We have been told over and over again that over the course of the live presentation of the Xiaomi Mi 9 the slide that raised the most murmur is that price. Last year Xiaomi set its price in Spain with sales of 449 euros, far lower than that of its rivals.
But he also revealed that he would be the last in the family to have such a price. An increase in production costs would mean Xiaomi would have to raise prices if it wanted to make the best phone calls.
In fact, between the launch of the Mi 9 and Mi 10 we saw the middle step, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, presented at 549 euros. And there were not a few that said it was sold at a very high price.
Xiaomi Mi 10 that today we are analyzing a portion of 799 euros per model with 128 GB of internal memory and it reaches 899 euros at 256 GB. That is, it costs twice as much as the basic version of Xiaomi Mi 9.
Now, to make it clear that Xiaomi will not return to the aggressive pricing strategy at its high end (because it now has Redmi-high-end), has the price offered to its cell phones increased to justify the new cost? That's what we'll see in this review, after using Xiaomi Mi 10 for a week.
- Display:
- 6.67 inches.
- Refresh rate: 90 Hz for the screen and 180 Hz for the touch sensor.
- 800 nits of normal light.
- 1200 nits great light.
- HDR 10+
- JNCD <0.55
- Compare 5,000,000: 1
- Performance:
- Snapdragon 865 processor.
- 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
- 128/256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage.
- Cameras:
- Back:
- 108 Mpx with strong OIS stability.
- 2 Mpx in depth.
- 2 Mpx for best images.
- 13 Mpx wide wide angle.
- Support .HEIF: Photos occupy 50% of the space.
- 8K video recording
- Back:
- Battery:
- Power: 4,780 mAh.
- Quick Charging 30W USB Power Delivery: 56 minutes for full charge
- 30W Wireless Charging: 69 minutes for full charge and 10W Wireless Charging
- Ratings: 162.6 x 74.8 x 8.96 mm.
- Weight: 208 grams.
- Connectivity: 4G / 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 is similar to other high end phones
Just before starting the analysis of this device I have been using OPPO Get X2 Pro. I say it because when I picked up the Mi 10 in the envelope it came in I kind of got it leave you. The front is almost at odds with this model, like many others, with a screen-printed front, and a touch screen capture.
That anointing is very small and the frames are also contained. Of course, lovers of equity should keep waiting since the top frame is smaller than the bottom, though not particularly expressive. On top of that we have the title, in this case we don't include a speaker because Xiaomi has chosen to select two speakers with stereo audio in the upper and lower frame. We'll talk about that later.
The left side is completely clean and on the right side we have two volume buttons and a power button. At the top we have a speaker, microphone and infrared feel. In the picture below we have another microphone, a USB C port, a second speaker and a SIM card tray.
As with all high-end mobiles, the Xiaomi Mi 10 goes more than 200 grams, right up to 208, and that makes it very difficult on hand. I know that it's not just about bothering people, but I truly believe that the weight limit even on models in this category should be 200 grams, enough.
In the background we have a quad camera accompanied by two LED flash. The finish is smooth and not eye-catching or boring but they hold the printers in a neat way. Like all high-end mobile phones, the camera's output is very talkative, and makes it go when we put it on the table.
Greater power and better performance
Choosing to choose the Snapdragon 865 has prompted Xiaomi to raise the price of this deadly one. but it also provides the best processor yet, at least for Android phones. It also makes this device 5G compatible, although currently this does not work for a large number of users.
The internal memory of this model is 128 GB, though it is over 114 GB per user. Using UFS 3.0 technology, the writing speed is quite high and the installation of games like Honkai Impact Third, which lasts several GB, is a matter of minutes.
RAM isn't as high as in Samsung's or OPPO's favorites, and sits at 8 GB. This is the kind of decisions, as well as those made on the screen, of what distance this cellphone is not from 1,000 euros, but from 1,200 or 1,300.
