Making a phone interesting is perhaps the biggest challenge manufacturers face, more so because Android spec sheets are sort of plateauing with similar readings. Xiaomi, of course, is known for playing the price game but the approach it takes on the Mi 11 Lite is uncommon for the company — all eyes are on design and style.

Frankly, Xiaomi has the power to experiment because they continue to offer a number of devices, each targeting a different set of consumers. Visit the website to be spoilt for choice. So if somebody is looking for a stylish Mi phone and not necessarily monster specs, the Mi 11 Lite fits in.

Camera and video star

The photo was taken using the main camera of Mi 11 Lite: Ants trying to take nectar from a Golden Trumpet flower

The phone can be seen in two parts — one involves style and camera while the other is about where it stands in the Mi 11 pecking order. At 157g, it is among the lightest you can buy without compromising on screen size, which stands at 6.55-inch. Sleek and snazzy (and slippery!), these two elements greet users. There is a transparent case to be slapped on the back of the phone, which really doesn’t do justice to the phone. At 6.55-inch, the phone will make you stretch the fingers but it’s worth the effort. On a brighter note, there is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection so the slippery eel won’t set you back in case of a fall.

The picture was taken indoors. It shows bubbles forming on the surface of an oil-and-water covered dish

It’s a beautiful 10-bit AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate and it gets very bright. There is nothing to complain when it comes to viewing angles, colour reproduction or even the sound quality, even though the headphone jack is missing.

The ‘Pro’ mode on the Mi 11 Lite is effective and easy to use

It’s the camera that charms the most. The 64MP main camera is surprisingly good, capturing crisp details shots with all the details and pixel binning results in 16MP file sizes. There is good bokeh action with excellent separation around the head of the subject. Even the 8MP ultra-wide camera does fairly well if you can overlook the fisheye effect around the edges. Where some improvement is needed is the night mode, which surely brightens up the scene but there is noise and not a lot of details get captured. Working in Xiaomi’s favour is the 5MP macro camera, offering some Instagram-worthy shots.

The feature that’s going to keep the casual phone user happy are the video and modes available on the phone. The Movie Effects section has effects like slow shutter, time freeze, night-time lapse, and Inception-like ‘parallel world’. Instead of saying “what?”, think of it as a way to keep users engaged. Xiaomi always manages to come up with unique video modes. Videos shot on 4K@30fps are good enough for social media.

Focus is on style

What’s there for the spec-sheet-loving user? At the heart of the phone is a Snapdragon 732G processor, which we have seen on the less-expensive Redmi Note Pro 10 that is priced around Rs 6,000 lower while the battery on the Mi 11 Lite is 4,250mAh compared to Note Pro 10’s 5020mAh. So both these phones can handle most games pretty well and everyday tasks are not a problem.

But Mi 11 Lite is not about specs. It’s supposed to be a head-turner, which it is at this price point. Note Pro 10 is a great phone but lags behind Mi 11 Lite in way of design. If we take into consideration the gorgeous-looking Mi televisions, Xioami seems to be also focussing on designing more than ever before. It’s a step that needs to be taken to become a complete brand.

Should you buy it?

Since it’s not an inexpensive phone, it would have been great had Xiaomi left out apps like LinkedIn and Zili. As for battery, it’s good enough for six hours of screen-on time. People who furrow their eyebrows while reading spec sheets are not the ones Mi 11 Lite is addressing. Instead of being a boring black slab, Mi 11 Lite is about flair. Whether that pays off for Xiaomi remains to be seen.

All about the stylish smartphone

Device: Mi 11 Lite

Price: Rs 21,999 for 6GB+128GB and Rs 23,999 for 8GB+128GB

High notes

• Very light and stylish

• Excellent set of cameras

• Plenty of video and photo tricks are in the camera section

Muffled notes

• MIUI 12 interface can do with some UI improvements

• Not a phone for those who care about spec-sheet

Also look at

Oneplus Nord CE 5G, Samsung Galaxy M31s, Poco X3