Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE review

Introduction and specs

Click here for our full and extensive review of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, which the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is based on.

Sooner or later, something had to give, and amid a worldwide chipset shortage, sooner or later, we were bound to see an increasing number of re-badged smartphones arriving, with the only change being their new SoC. It's the only viable strategy available to manufacturers to keep a certain model on the shelves when the supply of the originally released chipset runs dry.

Enter the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (NE for New Edition).

All of the smartphone's hardware has been ported from the original 11 Lite 5G, except for the chipset. Now running on the Snapdragon 778G instead of the Snapdragon 780G, there are several key aspects that are subject to change. Performance is the most obvious one, with the new SoC being slightly less powerful but still capable and recent enough, too. Still, we expect a minimal difference.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE specs at a glance:

• Body: 160.5x75.7x6.8mm, 158g; Gorilla Glass 6 front, glass back, plastic frame; IP53, dust and splash protection.
• Display: 6.55" AMOLED, 1B colors, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 90Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 670 & 3x2.4 GHz Kryo 670 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 670); Adreno 642L.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.97", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4, 50mm, 1/5.0", 1.12µm, AF.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, 27mm (wide), 1/3.4", 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@120fps.
• Battery: 4250mAh; Fast charging 33W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; Virtual proximity sensing.

The second one is battery life since both chips are based on different manufacturing processes and come from different chipset fabricators. The Snapdragon 778G is based on TSMC's 6nm N6 while the SD780G employs Samsung's 5nm 5LPE node, yet the discrepancy in battery life will likely be hard to measure.

Lastly, and probably least likely, the SoC change could have an effect on the photo and video quality. The ISPs in both SoCs have little to no difference, but potentially, there could be a change in the way these ISPs handle HDR, noise, image stacking during Night mode, etc. And that's why we are here, on a quest to see what has changed with the move to Snapdragon 778G.

One more change worth mentioning is the new color variants, although they aren't exactly new. The Truffle Black, which we have with us, is the same as before, but the Bubblegum Blue, Peach Pink and Snowflake White are borrowed from the non-5G version of the Mi 11 Lite.

One thing is for sure, though, and that's the great value proposition the new Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE has to offer. Given how positive our review of the Mi 11 Lite 5G was and that these phones are like identical twins, we have every reason to believe that the 11 Lite 5G NE is a great deal. Not to mention Xiaomi is now giving the 8GB/128GB memory option for the same €399 price tag to compensate for the lower-tier Snapdragon 778G, arguably making the handset even more desirable.

Unboxing the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE

The retail box is no different from before, but in addition to the charger, cable and protective case, Xiaomi has added a USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack dongle to make up for the downgrade in the chipset.

Fun fact - this is the only Xiaomi phone to ship with such a dongle ever since they got rid of the 3.5mm jack in the Mi 8.

Battery life

We are currently in the process of testing the battery life of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE so we will update this section in the next few days, as soon as we have the final results. However, we do expect a similar performance as the Mi 11 Lite 5G's. Stay tuned!

Performance

The Snapdragon 778G (Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE) is supposedly almost identical to the Snapdragon 780G (Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G) on paper, but in reality, they are quite different SoCs. And we are not talking about the difference in the manufacturing process. While their model designations sound quite similar, there are differences in the CPU configuration and GPU performance between the two.

Even though the GPU models - Adreno 642 and 642L - suggest little to no difference in the GPU performance, it's evident from the benchmarks that the Snapdragon 778G's GPU is sensibly less powerful.

What makes things a bit more complicated, however, is the CPU configuration. Now, according to Qualcomm's official website as well as Wikipedia's list of Qualcomm SoCs, they should employ the same octa-core CPUs in 1+3+4 configuration running the same clock speeds. But that's not really the case.

A quick check using CPU-Z reveals that the SD778G is actually running largely different clock speeds. Qualcomm says we have 1x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 (Kryo 670 Prime) + 3x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A78 (Kryo 670 Gold) + 4x 1.9 GHz Cortex-A55 (Kryo 670 Silver) on both chipsets. CPU-Z reads the following on the Snapdragon 778G - 4x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x 1.8 GHz - pretty straightforward, although some additional testing confirmed they are indeed clustered in 1+3+4 core configuration. It's just that the CPU core 1 (the Kryo 670 Prime core) and CPU cores 2, 3, and 4 (the three Kryo 670 Gold cores) are all clocked the same in contrast to the Snapdragon 780 config.

