The Xiaomi Mi 11 is getting globally launched on February 8, but it almost certainly won’t land alone. In fact, we’ve heard rumblings of at least three other devices that we might see alongside it.
Below, we’ll run you through all of them, from the basic Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, to the super-premium Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, and we’ll also consider what else we might – or might not – see.
In the case of the Xiaomi Mi 11 itself we already know exactly what to expect, as the phone has already been unveiled in China – this new launch is just for its wider availability, but it landed alone in China, while on February 8 we’re expecting it to have some company.
1. Xiaomi Mi 11
There’s no real mystery surrounding the Xiaomi Mi 11. It’s already been unveiled in China and it’s the one device that we know for sure will be shown off on February 8.
That also perhaps makes it less exciting than some of the devices on this list, but it has a decent assortment of specs and there are still some questions that need answering – most notably how much it will cost.
The specs include a top-end Snapdragon 888 chipset, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, a 6.81-inch curved 1440 x 3200 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4,600mAh battery with 55W charging (or 50W if wireless), and a triple-lens camera with a 108MP main one, a 13MP ultra-wide one, and a 5MP macro one.
So in other words this is a high-end phone, which in terms of specs could rival the Samsung Galaxy S21 or even the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus. And it might well undercut those phones too, given that it starts at CNY 3,999 (around $610, £450, AU$800) in China. Actual prices are sure to be much higher than those conversions, but may still be on the low end for a flagship.
2. Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro
Here’s what the Xiaomi #Mi11Pro might look like 🔥(concept based on leaks) pic.twitter.com/c2chszk7fcJanuary 8, 2021
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro has been leaked and is therefore probably in the works, but there’s no guarantee that it will show up alongside the standard Mi 11 – though the timings would certainly make sense.
In any case, based on leaks it seems that the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro will possibly have a quad-lens camera, including a 50MP main snapper (which oddly is down from the 108MP one on the Xiaomi Mi 11), but it also supposedly has a telephoto snapper capable of a massive 120x digital zoom.
Leaks also point to a larger 5,000mAh battery, but the same screen specs as the Xiaomi Mi 11, meaning a 6.81-inch 2K curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 1,500 nits.
There’s no word yet on how much the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro might cost, but expect it to be a lot – possibly upwards of $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$2,000.
3. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Perhaps the most exciting potential launch is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. This would be the top, super-premium model in the range, likely designed as a rival to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
That said, we’re not at all certain that such a phone is in the works, let alone that it will land on February 8, as there’s limited evidence of it.
In fact we’ve only really heard about it from one source, who suggests it will have the same screen specs as the standard Xiaomi Mi 11, but with a much larger battery and faster 67W wireless charging.
We’d think it would also have a different camera setup though – either matching or beating the rumored Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro configuration.
It’s worth noting that there was a Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, which adds weight to the theory that this phone is on the way, but that handset was only ever sold in China, so it’s unclear whether the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra would get a wider release.
4. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite
At the bottom end of the Mi 11 range we might see the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite on February 8. This phone is rumored to have a Snapdragon 755G chipset, which hasn’t even been announced itself yet, but based on the name is likely to be a mid-range one with 5G support.
The Mi 11 Lite is also said to have a 64MP main camera and a 5x telephoto one, along with a flat OLED screen and a punch-hole selfie camera.
It’s worth noting that we’ve only heard these specs from one source so far, and the presence of a telephoto camera raises red flags, given that the standard Mi 11 doesn’t have one, but we should find out whether this phone exists and what its specs are soon.
5. A surprise
The four Xiaomi Mi 11 models above are the things we’re most likely to see, since this is the Xiaomi Mi 11 launch event after all, but we can’t rule out a surprise of some kind.
Four phones is probably plenty, but perhaps something else will be unveiled, like a smartwatch or a fitness tracker. In fact, the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 has been leaked, and might come with GPS, Sp02 monitoring, and Amazon Alexa integration, along with 30 different fitness tracking modes (up from just 11 on the Xiaomi Mi Band 5).
However, the Mi Band 5 wasn’t announced until June 2020, and that was only for China – its global launch didn’t come until July, so it might be a bit early for the Mi Band 6. If there are any surprises though we’ll be sure to tell you what they are, so check back to TechRadar on February 8.