Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE Unboxing and First Impressions

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is officially launched in the Philippines along with the Xiaomi 11T series!

Meet Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE

Among the three, the Xiaomi Lite 5G NE is the more affordable one. It features a slim and light design that is just 6.8 mm thick and 158 grams light.

For the screen, it has a flat FHD+ AMOLED screen with 10-bit color, Xiaomi TrueColor accuracy, HDR10+ support, and Dolby Vision. It also has a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. It also has dual speakers for a stereo sound. 

Let's unbox together and take the first look at the latest smartphone from Xiaomi!

Unboxing/Accessories

What's inside?

The minimalist box with a hint of rose gold text packs the following inside: the handset, silicone case, USB-A to USB-C cable, wall charger, headphone dongle, SIM ejector tool, and paper manual.

Although there's a headphone dongle, Xiaomi didn't provide an in-box earphone as usual.

Build Quality/Design

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE in Bubblegum Blue

For the materials used, the back is made out of glass, the frame is metal, and the front panel is glass. The front panel even has Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 protection to prevent it from having unwanted hairline scratches and to reduce the risk of breaking when dropped accidentally.

It is also worth noting that it has an IP53 rating making the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE dust and splash resistant.

Gorilla Glass 5 protected front!

The build is considered great at this price point in general.

Out of the box, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is a lightweight, beautiful, and eye candy smartphone. It is available in four colors of Snowflake White, Truffle Black, Peach Pink, and Bubblegum Blue. We are loaned with the latter.

At the back is the triple rear camera setup of 64MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide sensor, and 5MP telemacro sensor with a dual-tone LED flash. Meanwhile the text "Xiaomi 5G" is placed at the right bottom of the handset's back.

Its back has a smooth finish that is rather subtle than loud. The build is a little broad but in our experience, it doesn't feel awkward when held with a hand.

90Hz 10-bit AMOLED panel

In front, it has a large 11 Lite 5G NE that features a 6.55-inch display with slim bezels on all four corners. The chin bezel is a bit thicker than its top and side bezels, but it is noticeably slimmer than most similarly priced phones. It also has the earpiece neatly hidden on the center top.

This front design makes its display quite immersive despite having a punch-hole located leftmost part of the upper display.

Immersive, smooth, and bright AMOLED display!

By the way, this 6.55-inch panel is AMOLED with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,800, a brightness level of up to 800 nits, and a refresh rate of 90Hz. It is bright and produces vibrant and sharp images.

Top and bottom

On top are a single mic and an IR Blaster while the SIM tray, USB-C slot, and single down-firing grill speakers, and the other mic are placed at the bottom. The SIM slot features a hybrid tray where the microSD slot shares use a shared SIM slot.

Left and right

There is nothing on the left while the volume rocker and power button that doubles as a side-fingerprint scanner are on the right. 

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE measures 160.5 x 75.7 x 6.8 mm and weighs 158 grams only. The smooth finish is not glossy, hence, not making room for fingerprint smudges.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE Specs

Display: 6.55-inch Gorilla Glass 5 protected 10-bit AMOLED screen w/ 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 2400 x 1800 resolution at 402 ppi

CPU: 2.4GHz 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno 642L

RAM: 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X

ROM: 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2

Back Camera: 64MP f/1.8 w/ PDAF + 8MP f/2.2 119-degree ultra-wide-angle + 5MP f/2.4 3-7cm telemacro w/ Contrast AF + dual-tone LED flash

Selfie Camera: 20MP f/2.2

Battery: 4,250mAh w/ 33W fast charging

OS: Android 11 w/ MIUI 12.5

Connectivity: WiFi 6, 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, NFC, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BeiDou (B1I+B1C+B2a), Galileo (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IR Blaster, stereo speakers, USB-C, Colors: Truffle Black, Bubblegum Blue, Peach Pink, and Snowflake White

Dimensions: 160.53 x 75.73 x 6.81 mm

Weight: 158 g

Price: PHP 16,990 (6GB/128GB), PHP 18,990 (8GB/128GB), PHP 20,990 (8GB/256GB)

As of the moment

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is a nicely priced, promising smartphone with features we're yet to explore deeper.

The design and display are solid and beautiful. The handset looks and feels hefty and premium while being lightweight. It also features powerful specs like the 90Hz 10-bit AMOLED panel, Dolby Vision, and the monstrous 64MP main camera.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE AnTuTu score

Using the AnTuTu benchmark, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE gave us a strong score of 498,677. This is a nice score for the 6GB/128GB variant we are reviewing which is priced at PHP 16,990.

Other features include face unlock, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The phone is 5G capable but we were not able to test it yet. 

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is now available for pre-order in authorized Xiaomi Stores until October 29. Those who will pre-order will get a Mi Robot Vacuum and Mi Recyclable Eco Bag worth PHP 10,000.

It will officially hit the shelves on October 30 alongside the Xiaomi 11T series. Meanwhile, pre-orders of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE on the Xiaomi Shopee Global Store from October 24 to 29 will also include a FREE Mi Watch Lite. 

On the other hand, buyers on the Open Sale on October 30 will be receiving a Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic for FREE.

Xiaomi will also be giving away a FREE 10000mah Mi 18W FCP Powerbank 3 with every Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE purchase made in the Official Xiaomi Philippines Shopee Store.

For the Open Day Sale of Xiaomi Philippines on October 30, 2021, buyers of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE will get a free 10000mAh Mi 18W FCP Powerbank for every purchase. 

So far, we are excited to test the phone furtherly and see how it performs in real life. Stay tuned for our full review coming soon!