The Xiaomi Mi 11 was first unveiled in December 2020, but today is the day we hear about it coming to other countries outside of the manufacturer’s home market of China.
Xiaomi may change some specs for its global launch of the Mi 11, but we mostly have the details of the phone from its release in China. What we don’t know is where it’ll be on sale, or how much it’ll cost.
Plus, there are rumors of a Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite that may well arrive alongside the Mi 11. Those phones didn’t launch in China alongside the Mi 11, so we’re excited to see what the company has up its sleeve.
Should you be excited about the Xiaomi Mi 11? We think so as it looks like a solidly-built smartphone with a lot of top-end spec, and if the China pricing is anything to go this will likely sell for a remarkably low price.
The event starts at 4am PT / 7am ET / 12pm GMT / 11pm AEDT so you should check back here around then to tune in to today’s big phone launch as it happens.
All times are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
12:17 – Low light photography performance is set for an upgrade here too. Ultra Night Mode is available for video. Xiaomi showed an example of the software running on stage, but we’ve yet to learn any facts about how it’ll be working or what it’ll be able to do.
Again, we’re excited to try this one out further at the time of our full review.
12:15 – This software seems to be mostly focused on adding filters to your video, but we’re sure there’s a bit more to the software. We’ll be filming some similar clips to these people dancing when we’re testing out the camera in our full review.
12:14 – As expected, we’re straight into camera specs before we talk about anything else. Xiaomi has put a lot of focus on its camera tech in the last few years, and the Mi 11 is no different.
As in the China version of this handset, there are three elements to the rear camera. There’s a 108MP wide shooter, 13MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro camera as well.
Notably, Xiaomi is focusing on video recording with a bunch of different features like a new freeze frame mode and an improved time lapse mode. The Mi 11 also has improved editing software for making videos too.
12:10 – Xiaomi Mi 11 has been named, so let’s see what has changed for its global release… if anything.
12:09 – There’s some interesting stuff for the uninitiated from Xiaomi’s laboratories, but remember that almost every manufacturer has a similar site like this for research and development.
That said, it’s great to see a brand talk about this stuff on stage.
12:07 – Chew is talking about the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and its incredibly high specs with a 120x zoom and the 120W wired charging. On paper, this month seems phenomenal and it’s a real shame the company hasn’t brought it out away from its home market of China.
This is a great time promote an article we did last year on the 5 best Android phones you can’t buy. The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra was one of those devices, and we’re hoping if there’s a Mi 11 Ultra we’ll be able to try it out in the UK and beyond.
12:06 – The music on this video makes it feel like the climax of a Christopher Nolan movie rather than an example of how it makes smartphones.
12:05 – Chew is also talking about how the company’s Mi 10 series is one of its most exciting ever. There’s even a behind the scenes video, which is great and all but I’d love to hear about new smartphones please.
12:03 – Rather than the company’s usual style of having its presenters on stage, the company has switched to a launch that wanders around a smartphone store.
Shou Zi Chew , President of International at Xiaomi, is kicking things off with some stats of how the company is currently doing around the world.
12:00 – We’re starting right on the dot… I don’t remember the last time we saw a live stream do that. You could also say that I’m very easily impressed at the moment.
11:55 – Let’s get started then, it’s time for the Mi 11 launch. We’re hoping for more phones than we’ve previously seen from the China launch, and as it’s a Xiaomi launch it may be we see some other products from its smart home category too.
11:28 – Planning to watch along? You’ll want to open up the video below, and the event is set to start at 4am PT / 7am ET / 12pm GMT / 11pm AEDT.
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10:55 – Welcome to 2021’s next big phone launch. We may have seen the Samsung Galaxy S21 early, but there’s now more excitement to be had with the Xiaomi Mi 11 series making a global debut.
What will we be seeing today? It’s almost certain we’ll be hearing about the Xiaomi Mi 11’s worldwide launch – that should include pricing and availability for markets like the UK – and we may even see some new smartphones from the company too.
Follow along here for the latest as the launch event happens. We’ll be watching everything that happens on the livestream and we’ll give you our commentary alongside the details of the new smartphone.