The Snapdragon 780G is as advertised - only the main Cortex-A78 (Kryo 670 Prime) boosts up to 2.4 GHz while the other three Cortex-A78 cores (Kryo 670 Gold) tick at 2.2 GHz. The Cortex-A55 (Kryo 670 Silver) are as listed on the Wikipedia page running at 1.9 GHz.

So one would expect the Snapdragon 778G to perform a bit better in CPU-heavy workloads. However, our tests revealed that the two chipsets trade blows in compound system loads and pure CPU-bound tasks. The actual real-world difference is in fact rather negligible.

The real difference between the Snapdragon 778G and 780G lies in the graphics department and the Snapdragon 780G takes a clear lead in graphically intensive tasks.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  3555
• Realme GT Master
  2917
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  2909
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  2832
• OnePlus Nord 2
  2792
• Poco X3 Pro
  2574
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  1820
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  1337

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  1139
• OnePlus Nord 2
  814
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  803
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  787
• Realme GT Master
  785
• Poco X3 Pro
  735
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  636
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  574

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  810433
• OnePlus Nord 2
  598022
• Realme GT Master
  529263
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  522490
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  527663
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  386474
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  373168

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  112
• OnePlus Nord 2
  75
• Poco X3 Pro
  75
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  65
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  56
• Realme GT Master
  56
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  37
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  32

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Poco X3 Pro
  67
• Realme GT 5G
  60
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  57
• OnePlus Nord 2
  57
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  49
• Realme GT Master
  46
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  33
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  28

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  65
• OnePlus Nord 2
  46
• Poco X3 Pro
  45
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  40
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  33
• Realme GT Master
  33
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  21
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  19

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  55
• OnePlus Nord 2
  38
• Poco X3 Pro
  38
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  35
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  28
• Realme GT Master
  27
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  19
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  16

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  5872
• OnePlus Nord 2
  4224
• Poco X3 Pro
  3401
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  3136
• Realme GT Master
  2481
• Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
  2477
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  1674
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  1107

In the charts above, we've also included a couple of similarly-priced phones running the higher-tier Snapdragon 888 and 870 along with MediaTek's Dimensity 1200 SoC powering up the OnePlus Nord 2. Of course, the Snapdragon 778G can't keep up against those three. On the other hand, other phones in the same price range employing the Snapdragon 765G and 750G are providing lower overall performance than the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE's SD778G so it still remains competitive.

As for the memory configurations, they remain untouched from the old model for the most part - 6GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB. The difference, this time around, is that the 8GB/128GB variant is considered to be the main one and launches at the same price as the original 6GB/128GB MI 11 Lite 5G. The 6GB/128GB version will still be available but only in select markets and at a lower €369 price tag.

A familiar triple-camera setup

As we already pointed out, there's no difference in the camera hardware between the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G and the New Edition. The same 64MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.97" sensor size and 0.7µm pixel size leads the pack along with a common 8MP, f/2.2, 1/4.0", 1.12µm ultrawide camera. The 5MP f/2.4 macro shooter with autofocus is here to stay too.

Selfies are shot using a 20MP camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.4" sensor size and 0.8µm pixels.

And even though the ISPs are different in the previous and the new edition, Xiaomi has made sure consistency is on point. We didn't find any difference in how the 11 Lite 5G and the 11 Lite 5G NE handle daylight and low-light scenes. We didn't see any discrepancy in the Night mode's performance too.

That's great news because we were pleased by the standard 11 Lite 5G's camera performance in the first place. Still, we have some daylight and low-light camera samples for you to enjoy. For the full assessment, you can refer to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G review.

Daylight samples

Here are some daylight samples with the main camera, 2x zoom crop from the main camera, ultrawide and, of course, macro.

