Xiaomi 5G smartphone "Mi 11 Lite 5G" review, this is a bargain model with no weaknesses

On July 2nd, Xiaomi released the SIM-free 5G smartphone “Mi 11 Lite 5G”.

The Mi 11 Lite 5G is a thin and light model with a width of 75.73 x height of 160.53 x thickness of 6.81 mm and a weight of 159 g, while equipped with a 6.55-inch organic EL display. In addition to being equipped with the latest middle-high SoC "Snapdragon 780G" (up to 2.4 GHz / octa-core), it is also compatible with Osaifu-Keitai, making it a model with many selling points.

Furthermore, in the SIM fleece smartphone market, the specification is relatively high, but the aggressive pricing of the estimated market price of 43,800 yen (tax included) is also a point, and it will be one that will attract the most attention this summer. There is no doubt about that.

The Mi 11 Lite 5G is so attractive, but I tried using it for about a week to see if it was actually easy to use and if there were any weaknesses that I noticed after using it.

Thin and light enough to be a smartphone with the necessary functions

The first thing that surprised me when I got the Mi 11 Lite 5G was its thinness and lightness. The body thickness of 6.81mm and weight of 159g may not be suitable as an analogy, but it gives the impression of a bar of chocolate. Details will be described later, but even with this thinness and lightness, the battery capacity is by no means small, and the functionality is not reduced. Rather, it has all the necessary functions as the latest 5G smartphone, and I feel the high level of technology.

The use of organic EL that is thin enough to be folded makes a big contribution to its thinness. Furthermore, it is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 (tempered glass) to ensure robustness.

The right side of the main unit is equipped with a volume key and a power key that also serves as a fingerprint sensor, and the bottom is equipped with a SIM slot and a USB Type-C port. The SIM slot can be equipped with one nanoSIM on the front and back, and it also supports DSDV (dual SIM dual VoLTE). In addition, the second one is exclusive use with microSD.

There is no earphone jack, but a USB Type-C to 3.5mm conversion adapter is included, so you can connect your own earphones and listen to music.

Built-in speakers are mounted on the top and bottom of the main unit. If you turn it sideways and watch "YouTube" or "Netflix", you can enjoy three-dimensional sound that spreads around you.

The back panel has a frosted glass-like texture and is smooth to the touch. I borrowed mint green and used it, but the expression changes depending on how the light hits it, and it gives a richer impression than the price.

The operability is crisp and the battery life is on point

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 780G, which is installed as the SoC, is the latest chipset manufactured in the 5nm process, and according to Qualcomm, the previous generation " It seems that the performance has improved by 40% compared to Snapdragon 768G.

In order to confirm its performance, we conducted a benchmark test with the "Geekbench 5" app, and it recorded a top-class score in the midrange. It seems that the high performance of the official announcement is not dated.

The impression I got when I actually used it was that the touch response was brisk and the operation felt crisp. Of course, you can't get the so-called "snack" operation that smoothly follows touch operations like models that use the 8 series (800 series), which is a high-end SoC, but you won't feel stress. It seems to be usable.

Battery capacity is 4250mAh. 5G smartphones consume more battery than 4G smartphones, so most models have a built-in battery of 4000mAh or more. The Mi 11 Lite 5G's 4250mAh is a reasonable capacity. When I used it a little heavy to actually check the operation, it lasted for a day, so depending on how you use it, you should be able to expect continuous use for more than two days.

In addition, after playing a Netflix movie for 2 hours from a full charge, the battery remained at 83%, indicating that it could be used for more than 30 hours. You can enjoy watching videos and playing games on the go without worrying about the battery running down.

In addition, a quick charger with 33W output is included, and it is also an advantage that it can be charged quickly. I haven't measured the time it takes to charge, but I got the impression that it would be enough to charge it just before going out, even if you don't have to charge it at bedtime.

Another noteworthy point is that the main unit did not get too hot even after playing games or watching videos for a long time. There was no mention of heat dissipation efficiency at the recital, etc., but in addition to the good power efficiency of the Snapdragon 780G, it seems that it has a structure that does not easily generate heat.

The camera is characterized by its vivid color expression, and the many shooting modes are also attractive

The out-camera is the main (64 million pixels / F1.79), ultra-wide angle (8 million pixels / F2 .2) and a tele-macro (5 million pixels/F2.4) three-lens configuration. A tele-macro is a telephoto lens that can be used for macro photography. Even if you don't get close to the subject, you can pull it closer and take close-up shots, so the smartphone doesn't become a shadow when shooting, and I felt it was easy to use.

The 64-megapixel camera uses a technology called "4 in 1 pixel binning," which combines four images into one and captures light efficiently, and is enabled by default. This allows you to shoot with clear image quality even in dimly lit areas. Of course, it also demonstrates its power in night view photography. I tried shooting a variety of subjects, but I got the impression that the colors were brighter and more vivid than they actually were in any situation.

The Mi 11 Lite 5G also has a function that AI recognizes the subject and scene and performs the optimal settings. This setting has the impression that it gives a natural coloring to the last, and the color did not become too bright or unnatural, so it seems good to keep it on all the time.

There is also a "64M" mode that can shoot at 64 million pixels. Photos taken in 64M mode can be displayed with fine image quality even when enlarged on the display, and it is also possible to crop a part while maintaining high image quality.

As you can see, the Mi 11 Lite 5G camera has many shooting modes, but my personal favorite is the "Vlog" mode. With 14 templates, you can easily shoot a short video with music. Even people who don't usually shoot videos are worth trying.

↑Example taken in "Vlog" mode. Scene transitions look natural, so you'll want to shoot and experiment with various videos. In addition, the last "VLOG" logo is inserted as a specification

On the other hand, the in-camera has 20 million pixels (F2.24), and it has a "portrait" mode that blurs the background and a "beauty" function that captures the skin beautifully, so even those who want to enjoy taking selfies will be satisfied. must.

Equipped with unique functions such as cleaning the speaker

Xiaomi smartphones are not limited to this model, but are also equipped with a unique OS called "MIUI" based on Android. . The initial OS of Mi 11 Lite 5G is MIUI 12 based on Android 11.

As a result, there are unfamiliar apps on the home screen, and the items displayed on the "Settings" screen are slightly different from general Android smartphones. However, it is not so difficult to operate. You can think of Xiaomi's unique functions as being added to the basic specifications of Android. There are also many features that you can customize yourself.

For example, in addition to the "one-handed operation mode" that reduces the screen display so that it is easy to operate with one hand, it has a rare function that is not found in other manufacturers' models, such as fixing clogged speakers. If you can master it, it will be more convenient than a general Android smartphone.

All-rounder model with no weaknesses

I used the Mi 11 Lite 5G for about a week, and it was comfortable to operate and I didn't feel any lack of functionality. . In particular, the thinness and lightness of the main body are attractive, and the battery lasts as it is, and the main body does not get hot. Personally, it wouldn't be strange for the terminal price to be 50,000 yen or more, and I thought it was a very cost-effective terminal. If I had to cite a weak point, it would be that it does not support eSIM, which is gradually spreading in Japan.

As I mentioned at the beginning, it is a big advantage that you can use Osaifu-Keitai even though it is a SIM-free model made by an overseas manufacturer. Because these functions are substantial, it is an impression that it is a model for everyone who does not choose to use it. It is also ideal for use with 5G compatible MVNO users and new plans for each carrier that started this year, such as ahamo, povo, and LINEMO.

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