For years, smartphone users have been content with substandard frame rates. At least, that’s what phone manufacturers would like us to believe with their ever-increasing refresh rates. That’s like this: smartphones have been running images at 60Hz for the past ten years: sixty frames per second.
That is in any case fast enough, at least so smoothly that you do not see any delay when scrolling. At least: until you’ve tried a faster screen, after which every 60Hz screen suddenly looks quite choppy. Smartphone makers have been tumbling over each other in recent months at increasingly higher speeds: first came 90Hz, quickly overtaken by 120Hz and now there is this Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro with a 144Hz screen.
It adapts
The Mi 10T Pro’s 6.67-inch LCD screen is adaptive, adapting to what’s on display. In practice, this means, for example, that for video the frame rate will go back to, for example, 30, 50 or 60Hz, whichever matches the video best; usually videos are not recorded in very high frame rates.
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Smoother but not economical
In practice, you enjoy the 144Hz screen, especially when scrolling and swiping through apps and games that support the high refresh rate. Everything controls and plays smoother than ever, and even after a few minutes, 60Hz screens look choppy and old-fashioned.
The 144Hz does draw a change on the battery: it simply takes more energy to run images so quickly. This is noticeable despite the hefty 5000mAh battery of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro. Especially with games: already the most intensive way in which you can use a phone. Those who want to save their battery can scale back to 60 or 90Hz in the settings.
Great camera, with an eye patch
While virtually every phone maker has expanded their camera arsenal from one to multiple lenses, the setup is different every time. Xiaomi has opted for a special one: one larger main lens with a 108-megapixel sensor, with four smaller circles underneath. It concerns a 13 megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, a 5 megapixel macro lens, the flash and a cutout for the show.
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The performance of the camera module is as you would expect from a device in this price range of around 600 euros: complete but not the absolute top. In good light, the Mi 10T Pro takes excellent photos and the night mode available provides enough light in the dark, but lags behind in terms of sharpness with the almost twice as expensive premium devices.
Xiaomi does offer many options with its standard camera app: from filming in 8K to photography in RAW, a helpful AI mode and a Pro environment with manual settings for the advanced user.
Interesting total package
The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro runs on the Snapdragon 865 chip, the second fastest in Qualcomm’s offering. Supported by 8GB of RAM, you have little to complain about in terms of speed and growth space for the coming years. The Mi 10T Pro is smooth and without hiccups with everything you can do with a smartphone.
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This provides an interesting total package: a large 144Hz screen, one of the fastest chips, 5G, a great camera and a hefty battery for 599 euros. Still, there are a few points where the Mi 10T Pro lags behind the absolute top, although it is personal preference whether those are shortcomings or good compromises.
Compromises
First is the LCD screen, which in terms of colors and contrast will always lag behind the OLED screens of the premium phones. This is offset by the superior 144Hz speed, although the difference with 120Hz is not perceptible.
The Mi 10T Pro also does not include wireless charging, but a 33W fast charger is included. And a case by the way: always welcome. The standard 128GB storage space is better than the 64GB that many competitors still supply, but it is not expandable with microSD.
In other words, compromises, which mainly depend on personal preferences. Bottom line, Xiaomi knows how to convince with its complete package for the competitive price of 599 euros. The Mi 10T Pro will be shipped from October 15.
The Mi 10T Pro will soon participate in a new Bright camera test, follow our YouTube channel for that.
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