Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE: a brand-new model with a stylish design and powerful performance

 A new version of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G, which has already won praise for its computing prowess and flat design, is now available from the Chinese manufacturer as the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE. Is it worthwhile to update?

Source: Xiaomi

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G is now available in a new edition that goes by the catchy acronym NE (New Edition), differs from the prior model only in terms of the processor, and otherwise retains the benefits already mentioned. For whom is the purchase worthwhile?

Design

Despite its not exactly small size of 160.5 x 76 x 6.8 mm, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE weighs only 158 grams and feels comfortable in the hand. The frame looks high-quality despite being made of plastic. There are no sharp edges or uneven gaps, which is a testament to the craftsmanship. The volume control and power switch are on the left. The power button performs a little better, but the volume control has a lot more latitude in terms of stroke and guidance. However, it doesn't seem to be very high-quality. The back is made of glass. 

The square camera module sticks out from the case by almost 2 millimeters, but the smartphone is still stable when placed on a flat surface. Only a few fingerprints can be found on the matte back.The front camera is located on the display's upper left edge. The screen's edges are visible, but they are narrow enough and appropriate for the price range. There are speakers and a USB-C port at the base. There is no jack connection. The decision to do without a jack connection is now being made more and more frequently by manufacturers and can therefore only be criticized to a limited extent.

screen

The HDR10+-capable OLED screen has a diameter of 6.55 inches and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The cell phone should withstand a fall from a height of up to 1.6 meters with a high probability unscathed - but no user should rely on that. With a resolution of 2,400 x 1,088 pixels, the ppi value is 402, and the display is correspondingly sharp. For the asking price, that's really decent. The screen brightness of almost 800 cd/m² is also commendable in the Lite model's price range. The display is easy to read, especially in direct sunlight, and there is nothing wrong with the picture angle stability.

The contrast is impeccable, and the sharp display of menu navigation and text in the browser for graphics and images is equally convincing in everyday use. The 90 Hz refresh rate enables smooth scrolling, and you can also switch to the battery-saving 60 Hz mode if required. As a highlight, the screen offers a sampling rate of 240 Hertz, which ensures a more precise sampling rate. According to the manufacturer, this should be particularly noticeable in games where a quick reaction is important. However, most users will not notice this in everyday life.

Camera

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE features a camera module with a square shape. The primary camera has 64 megapixels and an aperture of f/1.79. The module is also equipped with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 5-megapixel macro lens with an aperture of f/2.4. The selfie camera uses 20 megapixels and an f/2.24 aperture.

The primary camera passes the practical test. The colors of the motifs are reproduced naturally, but they can be modified in the software editor if desired. In the close-up of the dog Wilma, the individual hairs and minute details can be distinguished with clarity. As always, the macro mode is disappointing.

The night mode could have also been improved; the motifs lack the proper contours and sharpness, and the enhancement of residual light is insufficient. As required, 4K video can be captured with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and 30 frames per second. Optionally, 60 frames per second can be captured with 1080p. The software image stabilizer performs adequately and produces usable video content, even though more demanding users may prefer the Xiaomi 12 (review), which is in a different price league. The selfie camera is adequate, but the bokeh effect appears artificial rather than natural.

Regarding its camera, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5 G NE does not need to conceal itself. In the middle class, it is possible to meet the demands of daily life, but if you want more, you must dig deeper into your pockets.

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE's hardware consists of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, which belongs to the upper middle class in terms of performance and is a perfect fit for the asking price. The predecessor Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon 780 manufactured with a 5-nanometer process. The Snapdragon 778G, on the other hand, has a thickness of six nanometers, but this difference is hardly noticeable in daily life.

The maximum clock speed of the eight cores is 2.4 gigahertz. Together with 6 or 8 gigabytes of LPDDR4X RAM, the Qualcomm Adreno 642L GPU is responsible for the smartphone's brisk day-to-day performance in terms of graphics. This is also evident in the PCMark Work performance test, where the device received an excellent score of 8588. Contrastingly, the Oppo A76 (test report), which costs 200 euros and scores 6800 points, is also noteworthy. However, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE goes one step further. The current test phone performs admirably as well, scoring 2491 on the difficult 3DMark Wildlife test. This is really quite a remarkable accomplishment for the asking price. You can choose between 6 and 8 gigabytes of RAM with 128 gigabytes and 8 gigabytes of RAM with 256 gigabytes of storage space when it comes to memory. This can be increased if necessary via a micro SD slot to a maximum of 1 terabyte. An alternative is to use two SIM cards simultaneously.

Android 11 is the default operating system for the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5 G NE, but an update to Android 12 is currently accessible. From MIUI 12.5 to MIUI 13, the user interface has also been improved, adding features like a new sidebar and enhanced clock and weather apps. The security patch is current and dates from April 2022, but it needs to be updated right away.

Battery pack

With 4250 mAh, the battery could have been a little bit bigger, but given the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5 G NE's compact design and affordable price, that's still acceptable. Despite the relatively small battery, the smartphone performs admirably in PCmark's battery test, lasting 13 hours in 90 Hertz mode. This indicates that the smartphone has enough energy capacity to be used for two days straight without recharging. The delivery includes a 33-watt fast-charge charger that can charge the battery to more than half of its capacity in just 30 minutes