Gadgets that pack a punch
XIAOMI MAY NOT BE AS WELL KNOWN AS SOME OF ITS TECH RIVALS, BUT THESE PRODUCTS ARE WELL WORTH A LOOK
ANOTHER week, another megadrop of new phone news from one of the world’s biggest tech companies.
Xiaomi’s new stuff – not just phones, but a few other smartlooking gadgets too – have been unveiled by the Chinese company.
Perhaps not as well known as some of its rivals, Xiaomi nevertheless sits as the fourth biggest phone-maker in the world behind Samsung, Apple, and Huawei. And the company was only formed 11 years ago.
Known for sleek design more than build quality, many have regarded Xiaomi’s phones as the poor-man’s Apple, with some striking similarities between devices from both companies.
That changed when Xiaomi unveiled its latest flagship handset. The company’s Mi 11 phone is already out there in the wild, but this week we got to meet its big brother, the Mi 11 Ultra… and it’s a beast in many senses of the word.
This is what’s coming our way from Beijing soon – Xiaomi hasn’t revealed release dates or confirmed UK prices just yet… prices given are the best guesses based on EU prices confirmed by Xiaomi.
MI 11 ULTRA (£1,000)
Clearly, one thing about the 11 Ultra stands out – it has what can only be described as the mother of all camera bumps. There is a very good reason for this, though.
Firstly, the bump doesn’t just house the camera models – it also features a small second screen.
This screen can be configured to show messages when not in camera mode, can show details about the shot, or the view through the lens itself – so it could be a selfie viewfinder. Which sounds like a useful idea to me.
Also in that massive bump is a massive sensor on the main wideangled 50MP camera – the 1/1.12in sensor is the biggest yet, in a smartphone, and will no doubt capture more light than other phones are capable of, especially when paired with the relatively fast f1.95 lens.
The other two cameras on the big bump are 48MP ultra wide and telephoto units. There’s a time-offlight depth sensor, too.
All three cameras can capture 8K video at 24fps.
Other quite remarkable features of this phone include a 36-minute 100% “turbo charge” feature, which is the fastest I’ve heard of, as well as superior sound output developed in collaboration with US audio company Harman/Kardon.
There’s a fast chip, all the usual water and dust-proofing, a great screen and a Xiaomi-skinned variant of Android 11 tying the whole thing together.
MI 11i (£550)
The Mi 11i is a cheaper version of the standard 11 which is already on sale from Xiaomi, starting at £749.
It’s still a powerful machine, with a super-fast processor, but loses the curved screen and moves the fingerprint sensor from under the screen to the side of the device.
A nice upgrade on sound, bringing Dolby Atmos features to the new dual-speaker system, makes this a good choice if you watch a lot of video on your phone.
MI 11 LITE (£250/4G, £310/5G)
The 11 Lite is just what you imagine it might be – a cheap phone “designed for young trendsetters”.
It’s less of a phone than its big brothers in every way – including the price.
Despite that, it still packs in three good-quality camera modules, and comes in a range of cool colours.
MI SMART PROJECTOR 2 PRO (£850)
If you like your video a bit larger than a smartphone is capable of, or even a bit larger than life, then the new smart projector from Xiaomi might be right up your street.
It’s not the cheapest on the market, but it’s packed with high-end features. Its bright display can be adjusted between 60in and 120in, and its smart-focus features mean you can put it just about anywhere and get good results.
There’s a 10w speaker in there, too, for the full cinema experience.
It runs on Android TV, so has full integration with Google’s Chromecast for streaming and even features the Google Assistant for smart home control. Netflix is, of course, pre-installed.
MI SMARTBAND 6 (£40)
The Mi Smartband 6 is a fairly simple fitness tracker that features a larger screen than its predecessor.
There are loads of fitness tracking features built-in, with some 30 exercise types included.
Sleep-tracking is also offered and battery-life is exceptional, with 14-days of runtime between charges.