[ad_1]
The first phone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip has arrived. Xiaomi has taken the wraps off the Xiaomi Mi 11, its latest flagship, giving us an early look at what we can expect from high-end smartphones in 2021.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 will be sold only in China at first, but when it lands, it will pose a formidable challenge for the new Samsung Galaxy S21 and the best smartphones.
Specifications Xiaomi M1 11
Screen size: 6.81-inch AMOLED, 120 Hz
CPU: Snapdragon 888
RAM: 8GB, 12GB
Storage: 128GB, 256GB
Rear cameras: 108MP (f / 1.85) main; 13MP (f / 2.4) ultrawide; 5MP telephoto macro (f / 2.4)
Frontal camera: 20 megapixels (f / 2.4)
Battery size: 4,600 mAh
Size: 6.5 x 2.9 x 0.32 inches
Weight: 6.9 ounces
We already knew that the Xiaomi Mi 11 was going to be the first phone to debut with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chipset – Xiaomi said the same thing when the Snapdragon 888 was introduced earlier this month. But that chip will make its way to other major phones in 2021, including the Galaxy S21. While no one has confirmed that yet, Samsung generally uses the superior Qualcomm chip in its Galaxy S models released in the US, and the Galaxy S21 is likely no exception.
However, there is more to watch out for with the Xiaomi Mi 11 than just its chipset. The Mi 11 will feature a 6.81-inch AMOLED screen, with a 1440p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. That refresh rate matches what Samsung currently offers on its best phones, and possibly the Galaxy S21 as well. However, rumors point to the 6.2-inch Galaxy S21 and the 6.7-inch Galaxy S21 Plus offering FHD + resolutions, giving Xiaomi’s phone a potential advantage.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 also features an in-display fingerprint reader, which is expected from the Android flagship these days. But it has a pretty cool trick. This sensor can also read your heart rate. We’ve seen infrared sensors do this on the back of phones, but this is the first time we’ve seen a heart rate sensor built into the display.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is also a slimmer and slimmer device than its predecessor, almost a millimeter thinner, in fact at 8.06mm, although the Mi 11 is taller to accommodate a larger screen. The front of the phone is almost bezel-less, a direction Samsung could take the Galaxy S21 in, if the phone’s maker adopts a rumored “blade bevel” design, which uses thin, flat edges to minimize bevel.
The Mi 11’s camera array has been completely redesigned from Xiaomi’s previous flagships. It has an elegant vertical arrangement with a rounded square element that includes three camera modules inside. At its launch event in China, Xiaomi did not go into much detail about what to expect from the camera, apart from the fact that the main module is 108MP, much like the one featured in the Mi 10. However, its aperture is f / 1.89 instead of 1.69, while a 13MP ultra-wide camera and 5MP telephoto make up the rest of the rear cameras. It is also capable of 2x optical zoom.
It looks like the Mi 11 could challenge the camera suite of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung’s high-end model that will also stand out with a 108MP main sensor. However, the Samsung phone could have two telephoto lenses. The cameras on the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus are expected to include a 12MP main camera, via telephoto it could offer 3x optical zoom, according to the latest leaked specs of the Galaxy S21.
Finally, the Mi 11 will feature a massive 4,600 mAh battery, with 55W charging and 50W wireless charging support. By contrast, the Galaxy S21 is said to feature a 4,000 mAh battery, while the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra will feature 4,800 mAh and 5,000 mAh batteries respectively.
Xiaomi’s phone will ship without a charger, following a trend that Apple started with the iPhone 12 last fall. The Galaxy S21 will reportedly do the same when it arrives without a charger in a month. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun cited environmental concerns as the reason behind the decision, echoing Apple’s reasoning. This radical change comes just a month after Xiaomi posted a message on its social media account mocking Apple for doing the same.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 costs 3,999 yuan, roughly the equivalent of $ 612 at current conversion rates. With major Android flagships generally flirting with $ 1,000 price tags, that’s a huge contrast to Xiaomi’s latest phone.
