Is there any news on the HDR10 image capture and video recording capability?
Does the Mi 11 Ultra support HDR10 video recording at all framerate/resolution combinations like the iPhone 12 Pro Max - or is it limited to "4K" 30fps like the Oppo Find X3 Pro?
You can do HDR10+ at 4K60, or HDR10 at 8K24, but these are only limited on the main camera module/sensor, this also includes the frame merge HDR mode at max 4K30 (meaning dual-frame HDR in SDR container).
Non-HDR capture works on all modules to 8K24 / 4K60.
Really appreciated! I'm assuming that 10bit HEIF/HEIC image capture is still not supported on the included camera app.
Would be great if HDR 10bit video/image capture support & their file formats and resolutions could be consistently mentioned in future smartphone reviews.
10bit (8bit + FRC) displays are finally slowly becoming common in smartphone displays.
And as for ergonomics, can't say I consider curved screens to be ergonomic, or to make sense at all. But today I can 3D print a foamed TPU case, I'll stop complaining so much about it.
Also, article suggestion: I know it's not directly hardware-related, but y'all could ask someone who has access to plenty broken phone parts, like a third-party repair shop, about the thickness of the glass. E.g. how thick the Gorilla Glass Victus is on the Mi 11 vs the S21.
It's an important metric for screen durability, but it's (AFAIK) completely ignored.
It's really hard to review Sony phones here in the USA because it's hard to even get them. While AT is obviously a global-focused website, they aren't going to review products that aren't even sold in the USA, though there have been some exceptions such as Eurocom notebooks and Chinese-built reference design devices (that would become other products sold in the USA)
I don't think Sony has sold a US-market phone since the Z3. That was like 5-6 years ago?
I'm based in Europe so that's not the primary reason, it's just that Sony isn't doing a great job and the current way the devices are, they're low priority.
This comment is complete FUD. Sony has sold US model phones the entire time. In the past, they had specifically disabled the side-mounted fingerprint sensors, only for devices sold in the US, because of Apple patents. (The fingerprint sensor is now enabled in the US for several generations already.)
I think it’s droll how bloated phones have become, such as overkill screen specs. I keep my phone in greyscale most of the time, as it’s much more pleasant versus a sea of clashing garish/oversaturated color.
So, 10-bit panels are certainly not at the top of my list.
For photography, I have two proper cameras — a Sigma for color-critical shots and a Nikon for the big zoom. Real cameras are vastly more suited to anything beyond very mundane photography. The Sigma isn’t a large camera at all. It could be better (battery life, macro ability, night shots, fast shots/shakiness) but I’d rather have it than any phone for most things. For ‘quick and dirty but still good quality’ I have the Nikon.
Why are you complaining about a phone that is clearly not for you? What are you going to complain about next? Maybe that there are no 15" screen versions of the phone for people that want extra-large screens?
He's complaining about the general direction that the smartphone industry has been heading to, not about this phone in particular. There's no choice to buy a phone without a camera.
I personally sympathize with his woes on the lack of choice, but economies of scale dictates that companies must chase after the abstract "general consumer".
I’m not sure what tales of woe you detected in my post.
The main gist is that superfluous spec chasing doesn’t impress me. Putting fingerprints onto an ultra-fancy screen and dealing with the terrible ergonomics of camera phones — both seem to be examples of diminishing returns taken a bit too far.
Perhaps phones really need 10-bit color but I don’t see the need for it.
The overwhelming majority of people don't care about professional cameras or "colour critical photography", they want to be able to take photos without having to plan or think about it.
And the Mi 11 Ultra is a great step forward over your typical smartphone camera, at least in terms of hardware. Now they just need to make >100mm² sensors more affordable.
Think about it like this: the mass-production of sensors and development of algorithms that can extract more information from the same sensor means that there will be improvements for you DSLR people as well
^This. 99+% of people don't want to carry a camera with them, but don't have much of a choice in terms of must-carry a phone these days. That it comes with a camera is a nice bonus, and essentially means that for all those people taking more than good enough pictures is a freebie.
Xiaomi is pretty damn bold thinking they can charge $1400 for a pretty flawed phone. I mean come on those are straight up Apple prices, and while this has a lot going for it (Apple is off my list until they bring back a simple fingerprint sensor) it's battery life sucks to be daily driven without charging and it's performance sucks because it overheats and throttles in games.
I think the headline hit the nail on the head, with a battery that large, how is this phone so inefficient to score iPhone 12 Mini-levels of battery life?
As usual, the reviews only cover OEM software. Experienced users know that the best software is made by software experts, not by hardware manufacturers. Android is different from Apple. Android allows the software experts to control hardware better than any other product. Generally on all our Android devices, we use the same very high quality software. Microsoft Launcher (or Nova), Gboard keyboard, & Open Camera. Hardware should not be judged on incompetent software, or incompetent beginner users. That's similar to car testing, using factory fluids, and novice drivers on city only roads.
