Review verdict: Xiaomi is definitely on a roll with the 11T in the Philippines. As a follow-up to last year’s Mi 10T, the Xiaomi 11T improves on features that really matter to its intended audience. While it is a few thousand Pesos more expensive than its predecessor, the Xiaomi 11T’s upgrades are well worth it.

Pros

• Well-optimized Dimensity 1200-Ultra Processor
• Very good low light capabilities (for the main camera)
• Fast and efficient charging

 

Cons

• Average ultra-wide-angle camera
• More expensive than last year’s Mi 10T

Xiaomi 11T Review Philippines Specs

• Dimensity 1200-Ultra processor
• 8GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
• 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate
• 108-megapixel f/1.75 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 5-megapixel telemacro camera with AF
• 16-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera
• 4G, 5G
• WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Stereo speakers
• 5000mAh battery
• 67w wired charging
• Android 11, MIUI 12.5

Xiaomi at this point has the formula for making a great flagship killer down to the core, and the 11T further cements that. Riding on the success of the Mi 10T, the Xiaomi 11T gets all the upgrades it needs to maintain its position as one of the best flagship killers out there.

Design

Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 11T uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass for the back panel and aluminum in the frame, giving the phone the look, and feel, of a premium phone. While the back has a high-gloss, mirror-like finish that looks very pretty, it also attracts smudges like crazy, and will eventually force you to use the included jelly case to save yourself from constantly cleaning it.

While the 11T also has a module housing three cameras like its predecessor, Xiaomi had to make the module bigger to accommodate the bigger sensor used for the main rear camera. The LED flash is now a dual-tone variety, and you get a microphone right below it that supports audio zoom.

The Xiaomi 11T is a few grams lighter than its predecessor at 203g (vs 216g), but you will feel that this is one heavy phone. It is also a big phone, so those with small mitts might be better off using the phone with two hands.

Display

Despite having roughly the same display size, the shift to AMOLED made the Xiaomi 11T’s display look even better than before, at the cost of dialing down the refresh rate to 120hz. Aside from being vastly better than the IPS panel used on the Mi 10T, the Xiaomi 11T’s display supports 10-bit color, giving you a broader color range that is well-appreciated when consuming HDR video content.

All the perks of the Xiaomi 11T’s AMOLED display are evident in playing games at the highest graphics settings, and the loud stereo speakers perfectly complement it. While it does not have JBL tuning (that’s exclusive to the Pro model), the stereo speakers produce good details for the mids and highs and a decent amount of bass.

Cameras

While the Xiaomi 11T has a lower-resolution 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera (vs 13-megapixels on the Mi 10T), it makes up for it with a new 108-megapixel main camera that has a physically bigger sensor than the 64-megapixel camera used on the Mi 10T.

The bigger sensor has its perks: aside from better low-light performance (even without using Night Mode), the Xiaomi 11T’s main camera captures more details than the Mi 10T–and this also translates to video as well.

There is still no OIS on the 11T, but Xiaomi justifies the use of EIS in keeping video footage stable even while shooting 4K30 video. The main camera can also shoot videos in HDR for better footage quality. Check out the sample footage below:

While the ultra-wide-angle camera captured rather underwhelming images, the telemacro camera is useful thanks to its contrast-detect AF.

While it is not as fast as PDAF, the Xiaomi 11T’s telemacro camera ensures that subjects photographed up close stay in focus.

The camera upgrade is also evident with the selfie snapper, as the Xiaomi 11T uses a slightly bigger sensor at the expense of a lower megapixel count.

 

Internals and Battery Life

Instead of a Snapdragon processor, the Xiaomi 11T went for team MediaTek with the Dimensity 1200-Ultra. You get 8GB RAM with the Xiaomi 11T, along with up to 256GB of internal storage.

The processor is an upgrade over the Snapdragon 865 used on the Mi 10T (and 10T Pro) especially with GPU performance. Aside from a better GPU, the Dimensity 1200-Ultra is manufactured using a 6nm process, making it more power-efficient as well.

As MediaTek’s current top dog, the Dimensity 1200-Ultra performed flawlessly in the most demanding games out there based on results we obtained from GameBench.

We have been playing Genshin Impact at the highest graphics settings with 60FPS enabled, and the Xiaomi 11T manages to keep up, recording 52FPS at 93% stability. Playing at prolonged periods did make the phone a bit warm, but not to the point that it gives a burning sensation to our hands or compromising overall gameplay with frame drops.

The Xiaomi 11T’s 5000mAh battery lasted us for around 12.5 hours in our video loop test with the display refresh rate set at 120hz, which is very good thanks to the power efficiency of the Dimensity 1200-Ultra processor. Topping up the battery with the included 67w charger took us around 42 minutes from 16% to 100% in an air-conditioned room and around 46 minutes from 19% to 100% in room temperature.

What’s great about the included charger is that it can be used for charging laptops since it uses the USB-PD protocol. The same goes for the Xiaomi 11T: you can use any USB-PD charger with up to 67w charging speeds to fast charge the phone.

Wrap up and Conclusions

Our review shows that Xiaomi is an ace at the flagship killer formula with the 11T here in the Philippines. Despite being more expensive than the Mi 10T, the Xiaomi 11T’s higher pricing is justified with upgrades like a 120hz AMOLED display, 108-megapixel main rear camera, 67w wired charging, and a more efficient Dimensity 1200-Ultra processor.

Xiaomi’s pricing for both variants of the 11T is very competitive, and the inclusions make it very compelling to those looking for a serious phone upgrade that they can use in the long run.

Xiaomi 11T Review Philippines Price

The Xiaomi 11T will retail for Php 21,990 for the 8GB/128GB model and Php 24,990 for the 8GB/256GB model in the Philippines. Both variants come with a 2-year warranty and a 1-time free screen repair. The Xiaomi 11T is available at Authorized Xiaomi Stores and at Xiaomi’s Global Shopee store.

Those purchasing via Authorized Xiaomi stores will get a special edition Bluetooth speaker, while those buying via the Global Shopee store will get the True Wireless Earphone 2 Basic. Aside from Authorized Xiaomi stores and the Xiaomi Global Shopee store, the 11T is available at select Digital Walker stores.