Why old Samsung smartphones are better than new Xiaomi

Is it possible that an old Android smartphone , which is about to hit 2 years old, was somehow better than the new one? Well, if we compare devices from the top segment, then it is unlikely, unless one of them is some kind of exclusive version in a titanium case or is not equipped with 10 cameras at once. In the end, no matter how cool has passed, or even more so the flagship of the year before last, the new model is guaranteed to look more modern, and deliver higher performance, and it will work on a newer version of the OS. But, as it turned out, this is not always the case.

Last year’s Samsung flagships from the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines have already started updating to Android 12 . The distribution of the update has just begun, and therefore not all users received it. However, the fact remains – the first lucky ones have already been able to update and evaluate the new functions of the new OS version. But the 2021 Xiaomi flagships are far less fortunate because they still run Android 11.

Why Xiaomi is not updating

Despite the fact that Xiaomi Mi 11, Mi 11T and other Xiaomi 11-series devices belong to the 2021 model year, they still run MIUI 12.5 , which is based on Android 11. The reason for what happened is simple to the point of banality, and consists in the fact that Xiaomi did not have time to prepare MIUI 13 for release simultaneously with its new smartphone.

If you remember, in the summer, Xiaomi announced the re-release of MIUI 12.5 with the Enhanced index. The launch of the remaster was dictated by problems in the original version of the firmware, which was literally full of all sorts of bugs and shortcomings. Therefore, instead of presenting MIUI 13 to the public, the Chinese have released MIUI 12.5 for the second time .

The updated version of MIUI offered fixes for most of the problems known to users, and also significantly increased the stability of compatible devices and their performance. And in order not to spoil anything with the next update, the developers had to partially redo MIUI 13, taking into account all the changes in MIUI 12.5 Enhanced , which is why the release of the full update was somewhat delayed.

However, already now, as we can see, work on MIUI 13 has come to an end, and the developers have to add a few minor touches. However, it doesn’t make sense to wait for the release this year. The update will be released only in January, and even then in the form of a beta version. So, in fact, the launch of the final version may take place even later. But Samsung by that time plans to start updating even budget smartphones.

Which Xiaomi smartphones will receive MIUI 13


First of all, of course, the very flagships of the 11th series will be updated, and then all the others in turn:

• Xiaomi Mi 11
• Xiaomi Mi 11T
• Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro
• Xiaomi Mi 11X
• Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro
• Xiaomi Mi 11i
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
• Xiaomi Mix 4
• Redmi K40
• Redmi K40 Pro

While the list does not look rich, it is clear that the update will eventually reach almost all smartphones released after 2020. Another conversation is that while Xiaomi gets to the flagships of last year, Samsung will already update the old models from the budget price segment. So there is no doubt that the Koreans are superior to the Chinese in the field of renewal, and there cannot be.


But we have not yet remembered that Samsung is now updating most of its smartphones not for 2, but for 3 years. Thus, even smartphones released in 2019 will receive Android 12. This is very cool because they include a number of fairly popular models. Here you have both the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy A50. At one time they were extremely popular, and their users will clearly be glad that the manufacturer did not leave them to their fate.

Xiaomi does not have such a rule, not only for budget smartphones, but also for the vast majority of flagship models. In order not to lag too far behind Samsung, the Chinese announced that they will only update the Xiaomi Mi 11T and 11T Pro for 3 years, while all other devices will continue to receive Android updates only for two years. In general, the swing turned out to be a ruble, and a blow for a penny. But this is Xiaomi. This is not why she is loved.