Xiaomi 11T Pro review

Introduction

The Mi is dead, long live Xiaomi. The company is dropping the Mi insignia from its high-end phones, and the 11T series are spearheading this rebranding. Today we are going to explore the flagship of the refreshed lineup - the Xiaomi 11T Pro.

As part of a wider rebranding strategy, the Redmi phones use Xiaomi no more, Poco-phones never did, and now only the more expensive offers, previously known as Mi, will be bearing just the Xiaomi name.

The Xiaomi 11T Pro builds on top of the Mi 11i, not the most popular among the 11th series. It has an improved 120Hz OLED screen with Dolby Vision support, the same top-notch Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, premium harman/kardon-tuned speakers, and incredibly fast 120W charging for the larger 5,000mAh battery.

The triple camera stays the same - there is a 108MP primary camera with 8K video capturing, an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 5MP telemacro snapper with AF. That's also identical to the original Mi 11, excluding the resolution of the ultrawide camera sensor.

And speaking of the Mi 11 - there is something that its 11T sibling did not inherit - the larger 6.81" QHD AMOLED screen is exclusive to the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra. It would have been nice to have it on the 11T Pro, but it seems QHD screens are becoming less and less popular, contrary to what we expected to happen.

Some other tweaks include the IP53 splash resistance, the most recent Gorilla Glass Victus protection, but the highlight of the new package should be the 120W Xiaomi HyperCharge possible thanks to a dual-cell battery design.

Xiaomi 11T Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.1x76.9x8.8mm, 204g; Gorilla Glass Victus front, aluminum frame, glass back; IP53, dust and splash protection.
• Display: 6.67" Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 480Hz touch sampling, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680); Adreno 660.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.52", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4, 50mm, 1/5.0", 1.12µm.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1,0µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 120W, 100% in 17 min (advertised).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Harmon/Kardon-tuned stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos; Infrared port.

We would have liked to see full waterproofing like on the Mi 11 Ultra, OIS on the main camera, too, or at least some improved selfie snapper, but none of this happened. Oh well, we guess we'll adjust our expectations for the Xiaomi 12 and keep our fingers crossed, again.

Unboxing the Xiaomi 11T Pro

The Xiaomi 11T Pro is packed within a white paper box that has the new Xiaomi logo imprinted all over it. Inside you will find a heavy 120W power brick and a 6A-rated USB-C cable.

It's a tradition for Xiaomi to ship its phones well protected, and the 11T Pro is no exception. The retail box contains a transparent silicone case, while the screen has a thin anti-scratch film applied in the factory.