Download Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G First Impressions: Can it Take Charge? for free

Xiaomi launched two new smartphones at the start of 2022, the Xiaomi 11i 5G and the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G. These two smartphones are almost identical, but have slightly different battery capacities and charging speeds. The latest model hits the headlines for its incredibly fast charge. The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G comes with a 120W charger and Xiaomi claims that it can reach 100 percent in just 15 minutes. Got my hands on the new phone and here are my first impressions.

Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G price in India and availability

The price for Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G in India starts at Rs. 26,999 for the basic variant with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The second variant with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage costs Rs. 28,999. Xiaomi also offers a limited New Years discount of Rs. 1,500 while SBI bank card holders can use an additional Rs. 2,500 as cashback. The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is available in four colors: Pacific Pearl, Purple Mist, Camo Green and Stealth Black. It will go on sale in India on January 12th at 12 noon.

The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge is in a 4,500 mAh battery

Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G design and features

The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G has a new design with flattened sides and rounded corners and lies quite comfortably in the hand. At 8.34mm thick, the phone still feels slim, although the weight of 204g is noticeable. The frame appears to be made of polycarbonate while the back wall is made of glass.

Following the current trend of side-mounted fingerprint scanners, the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G has placed the scanner together with the volume buttons on the right side. The phone also has stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR transmitter that is ubiquitous on Xiaomi smartphones.

The back of the Camo Green variant of the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is matt lacquered. This creates a two-tone effect and the green color is only really noticeable when oblique light falls on it. With only ‘Xiaomi 5G’ branding on the back, I really liked the minimalist design of this smartphone. The camera module is larger than that of the Mi 10i (test report) and clearly stands out. It houses three cameras, a 108-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 5-megapixel macro camera. For selfies, this phone has a 16 megapixel front camera.

The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC, just like the recently introduced Vivo V23. Both versions only have 128 GB of memory, which can be expanded with a microSD card in the hybrid dual SIM tray.

The phone is running MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11 and my device had the September Android security patch. It comes with multiple MIUI features and some pre-installed apps that can be uninstalled.

The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge’s camera module really stands out

The large 6.67-inch AMOLED display has a small cutout on the front and thin edges on the sides. It has a Full HD + resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The highlight of the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is the 120W fast charging support. Xiaomi packs a 120W charger in the box and it’s one of the largest I’ve seen with a smartphone. It has a full size USB Type-A port and you also get a Type-A to Type-C cable with this phone. The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G contains a 4,500 mAh battery that, according to Xiaomi, can be fully charged in just 15 minutes. I look forward to testing these fee claims in the full review.

With prices starting at Rs. 26,999 for the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G, Xiaomi is trying to take advantage of the phone’s hypercharging power to differentiate it in a crowded segment. The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G takes on the Realme GT Master Edition (review), Poco F3 GT (review) and Motorola Edge 20 (review). Can the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G come out on top in terms of performance, battery life, display quality and usability? Or is it a one-trick pony? Stay tuned for the full review, which will be available shortly.