If you follow our site and social networks, you certainly didn't miss the fact that we brought you reviews of flagship models Xiaomi Mi 11 a My 11 Ultra. However, there is another model from the Mi 11 family that we missed. This time, however, we complement the trio of flagships with a detailed review of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro smartphone.
It is almost the same model as the Mi 11 Ultra. Based on the parameters, we do not find many differences, but as far as the price is concerned, the difference is more than € 200. Which model pays off more? Is this price difference justified? You will learn everything important in our detailed review.
Where did we buy Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro?
We bought Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro from our international partner TradingShenzhen, which offers the opportunity to buy those smartphones that are not sold at ours. It is a very reliable seller, from which we also bought previous models from the Mi 11 series. Delivery is without any customs duties or VAT.
In the case of our order the delivery itself took only 9 days. When ordering, however, we chose to install Global ROM, ie the global version of MIUI. We waited another 10 days for this installation, so the total installation of the system + delivery took 19 days. Of course, we did not pay any additional fees and the package was delivered directly to the editorial office by the DPD courier.
Chinese version with global ROM
As you probably know, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro was not introduced for Europe, so it does not have a global version. Only the Chinese version is available, but it also supports our networks, which makes it a fully usable smartphone in our country and throughout Europe.
TradingShenzeh also supplies Chinese versions of smartphones with Google services installed. There is another interesting service in their portfolio, which we decided to test this time. It is the installation of a global ROM, which on the one hand extends the delivery time by several days, but on the other hand brings many benefits.
If you do not want to use the Chinese ROM due to the absence of Slovak or Czech language and you do not dare to reinstall the ROM yourself, this service is perfect for you.
Traditional packaging presented by TradingShenzhen
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro arrived for us in the traditional packaging, which we are used to from the seller TradingShenzhen. The box with the smartphone was wrapped in air foil in another, protective cardboard box, in which we had attached a record of the functionality test that each smartphone from this seller passes.
A nice bonus, which is already a tradition, was the USB-C reduction to USB. Another gift for this model is a 67W Xiaomi charger with a Chinese tip, but an EU reduction was also included. The box of the smartphone itself is black with gold inscriptions and contains only a smartphone with a flat box, in which there is paper documentation and a translucent, silicone case.
Design and layout of elements
At first glance, the smartphone is identical to both the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra. The front and sides are exactly the same. The buttons for controlling the volume and waking the display are located on the right side, while the left side is completely empty. On the bottom we find a slot for 2 SIM card, which is very practical and small.
A loud speaker, a microphone and a USB-C charging port have also found their place here. The upper side contains a second speaker with the Harman Kardon brand logo, thanks to which we get stereo sound, a second microphone and a sensor (probably a light sensor and IrDA).
The rear side received a camera module similar to that of most models in the Mi 11 series. It is a square element with rounded edges that houses the lenses. The camera module protrudes from the body of the smartphone and is not flush even when using the included silicone case.
The lens of the main camera still protrudes, and when we place the smartphone on the table, it rests on it. It is not sufficiently protected and may be scratched over time. If you're using your smartphone on a desk, be prepared for it to bend when using the left side of the screen thanks to the protruding main camera.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro weighs 206 g and its dimensions are 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.53 mm. It is not the thinnest or lightest smartphone, but it is pleasant to hold in the hand and its weight is not burdensome. We have a black color that is rather dark gray. The back cover is glossy and looks like a mirror, so be prepared for visible fingerprints.
Great display from Samsung with a fingerprint reader
The pride of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro is its display. It is an AMOLED panel with a diagonal of 6.81 ″, WQHD resolution of 3200 x 1440 px and HDR10 + support. The display is from Samsung and is the same as the Redmi K40 or Xiaomi Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra models. Its brightness is represented by a value of 1500 nits, the pixel density is 551 PPI, the refresh rate is up to 120 Hz and the sampling frequency is 480 Hz.
The display is currently one of the best on the market, as evidenced by the prestigious A + rating from DisplayMate. If you have used a smartphone with an IPS display or a standard 60 Hz AMOLED so far, you will notice the difference at a glance. The display is beautiful and the smoothness is amazing. Watching videos or playing games on such a display is a pleasure.
