Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite release date, price, news, leaks and rumorsThe affordable Mi 11

The Xiaomi Mi 11 launched in early February but we saw neither hide nor hair of any siblings like the Mi 11 Pro or Mi 11 Lite. However, they're both now expected to land today (March 29), so we'll know all about them soon.

The launch kicks off at at 4.30am PT / 7.30am ET / 12.30pm BST / 10.30pm ACT, and you can tune in live if you want - or just head to TechRadar for all the coverage.

Until the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite does get announced, we've collected everything we've heard about it so far, and you can find all that information below. We've also drawn up a wish-list of what we'd like to see in the phone.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? A low-cost version of the Xiaomi Mi 11
  • How much will it cost? It could be one of the cheapest 5G phones
  • When will it be out? Likely to be announced today (March 29)

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite release date and price

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite didn't come with its 'vanilla' sibling on February 8, but Xiaomi is holding another launch today (March 29) and it's likely to make an appearance there.

The launch kicks off at 4.30am PT / 7.30am ET / 12.30pm BST / 10.30pm ACT, and you can watch the launch live stream, or just head back to TechRadar for all the news.

In terms of price we've not heard any specific leaks on that, but we can take a rough guess given the brand's history with affordable flagship variants.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite cost £299 (roughly $400 / AU$540), and that's the lightest 'Lite-version-of-flagship-phone' the company has put out, so it's a good indicator of the rough price we could see the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite come at.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite

Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite (Image credit: TechRadar)

News and leaks

Two main sources have leaked the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite details we know so far. Reliable leaker Digital Chat Station has stated the phone will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 755G chipset - that hasn't been launched just yet, but the name suggests it'll be a mid-ranged 5G processor.

The same source says the phone will use a 64MP main camera, with a secondary snapper that supports 5x optical zoom, and that it will have an OLED screen.

Since making those claims they've come back with a high-quality render of the phone, which looks as though it might be a leaked official one. You can see this below.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite leak

(Image credit: Digital Chat Station)

Based on the image, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite might look almost identical to the standard Mi 11, just with a flat screen and possibly a slightly bigger bezel at the bottom.

They didn't specify which model they're talking about (as there's thought to be both a 5G and a 4G version), but given the chipset it's likely the 5G one.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G has also been spotted on the Google Play Console though and here it was listed with a different chipset - the Snapdragon 765G, so we're not sure what's right. This listing also mentioned a 1080 x 2400 screen, 8GB of RAM, and Android 11.

Another leak from a less reputable provider called The Pixel suggests the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G will have a Full HD+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It'll also likely have a punch-hole selfie camera in the top left of the screen. 

This source also says the phone will have the Snapdragon 732G processor with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. They state the phone will have a 64MP main camera backed up with 8MP and 5MP extras.

Finally, some Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite renders were also leaked by this source, and you can see them below, though we'd take them with a pinch of salt.

See more

The design shown here is somewhat similar to the render further up, but with a different camera design.

The two main sources leaking Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite information are providing significantly divergent information, but since these leaks we've seen both 4G and 5G versions of the Mi 11 Lite get certified, so it could be that the two versions are very different.

Though while the specs might differ a lot, the design probably won't, as recent leaked renders show a seemingly identical appearance.

What we want to see

Here are a few things we want to see in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, including comparisons to other Xiaomi phones and newer trends in the smartphone market.

1. A new design

We've seen a good few affordable Xiaomi phones use a very similar design recently, with a circular rear camera bump - the Poco X3 NFC, Mi 10T Lite and Redmi Note 9T have all used it in the past few months.

To signal a new flagship phone generation, we'd like to see Xiaomi find a new way of presenting its smartphones - perhaps we could see a camera bump similar to the Mi 11, or something different entirely.

Poco X3 NFC

Poco X3 NFC (Image credit: TechRadar)

2. Good camera specs

If there's one common weakness in Xiaomi's affordable phones, its that their cameras don't match some others at a similar price tag. We frequently list camera performance on the brand's cheaper phones as a negative in our reviews.

We'd like to see Xiaomi improve its cameras in the Mi 11 Lite. Perhaps instead of packing loads of useless 2MP auxiliary cameras, it could aim for quality over quantity, with a better sensor on the main camera.

Xiaomi low-cost phones rarely come with telephoto lenses too, despite them being important for zoomed-in pictures, and the brand could do well to use such a tool.

3. A smaller design

Xiaomi is somewhat of a stranger to compact phones, and it hasn't put out a single smartphone at any price point in years that could reasonably classed as 'small'.

Some people like small phones though, as they're easily to slot in your pocket or use one-handed, and they often have top battery life too.

Perhaps the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite could be the brand's first compact phone in a while, ready to extend an olive branch to people who want mini mobiles.

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