The much anticipated Xiaomi Mi 10 was launched together with it a pro version, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro at an online event in China. The devices were slated to be launched in Europe at Xiaomi’s global event in MWC 2020, but due to the recent Coronavirus outbreak concerns, the company had to postpone the event.
Notwithstanding, the Mi 10 comes with all the features of a premium flagship smartphone. Coming with a Snapdragon 865 chipset fitted with 5G modem, 90Hz display, bigger memory space, 108MP camera and incredibly fast charging at a very affordable price.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 packs in a range of impressive features and specs and poses a strong threat to the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S20 line of smartphones, with its relatively cheap price starting around $570 for the base model compared to the Galaxy S20 $1200 price for its base model.
In this article, we’ll be discussing everything you need to know about the newly launched Xiaomi Mi 10 smartphone, from its design to performance, camera, display, battery life and let you know if the Mi 10 is a better alternative to the pricier Galaxy 20 devices. Keep reading to find out.
Design
The Xiaomi Mi 10 design is quite similar to many flagship smartphone devices, as it comes with a thin bezels screen design that curves at the edges and features a punch-hole cut-out camera in the top left of the screen display.
The Mi 10 also features curved glass back panels with speaker grilles situated at the top and bottom of the phones. The phone dimensions are 162.6 x 74.8 x 8.96mm and is a tad thicker than the Galaxy S20 devices. The device weighs 208g and is quite comfortable to hold due to its curved design.
Display
The Mi 10 display is gorgeous 6.67-inch 1080 by 2340 Full HD OLED display with HDR10+, and a pixel density of 386 PPI. The display comes with a screen refresh rate of 90Hz making content and motion on the device smooth and snappy.
The device features a 19.5:9 aspect ratio that makes the device look quite tall and with the little bezels results in a good looking device that is capable of delivering maximum satisfaction while playing games or watching movies.
Camera
The era of the big camera pixels is here and Xiaomi’s Mi 10 also follows this trend, boasting a 108MP rear camera setup. Which features a large f/1.7inch sensor to allow more light in, with optical image stabilization (OIS), PDAF and the camera shoots pictures with a technology called picture binning, which helps to reduce pictures sizes similar to the technology seen on the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Coupled with the 108MP main shooter are the 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera and two additional 2MP lens macro snapper and the other 2MP depth sensor camera. The phone captures brilliant pictures the 108MP camera is capable of shooting 8K and 4k video. At the front is a 20MP front-facing camera for taking selfies.
Performance and Specifications
The Xiaomi Mi 10 is powered by Qualcomm’s high-end 7nm+ Snapdragon 865 chipset clocked at 3GHz, the chipset is fitted with a 5G modem and Xiaomi Mi 10 joins the elite league of 5G smartphones.
In terms of internals, the Xiaomi Mi 10 lets you choose between an 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variants. The Mi 10 Pro has the same RAM but you can choose between a 256GB or 512GB internal storage option.
The Mi 10 is a beast of a device and proves to be capable of handling anything thrown at it. Opening apps is a breeze and there are no lags or whatsoever when playing intensive games like PUBG mobile, Asphalt and more.
Specs
| Display | 6.67 inch OLED display with 1080 x 2340 resolution at 386PPI |
| Processor and GPU | 7nm Snapdragon 865 chipset at 3GHz, Adreno 650 |
| Dimensions | 162.6 x 74.8 x 8.96mm |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| Internal Storage | 128GB, 256GB |
| Main Camera | 108 MP f/1.7, (wide), 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 13 MP f/2.4 (ultra-wide) 2 MP f/2.4 (macro sensor) 2 MP f/2.4, (depth sensor) |
| Front Camera | 20 MP f/2.0 (wide) |
| Battery Capacity | 4780mAh non-removable with 30W fast charging |
| Software | Android 10.0, MIUI 11 |
| Connectivity | 5G ready, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C 1.0, reversible connector, OTG |
Software and Features
The Mi 10 ships with Android 10.0, with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 11 skin with some bloatware from Xiaomi. The device uses a new generation of LPDDR 5 memory and a faster UFS3.0 storage delivering write speed up to 730MB / s which is an impressive feat.
The Mi 10 also supports Wi-Fi 6 which boasts download speeds of up to 9.6Gbps. Sadly there’s no headphone jack in the Mi 10 and only a USB Type-C charging port is provided at the bottom.
Battery life
The Xiaomi Mi 10 packs in a non-removable Li-Po battery rated at 4780 mAh, while surprisingly the Mi 10 Pro comes with a 4,500mAh battery capacity, this means the Mi 10 will last longer than the pro.
Also, the Mi 10 supports 30W fast-charging, can be charged wirelessly and also supports 10W reverse wireless charging, allowing to you use the device as a wireless power mat to charge other devices.
Comparison to the Competition
The Xiaomi Mi 10 with its four-lens camera setup, it’s 108MP camera sensor and top-notch processing power pits it against the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S20 line in terms of its high-end features but at a noticeably reduced price.
According to the prices from its China event launch, the base model of the Xiaomi Mi 10 starts at approximately $570 while the Mi 10 Pro starts at approximately $715, much lower and cheaper than the base Galaxy S20 with a starting price of $1,000.
| Pros | Cons |
| Big battery with 30W fast charging | No headphone jack port |
| Gorgeous OLED Display with 90Hz refresh rate | Absence of dust or waterproofing |
| Fast processor and impressive performance | Lacks telephoto camera |
| 5G connectivity | |
Verdict
The Xiaomi Mi 10 is no doubt an excellent phone, coming with one of the fastest chipsets in the market, 108MP camera that takes stunning pictures, fast charging, fast memory, and robust storage options, all this at a price that won’t break your bank. Although it might lack features such as dust and waterproofing, no headphone jack but with its beautiful display and curved design, the Xiaomi Mi 10 is the closest to a high-end device you may get when buying a smartphone on a budget.
