Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra is finally going on sale in India in limited quantities. The company had announced its latest flagship smartphone all the way back in March, but it’s been near-impossible to buy one outside of China ever since. The phone sold out instantly in the UK in May, suggesting very limited stock, and last month Xiaomi said the Indian launch would be delayed “due to circumstances beyond our control.”
Now, Xiaomi has announced details of how people in India will actually be able to buy one, as long as they’re willing to jump through a few hoops. Customers will need to buy an “ultra gift card” for Rs. 1,999 (~$27) on the Mi.com website, which can later be redeemed against the price of the Mi 11 Ultra and includes some bonuses like two free screen replacements.
The Mi 11 Ultra itself starts at Rs. 69,999 (~$940) in India. Xiaomi hasn’t said how long the gift cards will be available for, how many phones it’ll make available for purchase, or when they’ll ship, but it’s describing the release as a “limited-quantity sale.”
Xiaomi’s key selling point for the Mi 11 Ultra over its (very good) non-ultra sibling is an all-new camera system. The main camera has a large 1/1.12-inch 50-megapixel sensor, and there are also 48-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto modules. All of this is housed in a gigantic camera bump complete with a secondary OLED screen that can serve as a viewfinder.
I’ve been using the Mi 11 Ultra for a while now — stay tuned for our review.