Phone Comparisons: Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10

The global variant of the Xiaomi Mi 11 got announced quite recently. Our review of it is coming soon, and in this article, we’ll compare the Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10. That seems to be the most logical first comparison of the device, to see where it stands in comparison to its predecessor. The Xiaomi Mi 10 is still a great device, and upgrading to the Mi 11 may not seem all that appealing. If you are, however, in the market for a new (Xiaomi) flagship, the Mi 11 could be a great option.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is not much different than its predecessor when it comes to design. The two phones do have different-looking cameras on the back, but are very similar in every other way. There are quite a few differences in terms of specs, and other aspects of the devices. As per usual, we’ll kick things off by comparing the spec sheets, and will move to the design, display, performance, battery, camera, and audio sections from there. We’ll let you make your own decision based on the given information. That being said, let’s kick off the Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10 comparison, shall we.

Specs‌

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10:‌ ‌Design‌ ‌

These two handsets are extremely similar when it comes to design. Both phones are made out of metal and glass, and both come with curved displays, and curved back sides. Both of them are quite slippery, by the way, and considering their size, they’re not exactly easy to use with one hand. Putting a case on these two phones may be a good idea, that will make them much easier to navigate, and also use in one hand without them slipping out.

Bezels are extremely thin on both phones, while both include a display camera hole in the top-left corner. Buttons are basically in the same place on both phones, they’re located on the right-hand side. Rear camera setups are placed in the same spot, the top-left corner, but they look considerably different. Xiaomi’s logo is also present on both phones, but in different places on the back.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is lighter than its predecessor, despite the fact it’s taller, and on top of that, it has a larger display. The Xiaomi Mi 11 weighs 196 grams, compared to 208 grams of the Mi 10. It is slightly taller, and slightly narrower, plus it’s also thinner than the Mi 10. Both of these phones look like modern flagships, and they also feel the part. You can’t go wrong with either one when it comes to the design, as long as you don’t mind large phones.

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10:‌ ‌Display‌

Both devices offer large, sharp displays. The Xiaomi Mi 11 comes with a 6.81-inch WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That display does support HDR10+ content, and has a peak brightness of 1,500 nits. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, by the way. We’re looking at a 20:9 display aspect ratio on the device, which is slightly taller than what the Mi 10 offers.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 includes a 6.67-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super AMOLED display with 90Hz refresher ate. That display does support HDR10+ content, and we’re looking at a 19.5:9 aspect ratio here. The display is protected by the Gorilla Glass 5. As you can see, the Xiaomi Mi 11 does have a more modern panel, with higher resolution, and better protection. It’s also worth noting that the touch sampling rate is much higher on the Mi 11.

Both displays do look great in person, but the Mi 11’s stands out. It is visibly better in a side-by-side comparison, even though both are great. You won’t notice the difference in sharpness, but the Mi 11’s panel is a bit more vivid. Both displays offer great viewing angles, and those deep blacks that we’re used to on AMOLED panels. High refresh rates do help make the displays even better, and the Mi 11’s refresh rate does make more of a difference than what the Mi 10 has to offer.

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10:‌ ‌Performance‌ ‌

When it comes to performance, well, there’s not much visible difference in real-life usage. We’ll talk more about that in a second, though. The Xiaomi Mi 11 comes with a more advanced, and more powerful Snapdragon 888 SoC, while the Mi 10 is equipped with the Snapdragon 865. The Snapdragon 865 is still more than a great processor, though, so don’t worry about it getting slow anytime soon.

Both devices offer plenty of RAM and storage, and even though the Mi 11 has newer and better chips, that’s not something you’ll notice in day-to-day usage. Both phones simply fly through regular tasks, such as browsing, media consumption, multitasking, opening / closing apps, taking pictures and videos, and so on. The only difference in performance that you’ll notice will be visible when scrolling something, due to the difference in refresh rate. The Mi 11 will seem a bit smoother.

Also, if you’re a gamer, you may notice the difference. The Mi 11 will load games slightly faster than its predecessor. Both devices can run the most demanding games with ease, though. You won’t really lose gaming performance if you use the Mi 10 instead of the Mi 11. Technically the Mi 11 is more powerful and will find it less of a struggled to run the most demanding games, but that’s not something you’ll notice, as both are more than powerful enough to do it, with ease.

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10:‌ ‌Battery‌ ‌

Despite the fact the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a larger display with a higher resolution and refresh rate, Xiaomi decided to decrease battery capacity compared to the Mi 10. The Xiaomi Mi 11 comes with a 4,600mAh battery, while the Mi 10 includes a 4,780mAh unit. Is there any difference in battery life, though? As the Snapdragon 888 is more power efficient than the Snapdragon 865? Well, yes, there is not, but not much.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 will probably be able to provide more battery life to some of you, depending on your usage. The difference should not be too big, though, as both devices can cross that 6-hour screen-on-time mark. Talking about battery longevity is always an ungrateful task, as it can differ a lot from one user to the next. The point is, both smartphones will provide good battery life, though not exactly the best we’ve seen in the category. A larger battery could have helped the Mi 11 more.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 does offer more in terms of charging… well, not more, but faster charging. It comes with 55W fast wired and 50W fast wireless charging. On top of that, it supports 10W reverse wireless charging. The Mi 10, on the other hand, offers 30W fast wired and wireless charging, along with 5W reverse wireless charging. Both phones can recharge extremely fast, but the Mi 11 definitely has the upper hand here.

Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Xiaomi Mi 10:‌ ‌Cameras‌ ‌

First and foremost, let’s just say that both of these phones do really good in the camera department. The Xiaomi Mi 11, however, does bring a bit more in that regard, which is to be expected. Both phones are equipped with 108-megapixel main cameras, though the hardware is not the same. The Xiaomi Mi 11 does have one less camera on the back, but that doesn’t really take away from its performance.

Both phones take really great pictures in good lighting, with tons of details, and plenty of sharpness. Those pictures also look quite natural as well. When the light goes away, they do retain really good performance, especially the Mi 11. The Mi 10 tends to struggle a bit more with light flare. Still, both are excellent in this regard, and only a step behind the best low light performers.

The ultra-wide cameras are good on both phones, especially in good lighting. They can take nice, detailed images that do not end up being soft. The Xiaomi Mi 11 does a better job when it comes to macro shots, a noticeably better job. The difference is mainly due to a higher-res macro camera, to be quite honest.

Audio‌ ‌

Xiaomi went out of its way to include Harman Kardon speakers on the Xiaomi Mi 11. Was it worth it? Well, we’d say it was. Both devices offer excellent sound through their stereo speakers, but the Mi 11 is somehow a bit richer. The soundstage is deep, and rich, while the distortion is minimal on both phones. You won’t be disappointed here when it comes to speakers, that’s for sure, even though the Mi 11 does have a slight advantage.

Neither device offers a 3.5mm headphone jack, but if you do hook up a good pair of headphones via a Type-C port or via Bluetooth, you’ll get really good performance. The audio is good, and well-balanced. The lows do pop out the most on both phones, but the mids and highs are really good as well. If your headphones allow it, you’ll even get a good amount of bass. All in all, both phones deliver in the audio department.