Xiaomi 11T Pro review: flagship features and fastest charging on market for €699 with just one caveat

Xiaomi 11T Pro is the first handset I have reviewed from the all-conquering brand that has soared to the top three in the global smartphone manufacturing stakes — and that’s without Xiaomi even entering the massive American market.

It has a reputation for crafting innovative hi-tech flagships such as the Mi 11 Ultra, but it has built up its huge market share by selling more affordable and budget-priced phones with super impressive specs.

Xiaomi 11T Pro is a mid-price device that packs in a lot of top-end tech.

That includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip and up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM.

And that’s not to mention a superfast 120Hz AMOLED display and a 108MP primary wide-angle camera which are its headline features.

I've been using it for a couple of months now and here's what I found...

Display

That extra-bright and crisp 6.67in FHD+ AMOLED display (which supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision playback) is stunning, with blacks as deep as any Samsung screen and colours looking punchy and vibrant.

There is just a neat punch-hole sitting in the centre of the handset’s top edge.

The top end 120Hz refresh rate display makes everything feel super smooth.

Peak brightness is 1000 nits which means you’ll have no trouble seeing the screen in direct sunlight.

Viewing angles are excellent.

One key feature, if you are a mobile gaming fan, is the 480Hz touch sampling rate which is superior to the ASUS Rog Phone 5S Pro and topped only by two dedicated gaming phones, the Lenovo Legion Duel II and the RedMagic 6S Pro which both feature 720Hz touch sampling rate.

These touch sampling rates represent the number of times a screen can sense a user touch input in a second and the higher they are means the more responsive your screen is to your taps.

So it’s great to see a 480Hz touch sampling rate on a mid-range device such as 11T Pro.

Cameras

The main 108MP, f/1.8, camera captures some fantastic photos even if it lacks the consistency of an iPhone 13 Pro or a Pixel 6 Pro.

I tend to take an extra couple of shots of each scene when using it – and usually one of them nails it perfectly.

Images captured in lowlight conditions have a decent level of brightness and not too much noise. Portraits employ a beautification filter that softens images even when it’s set to zero.

The other rear cameras are an acceptable 8MP, f/2.2, 120-degree ultrawide and a 5MP, f/2.4 macro lens (which doubles up as a telephoto with 2x optical zoom).

Selfies from the 16MP front camera are generally pleasing, especially in bright conditions.

Video can be captured on the rear camera at 8K resolution up to 30 frames per second (fps) but it isn’t stabilised.

120w charger and battery

One of the standout features is the inclusion of a 120W charger in the box.

This utter game-changer refuels the 5000mAh battery from 0-100 per cent on average in 18 minutes.

No other phone on sale in Ireland includes a charger this fast.

I’ve been testing the device for a month and over that time battery stamina has been sufficient to last all day, every day.

Performance

In everyday use, the 11T Pro feels fast and fluid. It compares admirably to flagships such as OnePlus 9 Pro and OPPO Find X3 Pro.

And for multitasking and intense gaming I found no issues at all.

The phone runs Android 11 with the firm’s own MIUI 12.5 layered on top. This was my first time using it MIUI and I was pleased with its features.

You get plenty of customisation options and it is a stable and reliable interface.

There are nods to iOS such as the Control Centre-style settings menu that you pull down from the right edge of the screen. (There’s the usual notifications menu pulled down on the left too.)

There is a bit of bloatware, but you can ignore most of it.

Design and build

Xiaomi 11T Pro sports an aluminium frame and a polycarbonate rear cover. My review model is Meteorite Gray in colour with a brushed metal effect on the finish.

It’s a bit of a fingerprint magnet if you use it without the transparent plastic case bundled in the box.

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate.

11T Pro is a heavy enough phone to use. I find that makes it feel robust in the hand but the heft may put others off.

Other features

Xiaomi 11T Pro is IP53-rated for protection against dust and water. This means that it should be able to withstand splashes and light rain.

The phone also includes an IR blaster, a nice touch that you don’t see on many smartphones, along with Harmon Kardon stereo speakers that do a decent job.

My review model had 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.

Verdict

You get plenty of bang for your buck for €699 and if fast charging is important to you, this is the best phone you can buy in Ireland currently in that regard.

Aside from that it’s a super package in terms of performance and features, but if you take lots of images then do note that only the main rear camera is worth shouting about.

Pricing

Xiaomi 11T Pro costs €699 from Harvey Norman.

Key specs

Dimensions: 164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8mmWeight: 204gDisplay: 6.67in, FHD+, OLED, 120Hz, 395ppiProcessor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888RAM: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5Storage: 128GB/256GBRear cameras: 108MP, f/1.8 primary camera; 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP telephoto macro comboVideo: Up to 8K/30fpsFront camera: 16MPConnectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB-CBattery: 5000mAh