Xiaomi announces new Mi 11 series phones alongside a new smartband and projector

In a nutshell: Today at the Mega Launch 2021 event, Xiaomi announced five new phones expanding the Mi 11 series: Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11i, Mi 11 Lite 5G and Mi 11 Lite (4G). In addition, the company introduced the new Mi Smart Band 6, Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro, and a new multi-device wireless charger, extending its offering of wearables and smart home devices.

When Xiaomi announced the Mi 11 late last year, the lack of alternative models was a bit underwhelming considering that the Mi 10 series featured three distinct phones in the lineup. As it seems, Xiaomi held on to the rest of the Mi 11 series until now, revealing five new phones covering nearly every market segment.

The event started with the Mi 11 Pro (pictured above), which Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun labeled it as the “King of Android.” Protected using Gorilla Glass Victus, the 6.81-inch curved AMOLED screen sports a WQHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It also features Dolby Vision and a pre-applied screen protector. For photography enthusiasts, this smartphone has a 20MP selfie camera, and three rear cameras on the back: an 8MP, a 13MP, and a 50MP Samsung GN2 (first device using it). The Mi 11 Pro will be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 cooled through a 150mm vapor chamber and powered by a 5,000Mah battery. As expected, the phone is powered by MIUI 12.5 which is based on Android 11.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro will be available starting April 2, priced at 4,999 yuan ($762) for the 8GB RAM/128GB model. The 256GB version will come at 5,299 yuan ($807), while the 12GB RAM/256GB model will go for 5,699 yuan ($868).

There’s a flagship device on top of the Pro, called the Mi 11 Ultra, featuring Xiaomi’s “most powerful pro-grade triple camera setup.” Like the Mi 11 Pro, it’s got a 6.81-inch 120Hz WQHD+ AMOLED curved display and a pair of stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon. The front selfie camera is also 20MP, but both the 8MP and 13MP back camera sensors are upgraded to 2x Sony 48MP IMX586. Besides the three cameras, there’s a 1.1-inch AMOLED display that can be used for notifications or selfie previews. The Mi 11 Ultra will be only available in Ceramic White and Ceramic Black with a 12GB+256GB storage combination, priced at €1.199 ($1,410).

The third Mi 11 series phone announced to come with a Snapdragon 888 is the Mi 11i. It packs a more “modest” 6.67-inch 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display and dual speakers supporting Dolby Atmos. Three cameras on the back include 108MP, 8MP, and 5 MP units, and a single 20MP camera on the front for selfie shots. There’s a 4520Mah battery with support for 33W fast charging, providing 100% of the battery capacity in 52 minutes.

Available in silver, white and black with 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage capacities, the Mi 11i will cost €649 ($764) and €699 ($823), respectively.

Xiaomi will also be releasing two variants of the Mi 11 Lite, one with 5G and another with LTE. Both have the same 6.55-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, 4250Mah battery, dual-speaker system, and rear camera composition (64MP+8MP+5MP), but that’s where the similarities end. Besides the obvious 5G connectivity, the Mi 11 Lite 5G features a Snapdragon 780G, 20MP front camera, and Gorilla Glass 6. While the standard Mi 11 Lite will pack a Snapdragon 732G SoC, a 16MP front camera, and Gorilla Glass 5.

The Mi 11 Lite 5G will be available in more colors like green and yellow starting with a 6GB RAM/128GB configuration starting at €369 ($434). The non-5G Mi 11 Lite starts at 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage for €299 ($352).

The “Mega Launch 2021” event went beyond smartphones. Earlier today we covered Xiaomi’s 80-watt wireless charging pad, which is possibly the closest anyone has gotten to a true Apple AirPower alternative.

In addition, the 6th generation of the popular Mi Smart Band was introduced. With a 1.56-inch AMOLED screen, the Mi Smart Band 6’s display area is ~50% larger than its predecessor. The new band comes with 30 workout types to challenge users and is capable of auto-detecting 6 common fitness activities. It can monitor the user’s heart rate, stress, and sleep, measure the SpO2, and more. The Mi Smart Band 6 offers up to 14 days of battery life and is meant to be charged through the magnetic port. Coming at €44.99 ($53), customers have six colors to choose from, including black, blue, yellow, green, orange, and beige.

The last product showcased during the event was the Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro. It combines a screen size of up to 120 inches at FHD with a pair of 10W built-in speakers with dual tweeters and dual-woofers. The Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro runs on the Android TV operating system, meaning it natively supports Chromecast and Google Assistant. To automatically adjust the dimensions to form a straight rectangle, the Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro uses omni-directional keystone correction. Additionally, it can also automatically focus the image through an integrated ToF sensor. The Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro will be available for €999 ($1,176), but early birds will have the chance to grab it for €899 ($1058).