Do you remember the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G that we reviewed earlier? This super light 5G phone is back in a new version, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE. 

So what’s the difference between the Xiaomi (Mi) 11 Lite 5G NE and the Mi 11 Lite, and what exactly has been upgraded in the new model?

Let me take you through a quick overview of these changes.

Mi 11 Lite 5G NE looks identical to the Mi 11 Lite 5G model

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE looks almost identical to the Mi 11 Lite. The 157g body (6.8mm thin) is also almost the same weight as the Lite 5G version. I don’t think having the same design and weight is a bad thing, as I always thought the Mi 11 Lite 5G looked elegant and felt great in my hands.

So let’s turn our attention to the front of the phone. The Lite NE still has the same FHD+, 90Hz OLED screen as the older model. But it now comes with Dolby Vision support. 

Do you remember the peculiarity of the screen of the Xiaomi 11 lite 5G? Well, the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE still uses RGB Delta pixels without any changes, so the shortcomings of Lite 5G are still present on the Lite NE model. If you’re a person who is very conscious of how the screen looks, you have to be aware of this particular factor.

Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G gets a new chip

Although there is no change in appearance, the chip has been changed from Snapdragon 780G to Snapdragon 778G. In the Antutu benchmark, the phone gets a score of 499299, while in Geekbench 5 it gets a single-core score of 767, and a multicore score of 2489.

Scores have actually dropped compared to the 780G. The Mi 11 Lite can run at an Extreme frame rate with PUBG HDR Graphics, while the Lite NE cannot.

When running Genshin Impact too, the gameplay is not as good as the Snapdragon 780G-powered Mi 11 Lite and has more lag. So the NE is a step-down in terms of gaming performance. And when running large games like Genshin Impact, because our Xiaomi 11 Lite NE unit has only 6GB RAM, MIUI’s control of background apps is too strict, causing most apps in the background to be killed. So if you want to play large games, it is recommended to buy a version with 8GB RAM or more.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE has the same camera as the Mi 11 Lite 5G

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE’s camera setup is also the same as the Mi 11 Lite 5G, featuring a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 5MP telephoto macro lens. The performance of these three lenses is almost identical to what we saw on the Mi 11 Lite 5G as well.

Main Camera

The performance is average, mainly because the HDR is weak and prone to localized overexposure and underexposure. The issue of jagged lines in the 2x zoom mentioned in the Mi 11 Lite 5G is still present on the NE model too. The performance at night is the same as most Budget phones, with only the main camera performing better and the ultra-wide lens requiring night mode to be turned on for a better view.

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Ultra-Wide Camera

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Macro Camera

The telephoto macro lens is also an old friend of us, and as always is better than most macro lenses out there. Its autofocus and the ability to focus on objects at a very close distance allow for some very good macro shots. Overall, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE’s photography is at the average level for its price range, with no improvement over the Mi 11 Lite 5G.

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The main camera video supports up to 4K 30FPS and the ultra-wide lens supports up to 1080P 30FPS. 60 fps mode still has Image stabilization to give good video shots, but the downside is still a relatively small dynamic range.

Mi 11 Lite NE 5G has better battery life

Unlike the Mi 11 Lite 5G, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE comes with a charger and cable in the box. The charging power is still 33W, but it seems that the temperature control has become more stringent. It takes ten minutes to charge to 20%, half an hour to charge to 51%, and 71 minutes for a full charge. The battery is still 4250mAh.

 Although it is remarkable that more than 4000mAh battery is stuffed inside a 157g body, it is still a little disappointing that NE wasn’t upgraded to a 4500mAh battery. Half an hour of Tiktok consumed 5%, 1080P online video consumed 4%, ten minutes of PUBG took the charge further down by 4%, while thirty minutes of Genshin Impact dropped the battery further by 7%. It seems that this less powerful chip provides a better battery life.

The difference between Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE and Mi 11 Lite 5G is actually only in the chip department, everything else is basically the same. There’s really only one reason for you to choose Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE – it is the lightest 5G phone you can buy at the moment and with a battery larger than 4000mAh. This alone makes it attractive enough for people to buy it.