Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE Review

Battery Tests

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE (Xiaomi 2109119DG) packs a 4250 mAh battery and arrives with a 5V/3A~9V/3A~12V/2.25A~20V/1.35A~11V/3A (33W) fast charger (EU plug). All battery tests we run on the devices we review are developed by us and performed with the screen of the device being calibrated to 200 cd/m². All battery optimization features are stopped. The battery of our review unit charged in full for 1 hour and 9 minutes with the provided USB data cable and charger. The process develops very quickly during the first 20 minutes when the battery regains 40% of its capacity. After that, charging slows down a bit and after another 20 minutes, the battery's charge measures 70%. In the following 12 minutes, the battery charge up to 90. At that point, the process slows down more noticeably but it is the last 3% to 100% that is very slow to charge and requires 10 minutes to do so. The battery temperature starts at 32°C, reaches 35°C in two minutes and 37°C after another five minutes. This level is maintained for 13 minutes, after which the temperature reaches its peak of 38°C which is maintained for the next 25 minutes or so. Afterward, the battery temperature begins to decline and at the end measures 29°C. We made the browsing test twice - once with the refresh rate set at 60Hz and once set at 90Hz. When the display refresh rate is set at 60Hz, it takes 10 hours and 7 minutes of heavy browsing for the battery to drain completely from 100% to 0. The discharging process sets off slowly draining 1% after the first 20 minutes. After that, it speeds up maintaining a steady speed almost until the end when the discharging speed increases even further. The battery temperature starts at 25°C, reaches 32°C in half an hour, and after 40 minutes, it measures 33°C. This level is maintained for around 7 hours, after which the temperature goes back to 32°C and stays there until the end. The comparison table for the browsing test always shows devices tested with their displays set at 60Hz, if there's a choice of refresh rates. The comparison table puts the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE in the good company of other Xiaomi models with similarly sized batteries that outperform or work on par with smartphones that are powered by larger 5000-6000 mAh batteries. Setting the display refresh rate at 90Hz decreases the battery stamina by 1 hour and 16 minutes. Under this test, it took 8 hours and 51 minutes of heavy browsing to deplete the battery completely from 100% to 0%. The discharging process shares the same pattern as the one from the 60Hz browsing test. The battery temperature also follows a similar pattern - it starts at 24°C, reaches 30°C in 20 minutes, and 33°C after another 40 minutes. This level is maintained for around 1 hour and 20 minutes, after which the temperature increases to 34°C and after another three hours - to 35°C, which is maintained until the end. The video test for battery life uses a 1080p video at 30 fps with a ~20Mbps rate. In this test, the battery of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE lasted for 17 hours and 3 minutes. The discharging process follows the same pattern of a slow start and fast-paced last couple of minutes. The battery temperature starts at 27°C, reaches 29°C in 49 minutes, maintains it for 1 hour and 20 minutes, and drops to 28°. This level is maintained until the end with a 1.5-hour episode of a lower temperature - 37°C between the 11th and 13th hour of discharging. The comparison table below clearly demonstrates that the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE performs better than devices with 5000-6000 mAh batteries despite its big display with FHD+ resolution and powerful chipset. The 4K video battery life test uses a 2160p video at 30 fps with a ~55 Mbps rate. In this test, the battery of the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE lasted for 13 hours and 4 minutes. The discharging process offers no surprises and follows the well-known pattern observed during the previous tests. The battery temperature starts at 27°C and in 35 minutes reaches 30°C. After 5 hours, it drops to 39°C stays there for a bit longer than 4 hours, and goes back to 40°C which is maintained until the end. The comparison table for this test shows the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE performs like other devices with 4000-4500 mAh batteries. Interestingly enough, many of those are Xiaomi smartphones. For the 3D Graphics/Gaming test, the YEBIS OpenGL ES 3.0 3D Tech Demo is used. Unsurprisingly, the discharging pattern begins slowly and after the first 20 miuntes, the battery has barely discharged 1%. Discharging speeds up and maintains a steady pace almost until the end and for the last three minutes or so, it is faster. The same pattern is observed during the other four battery tests we ran on the device. The battery temperature starts at 31°C, reaches 35°C in 20 minutes, 37°C in 45 minutes, and 38°C in another 25 minutes. This level is maintained until the end with minor fluctuations. The comparison table for this test shows yet again, that in terms of battery life, even during a demanding test, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is a worthy competitor of smartphones with larger batteries. The above photos of our Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE review unit are taken with a FLIR thermal camera. The left photo shows the device's temperature during charging. The hottest area of the smartphone is right off the center of the top half of the body with a temperature of 38.7°C. The second photo depicts the device's temperature during our 3D battery life test. In this case, roughly the same area is the hottest part of the device with a peak temperature of 37°C. The second hottest area is the center of the chin with a temperature of 35.8°C.

Battery Software

The Battery settings and management options can be accessed from the Security app and from the corresponding menu in the System Settings. It is separated into two tabs. The Battery Saver is the default one. It demonstrates the current status of the battery - charging, discharging, time left to be fully charged/discharged. This area is followed by a toggle for the Battery Saver and a second toggle for an Ultra Battery Saver. These two can be accessed from the Control Center (quick settings) as well. The menu continues with suggestions for optimizing battery life and statistics on battery usage.

The Battery tab gives you insight on the battery temperature, the number of times the device has been plugged in, customizing the battery saver app-wise, option for scheduling the power on and off. Further battery settings include a 5G battery saver toggle, management of the two battery-saving modes, battery drain notifications toggle, etc.