to reduce clutter and promotions, has been announced. Xiaomi could have further sweetened the deal by including faster charging to keep pace with the competition.
For individuals seeking a powerful smartphone priced around Rs. 40,000, the Mi 11X Pro offers exceptional value. Given the small price gap between the storage variants, I would strongly recommend opting for the 256GB option. Those prioritizing smoother software updates and a consistent track record might find the OnePlus 9R worth considering. The similarly specced iQoo 7 Legend can also be a suitable alternative to the Mi 11X Pro.
