The first Xiaomi smartphones I’ve reviewed are the Mi 9T and Mi 9T Pro way back in 2019. One year passed by, I’ve had enough time to test the Mi 10T Pro.

Another year later, I got to test another Xiaomi T successor in the line. The Xiaomi 11T Pro (yes, without the ‘Mi’ branding anymore) is a capable smartphone that can surely hold the “flagship killer” title. But what does it look like against its older sibling?

Well, here are 11 changes I’ve listed down for you to know.

1. Design

From afar, the Xiaomi 11T Pro looks more premium and elegant compared to the Mi 10T Pro. Not only does it have that brushed metal back design, it also looks more well-crafted and thought out.

While both have glass backs, the Mi 10T Pro doesn’t radiate elegance — especially in this less fancy Cosmic Black colorway that I have versus the 11T Pro’s Meteorite Gray colorway.

The camera cutout looks cleaner and less pronounced. The new Xiaomi logo also looks more modern compared to that old “Mi” branding.

2. Build Quality

While the Mi 10T Pro has a Gorilla Glass 5 protection, the Xiaomi 11T Pro’s front display features a tougher Gorilla Glass Victus. It wasn’t mentioned though if Xiaomi also placed one on its back.

Both Mi phones also have an aluminum frame but the Xiaomi 11T Pro has a matte-textured frame compared to Mi 10T Pro’s glossy a la stainless steel.

3. Display

Xiaomi has finally come to their senses by bringing an AMOLED display to the Xiaomi 11T Pro. Having an AMOLED display not only brings you better dynamic range and contrast especially with Dolby Vision, it also means you get an Always-On Display for notifications. That’s something the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro doesn’t have.

While they’ve reduced the refresh rate from the Mi 10T Pro’s 144Hz down to 120Hz, it still is a better display as the IPS-LCD is lackluster especially in displaying deeper blacks and whiter whites. Besides, 120Hz still looks as smooth as the higher 144Hz.

Brightness levels on the Xiaomi 11T Pro’s display are also higher at around 800 to 1000 nits versus the measly 500 to 650 nits on the Mi 10T Pro. This means better sunlight legibility that I truly attest.

4. Biometrics

Despite having an AMOLED display, the Xiaomi 11T Pro still has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on its power button. But instead of the Mi 10T Pro’s recessed scanner (which kind of feels a little bit cheap and flimsy), the 11T Pro has a raised power button with greater tactile response.

Based on experience, the 11T Pro’s fingerprint scanner feels faster and more responsive even with wet hands. The Mi 10T Pro’s sensor had lapses when unlocking the phone even when my fingers are dry.

5. Speakers

Both phones have stereo speakers but one distinct feature that the Xiaomi 11T Pro has is the Harman/Kardon-powered speakers. Not only it’s better sounding with fuller and richer stereo sound, you also get better experience especially because its paired with Dolby Atmos. These features are something that the old Mi 10T Pro doesn’t have.

6. Rear cameras

While both phones have a “108MP camera” plastered on each of their camera bumps, the Xiaomi 11T Pro looked like it has a downgraded 108MP camera with an f/1.8 aperture (versus f/1.7 on the Mi 10T Pro) as well as the lack of OIS.

The ultra-wide camera changed too. From a 13MP f/2.4 with 123-degree FoV to an 8MP f/2.2 120-degree lens. Both lack a telephoto zoom lens but still keeps the 5MP f/2.4 macro lens.

7. Punch-hole cameras

If you’ll compare these two Mi phones side-by-side, you’d easily identify which is which based on the placement of each punch-hole cutouts.

The Mi 10T Pro has it on the left side, while the Xiaomi 11T Pro’s front camera was moved at the center. This is a bold move considering past Xiaomi smartphones including the Mi 11 and the Mi 11 Ultra used the former layout. It would cause a confusion when let’s say you put it beside a Samsung Galaxy A72 for that matter.

Also, the selfie cameras are different. The Mi 10T Pro has a 20MP f/2.2 camera while the Xiaomi 11T Pro has a 16MP f/2.5 sensor. That sounded like another downgrade from last year but you have to see my camera shootout to find out.

8. Performance

Both the Xiaomi 11T Pro and Mi 10T Pro are equipped with the latest Snapdragon chipsets during their time of announcement. The Mi 10T Pro has a Snapdragon 865 chipset — which is a flagship processor last 2020. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 11T Pro is equipped the latest Snapdragon 888 processor.

On paper, they’re both capable 5G octa-core chipsets. The differentiating factor other than the clock speeds are the Adreno 660 vs 650 from last year. The Xiaomi 11T Pro also offers a 12GB RAM aside from the 8GB variant. The Mi 10T Pro was only offered with 8GB of memory.

9. Battery life

While both possess a 5000mAh battery, battery life seems to be different due to the difference in chipset. The Xiaomi 11T Pro runs a more efficient processor so it makes sense that it lasts longer.

The Mi 10T Pro can still last longer than most smartphones out there but its 7nm+ chipset prevents in from performing better than the newer premiere model in the Xiaomi T line.

10. Charging

One big leap that Xiaomi did in a span of a year is the 120W turbo charging in the Xiaomi 11T Pro. The Mi 10T Pro only had a 33W turbo charger which is fast but not as close as what the 11T Pro has to offer today.

On paper, Xiaomi promises 17 minutes of charge from zero to 100 percent. You have to check my Mi 11T Pro review to find that claim.

11. Pricing

It would be amiss not to point out how their launch prices also changed.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro was launched for PhP 24,990. Meanwhile, the base variant of Xiaomi 11T Pro starts at PhP 27,990. If you’ll do the math, that’s a PhP 3000 increase. But if we’ll consider the Mi 9T Pro in this segment, that phone retailed for only PhP 18,990. That’s almost a PhP 10,000 increase in just two years!

If Xiaomi keeps doing this on their T series lineup, their loyal fanbase might look elsewhere — including their Redmi and POCO sub-brands.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi 11T Pro review: Is it really “Pro” enough?