The display is protected by the best protective glass on the market called Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. It is slightly rounded on all sides and in the upper left corner is the so-called shot in front, selfie camera. It is small and due to its location it is not a disturbing element at all.
However, if we compare the displays on the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro and Ultra, we see that the colors on the Pro model are a bit warmer. White is also warmer and has a subtle touch of yellow. It's not a big difference, but if you put these smartphones next to each other, set the maximum brightness on both and open the same applications, you will see a slight difference.
Performance: the best of Qualcomm
On the performance side, you can look forward to the best on the market again. Inside the smartphone is the flagship processor for 2021, Snapdragon 888 5G from Qualcomm with a maximum frequency of 2.84 GHz and support for a new generation of networks, 5G. He is assisted by the Adreno 660 graphics chip, which ensures a great gaming experience.
We had a version with 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256 GB storage. You can also buy a version with 12 GB of RAM, or with 128 GB of storage. The cheapest, of course, is the combination of 8 + 128 GB.
UFS 3.1 storage is extremely fast, which also contributes to the perfect speed of the entire smartphone. We tested the speed of this storage using the AndroBench application, which measured a sequential read speed of 1728.34 MB / s and a write speed of 717.23 MB / s. As one of the flagship models, you certainly don't have to worry about lack of performance.
The ideal set of cameras?
As mentioned in the introduction, the rear module of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro contains three cameras. Specifically, these are:
- main, 50 MPx Samsung GN2 with sensor size 1 / 1.12 ″ and aperture f / 1.95 (Mi 11 Ultra has the same)
- widescreen 13 Mpx with aperture f / 2.4
- tele-macro 8 Mpx
Xiaomi does not provide further specifications on sensors and their parameters for wide-angle and tele-macro sensors on its official website. You will find several pages on the Internet with this data, but they are slightly different everywhere, so we did not list them.
There is also a 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom and optical image stabilization. There is also support for the "Night Owl" night mode, which Xiaomi advertises as a mode that can see even in the dark.
The cameras look promising, let's take a closer look.
This is how Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro takes pictures
We tested the camera in the default settings, as most regular users will use it. The most beautiful photos are, of course, taken by the main camera. The photos are sharp and especially the colors are very nice and natural.
You will find a complete gallery of photos in full quality at this link.
Slightly worse is the wide-angle camera, whose colors are significantly warmer and slightly loses sharpness. You can see the color difference nicely, for example, in the following pair of photos, one of which was taken with the main sensor and the other with a wide-angle sensor.
As with most Xiaomi smartphones, it is possible to observe too strong shadows, which often go all the way to black, where details are absolutely lost and dark objects merge with each other.
You can see the HDR activity in the following pair of photos from the back seat of the car. A photo with HRD turned off is more natural, but as we mentioned above, the shadows blend too much into black. With HDR turned on, photography is a bit unnatural, but it's sure to find its target group of people who like such photos more.
We have a 5x optical zoom, which is excellent, and also a 10x hybrid zoom, the quality of which is also acceptable. At a higher approximation, we are only talking about the digital zoo, which of course is not too sharp, but still finds its use in critical moments.
Night mode with Night Owl support
We talked about the night mode in the review of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and with this model we could repeat everything. This mode can actually see in the dark and takes pictures of scenes with minimal light with a long exposure. Of course, photos in absolute darkness are not very sharp, but it is still an interesting feature.
At first glance, classic photographs of night streets and cities are clearly more beautiful with the night mode, although they are slightly less sharp than the original. But the overall effect is excellent, and if you do not print such photos in large format or examine them in detail on a computer, you will be satisfied.
Night mode can nicely suppress the glow from strong lighting and also bring light into the darkness. Here are a few sample photos, always for comparison, first with night mode off and then on.
This mode can also be turned on automatically if you have this option turned on in the camera settings. It has several levels that are displayed as Noc1S, Noc2S, etc. when shooting. The smartphone automatically recognizes which level to use.
Video in up to 8K resolution
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro supports a maximum video resolution of up to 8K at 24 frames per second. We also have 4K and 1080p at 30/60 fps and still 720p at 30 fps. At all resolutions, image stabilization can be turned on in the settings.
You can watch sample videos shot during the day and at night below. Since 8K resolution is only available at 24 fps, we decided to include sample videos in 4K.
