Perhaps the phone that I want to talk about in this article is, of those that have passed through my hands, the one that best suits the last name ultra. If there is a mobile that has generated tremendous hype in me since its launch, that has been the Xiaomi mi 11 ultra. A mobile that, after having tested in depth, I want to tell you about my experience and if it's worth it Your choice if yours are the most premium range phones on the market.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, video analysis:
Different design, groundbreaking aesthetics
If you have read or seen some of my analyzes on our website or on the YouTube channel, you will know that I like to start talking about the design section. And all the more reason I want to start here on this mobile, because I don't think it will leave anyone who sees it indifferent, either for better or for worse.
If we look at this Mi 11 Ultra from the front, it cannot be denied that it is a beautiful mobile and that it transmits that super premium finish. We have one 6,81” AMOLED screen with 3200 x 1440 resolution, more than 515 pixels per inch, DCI-P3, HDR10+, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a maximum brightness of 1.700 nits. A series of specifications that makes this mobile look like it has more surnames than the royal family, but in the end it all means that we are facing one of the best screens that have passed through my hands.
Everything looks incredibly good, with very striking colors, a deep contrast thanks to AMOLED technology, that fluid feeling when playing games or scrolling through menus on 120 Hz. The experience I have had in this section with the Mi 11 Ultra is simply spectacular. As a detail to give even more the sensation that the panel occupies the entire front, its edges are curved which, together with such a large screen, you may worry about accidental touches. In my experience I have not had this problem at any time, although it is true that my hands are quite large, so it may be due to that.
And speaking of the issue of size, is it uncomfortable to use the Mi 11 Ultra with those dimensions? The truth is that it is a very large and quite heavy phone, that is undeniable. I personally have not found it uncomfortable, but if you have small hands, or even a standard size, it is more than likely that you will be forced to handle it with two hands on a daily basis.
To further enhance this multimedia section, this phone comes with a dual speaker system signed by Harman Kardon. Personally, I am a little reticent when reading about this type of union because, in many cases, it is more marketing than anything else. But, in the case of the Mi 11 Ultra, once again I can tell you that I have tried few phones that sound better, more powerful and resounding than this one.
One last detail that is obvious from its front is that, in the upper left corner, we have its only front camera. I'll talk to you later about how it performs taking photos, but now, what I want is to talk to you about its use in the section on security and biometrics. In other words, from its use for facial recognition.
Unlocking is done almost instantly at any time and position, almost without hesitation. It is true that it does not have the most advanced facial unlocking system on the market, but hey. But, the one that has surprised me a lot is the fingerprint reader that is under the panel. Not only because it works very fast and without errors, but because it implements a curiosity that I had not seen before in a phone: heart rate measurement. We only have to enter the special functions menu in the settings, place our finger on the reader and, after fifteen seconds of waiting, it gives us the measurement.
But of course, I started this design section by mentioning that the Mi 11 Ultra would not leave anyone indifferent, and I wasn't saying it because of its screen or those "special" features that I just mentioned. What is most surprising about the physique of this mobile is the back, or rather, the huge module on the back.
And it is that seeing it in the distance we will be able to recognize this mobile if the back is shown to us. In it, as usual, we find the camera system with its 3 lenses that I will tell you about later, because they are equally striking. But, in addition, we also have something that will characterize this phone: a rear screen.
A small panel that sits next to the cameras and is useful for various functions:
- From it we can see the time and the state of the battery.
- We will also find an animation when we are loading it.
- We can answer calls.
- It serves as a reference if we want to take a picture with the rear cameras (in selfie mode).
We can configure this small screen to our liking through the phone settings. We can, for example, put an image, make it activate with a double tap, change the colors, etc. But here, getting a little ahead of my experience with cameras, I would like to ask Xiaomi for something. Just as we can use it as a reference for the photographic section, the interface does not give us the possibility of doing it with the video section. Something that I would personally appreciate.
A 10 in components, a 9 in performance
Now I want to tell you about certain details of a section that, belonging to the range in which the Mi 11 Ultra is, there will be nothing that surprises you... Or yes.
The table of specifications that this mobile includes inside is the latest of the latest:
- Processor Snapdragon 888. Manufacturing in 5 nm and with 5G connectivity.
- 12 GB of RAM L
- 256 GB storage UFS 3.1.
- Battery 5.000 mAh, with 67W fast charge.
And, as you can imagine, (almost) everything runs very well. We can navigate the menus fluently, consult websites, watch videos on YouTube. What we need this mobile will give us.
But, I have found something strange when we demand maximum power from it. In games like COD mobile I have noticed slight sporadic lags, something rather anecdotal. But, in the case of Asphalt 9, putting all the settings to the maximum, the game literally freezes. It doesn't always happen, there are times when it goes well but others when I've had this problem that, after clicking on the screen again, it plays again only to get stuck a few seconds later.
