Xiaomi has recently launched the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge in India. This makes it the first phone with Xiaomi branding to be launched in the country in 2022. With it, Xiaomi continues to look to strengthen its position in the Rs 20,000 – Rs 30,000 category. Will it be a success? Only time will tell, but as of now, here is what you need to know about this new Xiaomi phone:
The successor of the Mi 10i
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge is the successor of one of the surprise hits of 2021, the Mi 10i. It was the lowest priced Xiaomi phone with Mi branding to be launched last year and was also one of the most affordable phones with a 108-megapixel camera. Xiaomi has classified its “Xiaomi” range of phones in three categories – the Lite series for lifestyle and well-designed products, the X series for performance and the i series for value for money devices. The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge comes in the i series.
The fastest charging phone in India (and a charger in the box too)
As its name indicates, the most outstanding feature of the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge is its incredibly fast charging speed. The phone supports charging of upto 120W – what Xiaomi calls HyperCharge. Thanks to this feature, the phone’s charging time can be as low as fifteen minutes in ideal conditions, which is very impressive when you consider that the phone has a 4500 mAh battery.
With networks running and the phone being on, a more realistic time would be around 20-25 minutes. But even then, this is easily the fastest charging phone in India. A point to note is that charging at top speed is turned off by default – you need to turn it on to make the most of it.
There is a 120 W charger and a supporting cable in the box. And before you ask, you can use the charger with other devices like notebooks and tablets too. It is a large charger by phone standards but much smaller than notebook chargers. Although charging at 120 W could heat up the phone, Xiaomi claims it has safeguards in place to ensure that neither the battery nor the phone gets damaged.
A very different design
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge comes with a very different design from other Xiaomi and Redmi phones. It has straight sides and a flat back, and the frame also has the same shade as the back, instead of being metallic/silver in colour. On the subject of colours, the phone is available in Camo Green, Pacific Pearl, Purple Mist and Stealth Black, all of which are very striking, even though the rectangular camera unit is very chunky and sticks out prominently.
There is a punch hole notch on the front, and the fingerprint scanner is on the side, also acting as the power/display button. The front and back are of glass, but only the front has Gorilla Glass protection, while the frame is polycarbonate.
The phone is definitely on the large and heavy side (204 grammes), but is impressively slim at 8.43 mm. It has also got IP53 dust and water resistance. We got very iPhone vibes from it, which is not a bad thing at all.
Good display, middling processor
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge comes with a spec sheet that is a mix of the premium and the mid-segment. The phone has a 6.67 inch Full HD+ AMOLED Display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, and a very impressive peak brightness of 1200 nits.
Driving the phone is a MediaTek Dimensity 920 processor, which is well below the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 but close to the Snapdragon 778 G. This should make it capable of handling most games and tasks, but not always at maxed out settings or at highest speed.
The phone comes in two RAM and storage variants 6 GB / 128 GB and 8 GB / 128 GB, with storage expandable to 1 TB using a hybrid SIM slot. The battery as we have already stated is a 4500 mAh one with support for 120W charging. The phone also has stereo speakers, supports 5G (eight bands) and comes with a 3.5 mm audio jack, as well as an infra-red blaster.
Triple cameras, with a 108 MP main camera
In terms of cameras, the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge has three cameras on the back (although there seem to be slots for five), and a single selfie camera in front. The main camera is a 108 Megapixel Samsung HM2 sensor, while the other two are an 8 megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro camera.
The selfie camera is a 16-megapixel camera. In its segment, the Xiaomi 11i HyperChange is one of the few devices with a 108-megapixel sensor, although we are still not too impressed by the 2-megapixel macro camera.
No Android 12, but MIUI 13 to come soon
Like all Xiaomi phones, the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge runs on the brand’s UI, MIUI. The phone comes with MIUI 12.5 on top of Android 11. MIUI no longer has those intrusive ads or as many bloatware apps – you can uninstall all apps except the core ones. While we have no update on when Android 12 will arrive on the device, Xiaomi says it will be among the first to get the next version of MIUI – MIUI 13.
A challenging price in India
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge is priced in India at Rs 26,999 for the 6 GB/ 128 GB variant and Rs 28,999 for the 8 GB/ 128 GB variant. At that price, it faces competition from the OnePlus Nord 2 which starts at Rs 27,999, the Samsung Galaxy A52 which is available at around Rs 25,000 and Xiaomi’s own Mi 11x, which starts at Rs 27,999.
And if Xiaomi HyperCharge is not an attraction, the Xiaomi 11i is an option too – it has almost exactly the same design and hardware as the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge, but comes with a larger 5160 mAh battery and support for 67W charging, as well as a 67W charger in the box, and starts at Rs 24,999.
While it does not have the most powerful Processor in the category – there are devices with MediaTek Dimensity 1200 and Snapdragon 870 devices around that price point – the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge ticks a number of boxes.
On paper, it is a great option for those wanting a phone with a big, bright display and good cameras, and of course, for all those looking for a phone that charges super duper fast.
