Guide To Unlock Bootloader of Xiaomi Mi 11X

After the success of the Mi 10T series, Xiaomi is back in the market with the Mi 11X series for the Indian market. The Mi 11X series has two phones under its belt, the vanilla Mi 11X, and the Mi 11X Pro.

These smartphones are being pitched in the upper mid-range market which is also known as the budget flagship smartphone territory. Both these phones are actually rebranded Redmi K40 series products which have been brought into the Indian market under the Mi branding. Since these phones have been selling overseas under different branding, we already have some mods available for them in the developer communities.

Xiaomi phones are no stranger to mods and tinkering. These are the last breed of phones that have an active developer ecosystem that is quite active in churning out mods and custom ROMs. In this guide, we will go through the Bootloader Unlock process on the Xiaomi Mi 11X. Unlocking the bootloader is the very first step in getting the phone modded.

READ | How to install TWRP Recovery and Root Xiaomi Mi 11X

But before we get into the guide, let us have a closer look at the Mi 11X. As mentioned above this is a rebranded Redmi K40. It’s got a large 6.67-inch E4 spec AMOLED panel from Samsung with a peak brightness of more than 1100 nits and a rather small 2.4mm punch-hole that houses the selfie camera. The phone also gets support for a 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 Soc. The phone is available in multiple storage options with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.

On the optics front, the phone has a triple-rear camera module with a main 48-megapixel shooter, assisted with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. On the front there is a 20-megapixel selfie shooter, that is housed in a punch-hole cutout. All this is juiced by a rather moderate 4,520mAh battery which comes with support for up to 33W fast charging.

Lets us now figure out what a Bootloader is and why Xiaomi chooses to lock it.

Bootloader and Why it is locked on Xiaomi phones?

The bootloader on Xiaomi phones or in general is a piece of code that restricts you from adding new code blocks to the OS. This is the first barrier that you need to cross, to start your journey with a custom ROM or any sort of tinkering.

The brand has been quite supportive of using custom ROMs on their phones and in the past used to ship all their smartphones with an unlocked bootloader. This decision was reversed when the grey marketers started shipping Xiaomi phones out of China with malicious apps and OS jeopardizing the brand’s image and potential user experience.

The other reason for a locked bootloader is that it helps in making sure that a custom ROM is not easily flashed onto the phone. Hence making it difficult to sell off these stolen phones.

How To Unlock Bootloader of Xiaomi Mi 11X

We would strongly recommend sticking to the instructions mentioned line by line, so you don’t end up with a bricked smartphone.

Requirements

• Download and Install ADB and Fastboot tools on Windows/Mac from here.
• Download the latest Xiaomi USB Drivers on the PC from here.
• Download the latest Xiaomi Mi Unlock tool from here.
• You need Mi Account to get the authorization for bootloader unlocking, request that from here.
• Make sure the device is at least 60% charged.
• Backup all the important data as the process will fully reset the phone.

How To Unlock Bootloader of Xiaomi Mi 11X

1. Enable Developer Mode by heading to the Settings > About phone and Tap the MIUI version 7 times to enable developer mode.
2. Now, Enable OEM Unlocking by going to the Settings> Additional Settings > Developer Option.
3. Agree to the Mi Unlock Status in Settings >Additional Settings > Developer Option > Agree.
4. Move to the Mi Unlock Site and click the “Unlock Now” button.
5. Now, log in with your Mi Account, and if you don’t have one, you can then Signup on the same page.
6. Enter your mobile number for an OTP.
7. You will have to wait for some time to get the application accepted. It may take up to 72 hours to get the authorization, so patience is the key.
8. Once the application is approved, you will receive an OTP.
9. Download the Mi Unlock Tool and extract the files to a folder.
10. Now, boot the phone into the fastboot mode – to do this turn off the phone and then press and hold Volume Down + Power button for a few seconds to boot the device safely into the fastboot mode.
11. Connect the phone to the PC.
12. Open the MiFlashUnlock from the folder that you extracted and log in with the same ID as on your Xiaomi Mi 11X and enter your mobile number and start the process.
13. Once done, reboot it from Mi Unlock Tool.

If everything is done correctly this Unlocking process won’t take much more than a couple of minutes and you have successfully unlocked the bootloader of Xiaomi Mi 11X.