Despite not having much internal memory or large RAM, the fact is that the flexibility of this model, the use of multitasking and performance even in highly demanding games is very high. In this sense we put it between OPPO Get X2 Pro and Huawei P40 Pro. Not the fastest, but the feeling it gives us is what we expect from a cell phone for this price.
When we play it we see how the phone increases its temperature, or not at a higher level or somewhere. We think the cooling system available to you is helpful.
As for communications, we have Wifi 6, NFC and even a black emitter. Yes, no headphone jack or FM radioBut come on, that's not what we expected, of course.
The fingerprint sensors It's available at the bottom of the screen and although not bigger than the models from years past, Its speed and performance are among the best we’ve tested, and in this case we have never even touched each finger twice.
The screen falls short and the solution
As Xiaomi increased the price of its newest model, demand increased in a similar fashion. This is evident for example on the part of the screen, where we have a 6.67-inch panel but with FHD adjustment with a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz. We have the same screen, at least on paper, similar to the Huawei P40 Pro, a cellphone that costs 100 euros.
The fact is that there are already many models with high resolution and high refresh rate. To be honest, on the day none of these two things are important, but this is something that Xiaomi offered at the high end with a low price was forgiven but now there's no excuse for not wanting more.
The same does not happen with too much light, reaching up to 500 nits in the usual way, even though it can increase up to 1200 when exposed to direct sunlight. Either HDR 10+, which makes some videos we can watch on YouTube or Netflix is simply amazing.
Besides, the screen quality is very high and offers a well-developed configuration. We chose the P3 color scheme as we always do and the colors are very accurate.
The HDR10 + technology allows us to enjoy a stream of content compared to the best phones in the market and with details like these where we see that Xiaomi has decided to upgrade. To play, some topics may use a higher ratio of refreshments or refinements, but for other tasks the Xiaomi Mi 10 screen fits perfectly.
True, the green tone appears when we move the panel, not from the front, but it does not seem to be necessary to move it excessively. And unlike what has happened to me in other models, here I've seen some touch of ghosts on the sides, something that can be solved by a decrease in the sensitivity of these surfaces in the settings section.
How to adjust the phantom touch on the Xiaomi Mi 10 screen
We explain how to solve the phantom touch on the wrapped screen of the Xiaomi Mi 10 without installing anything and easily.
To conclude, say that even though the terminal does not have a notification LED, it is able to use the screen to show us whether we have no notifications, light up the perimeter in blue, even if we do not have an existing screen.
Great sound, although we would like more volume
In recent months I have been able to test many high-end mobiles with good design but not all have been able to have a good sound. The best case may have been the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the tool that took care of this feature.
Behind him, I have to admit that the most interesting to me is the Xiaomi Mi 10, which is two speakers positioned in a sound logical environment. Both are lower, upper and lower frames, in the left hemisphere when we look at the cell from the front.
This allows us to cover it not only when we take it directly but also to enjoy it when we place the cell phone resting on its right side. The latter is important, because if we do it back we will cover two speakers.
The quality is very good and does not distort even if we increase it at high volume, which is necessary since when we go below 70% the noise remains very low, although that is worth it when we are alone.
We expect more from the cameras
Xiaomi boasted when it introduced the model that it had the best rating on the DxOMark test. This is a test that detects photographic capabilities of phones, but like benches, these figures should be taken carefully.
Sensor main It can shoot at 108 Mpx, even though it automatically does so at 27 Mpx, using pixel binning. The difference between shooting one way or another is not as obvious as in the other models. Yes, with 108 Mpx we have a lot of detail as it is a larger image, but we do not appreciate that at night it takes the opportunity to assemble pixels, something that some models are famous for.
Well, you can tell the difference when we use night mode, with more light and more detail.
The wide range Mi 10 is not among our favorites. The image quality in good light is good, but the sound you put in the low-light images is high, and it compares especially when compared to the same image taken by the main sensor.
