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Is Xiaomi T11 Pro Worth It? Let’s Find Out…
How does the Xiaomi T11 Pro compare to the likes of Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra? Let’s find out and see if the Xiaomi T11 Pro is worth a buy in 2022…
The Xiaomi Mi 11 lineup needs no introduction. Ever since the Xiaomi Mi 11 first launched, this series of phones from China’s biggest phone brand has earned itself a lot of fans. But the latest addition to the Mi 11 fold, the Xiaomi T11 Pro, despite the fact it no longer uses the “Mi” branding is now here and it brings with it quite a few tweaks and changes.
Perhaps the biggest news surrounding the Xiaomi T11 Pro – and also the Xiaomi T11 – is that both phones will get three years’ worth of Android updates and four years’ worth of security updates. This matches both Samsung, Google, and OnePlus. Hats off to Xiaomi for finally taking software updates seriously. I wish it had done this years ago.
As new phone releases go, the Xiaomi T11 Pro is certainly up there with some of the biggest releases of the last 12 months. It has killer specs, a nice, sleek design, and a very impressive camera module. And, as you’d expect from Xiaomi, a distinctly mid-range price tag. What’s not like? Let’s take a look at what makes the Xiaomi T11 Pro cook and see whether or not it is worth buying in 2022.
Xiaomi T11 Pro Specifications
- Display Size: 6.67in
- Display Type: AMOLED
- Display Resolution: 1080 x 2400 pixels
- RAM: 8GB/12GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- Storage: 128GB / 256GB
- Battery Size: 5000mAh
- Camera (Main): 108MP + 8MP + 5MP
- Camera (Front): 16MP
- 5G: Yes
- Headphone Jack: No
- Operating System: Android 11
- Fast Charging Speed: 120W
As you can see, there are quite a few tasty bits of hardware at your disposal on the Xiaomi T11 Pro. You have a decent – but not the latest – Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 CPU, either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and a base storage option of 128GB going up to 256GB on the more expensive model. You also have rapid 120W fast charging abilities (read here why that might not be such a good thing), and a sizeable AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+.
All good stuff, as you’d expect. But there are some caveats. For starters, the Xiaomi T11 Pro runs Android 11. Android 11 will soon be two years old once Android 13 launches later this year. I would have expected any new Android phone launched in 2022 to ship with Android 12, regardless of budget. God knows what happened with the Xiaomi T11 Pro. But with the SD888 and 8GB of RAM, performance should not be an issue with this phone.
You also won’t be stuck on Android 11 indefinitely either; Xiaomi has confirmed that it will support the Xiaomi T11 Pro with three major Android updates and four years’ worth of security updates. The only question now is when these “updates” will actually land. Xiaomi’s track record of getting Android updates out in a timely manner isn’t exactly anything to write home about. But at least you have confirmation of THREE major Android updates for this particular phone.
Is The Xiaomi T11 Pro A Flagship Phone?
Is the Xiaomi T11 Pro a flagship phone, like the iPhone 13 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra? Kinda. But it isn’t a true flagship once you start digging down into the details. It runs an older CPU, it doesn’t have a particularly high-resolution display, and the camera module, while fronted by a 108MP sensor, isn’t what we’d call cutting edge. For a mid-tier, Pixel 6/iPhone 13-style phone, however, it is brilliant – especially given its rather low price (less than $500/£450).
There is a lot to like with the Xiaomi T11 Pro and, as always, I’d argue that most people really do not need to waste their hard-earned cash on $1000+ flagship phones anyway. Most of the time you’re just paying for features and updates that you don’t use. In this respect, I’d say the Xiaomi T11 Pro is a great option for anyone that wants a powerful phone at a very reasonable price point. In terms of competitors and similar types of phones, I’d lump it in with the Pixel 6, iPhone 13, and Galaxy S22.
The upside here, however, is that the Xiaomi T11 Pro is considerably cheaper than all of these phones. In fact, if you got the Xiaomi T11 Pro instead of the iPhone 13, you’d have enough cash left over to buy yourself a Squier Bullet Telecaster. Or a decent set of wireless headphones. Or, you could use the savings and buy the current dip in the crypto markets. The next obvious question, of course, is whether or not the Xiaomi T11 Pro is BETTER than the iPhone 13 or the Galaxy S22.
The short answer, based on my brief experience with this phone, as well as my long experience using other Xiaomi phones, is sadly a big fat NO. Xiaomi phones are decent enough, sure, but they do lack the finesse – both with respect to their overall quality control, software, and performance – that you get with either an Apple or Samsung phone. There are good reasons why iPhones and Samsung phones cost more, and overall reliability, the quality of the software they run, and production quality control are three pretty big ones.
Xiaomi T11 Pro Camera
The Xiaomi T11 Pro runs much the same camera tech as the Xiaomi Mi 11, although there are a few nuances that you should probably be aware of. The Xiaomi T11 Pro is the cheaper phone, remember. The Xiaomi T11 Pro runs a 108MP main sensor and an 8MP telemacro sensor. And both are very good at what they do, especially the telemacro lens, as noted in Tech Radar’s review below:
We found the f/1.75 108MP main camera performed similarly to the one on the Mi 11 – it takes great-looking shots in well-lit conditions, with good contrast, bold colors and lots of detail. By default this camera uses ‘pixel binning’, a process by which the pixels, or photosites, on the sensor are combined to create fewer, but larger, pixels (which are better for ‘seeing’ light), which means pictures taken are 27MP.
If you want, you can switch to a high-res mode that uses the sensor’s full 108MP – photos captured in this mode are super-high-res, which gives you more latitude for subsequent editing, but you’re not capturing as much color and brightness information per pixel.
In low-light conditions, the 11T Pro shows its rougher edges, as there’s some noise in pictures, but the pixel binning goes some way to mitigate that.
Overall, the Xiaomi T11 Pro scores well in the camera department. But, again, that is to be expected – Xiaomi has been doing very well in this department for a good for years now. If camera tech is your bag, the Xiaomi T11 Pro is well worth a look – especially at this price point.
Battery Life & Charging
The Xiaomi T11 Pro packs in a pretty massive 5000mAh battery and it also supports 120W fast charging. This means, that if you have any anxiety about battery life, your worries will be for nothing. The Xiaomi T11 Pro runs a 1080p display too, so that will help even more with power management. In terms of how long it’ll run, you’re looking at a solid couple of days with moderate to low usage.
But, thanks to its 120W charging, you can push the phone as hard as you want because simply connecting it to the mains will recharge the phone from almost dead to 100% in under 15 minutes. If you have 50% charge on the device, it’ll hit 100% before you have time to finish a cup of tea. Compare this to Apple’s iPhone 13 which takes 90 minutes to fully charge, and you can see just how good the Xiaomi T11 Pro is at charging.
Is The Xiaomi T11 Pro Worth It?
Having looked at all the specs and updates present aboard the Xiaomi T11 Pro, as well as its aggressive pricing, I think it is fairly obvious that this phone is well worth buying in 2022/23 if you’re looking for an excellent value for money proposition. It has an excellent camera, great specs, 5G, a 120Hz AMOLED display, a massive battery, and it looks really nice too. What more could you want from a phone? An iPhone? Maybe. But that’ll cost you about $300/£300 more.
At this price point, I think Xiaomi has hit the ball out of the park. Add in things like three years’ worth of Android updates and four years’ worth of security updates and it is easy to see why there is A LOT of interest around this phone. For less than $450/£450, I honestly don’t think you’ll find a better-looking, higher specced phone on the market right now. So, yes, the Xiaomi T11 Pro is well worth buying. And for this price, I think most people would be insane not to.
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