The Mi11 Ultra got a massive software camera fix in the latest global ROM OTA MIUI 12.5.4. It contains all the tweaks and fixes following the work with the DXO guys that got the Mi11 Ultra the worlds best Smartphone score or 146 in DXOMark. So perhaps revisit the Mi11 Ultra and this time include the iPhone 12 Pro Max, seeing as it is the biggest selling flagship and weirdly missing from this roundup.
There should be a big improvement in the camera's HDR processing, after update to MIUI 12.5. Did you double-check? Also battery life should be much improved in MIUI 12.5..
"optimisation" instance... there are some similar cases for Asus rog 5, after doing wild life test, its surface temperature reaches up to 68 celecius degree... https://youtu.be/GQTfrzduA5Y?t=420
Have yesterday the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, It is extremely sensitive to the touch and I have not yet been able to transfer the data from my LG G8X ThinQ, despite the fact that I have done it without problems with all the other phones that I bought that are around 50. Any indication?
You state that when using the camera, the rear display can also be enabled to act as a preview screen which allows for high quality selfie pictures using the main cameras.
I am unable to find any such setting. Can you elaborate how the rear display can be used for camera preview?
Is the binning something you can choose in the camera app? Does it work in video mode too? I would love to be able to cut the FOV of the wide lens in half when filming.
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iodinegum - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Is there any news on the HDR10 image capture and video recording capability?Does the Mi 11 Ultra support HDR10 video recording at all framerate/resolution combinations like the iPhone 12 Pro Max - or is it limited to "4K" 30fps like the Oppo Find X3 Pro?
Andrei Frumusanu - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
You can do HDR10+ at 4K60, or HDR10 at 8K24, but these are only limited on the main camera module/sensor, this also includes the frame merge HDR mode at max 4K30 (meaning dual-frame HDR in SDR container).Non-HDR capture works on all modules to 8K24 / 4K60.
iodinegum - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Really appreciated! I'm assuming that 10bit HEIF/HEIC image capture is still not supported on the included camera app.Would be great if HDR 10bit video/image capture support & their file formats and resolutions could be consistently mentioned in future smartphone reviews.
10bit (8bit + FRC) displays are finally slowly becoming common in smartphone displays.
Andrei Frumusanu - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
HEIC mode is still only 8bit, yes.blanarahul - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Is there a power saving option that reduces GPU performance and thus heat while playing games like Genshin Impact?If yes, can you provide any 1 benchmark result for the same (full power vs per saving so that I can an idea regarding the performance loss) ?
Andrei Frumusanu - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
The battery saver mode doesn't affect GPU performance.Wereweeb - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
GPU Performance section, second paragraph is copied into the third.Wereweeb - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
And as for ergonomics, can't say I consider curved screens to be ergonomic, or to make sense at all. But today I can 3D print a foamed TPU case, I'll stop complaining so much about it.Also, article suggestion: I know it's not directly hardware-related, but y'all could ask someone who has access to plenty broken phone parts, like a third-party repair shop, about the thickness of the glass. E.g. how thick the Gorilla Glass Victus is on the Mi 11 vs the S21.
It's an important metric for screen durability, but it's (AFAIK) completely ignored.
Silver5urfer - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Will Anandtech review Sony Xperia 1 Mark III ? These phones are not there in US and they are MIUI Chinese.Andrei Frumusanu - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Unlikely we'll review it.Silver5urfer - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
That's really damn unfortunate.Samus - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
It's really hard to review Sony phones here in the USA because it's hard to even get them. While AT is obviously a global-focused website, they aren't going to review products that aren't even sold in the USA, though there have been some exceptions such as Eurocom notebooks and Chinese-built reference design devices (that would become other products sold in the USA)I don't think Sony has sold a US-market phone since the Z3. That was like 5-6 years ago?
Andrei Frumusanu - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
I'm based in Europe so that's not the primary reason, it's just that Sony isn't doing a great job and the current way the devices are, they're low priority.neothe0ne - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
This comment is complete FUD. Sony has sold US model phones the entire time. In the past, they had specifically disabled the side-mounted fingerprint sensors, only for devices sold in the US, because of Apple patents. (The fingerprint sensor is now enabled in the US for several generations already.)Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
I think it’s droll how bloated phones have become, such as overkill screen specs. I keep my phone in greyscale most of the time, as it’s much more pleasant versus a sea of clashing garish/oversaturated color.So, 10-bit panels are certainly not at the top of my list.
For photography, I have two proper cameras — a Sigma for color-critical shots and a Nikon for the big zoom. Real cameras are vastly more suited to anything beyond very mundane photography. The Sigma isn’t a large camera at all. It could be better (battery life, macro ability, night shots, fast shots/shakiness) but I’d rather have it than any phone for most things. For ‘quick and dirty but still good quality’ I have the Nikon.
heffeque - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Why are you complaining about a phone that is clearly not for you?What are you going to complain about next? Maybe that there are no 15" screen versions of the phone for people that want extra-large screens?
Wereweeb - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
He's complaining about the general direction that the smartphone industry has been heading to, not about this phone in particular. There's no choice to buy a phone without a camera.I personally sympathize with his woes on the lack of choice, but economies of scale dictates that companies must chase after the abstract "general consumer".