I don't think the error comes from the game, since I can play it perfectly on other mobiles like the Oneplus 9 without problems. In my opinion, I think that the problem is in the Xiaomi layer, which, as you already know, is about MIUI. It runs on Android 11. This isn't the cleanest layer by any means and it may have some small problem that I'm sure can be solved with a future update. And more considering that it is its flagship of the moment.
On the other hand, in terms of autonomy, this is a phone that is especially greedy for its screen. Will we be able to make it to the end of the day without problems? Indeed, yes. But, if we give it a lot of cane, we will not be able to excessively stretch its battery. Of course, Xiaomi solves this with a brutally fast charge of 67 W with its wired charger and 67 W for wireless charging. And, in case you want to load other equipment, 10W reversible charging. What translates, finally, in that in approximately 40 minutes we can make a full charge.
My favorite Android camera to date
Now yes, it is my turn to tell you about my experience with what for me is one of the most important sections of using a mobile phone: cameras. And, especially in this smartphone, photography and video stands out within its own range.
At the specification level, which I know there are many who like to see and talk about, we have a triple rear camera:
- angle sensor 50 MP, with f/1.95 focal length, with optical stabilization and dual pixel. We can record video with 8K resolution up to 24 fps and 4K up to 60 fps using HDR10 technology.
- wide angle sensor 48 MP, with f/2.2 focal length, 128º field of view and phase detection autofocus. Video in 8K up to 24 fps and 4K up to 60 fps. In this lens we will not be able to use HDR technology.
- 48 MP telephoto sensor, with 5x optical, 10x hybrid and digital zoom up to 120x magnification. This sensor also has optical image stabilization and phase detection focus. Video in 8K up to 24 fps and 4K up to 60 fps. In this lens we will not be able to use HDR technology.
And, for the front cameraIt has a 20 MP sensor, with which we can record video up to 1080p at 60 fps.
A priori, all this data sounds pretty good, but how do the cameras of the Mi 11 Ultra behave on a day-to-day basis? Well, the truth is that, as we might expect.
When we take photos during the day, the photographs that we can capture are of a very high quality and a more than correct sharpness. It is true that Xiaomi's processing system tends to oversaturate slightly and this is noticeable in the captures, but this time it is not too aggressive.
As you can imagine, the one that performs the best of all the sensors is the main one, and then the zoom surprised me a lot. Up to those 5x optical magnification, the quality is beastly, surpassing many of the high-end competitors. But even using the hybrid zoom, the photos we can take are very good. Of course, the 120 increases is more marketing than anything else because the results are tremendously bad.
On the other hand, the lens that fares worst is the wide angle, with somewhat more unrealistic colors and a general quality that is one step behind the rest of the sensors. Although it complies, do not think that the results are of low quality or worse than what we usually see in this range. It's in the middle.
Regarding the selfie, here it is clearly noticeable that the lens leaves photos of a much lower quality. A poor contrast, very obvious oversaturation and, although the detail is compliant, don't expect much either. Although of course, having that little screen with which you can take selfies with the main camera…. Who wants the selfies lens in that case. And speaking of this, to activate the rear screen to take photos, we will have the option in the camera settings. We will only have to click on it and turn the phone to use it.
When the light falls, this Mi 11 Ultra continues to meet all its objectives quite well but, as usual, the quality is somewhat lower in this type of situation. Although, to alleviate this a bit, Xiaomi implements the night mode.
And, on the side of video, the dynamics that we see in the photographs is the same that is repeated in this section. The quality is very good, the HDR10 + makes the colors look incredibly good and, along with the 8K recording, surely it will be more than enough for most users. Of course, in my opinion I would prefer to record at this high resolution only at specific moments and, normally, shoot in 4K at 30 or 60 fps.
As a curiosity, the camera settings are full of interesting details if you are passionate about this aspect. For example, we can record with 2 lenses at the same time, either in separate files or as a montage of both. We will also have a pro mode, to take raw photos or record video with logarithmic profiles. Or even record video in macro mode or use the audio zoom mode to capture it locally.
A great mobile that not many will have
Having said all this, now that I have told you about my experience and everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, it is time for me to tell you about my conclusions. And I already anticipate that, unfortunately, they are not very encouraging.
But before of course I want to tell you that this phone will be available for a official price of 1.199,99 euros through the Xiaomi website and its distributors.
For me, this Xiaomi phone is a 9,5 mobile. By this I mean that it fulfills very well no matter where you look at it. At the design level I find it very beautiful and spectacular. The rear module may be horribly large and stick out a lot from the body, but in the end I think I would end up getting used to it. At the level of technical specifications it is unbeatable, and I think those little problems when put to the maximum will be fixed very soon with a software update. And, speaking of photography, it seems more than correct.
But of course, we are talking about a mobile that almost reaches 1.200 euros, and in that range, many users may decide to bet on the current Samsung or iPhone instead of giving this phone a try. The dynamic that usually occurs with the top launches of OPPO, Oneplus and other manufacturers.
So, in my opinion, if you can afford to spend that money on a mobile, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is a guaranteed bet. Which, in addition, has character and will be easily recognizable as it happens with other mobile phones in the more premium range.