Xiaomi Mi Note 11 release date might be very soon, after reference spotted in code

Xiaomi Mi Note 10
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 (Image credit: Future)

One of the best phones of 2019, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, didn't see a successor last year, which had us thinking the Xiaomi Mi Note 11 might never arrive. But it seems we might still see the phone.

Twitter user @_the_tech_guy, who has a record of unearthing useful information, found references to both the Mi Note 11 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 in code for MIUI, Xiaomi's user interface which sits on top of Android.

MIUI code often contains references to future Xiaomi phones - the Mi Note 10's 108MP camera was leaked that way - and it seems likely such code would only be added leading up to a phone's launch.

Interestingly, while the phones were referenced alongside lots of phones that do exist (and the Xiaomi Mi 11, which has been launched in China but not worldwide at the time of writing), there was no reference to a Mi 11 Pro, which we've been assuming will launch at the global Mi 11 launch event, which we'd expect to happen in the next couple of months.

Could this mean that such a phone isn't coming? We'll have to wait and see.

What are these Xiaomi phones?

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 was a low-cost smartphone with plenty of premium features, and it quickly found a place in our list of the best smartphones. If the Mi Note 11 fixed one or two of its predecessor's issues, it could end up being our first five-star phone in a while.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 was another affordable device, and it was one of the brand's first phones to launch in regions like the UK, with the Mi Mix 3 5G being one of the first 5G phones in many places too. Its successor has been rumored for well over a year now but we're still waiting on it.

Xiaomi is most active in the mid-range phone space, an area where it's enjoyed considerable success in many markets thanks to its solid but low-cost offerings, and if these two new rumored phones were to launch, they would help the company cement this position.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.