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Main camera daylight samples

Main camera 2x zoom samples

Ultrawide camera daylight samples

Macro camera samples

Low-light samples

Can't go without some low-light samples as well.

Main camera low-light samples

Main camera Night mode samples

The 2x zoom mode supports Night mode too.

Low-light 2x zoom samples: Normal • Night mode • Normal • Night mode • Normal • Night mode

The ultrawide quality can also be improved by using Night mode.

Low-light ultrawide samples: Normal • Normal • Normal • Night mode • Normal • Night mode

Here's how the primary camera on the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE stacks against the rest of the competition in the controlled environment of our Photo Compare Tool.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE vs. OnePlus Nord 2 and the Realme GT Master Edition in our Photo compare tool

Video recording

And here are the video samples using the main and the ultrawide cameras. The ultrawide caps at 1080p while the main one can go up to 2160p@30fps.

Once you are done with the real-life scenarios, take a look at our video compare tool to see how the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE stacks against the other phones we've reviewed.

2160p: Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE vs. OnePlus Nord 2 and the Realme GT Master Edition in our Video compare tool

Alternatives

Click here for our full and extensive review of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, which the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is based on.

Almost half a year later, even with a lower-tier chipset, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is a relevant and competitive phone. It's a nicely toned-down version of the flagship Mi 11 retaining some high-end features and asking a typical mid-range price. For the same €399, Xiaomi is bumping up the base RAM to 8GB and is discounting the 6GB/128GB variant in some markets, now €369 making it an even more lucrative solution within the €400 budget. It's also important to note that the original Mi 11 Lite 5G will no longer be available for purchase in October 2021. There could be some units left on the shelves in some markets but will be out of stock pretty soon and thus, comparing the "Old Edition" to the "New Edition" in the context of purchasing isn't really necessary. So what about the rest of the competition?

Well, in a fast-paced market like the smartphone one, a lot of things have changed in the last five mounts or so. There are some new releases that are worth mentioning but the majority of the competitors listed in the Mi 11 Lite 5G review should be considered and remain relevant. So in this review, we will focus on the similarly-priced alternatives that came out since April 2021.

OnePlus Nord 2 5G • Realme GT Master • Realme GT 5G

The OnePlus Nord 2 5G is one of the first options that spring to mind. Its main appeal over the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is the more capable Dimensity 1200 SoC, arguably better camera performance, faster charging and the snappy OxygenOS, which has won many fans over the years. Sure, its display doesn't have 10-bit color depth and can't boost its brightness as much as the 11 Lite 5G NE but it's still a worthy rival in a well-rounded package.

Moving up the price ladder a bit, €50 north to be exact, will get you Realme's GT 5G. This one is stepping into the "flagship killer" category with a considerably more powerful chipset and faster 120Hz display. Battery life suffers a little due to the more powerful chipset but the faster 65W charging makes up for it. Camera quality is also slightly better due to the larger 64MP sensor and the more capable ISP of the Snapdragon 888.

On the other hand, for €350, the Realme GT Master Edition might interest you with a faster, albeit less bright, 120Hz OLED, great battery life, blazing-fast charging and the same SoC under the hood. The overall camera performance, however, isn't on par with the 11 Lite 5G NE, mostly when it comes to video recording. No stereo speakers and no microSD card too. Build quality isn't ideal too, unless you are getting the vegan leather option.

Verdict

As you can see, for the last five months, we have had some new players in town and despite the downgraded SoC (damn those chip shortages), the new edition of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G holds up pretty well against the fierce competition. Our initial review findings are still absolutely valid.

An excellent all-rounder with an adequate price and the change in SoC performance won't make much of a difference for the majority of users. We have no reason not to recommend it once again.

Pros

• Smooth, premium and thin glass body with frosted finish.
• Great OLED screen, 10-bit color support, 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10+.
• Dependable battery life, fast to charge.
• Loud stereo speakers
• Excellent daylight photo and video quality across all cameras, including Night mode.
• Android 11, feature-rich MIUI 12.5, Super Wallpapers.

Cons

• Significant drop in GPU performance compared to the original Mi 11 Lite 5G.
• More powerful alternatives in the same price range came out in the last 5 months.

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