Xiaomi’s development park, which was fully operational last year, pleased us before the new year with another smartphone: Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NO. The NO flag is supposed to mean the new version. We have checked the innovations that Xiaomi has introduced.
evaluation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
| Advantages | Weak points |
| ✔AMOLED screen | ❌ The ultra-wide camera is not as good as other phones |
| ✔Slim and Lightweight Design | ❌ Average Battery |
| ✔decent performance |
Why did Xiaomi manage to climb to the top of mobile phones last year? Much of the credit for success goes to their development and sales strategy. Xiaomi does not focus only on flagships, although it does not lack success in this area. Show horses are great for muscle-tightening among manufacturers, and users learn what current mobile technology can do. Xiaomi has unveiled a number of innovations this year, including a new 120W ultra-fast charging and an under-display camera. However, the leading companies are usually not the main reason for the success of the company.
This is ensured by low and mid-priced phones, which are mostly in the hands of users. It is difficult to compete with Xiaomi in this area. They always have a great family of POCO phones in their wallet, then Redmi and now they have added a new member to the Lite family of phones. At first glance, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G cannot be quickly replaced by its older brother Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, as they are almost identical in appearance. The differences are noticeable when we look at the phone closely. Let’s Begin.
For testing purposes, we used a 128GB version and 6GB of RAM. There are also versions available: 8GB / 128GB, 8GB / 256GB.
Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE: Sleek Design158 grams
The new Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE in Bubblegum Blue (Bubblegum Blue) was waiting for us in classic Xiaomi packaging. You can also choose between Snowflake White, Peach Pink, and Truffle Black. We first noticed a slightly different design for the front camera. This is not a revolutionary change, as in the Xiaomi MIX 4, where the front camera is located under the display. We also didn’t expect this in a mid-range smartphone, but the change is still welcome. Thus, the front camera is located in the upper left corner, which means that when using it, we feel that we have the entire screen. Of course, this is not actually the case, but this type of layout is still better than the classic one.
When we took the phone in our hands, we were surprised by its lightness. It weighs barely 158 grams and is extremely thin (6.81 mm), which is worth remembering when we talk about the devices below. This also means that the phone is not visible when carried in a pocket or purse. The lightness did not hinder the engineers in the quality of workmanship. The back is glass, not plastic, and the glass is complemented by a matte coating that helps hide finger stains. The glass surface is quite slippery in the hand, so we recommend using the cap (already included). In standard mode we find a system of 3 cameras. You’ll notice a ring around the main lens, which adds a slight brightening to the entire look. We were happy to put the cameras in an ultra-thin unit. It stands out from the rest of the case by just 1.77mm, which means that the phone’s oscillation in landscape mode is almost imperceptible compared to some other phones.
The idea of brightness and simplicity is followed by thin bezels around the screen (1.88 mm). The entire left side is empty, and on the right side we find the volume buttons and the power button. Since this is a mid-priced device, you will have to deal with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. It’s not an excellent solution, as in the case of phones with an in-display sensor, but you won’t notice much difference during use. Some users would prefer to see the fingerprint sensor at the back, but that would spoil the phone’s sleek look somewhat. Moreover, you cannot unlock the phone without picking it up.
There is one speaker on each side, which creates a stereo effect. At the bottom there is also a main microphone and a USB-C charging port. It lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, which has already become a trend among newer smartphones. Xiaomi earns a few extra points with the included USB-C / 3.5mm adapter, making you not even notice the missing headphone jack.
Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE: AMOLED display, 90 Hz, Dolby Vision
The screen is undoubtedly the central idea of Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NO. You’ll be browsing through a 6.55-inch (16.38cm) screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 and a refresh rate of 90Hz. Xiaomi has chosen an AMOLED display, and we are very grateful for it. There is support for 10-bit color depth display, Dolby Vision, and HDR 10+, which provide superior content rendering. A slightly lower refresh rate (some screens in this category refresh at 120Hz) does not spoil the user experience. If you have the choice of a 120 Hz + LCD screen and a 90 Hz AMOLED screen, you will always choose AMOLED, as an LCD screen cannot be compared in terms of quality.
