Xiaomi is the company that never sleeps, releasing new phones more frequently than we change our bedsheets, and perhaps the biggest upcoming phone from the company is the Xiaomi Mi 11T.
Other phones we’re expecting in 2021
While the phone series hasn’t been confirmed by Xiaomi, the Mi 11T line is very likely coming as a mid-year follow-up to the Mi 11, in the same way the Mi 10T followed the Mi 10 and so on.
If 2020’s habits are followed, there will be three new Xiaomi Mi 11T smartphones; a Lite, a standard model, and a Pro, and these will slot in with the existing Mi 11 devices. So perhaps the Mi 11 Ultra will stay the top-end model, and the Mi 11 Lite 5G will remain the budget one, but the Mi 11T devices will hit new price points in between.
We haven’t heard any leaks about the Xiaomi Mi 11T phones so far – we’ve barely had time to sleep since the last Xiaomi phones launched – but when we do, they’ll be added to this article so you can find out all there is to know about the devices.
One early rumor suggests that the phone could come with an under-display selfie camera and support for the ultra-wideband location tracking tech (as seen in the Apple AirTags).
Until then, we’ve created a Xiaomi Mi 11T wish list, based on the Mi 10T and Mi 11 phones, as well as other devices from Xiaomi and other companies.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Xiaomi’s late-year series of flagship companions
- How much will it cost? One budget, one mid-range and one upper mid-range
- When will it be out? Likely September 2021
Xiaomi Mi 11T release date and price
If the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro can tell us anything, it’s that the company doesn’t want its T series to overshadow its main-line one – so we might not see a Mi 11T Ultra, and the Mi 11 Ultra might remain the brand’s top phone of the year.
As a result, with regards to price, it’s probably better to expect a budget, a lower-mid-range, and an upper-mid-range device, with the three devices likely to hit price points the Mi 11 range doesn’t. Since there’s a big gap between the Mi 11 Lite 5G and Mi 11 prices, we could see the Mi 11T devices fit in there.
We don’t know a release date, but the Mi 10T devices launched in September 2020, so we could see them a year on from that. However, the Mi 11 devices launched only 10 months after the Mi 10 phones, not a year, so we could see the Mi 11T devices jump the gun too.
What we want to see
Our Xiaomi Mi 11T wish list is based on things we liked – and, more importantly, things we didn’t – about previous Xiaomi phones.
1. Dump the bump
When the Xiaomi Mi 10T came along, we were surprised by its massively thick camera bump… until the Mi 11 Ultra came along with its tectonic rear panel.
Okay, Xiaomi. Ha ha, very funny, big camera bumps are so hilarious, and they get everyone tweeting about your new phones, as people marvel at their giant size. But as the memes die down and you stop tweeting about it, we’ve still got to use these unwieldy and annoying phones.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 was perfect in this regard, as its camera array didn’t stick too far out from the body – let’s keep that thickness, please.
2. Side-mounted fingerprint scanners
Xiaomi has long had a problem with in-screen fingerprint sensors, as they can often be temperamental, something we especially found with the Mi 11. The Mi 10T line didn’t have this issue though, as their thumb scanners were actually mounted on the edge of the phone.
We found this placement incredibly convenient, and it made unlocking the devices a treat. We’d go so far as to say the Mi 10T Pro possibly had the best implementation of this side-mounted fingerprint scanner we’ve ever seen.
Hopefully the Mi 11T phones will keep this location then.
3. Telemacro cameras all round!
Arguably the Xiaomi Mi 11’s best feature was its 5MP telemacro camera, which was good for zoom photos but fantastic for macro (or close-up) ones. Evidently, Xiaomi concurred, as the lens found its way to the Mi 11 Lite 5G, Poco F3 and more.
Sadly the Mi 11 Ultra missed out – and its macro capabilities are far worse – so we’d like to see every member of the Mi 11T family get such macro cameras.
The implementation of this kind of camera would actually work really well with the next point on our list…
4. Even more great camera modes
One of the reasons to look forward to new Xiaomi phones is that, with each one, the company shows off a few more novel and quirkly photography or videography modes, and we’re looking forward to seeing more on the Mi 11T.
The Mi 10T line brought a few great modes, and we look forward to seeing what the Mi 11T line could bring. In particular we’d like to see new photography tricks, as videography has been the focus for the last few phone generations.
Especially if each new phone used the telemacro camera, the new modes could improve close-up photography even more.
5. Fix MIUI
MIUI is Xiaomi’s Android overlay it uses for its phones, and we’re getting sick of complaining about it in our reviews.
While bloatware is MIUI’s worst problem, with loads of pre-installed third-party and Xiaomi apps and games, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
MIUI can be quite buggy, with notifications getting sent multiple times, or appearing wrong in the notification window. Oftentimes your customizations can revert back to their default look. You can receive notification buzzes, without actually receiving any message.
While it’s not terrible, with loads of customization options, MIUI doesn’t hold up to alternative interfaces like ColorOS or TCL’s OS, and Xiaomi needs to fix it.