Xiaomi recently announced its new Mi 11, the first Android iPhone 12 series powered by the A14 Bionic chip. Both processors use a 5-nanometer manufacturing process, which packs transistors tighter, resulting in faster speed and greater efficiency.
Considering its impact worldwide, Xiaomi is a relatively young company. Founded in 2010, it started as a smartphone company, using Android with an MIUI overlay that changes the appearance to look more like iOS. The company sells a variety of consumer electronics now, including tablets, laptops, smartwatches, scooters and even drones. Xiaomi’s fast growth comes from a very large number of good quality products, using the latest tech, and selling at very affordable prices. Its revenue is based on selling services rather than relying on making profits strictly from hardware.
The new Xiaomi Mi 11 is the first phone to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor. This is a chip based on a 5-nanometer process, just like Apple’s A14 Bionic, which powers the iPhone 12. The Mi 11 doesn’t have an official U.S. price yet, but the confirmed price in China equates to under $650. The iPhone 12 is $799, so Xiaomi will be offering significant cost savings if it maintains a similar price elsewhere. The real question is whether there is enough value provided to justify the higher price of the iPhone 12?
Checking the processors, the testing from Qualcomm. Apple’s A14 appears to have 40-percent better single-core and 10-percent faster multi-core performance than the Snapdragon 888. The iPhone 12 will likely score higher than the Mi 11 in GPU tests also, but this can’t be known for sure until benchmark testing is completed using the actual phone. However, a smartphone is much more than just the processor and the Mi 11 has several notable features.
Mi 11 Versus iPhone 12: Screen & Cameras
The iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch HDR OLED screen with a 2,532 x 1,170 resolution, a P3 wide color gamut, and up to 1,200 nits of brightness. It is a very good display that looks sharp, bright and colorful, even when used outdoors, but Xiaomi’s is actually even better. The Mi 11 features a 6.8-inch HDR OLED with a 3,200 x 1,440 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1,500 nits brightness, and P3 color. The touch sampling rate is 480 Hz, meaning even the fastest finger swipes should be ed accurately.
Each company chose the best available glass to protect the displays, Ceramic Shield for the iPhone 12. Both are also impact-resistant, but Apple’s solution seems more durable in unscientific drop tests. The iPhone 12 features IP68 water and dust resistance, but Xiaomi makes no mention of the Mi 11’s ability to withstand water. The comparison of the best performing and largest screen favors Xiaomi, but Apple is quite close and offers better protection overall. Each will give beautiful color and excellent dynamic range.
When it comes to cameras, the Mi 11 has the edge in of specifications. Although hands-on reviews will be needed to test how the processing affects the end result as computational photography makes it difficult to anticipate quality in advance. Xiaomi’s newest phone has three rear cameras, a 108-megapixel wide-angle, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and a 5-megapixel macro. The main camera has the same resolution as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and uses a pixel-binning technique to enhance low-light photos. The aperture is f/1.9 which is smaller than ideal for a modern high-end smartphone. The iPhone 12 has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 12-megapixel wide-angle cameras, but the main camera has an aperture of f/1.6 which means it will have much better low-light capability, before any computational photography magic is needed. It can make a huge difference to start with a brighter lens, but the Mi 11's 108-megapixel resolution should provide far superior digital zoom quality.
It’s a close race between these two phones. The deciding factor for most will probably be based on ecosystem and brand strength. Apple s most often choose an iPhone because it integrates so well with other Apple products and the brand is known to be among the best in the world. Xiaomi is a huge company and well respected in China, though it can be difficult to find these phones in the U.S. It runs Android, so it may appeal more to those that with a library of Android apps. Apple's iPhone 12 is worth the extra $150, but Xiaomi's Mi 11 should make an excellent phone for those on a tighter budget.