Xiaomi Mi 11 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Here's how the best flagships of 2021 compare

Xiaomi recently unveiled the Mi 11, the first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC, globally. The Mi 11 was released in China back in December, but now we finally have a global price for the device. While Xiaomi didn’t confirm it, we expect the Mi 11 to launch in India sometime soon.

At a starting price of EUR 749 (Roughly Rs 65,800), the Mi 11 is similarly priced to another top-end 2021 flagship by Samsung. The vanilla Samsung Galaxy S21 is priced at EUR 849 (Roughly Rs 74,755), making for an interesting comparison.

While design is anyone’s game, depending on personal preferences, there are a few things to consider. Both the Mi 11 and Galaxy S21 feature Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the front, although the latter opts for a plastic back, the former has Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. There’s a slight difference on the front, with the Mi 11 opting for noticeable screen curvature and the S21 opting for a flat panel. Another difference to consider between these two devices is their size, with the Mi 11 standing much taller than the S21, making it more compact. Lastly, one advantage for the Galaxy S21 is that it has an IP68 rating for water resistance.

When it comes to the display, you would think that Samsung has it in the bag, considering its history of delivering top-notch screens. However, this time out, Xiaomi matches Samsung in terms of refresh rate, and surpass it on the resolution front. It is worth noting that the Mi 11 has a peak brightness of 1,500 nits, while the S21 has an equally impressive 1,300 nits of peak brightness.

In terms of performance, both phones have similar specs and are pretty evenly matched. However, this changes when comparing the Mi 11 with the Exynos version of the Galaxy S21.

On the optics side, Xiaomi has an advantage in the primary camera department, given the Mi 11 uses a 108 MP wide-angle camera. While both phones have triple-camera setups, there’s no debating that the S21’s 64 MP telephoto camera is a big step up from the Mi 11’s 5 MP macro camera. Additionally, Samsung has a reputation for delivering some of the best camera consistency between the primary and ultrawide lenses. The South Korean smartphone maker also has an excellent track record of providing industry-leading selfie camera performance.

While both phones should be capable of easily hitting the all-day battery life standard, the Mi 11 does have a larger battery capacity. Additionally, Xiaomi also delivers faster wired and wireless charging support. In terms of wireless charging, Samsung is well behind Xiaomi. Additionally, both OEMs don’t offer a charger in the box.

Lastly, the Galaxy S21 and Mi 11 run on Android 11, although both manufacturers have their custom skins. In terms of OS skins, Samsung’s One UI is among the best on offer, both in terms of overall customizations and user experience. Xiaomi MIUI, on the other hand, is more cluttered but also has some neat customizations. Although we haven’t tested MIUI 12.5, previous iterations of the software are still playing catch up with the latest versions of top-tier skins like One UI and OxygenOS.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review: The Best Android Smartphone That You Can Buy?