At first glance, Xiaomi Mi 11 and Apple iPhone 12 are very different handsets, but they have two important things in common: they are both affordable flagships and they lack the charger out of the box. If you just saw these two recent flagships released by the best smartphone manufacturers (excluding Samsung) and you do not know which one to choose, this is the perfect place for you. We decided to publish a comparison between the specifications of the Xiaomi Mi 11 and the iPhone 12 in order to let you understand whether it is worth spending more for the Apple flagship or saving money for the first Snapdragon 888 phone.
Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Apple iPhone 12
| Xiaomi Mi 11 | Apple iPhone 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm, 196 g | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 164 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.81 inches, 1440 x 3200p (Quad HD+), AMOLED | 6.1 inches, 1170 x 2532p (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Apple A14 Bionic, hexa-core |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 4 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 11, MIUI | iOS 14 |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 108 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 20 MP front camera |
Dual 12 + 12 MP, f/1.6 + f/2.4 Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4600 mAh, fast charging 50W, wireless charging 50W | 2815 mAh, fast charging 20W, Qi fast wireless charging 15W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging 10W | Optional Dual SIM slot, optional eSIM, 5G, MagSafe, IP68 waterproof |
Design
Both Xiaomi Mi 11 and iPhone 12 offer a stunning design. I personally like the Xiaomi Mi 11 more due to its narrow bezels and the absence of that ugly notch, especially in the vegan leather version. But that is my opinion only if we consider the look. The iPhone 12 has a better build quality as it is built with better materials, and it is waterproof with the IP68 certification. Further, the iPhone 12 is more compact, thinner, and lighter than the Xiaomi Mi 11. These are very important features for those who desire a versatile and pocket device.
Display
On paper, it looks like the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a better display and even one of the best panels in the whole market. With the Xiaomi Mi 11, you get an amazing AMOLED panel that can show up to one billion colors, it has a 120 Hz refresh rate, the HDR10+ certification, and a peak brightness up to 1500 nits. It is the best Xiaomi display to date and it is even a very wide panel, with a 6.81-inch diagonal. Last but not least, it has an in-display fingerprint reader. With the iPhone 12, you actually get a lower resolution, a lower display diagonal, and lower peak brightness, and a lower refresh rate, but still one of the best panels out there. Note that iPhone 12 does not have a fingerprint reader, but it relies on Face ID (3D facial recognition) for authentication.
Specs & Software
You probably would not notice the difference between the Xiaomi Mi 11 and the iPhone 12 when it comes to the performance. They both feature a flagship-class hardware department with the latest chipsets in the market from each manufacturer. The Xiaomi Mi 11 is fueled by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform paired with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. With the iPhone 12, you get an Apple A14 Bionic chipset, 4 GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB of NVMe storage. Both the chipset are built at 5 nm and support 5G connectivity. Despite the lower quantity of RAM, iPhone 12 provides a comparable level of performance thanks to the iOS optimization. Xiaomi Mi 11 is based on Android 11, customized by the MIUI 12.5.
Camera
It is still too early to establish which phone is better between the Xiaomi Mi 11 and iPhone 12 when it comes to the cameras. The former has a triple camera including a 108 MP main sensor with OIS, a 13 MP ultrawide sensor, and a 5 MP macro camera. The iPhone 12 is equipped with a dual camera including an ultrawide sensor and OIS. Unfortunately, both the phones lack a telephoto sensor, so you do not get an optical zoom.
Battery
The Xiaomi Mi 11 packs a big 4600 mAh battery which is able to last more than iPhone 12 and a below-average (but still well optimized) 2815 mAh unit. Besides featuring a bigger battery, the Mi 11 has a faster 50W charging technology and it supports reverse wireless charging, while iPhone 12 does not.
Price
Xiaomi Mi 11 is priced at $611 in China in its base variant featuring 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. It is still not available in the global market. The iPhone 12 has a starting listing price of $1,129. There is not a clear winner of this comparison: if you need the best display, then you should go for the Mi 11. But the iPhone 12 has a more compact design and better build quality. For the rest, they are not so different, if we exclude the operating system.
Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Apple iPhone 12: PRO and CONS
Xiaomi Mi 11
PRO
- Amazing QHD+ display
- Bigger battery
- Reverse wireless charging
- Faster charging
- IR sensor
- Good price
CONS
- No water resistance
Apple iPhone 12
PRO
- More compact
- Better build quality
- Waterproof
- Thinner and lighter
CONS
- Smaller battery