Connectivity and sound
Despite the fact that the tested Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro is not sold in a global version intended for the European market, we did not lose support for our B20 LTE band, so the smartphone is fully usable in our country as well. In terms of wireless connectivity, the smartphone supports the latest WiFi 6E standard, Bluetooth 5.2, positioning systems such as GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou and more.
There is also support for IR, light sensor, barometer and gyroscope. Of course, NFC is also a matter of course, but unfortunately with such a flashed ROM on the global application, the Google Pay application does not allow us to add a card for security reasons. If you want to use NFC, we recommend that you choose when purchasing Xiaomi.eu ROM, not Global ROM.
As far as sound is concerned, the cooperation between Xiaomi and the well-known audio manufacturer, Harman Kardon, continues in this model as well. The speakers play well, but similar to the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra, they lack stronger bass.
67 W fast charging
Silicon-oxygen anode battery in Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro, similar to the Ultra model, has a larger capacity in the same size body (compared to a graphite battery) and less heating, thanks to which you can charge this smartphone with a power of 67 W wired, but also wirelessly.
Charging the flashlight in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro is a matter of minutes. Below you can see how the charging was done using the 67 W charger, which we received from the seller as a gift:
- from 20 to 50% - 11 minutes
- 75% - 21 minutes
- 90% - 27 minutes
- 100% - 34 minutes
We tested the wireless charging with 80 W charger from Xiaomiwhich comes with a 120 W adapter. Wireless charging is about the same as wired and the smartphone has also been charged in 35 minutes.
Such a fast charge is very convenient and having a charged smartphone in about 35 minutes is a big positive in today's hectic times. Despite the new battery technology, endurance is still only at the level of one day.
MIUI 12 and Android 11
Before concluding, let's say a few words about the operating system and its graphical superstructure. The smartphone works on the Android operating system in version 11 with an extension from Xiaomi, MIUI. We received this in version 12.0.2 with the latest Android security update from 1.4.2021.
The system is elaborated in detail, offers many settings and is also very successful in terms of design. All notifications from commonly used applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Viber or Gmail worked for us without any problems and we did not notice any system crashes or crashes.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro: Final evaluation
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro is deservedly one of the best smartphones from Xiaomi. It offers top performance with the most powerful processor from Qualcomm, fast UFS 3.1 storage, a top display that is among the best on the market and will delight even quality cameras.
In essence, it is almost identical to the smartphone with the real flagship, which is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. We only have slightly weaker cameras here and we lost the rear, secondary display. But is it worth paying more than € 200 for these bonuses? It already depends on personal preferences.
Personally, we like the Mi 11 Pro more than the Mi 11 Ultra, because of the more compact camera, which retains the same main sensor. Compared to the classic Mi 11 model, the Pro has an advantage in a higher quality camera and a larger battery with better endurance. In the Mi 11 series, the Mi 11 Pro is the ideal flagship for everyday use.
You will soon find out what the real difference is between cameras and whether they take pictures of the Mi 11 Pro worse than the Mi 11 Ultra. We are preparing an article in which we compare the cameras of both smartphones.
Hi, I would like to ask how it is with the updates for this type of smartphone with Global ROM, when it comes to the Chinese version. (Updates as such are in progress) Thank you.
You will receive updates by default as this will be the global version of the system.
Even if it is a smartphone that is not intended for our market? So it is not sold with global ROM such as Xiaomi mi 11 ultra.
If you reinstall the system on Global ROM, you will receive updates. It is also possible to choose a global ROM installation service from TradingShenzhen, but delivery will take longer for 10 days.
Hi, I've been using the phone for a week now, but I haven't found the automatic night mode function in the camera settings. . So is there an option set, or is it implemented directly ??
Night mode is activated automatically when visibility is reduced, ie in the dark, or can be turned on manually via More in the camera.
Hi. I am using this phone for over a year now, with the latest Xiaomi.eu Rom and it is amazing. However, I have a big problem and it is display brightness. In the sunny day when I am outdoors, I can normally use the phone, but after a while it gets warmer and the screen got dimmer, and there is no way to get it brighter. Manually or automatically it is the same. I read that it is a known bug, but there is no solution to this problem. At least I didn't find one. Did you have this problem during the test? What device considering display would you recommend for up to €600? Thanks!!