Xiaomi has launched two new smartphones to kick off 2022, the Xiaomi 11i 5G and the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G. These two smartphones are almost identical, but have slightly different battery capacities and charging speeds. The latest model is making headlines thanks to its ability to charge incredibly quickly. The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G comes with a 120W charger and Xiaomi claims it can reach 100 percent in just 15 minutes. Got my hands on the new phone and here are my first impressions.
Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G price in India and availability
Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G price in India starts at Rs. 26,999 for the base variant with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The second variant with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage costs Rs. 28,999. Xiaomi is also offering a limited New Years discount of Rs. 1,500, while SBI Bank cardholders can use an additional Rs. 2,500 as cash back. The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is available in four colors: Pacific Pearl, Purple Mist, Camo Green and Stealth Black. It will go on sale in India on January 12 at noon.
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge packs in a 4,500 mAh battery
Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G design and features
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G has a new design with flattened sides and rounded corners, and it fits quite comfortably in the hand. At 8.34mm thick, the phone still feels slim, although the weight of 204g is noticeable. The frame appears to be made of polycarbonate while the back panel is made of glass.
Sticking to the current trend of side-mounted fingerprint scanners, the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G has placed the scanner on the right side along with the volume buttons. The phone also has stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR emitter that is ubiquitous on Xiaomi smartphones.
The back panel of the Camo Green variant of the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G has a matte finish. This creates a two-tone effect and the green color is only really noticeable when angled light falls on it. With only ‘Xiaomi 5G’ branding on the back, I really liked the minimalist design of this smartphone. The camera module is larger than that of the Mi 10i (Review) and sticks out quite a bit. It houses three cameras, a primary camera of 108 megapixels, an ultra-wide 8 megapixel camera and a macro camera of 5 megapixels. For selfies, this phone has a 16-megapixel front camera.
The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC, just like the recently launched Vivo V23. Both variants have only 128 GB of storage, which is expandable with a microSD card in the hybrid dual-SIM tray.
The phone runs MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11 and my device had the September Android security patch. It comes with multiple MIUI features and a few pre-installed apps that can be uninstalled.
The camera module on the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge sticks out quite a bit
On the front, the large 6.67-inch AMOLED display has a small punch cutout and thin bezels on the sides. It has a Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The highlight of the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is the 120W fast charging support. Xiaomi bundles a 120W charger in the box and it’s one of the largest I’ve seen bundled with a smartphone. It has a full size USB Type-A port and you also get a Type-A to Type-C cable with this phone. The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G packs a 4,500 mAh battery, which Xiaomi claims can be fully charged in just 15 minutes. I look forward to testing these charging claims in the full review.
With prices starting from Rs. 26,999 for the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G, Xiaomi is trying to cash in on the phone’s hypercharging power to differentiate it in a crowded segment. The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G takes on the Realme GT Master Edition (Review), Poco F3 GT (Review) and Motorola Edge 20 (Review). Can the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G lead the charge in terms of performance, battery life, display quality and ease of use? Or is it a one trick pony? Stay tuned for the full review, coming soon.
Check out the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2022 hub.