Regarding fade, Xiaomi has a dedicated 2 Mpx sensor, which we don't know if it's useful or not, but the curious thing is that we much prefer blurs in standard mode than image display mode.
But without a doubt my favorite sensation was macro. Of course, it only has 2 Mpx, and since it's a separate part of the scenario (the Mi 10 Pro doesn't), Xiaomi should have opted for at least 5 Mpx.
The images are vivid, focusing mainly on the center, as usual, but with great detail. And the closeness we can take pictures is amazing.
What what is missing is a good zoom. It is unacceptable that Xiaomi doubles the price of its ownership and removes one of the key sensors. Understandably, you want to separate it from the Mi 10 Pro, but as a result it would be enough to put a double-mounted sensor. Here we have to choose the 2x digital zoom that the app gives us, which is not bad by default, but that doesn't seem to be enough.
Regarding video, We can say that Xiaomi tried hard. At the back we have good stability, good colors and can record with a standard or wide sensor. But it was a night when we were most surprised, with improved control and better light control. Obviously it has lower quality during the day, but that happens on all cell phones.
The problem with the video comes with the front camera. Like the Find X2 Pro, stability is very low and recording on the go is not recommended. Dynamic distance is not as good as background, but it does come from difficult conditions and is able to keep the focus on our faces when recording. And at night, too, we're surprised, with more details than some of the more expensive phones.
Good battery, good charger
Xiaomi has decided to invest fast, They have wire, but it's not stated that it doesn't have the same features as its older brother, the Mi 10 Pro. It certainly wants to determine the price jump between the two models.
And, we have 30W wireless charger, so we can't complain. It is lacking at the 40W speed of 40W and 40W wireless, but at least ignores wireless charging, like the OPPO Get X2 Pro. It also has 5W charging, but we don't think it works.
To first battery test We optimized the screen size at 90 Hz and activated the used screen, by color item. We took some pictures, saw some short videos on YouTube and played. We reached 6 hours of screen time with 22 hours of independence.
To second battery test We selected 60 Hz and turned off the active screen. We played, took a photo and a video and used apps like Instagram or Twitter. We have reached 6 and a half hours of screen time with 28 hours of autonomy.
All the other tests gave the same statistics except one with four hours of screen time because the use of the themes, for some reason, started using much more battery than it should.
MIUI 11 works well, it feels great
Xiaomi continues to change its operating system without waiting for seasonal changes. These Mi 10 use MIUI 11 with Android 10, but gradually improved the system, as we've told you in the last months.
Multitasking, personalization, settings options, the fact that, whether we like it or not, few communication methods are as effective and consistent as this.
Of course, I don't know why, but I figured that in this family of terminals, considering that they are using the latest software from the company, we would have the option to use the application drawer and do not need to have folders in flats where We keep applications that can be uninstalled.
That was not the case, and I was suddenly back for some Xiaomi updates. If you want to use the Xiaomi Launcher APK in beta version, or some other desktop replacement, or we have not done so that we do not compromise the average user experience with this model.
A boring anecdote happened to us while trying to stop the control of the physical interface. We have searched gestures in the settings finder but nothing came up. We have browsed many options and have seen nothing to show that this option can be used. But it is unlikely that Xiaomi had eliminated it at the same time. What was possible was the name of the option Play full screen, without mentioning the touch of words or buttons.
It is a work that can be solved in restoring future software but we believe that the comfort offered by the change has been removed by this kind of foolish decisions.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 is good, but it's no longer priced
We cannot say that Xiaomi has created an expensive mobile phone. It costs according to what it has to offer, and is among the best in several aspects. The power, texture or sound makes this mobile a top end with all the characters.
The problem is that Xiaomi has always used the price factor as a decision in buying its phones, regardless of the category. That would not be the case anymore, and now he has his only explanation for the fight.
You have the weapons, no doubt, but whether they are good enough to win with you on other mobiles will depend on what we want, and if we care to pay something more or less, even though the numbers we send you don't seem to matter.
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