Xiaomi 11T Pro review: A budget flagship phone done right
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Benchmark Performance, Battery Life, Conclusion
Benchmark Performance
As mentioned earlier, the main processor driving the Xiaomi 11T Pro is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888, which makes the phone a 2021 flagship-grade offering. You'd think that it's par for the course for a flagship phone to carry a flagship processor, but Xiaomi does it by offering these components at a price lower than most alternatives. Granted, having a powerful chipset is only the first step to its pricing-first strategy; we'll see how it holds up against other flagship models where performance is concerned and as a phone as a whole.
Xiaomi 11T Pro | Vivo X60 Pro | ASUS ZenFone 8 | Xiaomi Mi 11 | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro | Samsung Galaxy S20 FE | |
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JetStream 2.0
JetStream 2 is a combination of a variety of JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks, including benchmarks that came before, like SunSpider and Octane. It primarily tests for a system's and browser's ability in delivering a good web experience. It runs a total of 64 subtests, each weighted equally, with multiple iterations, and takes the geometric mean to compute the overall score.
AnTuTu
Note #1: As of 9th March 2020, all AnTuTu benchmarks were removed from the Google Play Store. This move likely arose from Google's attempts to relieve the Play Store of apps that violate their policies. AnTuTu is working with Google to restore their app listing. For this review, we used the APK file that was available on AnTuTu's website.
AnTuTu is an all-in-one benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The CPU benchmark evaluates both integer and floating-point performance, and the GPU tests assess 2D and 3D performance, the memory test measures available memory bandwidth and latency, and the storage tests gauge the read and write speeds of a device's flash memory.
Note #2: the Xiaomi 11T Pro automatically registers AnTuTu to its Game Booster performance overclocking tool and runs when the benchmark is live, resulting in manipulated benchmarking numbers. Take the score below with a large grain of salt. The bigger the grain, the better.
Note #3: We do not have AnTuTu scores for the Xiaomi 10T Pro, in part due to difficulties in obtaining a copy of the app.
Geekbench 5
Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100.
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme
3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features, including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. The test's Unlimited mode ignores screen resolutions.
We're also collecting scores with 3DMark's new benchmark, Wild Life. Below are the test's Unlimited Mode scores. We do not have Wild Life scores for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, as the review was completed before the benchmark was released.
Performance benchmark remarks
The Xiaomi 11T Pro is capable of pulling flagship-grade burst benchmark numbers, but it was unable to sustain them consistently during repeated tests. We chalk that up to its cooling management. Past the initial burst of high performance, the phone throttles its power even when it's not hot to the touch. As such, for the most part, the Xiaomi 11T Pro trailed behind the compared devices, some of which were using processors from last year.
In real-world use, such aggressive power and cooling management might impact users who need to use the 11T Pro beyond an extended period of time - e.g. filming and video recording, longer streaming binges, and gaming. During regular browsing, the 11T Pro is nothing short of smooth and fluid.
Battery Life
Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:
- Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
- Constant data streaming through email and Twitter
Xiaomi 11T Pro packs a generous 5,000mAh total capacity and offered 737 minutes of non-stop uptime during our benchmark, conking out only after 12 hours. In our day-to-day moderate use, the phone doesn't ache for a battery top-off in the middle of a workday.
The phone has 120W Xiaomi HyperCharge fast-charging, and 120W is achievable if you use the included charging adapter that comes with the phone. Of course, safety measures meant that the 11T Pro doesn't charge at 120W all the way. In our multiple attempts, the phone consistently took an hour or less to charge from 0% to 100% - it's easily the fastest charging we've seen on a phone this year.
All in all, the 11T Pro feels like a phone can be left untethered during waking hours, and you can get a full charge in before a good night's sleep. Not having to hunt for power plugs, power banks, or any emergency top-offs in the middle of the day is a nice touch. Now if only it had wireless charging for added convenience.
Conclusion
Xiaomi 11T Pro feels like phone with high-quality features and parts, with a general user experience that feels good throughout the handset. While it's UI leaves room for improvement, it has a great display and audio quality. The excessively fast charging is consistent and its uptime is sufficiently long, making it a standout feature that can compete against other premium flagship devices out there.
11T Pro still falls a little short when it comes to the phone's attention to UI detail, which prevents the Xiaomi 11T Pro from being a truly great flagship handset. It's also IP53-certified, which is a little less resistant to the elements compared to flagship mobiles with IP68 resistance. Finally, it pushes out a lot of raw power, but it's not able to sustain its performance in extended use.
That said, at S$799 (12GB RAM + 256GB storage), the 11T Pro has great value for money. Your alternatives in Singapore are the Vivo X60 Pro (S$1,199, but not using Snapdragon 888), the ASUS ZenFone 8 (S$999, but tiny display) or the Samsung Galaxy S21 series that officially start from S$1,248 (but you'll have to pay more for the larger screen variants). Xiaomi's Mi 11 might be your next best value-for-money choice, but that's provided that Xiaomi still stocks these units here. And, dont forget that these alternatives are about S$200 more than the 11T Pro.
That makes the Xiaomi 11T Pro the rare few 5G-capable, flagship-grade phone below S$800. Taking into account its good display and audio, rapid-fast charging, while checking all the other flagship boxes, we're comfortable with awarding it Best Value, putting the Xiaomi 11T Pro in a strong running against other S$1,000 alternatives. To beat the 11T Pro, the next sub-S$1,000 flagship phone needs to have everything Xiaomi has, but better UI, more consistent performance, and proper IP68 resistance - at the bare minimum.
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