The screen in HDR mode reaches 800 brightness indicators, and in typical use 500 threads. These are not records and the phone itself is not designed to break records. Xiaomi left this task to the Xiaomi 12. The brightness allows comfortable viewing in almost all lighting conditions. We waited in vain for more sunny weather to be able to test the phone in the stronger sunlight. Lucky users, who have a bit more sun at this time, have reported that the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G does not have enough light even in a slightly brighter light.
Of course, all the advantages of an AMOLED display are also present, especially with the inclusion of the built-in Always-On Display function, highlighting the blacks and various animations offered by the MIUI interface. In the settings, you can switch between light and dark mode. Sunlight mode automatically adjusts the brightness according to the environment you are in. However, if you want to use your phone to read e-books, you can turn on reading mode, which reduces the amount of blue light. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, and the phone has received the protection mark IP53, which means that it is resistant to dust and water drops.
Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NO: Camera and take pictures
Three cameras are available: a 64MP main lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP macro telephoto lens. It will use a 20MP camera to capture the siblings. Photos taken with the main camera with a resolution of 64 megapixels and in good lighting conditions are suitable. Images are sharp, colors are accurate, and saturation and contrast are slightly higher than expected by default. In low light conditions, the camera loses a bit. With Night Mode, you can restore some clarity and light to your photos.
The ultra-wide camera in most cases does not find its rhythm. We can’t say it’s a bad lens, but it’s also not one of the best lenses we’ve tested so far. Images look a bit blurry and we lose the upper level of detail. The macro lens is an entirely different story, as it successfully captures even the smallest details. Those who like to play with the camera on the phone will have more fun with the macro camera.
There is also a portrait mode, which allows a good separation between the background and the subject, and everything works normally. The Xiaomi 20MP selfie camera is good for most scenarios. It takes sharp photos with enough facial detail, especially if you fiddle with the settings a bit. When you switch to video, you’ll be able to record up to 4K at 30 frames per second. OIS isn’t integrated, which is a slight disappointment, but not too surprising for the phone’s price. Video quality is still great, details are crisp and colors are accurate with good dynamic range.
Examples of image quality
What about performance?
Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G does not run Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G, up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. The phone is fast and responsive and you will not run out of breath during everyday tasks (browsing, YouTube…), even if you have many applications running in your memory. Although it is not a gaming phone, it is still powerful enough to play more demanding games. Call of Duty: Mobile, Genshin Impact, which we played without problems at high settings. After an hour or two of gaming, the phone had warmed up a bit as expected, but there was no cause for concern.
The 4,250mAh battery doesn’t look very impressive, at least on paper. We would like to see a slightly higher capacity, as the needs of users are constantly growing. When Xiaomi’s own charging technology (120W) also appears in mid-range phones, this shortfall will be minimal. Until then, we hope that Xiaomi and other manufacturers will invest in developing more powerful batteries.
However, in practice, the 4250 mAh battery proved to be powerful enough to last you all day. It is powered by an economical processor and a well-optimized MIUI 12.5 cover. With average usage, we still have at least 30% reserve at the end of the day. With gaming and a 90Hz refresh, we pushed the battery capacity to the limit. The phone was able to last through the end of the day, but needed a short respite. The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G does not support fast charging (33W), which means that the phone was ready to use again within an hour.
If you are interested in the numbers, see the test results below:
- 3DMark (Wildlife): 2483; 14.9 fps
- Jakebench 5: 771 (single-core), 2377 (multi-core), 2204 (OpenCL)
- PCMark (Action 3.0): 9311
We do not have any comments in the field of contact. There is support for 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and dual SIM slots. Xiaomi has committed 3 Android upgrades and 4 years of security fixes, which will definitely appeal to phone users in the long run.
Final opinion
Xiaomi did not disappoint us with the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G. We were expecting a mid-range phone and we got it. It has a standard battery life, mid-range performance, a great AMOLED display, long-term technical support, and an attractive design. The main camera and macro lens will provide a good shooting experience, and the ultra-wide camera will gain quality with a little better improvement.
We do not recommend the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G smartphone to users who want a pleasant and smooth mobile experience at an affordable price.
You cannot buy Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G from the official Xiaomi online store mi-store.si.