Is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera as impressive as they say? How does the Mi 11 Ultra camera stack up against the flagship smartphone cameras in the iPhone 12 Pro, Google Pixel 5, Huawei P40 Pro, or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? Let’s find out.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Camera vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro Camera
What has Xiaomi improved in their smartphone cameras since last year?
For Xiaomi’s newest smartphone, the Flagship Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888 paired with a 120Hz refresh rate makes the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra not just fast, but super fast.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra’s only storage option is 256GB with 12GB of RAM which is enough if you’re doing mobile photography and filmmaking. If you’re also using your smartphone for work, downloading, and mobile gaming then you may run out of storage.
In terms of the display for the Mi 11 Ultra, it’s aesthetically pleasing and resistant to shatter. Users will notice a more Google like experience than an Apple one as the display will change depending on lighting conditions.
The cameras in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra may be the most impressive across the board of any smartphone camera setup. The main camera is a 50MP wide option with f1.95 and 1.4μm pixels (2.8μm when using 4-in-1 Super Pixel Mode) with a 1 /1.12” sensor. The ultrawide camera on the Mi 11 Ultra boasts a 48MP 128° FOV option with f2.2 and 0.8μm pixels (1.6μm when using 4-in-1 Super Pixel Mode) with a 1 /2.0” sensor. You’ll also find a a 48MP telephoto option with 120x digital zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and 5x optical zoom that includes 0.8μm pixels (1.6μm when using 4-in-1 Super Pixel Mode) with a 1 /2.0” sensor. On the other side of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, the front facing camera is 20MP with the ability to capture in Night Mode.
Other features of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera include an impressive Night Mode and a passable Action Capture.
Interested in last year’s Xiaomi smartphone? Check out this Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro Camera Review to get a better understanding of what your money is buying.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Camera vs iPhone 12 Pro
In terms of pure camera performance, nothing beats an iPhone. That being said, Xiaomi is known in the smartphone industry as being the most Apple-like and their camera is legit. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera specs are technically more impressive than the those of the iPhone 12 Pro, but the latter does beat the former in terms of overall performance and usability.
Choose the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra if you need zooming options, but beware that there’s a big difference between digital and optical zoom.
The costs of the these two mobiles are pretty similar as there are regional variations in price and Xiaomi doesn’t sell smartphones in the U.S. The Mi 11 Ultra is slightly less expensive than other flagship phones.
The new iPhone is legit, right? Learn more about the iPhone 12 Pro camera so that you can make the right decision here.
Camera Specs
- 12MP 26mm Wide with ƒ/1.6 aperture
- 12MP 13mm Ultrawide ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
- 12MP 52mmTele with ƒ/2.0 and 2x Optical Zoom
- 12MP 23mm Front with f/2.2
Camera Performance
Results are impressive, consistent, and so easy a caveman could do it.
Video Specs
- 4k in 24/30/60 frames per second
- 1080p in 24/30/60/120/240 frames per second
Video Performance
As with the resulting photos, the iPhone 12 Pro camera captures impressively reliable videos with ease.
The Winner – Explained
The iPhone 12 Pro camera is better than the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera for both photos and videos even though the latter is technically more impressive. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra does provide interesting options for zoom and night photography though so if these intrigue you then the Mi 11 Ultra may be the better option for you after all.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Camera vs Google Pixel 5
The Google Pixel 5 is less expensive than the other options on this list. Is the camera where Google saved money? Yea – pretty much. The Pixel 5’s camera setup relies so heavily on software that the technical specs of Google’s main camera on Pixel phones hasn’t changed much since the original. The Night Sight and Astrophotography from Google is seriously impressive, though.
These smartphones are pretty much polar opposites of each other. So, if you don’t like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra you’ll probably love the Pixel 5. Learn more about the Google Pixel 5 camera if the Mi 11 Ultra underwhelmed you.
Camera Specs
- 12.2MP 27mm Wide with f/1.7
- 6MP 16.5mm Ultrawide with f/2.2
- 8MP 24mm Front with f/2.0
Camera Performance
The Google Pixel 5 relies heavily on software. Though the software is impressive there is little the user can do to control it and as such the Pixel 5 camera is not as nice to use as it could be.
Video Specs
- 4k in 30/60 frames per second
- 1080p in 30/60/120/240 frames per second
Video Performance
The Pixel 5 did introduce the ability to lock focus and exposure as well as a number of stabilization settings. That being said, the Pixel 5 camera does not produce impressive video compared to the competition.
