At the end of March, the smartphones Xiaomi Mi 10 and the Mi 10 Pro also presented for the German market. Reason for us to take a look at the new Android flagship. What is in the devices?
The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro both use AMOLED screens, each with a 6.67-inch diagonal at 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (FHD +). The displays also support HDR10 + and operate at 90 Hz and a 180 Hz sampling rate for touch inputs. Similar to the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro use curved screens that nestle around the frame, so to speak. The new punch-hole design of the front camera on the left edge of the screen should also cause controversy.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro rely on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 as SoC, support wireless charging and use 108 megapixels for the main sensor on the rear camera. The other camera equipment differs, however. For example, only the Mi 10 Pro offers a dedicated telephoto lens.
At the factory, the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro already use Android 10 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 11 surface as the operating system. The Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have batteries with 4,780 and 4,500 mAh each on the Mi 10 Pro. In addition, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro can be charged quickly with up to 50 watts (wired) or 30 watts (wireless). Reverse wireless charging (10 watts) for charging other devices via the back of the smartphone is also supported.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro already offer Wi-Fi 6 also known as Wi-Fi 802.11 ax and can record 4K videos with up to 60 fps. As with the direct predecessor, both a microSD card slot and a port for 3.5 mm audio are unfortunately missing. Also almost an excitement for many: the devices do not have a second slot for a SIM card, but this was almost always a feature and a reason for Xiaomi smartphones.
As announced in the heading, I took the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro to my chest, it was allowed to accompany me on the go and at home. I will tell you what I noticed when using it, what I liked and what not.
Let’s start obviously: The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has a damn good equipment, but is also quite expensive if you have Xiaomi’s story in mind and also know the statements of the company that they want to earn little with the hardware.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 in Germany with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage costs 799 euros. If you want to double the storage space again, to 256 GB, then you should pay 899 euros. If you think back to the Mi 9, which changed hands at the start of 2019 in Europe for an unbeatable 449 euros, the Xiaomi Mi 10 now looks significantly less like a price / performance cracker and more like “a smartphone flagship like any other ”. The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro also costs a whopping 999 euros with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of capacity.
I have the model in the color solstice gray. Looks chic and that ensures that I don’t see any fingerprints clearly on the back. One thing i appreciate. On the other hand, you have the display, which is rounded. In its own right, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is already a “knocker” in the hand. Xiaomi relies on the classic pattern unlocking mechanisms, but of course also has a fingerprint reader installed in the display. I find it sufficiently brisk, but I am sure that I have had even faster versions under my thumb. In addition, you can also log in to your smartphone via Face Unlock, which I always enjoy using. Press the power button, have your face scanned – inside. In the settings you can also specify whether you also have to clear the lock screen or whether you land directly on the home screen. Good feeling, but just a big smartphone with a weight of 210 grams.
Well, and where we’re at the touch, let’s stay with the display. It is curved. Some say it doesn’t bother me – I see it differently. These displays mostly bother me. And so I also had incorrect entries here with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro due to the ball of the hand or fingers lying on the edge. Absolute nerve. Xiaomi is also aware of this fact, otherwise you would not have anchored in the software that you can define the area over which these incorrect entries are not recognized. So you can put a software barrier, which is not perfect, but better than nothing. For me, one thing remains: tarpaulin displays are better – and if they are curved, then in such a way that incorrect inputs are not permanently recognized.
The display itself is fun. Nice big, great colors and if desired high brightness and 90 Hz are nice. It is operated by gesture or traditionally via buttons – there is no notification LED around it, but you can optionally activate an always-on display. The standard for the colors was enough for me, but as always it is the case that you can regulate pretty much everything in the settings of the smartphone with regard to brightness and color. And those who are short on the battery can also regulate from 90 Hz to 60 Hz.
In terms of performance, I cannot give the Mi 10 Pro a bad certificate. However, I would like to mention fairly that with my current apps and games, I did not sweat a smartphone that is equipped with the chip of the previous version. So honestly I couldn’t feel anything in everyday life.
