Xiaomi launched its latest flagship device, namely Mi 11 Ultra, along with the Mi 11X and Mi 11X Pro in India on Friday. Since the device had launched internationally, everyone knew about its specifications and just how powerful it is.
A month prior, OnePlus had launched the OnePlus 9 series in India. The OnePlus 9 series was super hyped because of the Hasselblad cameras. The most interesting thing about the OnePlus 9 series was its pricing. OnePlus went beyond what it did with the OnePlus 8 Pro and priced the OnePlus 9 Pro starting at Rs 64,999, which went up to Rs 69,999 for the high-end model.
Since the Mi 11 Ultra has launched for the same price as the OnePlus 9 Pro's high-end model, let’s take a look at which device is better and where should you spend your Rs 70,000.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Display
Starting with the display, the OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with support for 1440x3216 pixels resolution. The device can support maximum brightness of up to 1300 nits and further support 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Multi-touch; offers 90.23% screen-to-body ratio, and has a pixel density of 526ppi.
On the other hand, the Mi 11 Ultra comes with a larger 6.81-inch AMOLED display with support for 1440x3200 pixels resolution. Its maximum brightness is capped at 1700 nits, more than what OnePlus 9 Pro can support and offers a 91.35% screen-to-body ratio. The device also comes with support for 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ along with a pixel density of 515ppi.
Both the devices come with an A+ rating from DisplayMate and are protected by the covering of Corning Gorilla Glass. Overall, there are very few differences in the displays of both devices.
Some users, however, would find the display of the OnePlus 9 Pro better because of its optimisation with the clean experience of OxygenOS.
There’s one more thing that we can’t ignore, and that is the secondary display of the Mi 11 Ultra. For the unaware, the Mi 11 Ultra comes with a secondary display at the rear with an Always-on-Display (AOD) function that reflects notifications, time, and date for the users.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Design
The OnePlus 9 Pro is 163.2mm long, 73.6mm wide, and 8.7mm thick, while the Mi 11 Ultra is 164.3mm long, 74.6mm wide and 8.3mm thick. Again, very minimal differences in the size of the devices. However, the OnePlus 9 Pro weighs 197 grams that is much lighter than the Mi 11 Ultra’s 234 grams.
In terms of design, the OnePlus 9 Pro and the Mi 11 Ultra are totally different. The Mi 11 Ultra is kind of bold with the huge camera bump at the rear and a secondary display, while the OnePlus 9 Pro goes for a more clean and minimalistic look.
Apart from this, both devices come with an IP68 rating that makes them water-resistant and dust-proof. The OnePlus 9 Pro further comes with a Gorilla Glass covering at the rear.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Performance
Both the flagships are powered by the same chipset - Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB internal storage. But since this is mostly an on-paper comparison, we can’t comment on which device is better in performance yet.
Both come with their own thermal systems and gaming modes for allowing uninterrupted gaming. Only a long-time usage of the devices will make it clear which one is better in regards to the performance.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Camera
Let’s talk about the cameras now. OnePlus 9 Pro is essentially priced so high because of the Hasselblad value; thus, its cameras should be very good. The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a quad-camera setup at the rear, where the primary sensor of the device is a 48MP wide-angle lens paired with a larger 50MP ultra-wide angle sensor, an 8MP telephoto sensor, and a 2MP monochrome sensor.
On the other hand, the Mi 11 Ultra comes with a triple-camera setup at the rear with a 50MP primary wide-angle sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 48MP telephoto sensor with support for 120x digital zoom capability.
The cameras of both devices support HDR shooting. However, the OnePlus 9 Pro can record at a maximum resolution of 8K at 30fps, while the Mi 11 Ultra can record at a maximum resolution of 8K at 24fps.
The front camera of both devices is standard, with the OnePlus 9 Pro offering a single 16MP primary sensor at the front and the Mi 11 Ultra offering a 20MP primary sensor for selfies. Front camera sensors of both devices can support recording in full-HD at 30fps.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Connectivity
Both the devices are capable of connecting to a 5G network. There is a USB Type-C port in either of the devices for facilitating fast charging, and both can support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Let’s take a look at the frequency bands they support.
Mi 11 Ultra Frequency Bands - 5G: n1 / n3 / n5/ n7 /n8/ n20/ n28/ n38/ n40 /n41 /n77 / n78 / n79; 4G: FDD-LTE: B1 / B2 / B3 / B4 / B5 / B7 / B8 / B12 / B17 / B20 / B28/ B32 /B66, 4G: TDD-LTE: B38 / B40 / B41 / B42, 3G: WCDMA: B1 / B2 / B4 / B5 / B8, and 2G: GSM: 850/ 900/ 1800 MHz.
OnePlus 9 Pro Frequency Bands - MIMO: LTE: B1, 3, 40; NR: N41, 78; 5G SA: N41, 78; 5G NSA: N41, 78; 4G: LTE-TDD: B34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46; 4G: LTE-FDD: B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26; 3G: WCDMA: B1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 19; and 2G: GSM: B2, 3, 5, 8.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Battery
The Mi 11 Ultra ships with a 5,000mAh battery, while the OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a 4,500mAh battery. In terms of charging, the Mi 11 Ultra can support 67W wired and wireless charging, while the OnePlus 9 Pro can support 65W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Mi 11 Ultra vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Conclusion
The Mi 11 Ultra can be concluded as the most powerful flagship that Xiaomi has ever launched in India. At the same time, the OnePlus 9 Pro isn’t what we expected it to be. It is not like the OnePlus 9 Pro isn’t a powerful device, but it seems slightly overpriced. The reviews of the OnePlus 9 Pro are out, and users don’t really feel the Hasselblad partnership made a big difference on the device’s camera.
In terms of on-paper specs, the Mi 11 Ultra has a clear edge over the OnePlus 9 Pro. But then, in terms of software, the OxygenOS feels like a much better option to a majority of the users.
To conclude, if we were to spend Rs 70,000 on one of these devices, we would go for the OnePlus 9 Pro. This is because of two reasons; one being the OxygenOS superiority over the MIUI and the second being the overall build quality of the smartphone. Even though OnePlus might not have been able to beat the Mi 11 Ultra completely in the specs sheet, it still feels like a more premium device to us.
That said, the Mi 11 Ultra is by far the best device from Xiaomi and would still make for an excellent purchase. The only thing is, its software and the animations aren’t as pleasing to the eye as they are in the OxygenOS.
Which device would you go for, and why?
