Two of the biggest smartphones of 2021 have already landed, and we’ve compared the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Xiaomi Mi 11 so you can see how they match and whether one of you is worth the money.
Following an exclusive China unveiling at the end of December, the Xiaomi Mi 11 saw a worldwide launch in early February, ready for (digital) store shelves. We knew all the specifications of the phone, but now we have a better idea of its price and availability so that we can really see how its price tag shows.
Launched on January 14, the Samsung Galaxy S21 was the first flagship of 2021, and it is the lowest point of its range, with the Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra costing more money.
The S21 and Mi 11 have a lot in common, such as their Snapdragon 888 chipset and a high refresh rate on the screen, but there are also many differences, so we broke them down measure-by-measure.
Xiaomi Mi 11 at Samsung Galaxy S21 price
The Samsung Galaxy S21 costs you a fair amount – it starts at $ 799 / £ 769 / AU $ 1,249 for 128 GB storage and it rises to $ 849 / £ 819 / AU $ 1,349 for 256 GB.
We do not yet have the Xiaomi Mi 11 prices in most regions, but we do have Euro costs. For 128 GB storage you pay € 749 (about $ 900, £ 660, AU $ 1,175), and for 256 GB you pay € 799 (about $ 960, £ 700, AU $ 1,250). These conversions are loose and will not represent exact prices in other regions, but the phones seem to cost similar amounts.
It’s worth pointing out that both smartphones are cheaper than their predecessors, the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Xiaomi Mi 10 (or at least the latter is based on the limited pricing information we have), and both are value for money in that section.
Another thing worth knowing is that Xiaomi mostly does not release its phones in the US. If you live there, your choice is much easier.
Design and display
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is significantly larger than the Galaxy S21. The Mi 11 has dimensions of 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm and a weight of 196 g, so in all sections it is more of an animal than the Samsung phone with 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm and 169 g.
Both phones have rear cameras in the upper left corner, but although it’s made of ‘Glasstic’ on the Samsung phone, which is plastic that looks like glass, Xiaomi uses a new type of glass called Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, which is supposedly incredibly hardened.
No phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack or expandable storage, and both use the USB-C standard for charging. Both also have fingerprint scanners on the screen.
Speaking of the screen, this is where the size of the Xiaomi Mi 11 becomes clearer – the screen is 6.81 inches diagonally, dwarfing the 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S21.
The Mi 11’s AMOLED screen has a resolution of 1440 x 3200, also known as 2K, as well as HDR10 +, a 120Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 1500 net. The Samsung Galaxy S21 has the same specifications but only a resolution of 1080 x 2400 and the highest brightness of 1,300 net.
While the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a higher resolution screen because the screen is much larger, the actual score per pixel is no longer that much – although it is still there.
Both phones use front-hole cutouts for the front camera – top left for the Xiaomi phone and the center point for Samsung’s handset – and they both also use the aforementioned Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, so they’s probably hard to scratch.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a curved edge screen, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 has a flat screen.
Cameras and battery life
Both the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Xiaomi Mi 11 have four cameras, but they are very different.
The Galaxy phone has a 12MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 64MP telephoto (with 3x hybrid zoom) and 10MP selfie camera. While Samsung is not winning the megapixel battle, as we will soon see, the sensors used are large so photos have more light.
By comparison, the Xiaomi device has a 108MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, 5MP telemacro and 20MP selfie camera – so you’ll take much higher resolution snaps with the Mi 11, but the telemacro shooter might be not as useful as Samsung’s. telephoto – it definitely has fewer megapixels.
Both phones have AI optimization to enhance your snaps, but another point of comparison is the different camera modes you can enhance to enhance your photography or videography.
Samsung has Single Take, which allows you to take a variety of photos and videos of a subject at the touch of a button just once, which is a great tool for getting great snaps. It also has Director’s View, which allows you to record videos from the front and rear cameras at the same time.
Xiaomi has the latest mode, as well as night videos and night photos on the main, ultra-wide and front-facing cameras. There is also AI Erase, which allows you to remove people from the background of your photos, and many other video recording tools.
In terms of battery capacity, the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a significantly larger power pack at 4,600 mAh, more than the 4000 mAh of the Galaxy. However, thanks to the larger screen, the battery life may not differ much.
The Samsung phone has 25 W wireless charging, 15 W wireless charging and 4.5 W reverse wireless charging, that is when you use the phone to connect other devices wirelessly. Xiaomi beats the specifications across the board by 55W, 50W and 10W respectively.
Specifications and performance
The Samsung Galaxy S21 and Xiaomi Mi 11 both use Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 888 chipset, so they’ll probably be up to par in terms of performance – well, except in Europe, where the Samsung phone is rather the Exynos 2100 chipset use. it is also just as powerful.
They also both have 8GB of RAM, and both phones also have Android 11, but they have the respective covers of their businesses to offer a different experience. The Galaxy S21 uses One UI, and the Mi 11 uses MIUI – the big differences between them are what they look like, and also some brand-specific features.
As with most new flagship phones launched, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Xiaomi Mi 11 are both 5G phones – your mileage with this next-generation connection will depend more on your network and location than the phone, so we can not really as a point of comparison.
Take away
If one of these smartphones was significantly cheaper than the other, it would be the clear winner, but it’s too close to call.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a large, high-resolution screen that will be perfect for playing games or watching movies, something that the top processor will undoubtedly help with.
For photography fans, the Samsung Galaxy S21’s three impressive cameras and the range of photography features and modes may make it the best choice, with Single Take being a true game changer when it comes to phone photography.
However, using your smartphone is likely to determine which of these devices is best for you.