The Winner – Explained
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera is better than the Google Pixel 5 camera for a number of reasons. Most notably these include, a more varied camera setup, a better-performing camera setup, and vastly better video performance. If you’re interested in the Google Pixel 5 camera but want to save a little money, then consider the Google Pixel 4a with 5G as it features the same camera.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Camera vs Huawei P40 Pro
The camera in the Huawei P40 Pro Plus is as legit as they come – thanks Lecia. That being said, Huawei has some issues with collecting data on users (among other things) and their phones are seriously expensive. In terms of photo and video results, the P40 Pro Plus is better than the Mi 11 Ultra but as a usable phone the edge goes to the latter. So, let’s get a little more in depth to see why the Huawei P40 Pro Plus camera is so impressive.
Do you need Google, or not? Huawei may be blacklisted in the US but Xiaomi has recently been removed from that list. That being said, the Huawei P40 Pro camera is so good it may be worth ditching Google.
Camera Specs
- 50MP 23mm Wide with f/1.9
- 40MP 18mm Ultrawide with f/1.8
- 12MP 125mmTelephoto with f/3.4
- 32MP 28mm Front with f/2.2
Camera Performance
The benefit of the Lecia lenses on the Huawei P40 Pro Plus are clear but the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra cameras are no slouch either. In fact, the Mi 11 Ultra is technically the better phone camera set-up though Huawei’s software is superior which leads to better overall performance.
Video Specs
- 4k at 30/60 frames per second
- 1080p at 30/60 frames per second
- 720p at 7680 frames per second
Video Performance
The Huawei P40 Pro Plus captures better video than the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, kind of. The P40 Pro Plus has snappy autofocus, consistent color, and impressive stabilization. The Mi 11 Ultra has impressive zooming capabilities and 8k video capability that doesn’t work like you’d hope. Pick your poison.
The Winner – Explained
How much do you care about camera when you buy a new smartphone? The P40 Pro Plus camera setup is good and the Lecia lenses are legit but the lack of Google is noticable. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra telephoto and zoom capabilities are unreal too. All that being said, the P40 Pro Plus vs the Mi 11 Ultra is the closest showdown of this whole guide. Choose the Huawei if you’re all about cameras and go with the Xiaomi if you want a more comprehensive smartphone experience.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Camera vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung delivers a smartphone with a technically impressive camera that, yet again, doesn’t live up to the hype. 108MP and 8k video capture mean nothing if they can’t be counted on to be efficient.
Samsung’s marketshare dip over the last 48 months has been surprising but the S21 lineup is rumored to be the one to turn the Korean tech giant around. Learn more about the Samsung S21 Ultra cameras.
Camera Specs
- 108MP 26mm Wide with f/1.8
- 12MP 13mm Ultrawide with f/2.4
- 10MP 70mm Tele with f/2.0
- 10MP 240mm Extended Tele with f/4.9
- 40MP 26mm Front with f/2.2
Camera Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a one-trick pony. The 108MP lens is impressive but the process of using it is less than ideal as it has its own mode and results take time to process. In terms of the front-facing camera, though, the S21 Ultra’s is impressive at 40MP. Otherwise, the rest of the cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra are underwhelming.
Video Specs
- 8k at 24/30 frames per second
- 4k at 30/60 frames per second
- 1080p at 30/60/240 frames per second
- 720p at 480/960 frames per second
Video Performance
Because the 8k video lacks video stabilization and takes up an unreasonable amount of storage it’s almost never worth using – for either phone. The 4k video with stabilization is impressive for both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Mi 11 Ultra though the former is slightly better for beginners as it’s simple to get decent results. A decent mobile filmmaker will get better results with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, though.
The Winner – Explained
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is expensive and while its 108MP offering is impressive the rest of the lenses are not. If you plan to shoot with more than one lens consistently, then choose the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Reviewing the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Camera
The cameras in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra are impressive – both technically and in terms of performance. While other smartphone manufactures have built camera setups around one vastly superior option, like Apple Xiaomi has taken a more comprehensive approach to their mobile cameras. In the Mi 11 Ultra, Xiaomi packed three cameras with over 48 megapixels into a rear camera bump that includes a viewfinder. It is worth noting that the viewfinder is helpful, especially when doing vlogging on your Android, albeit not as much so as a traditional viewfinder would be. The picture quality in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra’s viewfinder is simply poor quality and its usability suffers as a result.
Should You Buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra?
You should buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro Ultra if you want performance without a bloated user experience. While the iPhone 12 Pro is preferable to most mobiles on the market in 2021 the Mi 11 Ultra does have it’s merits – impressive zoom capabilities, three technically superior cameras, and mind-bogglingly good slow-motion video. Comment below if you’d also like posts about the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, the Xiaomi POCO mobile line, or the Xiaomi Redmi phones.
How much money paid to underwhelm a super smartphone like Samsung ultra s21
Himanshu – I don’t entirely understand your question. Care to elaborate?