Xiaomi announced its new Mi series models in February. But as its custom states, it always announces its premium phones weeks earlier than the budget “Lite” models. At its “2021 New Product Launch,” held today, Xiaomi provided an in-depth look at the flagship Mi 11 devices, then glossing over the new Mi 11 Lite smartphones.
Mi 11 packed some of the standard cutting-edge features you’d expect on a 2021 flagship phone, but the price is arguably way out of reach for many. But even with that, Xiaomi still managed to provide bang for the buck on the Mi 11 models, attracting positive sentiments from reviewers.
The Mi 11 Lite is now way lighter and more affordable than the Mi 11. There are two Lite devices to pick from; a standard 4G model and a 5G variant named Mi 11 Lite 4G and Mi 11 Lite 5G.
Both have flat displays with a punch-hole cutout on the top left, where the selfie camera lives.
The displays are identical, both in size and everything else. You get a 6.55-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. However, the Mi 11 Lite 4G has Corning Gorilla Glass 5, while the 5G variant has the more robust Gorilla Glass 6.
Other internal hardware features include a 4,250mAh battery with 33W fast charging support via USB Type C port and at least 6GB RAM(LPDDR4X).
Mi 11Lite 4G has at least 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage, but the 5G variant is fixed at 128GB. The most significant difference, however, lies in the chipset. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 732G, and the 5G variant is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 780G, a first. The latter includes a Snapdragon X53 5G modem responsible for 5G connectivity on the Mi Lite 5G.
For the cameras, both devices have three cameras on the back, a 64MP f/1.79 primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle f/2.2 camera, and a 5MP telemacro f/2.4 camera. The 5G variant has a 20MP lens versus the 16MP on the 4G model on the front.
You also get NFC, an Arc side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual audio speakers, and MIUI 12 based on Android 11.
Mi 11 Lite 4G and 5G Price
The 4G version available in Boba Black, Bubblegum Blue, and Peach Pink starts at about Ksh 38,500. It’s available in two memory variants, 6GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB.
Xiaomi Mi Lite 5G is sold in Truffle Black, Mint Green, and Citrus Yellow in two memory variants, 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB, starting at around Ksh 47,500.