Oxford Guy - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
I’m not sure what tales of woe you detected in my post.The main gist is that superfluous spec chasing doesn’t impress me. Putting fingerprints onto an ultra-fancy screen and dealing with the terrible ergonomics of camera phones — both seem to be examples of diminishing returns taken a bit too far.
Perhaps phones really need 10-bit color but I don’t see the need for it.
Wereweeb - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
The overwhelming majority of people don't care about professional cameras or "colour critical photography", they want to be able to take photos without having to plan or think about it.And the Mi 11 Ultra is a great step forward over your typical smartphone camera, at least in terms of hardware. Now they just need to make >100mm² sensors more affordable.
Wereweeb - Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - link
Think about it like this: the mass-production of sensors and development of algorithms that can extract more information from the same sensor means that there will be improvements for you DSLR people as wellDougMcC - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
^This. 99+% of people don't want to carry a camera with them, but don't have much of a choice in terms of must-carry a phone these days. That it comes with a camera is a nice bonus, and essentially means that for all those people taking more than good enough pictures is a freebie.Oxford Guy - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
argumentum ad populumThe Garden Variety - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
Don’t be an insufferable ponce.Oxford Guy - Monday, July 26, 2021 - link
Generic ad hom isn’t an upgrade from ad populum.pjc15 - Friday, July 30, 2021 - link
Ad populum isn't relevant when you're deciding how to make a product you want lots of people to buy.yetanotherhuman - Tuesday, July 27, 2021 - link
You might feel like it, but you're not the only one.Spec chasing is also something that bores me too. Let's keep the gimmicks and cost to a minimum.
Nar - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
Have you been able to source a global version of the ultra?Samus - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
Xiaomi is pretty damn bold thinking they can charge $1400 for a pretty flawed phone. I mean come on those are straight up Apple prices, and while this has a lot going for it (Apple is off my list until they bring back a simple fingerprint sensor) it's battery life sucks to be daily driven without charging and it's performance sucks because it overheats and throttles in games.I think the headline hit the nail on the head, with a battery that large, how is this phone so inefficient to score iPhone 12 Mini-levels of battery life?
yetanotherhuman - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
the headline should be "fast, but big and ineffcient". I'm sick of huge phones.gz-0 - Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - link
As usual, the reviews only cover OEM software. Experienced users know that the best software is made by software experts, not by hardware manufacturers. Android is different from Apple. Android allows the software experts to control hardware better than any other product.Generally on all our Android devices, we use the same very high quality software. Microsoft Launcher (or Nova), Gboard keyboard, & Open Camera.
Hardware should not be judged on incompetent software, or incompetent beginner users. That's similar to car testing, using factory fluids, and novice drivers on city only roads.
iXXeon - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
The Mi11 Ultra got a massive software camera fix in the latest global ROM OTA MIUI 12.5.4. It contains all the tweaks and fixes following the work with the DXO guys that got the Mi11 Ultra the worlds best Smartphone score or 146 in DXOMark. So perhaps revisit the Mi11 Ultra and this time include the iPhone 12 Pro Max, seeing as it is the biggest selling flagship and weirdly missing from this roundup.iXXeon - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
Sorry should have read ‘worlds best Smartphone camera score of 143’Hifihedgehog - Saturday, July 24, 2021 - link
*Big and fast*=for an Android smartphone ;)
theblitz707 - Monday, July 26, 2021 - link
Why is s21 telephoto is listed as 52mm? Isnt the 64MP sensor supposed to give 3x zoom at 12MP? But 52mm means 2x, you must have made a mistakeMoggeA - Tuesday, July 27, 2021 - link
There should be a big improvement in the camera's HDR processing, after update to MIUI 12.5. Did you double-check?Also battery life should be much improved in MIUI 12.5..
wjohnas - Wednesday, July 28, 2021 - link
"optimisation" instance... there are some similar casesfor Asus rog 5, after doing wild life test, its surface temperature reaches up to 68 celecius degree...
https://youtu.be/GQTfrzduA5Y?t=420
iphonebestgamephone - Thursday, August 5, 2021 - link
Thats not the surface temp, probably the cpu, which is normal. Surface is 45, he shows that with his measuring device.prodradesautoparts - Wednesday, August 18, 2021 - link
i love the he writes thank you for giving an informational article i want want more ASAphttps://www.progradeautoparts.com/products/comfili...
mike piria - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - link
Have yesterday the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, It is extremely sensitive to the touch and I have not yet been able to transfer the data from my LG G8X ThinQ, despite the fact that I have done it without problems with all the other phones that I bought that are around 50. Any indication?dhatul - Friday, September 10, 2021 - link
You state that when using the camera, the rear display can also be enabled to act as a preview screen which allows for high quality selfie pictures using the main cameras.I am unable to find any such setting. Can you elaborate how the rear display can be used for camera preview?
RonnieEricsson - Thursday, June 16, 2022 - link
Is the binning something you can choose in the camera app?Does it work in video mode too? I would love to be able to cut the FOV of the wide lens in half when filming.