I thought the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was too much but the Xiaomi 12 Ultra sounds like it could redefine ‘excessive.’
I gave the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra a mixed review, and while I stand by the middling score it received, my thoughts have softened over the last six months – especially with the Xiaomi 12 Ultra rumors we’ve been hearing. The Mi 11 Ultra, launched in mid-2021, was by all accounts a great phone. It had a huge, good-looking screen, three powerful rear cameras, and a top-end processor. My criticisms focused on the device’s excesses: its camera bump was unwieldy, it had a small rear screen that didn’t really add anything, and its price was so high that it was difficult to recommend to most buyers. But now we’ve been hearing rumors of its successor, the Ultra version of the Xiaomi 12 that launched a month ago, it makes the Mi 11 Ultra sound starkly minimalist in comparison. Usually, when I review a smartphone, I’ll use it for the testing period, then move onto another review device and never look back. Now and then, in quiet periods when there are no new phones out, I’ll use an older phone that I enjoyed testing. But other than those rare moments of tranquility, I rarely continue to use older devices. That’s not the case with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra though, as I’ve continued to use it pretty consistently since I tested it six months ago. There’s one key reason for that – the Mi 11 Ultra has a fantastic set of cameras. They are far more versatile and useful than the ones on any device I’ve tested before or since. Sometimes, if I’m going on a trip, I’ll make sure to bring the Xiaomi phone along so I can take the best snaps possible – and I’m not the only one at TechRadar who’s done this. I also shoot lots of video (for personal film work as well as for TechRadar videos) and the Mi 11 Ultra is the device I now default to for this.
