Xiaomi 11T Pro First Impressions: Terrific value | Mobile News

Xiaomi 11T Pro First Impressions: Terrific value

The Xiaomi 11T Pro comes to India with enticing prices and exciting specifications. We take a quick glance at this new Xiaomi flagship.

By: AMRITANSHU MUKHERJEE
| Updated on: Aug 21 2022, 23:33 IST
Xiaomi 11T Pro
The Xiaomi 11T Pro relies on the Snapdragon 888 platform. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
Xiaomi 11T Pro
The Xiaomi 11T Pro relies on the Snapdragon 888 platform. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

As the rest of Xiaomi's global markets prepare for the enticing Xiaomi 12 series flagships, India gets the Xiaomi 11T Pro as the company's latest and greatest. The Xiaomi 11T Pro brings back the “T” lineup to India, focusing as usual on high end specifications at affordable prices. In fact, for a phone that offers both the Snapdragon 888 chip and a 120W fast charging tech, its starting price of Rs. 39,999 seems unreal in an age when every new technology commands a premium.

That said, as 2022 begins, there are a couple of “cut-price flagships” either coming or already on sale. We recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and that left us impressed too. The Vivo V23 Pro also plays in this same price bracket. Realme already has its Realme GT around this and in the coming months, we expect the Realme GT 2 to arrive.

What has Xiaomi got to offer in this crowd? We have had a few hours to play around with the phone and here's what we think.

8GB + 128GBRs. 39,999
8GB + 256GBRs. 41,999
12GB + 256GBRs. 43,999

Xiaomi 11T Pro Design, Build

Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
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Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

The Xiaomi 11T Pro moves away from the unique design the Mi 11 introduced last year and instead settles for one that looks generic. The “Meteorite Black” variant that we have at our disposal wears highly understated looks. The camera hump is reminiscent of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and rest of the detailing around seems simple. This was an issue with the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro launched in late 2020 as well.

Is this good or bad? We leave it upon you to decide. The fit and finish, however, is on par with Samsung and Apple flagships. I am also glad to see Xiaomi avoiding the uncomfortable flat-sided boxy designs and settling for a curvy design. Despite the 204 grams of weight, this is a manageable phone by all means.

Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
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Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Some aspects that had us impressed was the dedicated dual speaker setup – a feature that is rare on phones of this class. Another rare feature? An INR Blaster sensor for controlling legacy home appliances. There's no 3.5mm headphone jack but Xiaomi bundles a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle in the box.

Speaking of what else is in the box? A plastic case, a pre-applied screen protector, and a 120W charging adapter are also present.

Xiaomi 11T Pro Specs at a glance

Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
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Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Beating inside the Xiaomi 11T Pro is a Snapdragon 888 chip, which in en-route to become the Snapdragon 870 of 2022! Even though the “flagship standards” have normalised the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Snapdragon 888 is no slouch. In the few hours we have had, this phone absolutely flies like every other 2021 top-end flagship. Xiaomi's MIUI 12.5 helps with this too, with a well-optimised software experience. No Android 12 on this yet and Xiaomi does not reveal an exact date, which is sad considering the Vivo V23 Pro launched with Android 12. The promise of three Android OS upgrades is some consolation to say the least.

As for MIUI 12.5, I haven't seen annoying system-level ads throughout the interface yet. A few third-party apps, such as Moj, Netflix, and Facebook come pre-installed but they all can be deleted. And since this is a Xiaomi flagship, the beautifully animated Super Wallpapers return.

Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
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Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

The Harman Kardon tuned speakers are among the best I have heard so far in this price segment. They soundstage is decent and the volume levels are loud. More on this in our full review.

The 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display looks promising for movie watching, catching up with HDR content on Netflix. The panel quality seems good and the 120Hz refresh rate keeps all animations and scrolling smooth. The bezels, however, aren't as slim as that of the Samsung galaxy S21 FE's display.

Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
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Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

A few clicks with the cameras show great tuning of the same old 108MP HM2 sensor as well as the 5MP macro camera. The saturated colour stage found in previous Xiaomi phones is present but it all ends up looking pleasing. We will test it out more in the coming days. Spoiler alert: the macro camera is brilliant.

While we don't have enough data to comment on the battery life yet, we can confirm that the 120W charging tech is super convenient to live with. We did a full charge from under 10 percent and it did it under the claimed 17 minutes. The 0-60 percent journey is unbelievably fast. The Galaxy S21 FE in comparison takes ages to do the same journey.

Xiaomi 11T Pro First Impressions

Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
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Xiaomi 11T Pro (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

The Xiaomi 11T Pro enters a space that has never been this competitive. Helping it stand out is the 120W charging, which clearly puts this phone in a league of its own (for now). Considering the display tech as well as initial glimpse of Xiaomi's claimed “Hyper” performance, we are quite impressed.

Is this the ultimate flagship killer phone under 50,000? Stay tuned for our full review to find out.

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First Published Date: 19 Jan, 15:30 IST
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