Additional: The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has stereo sound. This ensures a sound all-round feeling, although of course you shouldn’t overestimate the little Quakers. Still: well done. Network: 5G is installed, but could not be tested by me. When it comes to WiFi, you have everything that is fine, including strong antennas. If I remove one of my access points upstairs, I have rather little WiFi with the iPhone, but the Mi 10 Pro did well with it. The call quality was good at all times, provided the network was generally right.
Of course I also tested the camera of the Mi 10 Pro. Up to 108 MP are possible, which are not used by default, but can be activated in the camera app if desired. The daylight shots were – not really surprising – good. However, in some moments I found the photos – AI gimmicks and so I had deactivated – a little too bright. I also noticed that photos with red tones were displayed less saturated. An example of two of these problems:
If you want to take photos in the evening, this is also possible, but the Mi 10 Pro does not come close to photos that an iPhone 11, various, in my opinion Huawei-Smartphones or make the Pixel 4. If I look globally over my collection of photos taken with the Mi 10 Pro, I can still say a lot of good things about the camera. Elements to be photographed can be optically zoomed in up to 5x, digitally a 50x zoom is possible. Certainly nice for some gimmicks, but also not to be overestimated, since in the end almost all the details are left behind.
Examples of zoom:
And the system on the roof of the house at the end of the street:
If the zoom is too hard, doubling occurs occasionally:
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Otherwise, one thing remains to be said: For the photos that I take as a normal user, take pictures of places, things and the family on the go, the camera is really good, gives the thumbs up. Everything looks very natural. Portrait photos are also great, both the main and the front camera produce a nice, even bokeh. Where we’re at the camera: It’s a shame that you only have the 4K recording option on the back camera (8K to 6 minutes).
The battery of the Mi 10 Pro from Xiaomi is 4,500 mAh strong. I got there a good two days, so the “usual use” including social media, without gaming. The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is already well ahead for me. Especially since the device is then quickly charged with the included 65-watt charger. After an hour you are back on track. The device even masters wireless charging with 30 watts, but due to the lack of a compatible charger I cannot supply you with any values.
Price upper class – I already mentioned it at the beginning. Xiaomi ranks where everyone wants to rank. Price ranges that were said to be Apple at the time are now flanked by everyone. Oppo, OnePlus, Huawei, Samsung – and of course now Xiaomi. It may be little things that make the difference in this price range. Waterproof? It is not officially, at least you saved on certification, even if this is not necessarily a plus in terms of guarantee. Although you already rely on fast charging, reverse charging, Bluetooth 5.1 and WiFi 6 – you miss USB 3.1 – just like dual SIM. Then there is a lack of some absolutely uncompromising device.
What is left in the end? Despite all the criticism, a great, very good smartphone. The design pleases, although it tilts heavily through the camera hump when typing on the table. The processing is really good. The display is great, but also big – the device is correspondingly heavy. In terms of performance, you can also convince – which is the least considering the price. You are far away from the “fair prices” that you would otherwise have argued for yourself. But now also in good company. The “good-and-cheap customers” that have been cultivated in recent years will not be reached with this device. You will be able to get over it, you have many devices from all price ranges in the display. Bread-and-butter smartphones are different. Good for Xiaomi: The direct competition with Huawei no longer has to be started in Germany, Europe and other parts of the world, since the Play Store, or its absence on Huawei devices, is currently a significant factor.
Technical data of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
- Display: 6.67 inches, AMOLED, 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 6, 90 Hz, 180 Hz touch recognition, HDR10 +, DCI-P3
- SoC. Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Octa-Core (1x 2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x 2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x 1.8 GHz Kryo 585)
- GPU: Adreno 650
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage space: 256 GB (not expandable, UFS 3.0)
- Operating system: Android 10 with MIUI 11
- Quad main camera: 108 MP (wide angle, f / 1.69 OIS) + 12 MP (short telephoto f / 2.0) + 20 MP (ultra wide angle, f / 2.2) + 8MP (long telephoto f / 2)
- Front camera: 20 MP (f / 2.0)
- Video: 8K, 4K at 60fps, 960 fps slow motion
- Battery: 4,500 mAh with 50 watts quick charge or 30 watts wireless charging and reverse wireless charging with 10 watts
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, infrared, USB Type-C, fingerprint scanner under the screen, 4G / 5G LTE, dual SIM
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Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro at Media Markt
Xiaomi MI 10 Pro at Trading Shenzen
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