Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro in test: Still a price-performance killer?
A TEST REPORT from Nils Ahrensmeier 
on July 16, 2020, 10:00 | 🔥 popular | Write a comment
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is the latest Xiaomi flagship, which is now officially available in Germany. The Mi 10 Pro is full of big numbers: Snapdragon 865, 108 MP camera, 265 GB storage and a 4.500 mAh battery. In this review, you will find out whether these numbers are only good on paper and whether the smartphone can really live up to its price.
The smartphone comes with a 65W charger and a USB-C cable, and Xiaomi also included a silicone case and a USB-C to jack adapter. The scope of delivery is really great. Xiaomi didn't cut corners here.
Design and workmanship
The design of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is not new, not innovative, but very nice. We have a simple back with a 4-camera layout on the left side of the back. The lenses protrude two millimeters from the housing, but this can be changed with the included case. The front camera is also on the left side, in a punch hole. The display is slightly rounded on the sides.
The workmanship is very good. The matte glass back is really one of the best I've ever seen. Although it also attracts fingerprints, it is not seen as strongly as on other glass backs.
-
- The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has a very nice back and fits well in the hand. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The camera design of the Mi 10 Pro is not new, but not boring either. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- If the smartphone is lying on its "stomach", then it does not matter. The cameras protrude a little on the back. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- On the upper side there is a microphone, the IR blaster and a loudspeaker. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The display is a real eye-catcher. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- A speaker, the USB port and the SIM slot are located on the underside. (Image: TechnikNews)
Display
The display is a 6,67 inch Full HD + Super AMOLED display with 90 Hz. Yes, the display is good, but for an MSRP of 1000 euros I expect a WQHD + display with 120 Hz as with the Oppo Find X2 Pro.
But regardless of the price, how does the display perform? It is definitely a very good display. Thanks to OLED, the black levels are perfect, the 90 Hz definitely have a positive impact and the brightness is also very impressive. HDR 10+ is also installed and ensures good colors. I had no problems reading the display in sunlight. But as I already mentioned - for a 1000 euro smartphone, I expect more.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has a very good display, but it lacks WQHD and 120Hz. (Image: TechnikNews)
Hardware
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro uses high-end hardware: the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, 8 or 12 GB RAM and 256 or 512 GB of internal UFS 3.0 storage. In Germany, however, there is only the 8GB RAM & 256 GB internal storage version. The internal storage cannot be expanded, but it is sufficient. Everyone should be able to cope with 256 GB.
Xiaomi did not save on the connections either. WLAN 6, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC and even an IR blaster. This is typical of Chinese smartphones and I like it. But what the smartphone lacks and there are no excuses: IP certification. Even OnePlus, which had previously waived it for cost reasons, now have a proper certification and I expect one for 1000 euros.
One piece of hardware that definitely has to be emphasized is the speakers. It's the best I've ever had in a smartphone. Stereo loudspeakers produce a very loud and balanced sound, which also encourages watching films. The second, "real" speaker on the top of the smartphone really pays off.
Specs
| Operating system | Android 10.0 |
| Display | 6.67 ″, 2340 × 1080 pixels, 16 million colors, AMOLED, capacitive touchscreen, gorilla glass 5, camera hole, HDR (HDR10 +), 90Hz |
| Rear camera | 108.0MP, f / 1.69, phase comparison AF, laser AF, OIS, triple LED flash, videos @ 4320p / 30fps, videos @ 1080p / 960fps (camera 1); 20.0MP, f / 2.2, wide angle lens (camera 2); 12.0MP, f / 2.0, depth of field, phase comparison-AF (dual-pixel) (camera 3); 8.0MP, f / 2.0, telephoto lens, OIS (camera 4) |
| Front camera | 20.0MP, f / 2.0, videos @ 1080p / 30fps |
| interface | USB-C 2.0 (OTG), WLAN 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX HD), NFC, infrared port |
| Sensors | Acceleration sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, light sensor, compass, barometer, fingerprint sensor (display) |
| SoC | Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865, 64bit |
| CPU | 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 585 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 585 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 585 |
| GPU | Adreno 650 |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| Storage | 256GB (UFS 3.0) |
| Navigation | A-GPS (L1 / L5), GLONASS, BeiDou (B1I / B2a), Galileo (E1 / E5a), QZSS (L1 / L5) |
| Modem | GSM (0.2Mbps / 0.1Mbps), UMTS, LTE, 5G |
| Frequency bands | 2G (850/900/1800/1900), 3G (B1/B2/B4/B5/B8), 4G (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B32/B38/B40), 5G (n1/n3/n7/n28/n77/n78) |
| Network standards | GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro |
| Battery | 4500mAh, permanently installed, wireless charging (Qi, reversible) |
| charging power | 50W (USB-PD, Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+), 30W (wireless) |
| SAR value | 0.69W / kg head, 0.99W / kg body |
| Main material | Glass (back), metal (frame) |
| Color | white / gray |
| Dimensions | 162.6 × 74.8 × 8.96 mm |
| Weight | 208g |
| SIM form factor | Nano-SIM Card |
| Features | Stereo speakers (dedicated) |
camera
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has four cameras:
- 108 MP, f / 1.7, wide angle
- 8 MP, f / 2.0, telephoto
- 12 MP, f / 2.0, portrait
- 20 MP, f / 2.2, ultra wide angle
Yes, they are really good. Unlike the cameras on the Galaxy S20 Ultra (at least the Exynos version), these trigger immediately and take fantastic pictures. The Mi 10 Pro is also the first smartphone in the world that can record 8K videos at 30 FPS. The S20 Ultra only manages 24 FPS. Do you need that? Absolutely not! Is it still super cool? Yes! The problem with 8K is current: There are only a few monitors and TVs that can display 8K. They are also very expensive compared to 4K TVs. Customers have had the same problem with 4K and 1080P. It will just take time, but the Mi 10 Pro is not doing anything wrong with it.
test images
The "1-take" photos are high resolution and the colors look realistic. Good pictures are also taken in the dark. However, the photos are not recorded in 108 MP by default. As with all current smartphones, a technology is used that adds 4 pixels to one "Giga-Pixel". There is also a 108 MP mode which takes the high quality images. These images can then also be 24 MB in size.
-
- The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro takes very good pictures. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The colors of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro are natural. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The Mi 10 Pro can also impress in darker scenes. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- Another test picture. (Image: TechnikNews)
Just like the 108 MP main camera, the zoom is supported by an optical zoom. The zoom camera has 100 megapixels less on paper, but still takes very good photos. The colors are also displayed well and naturally again. The wide-angle camera can also be used as a macro camera. I really enjoyed using this feature. This makes completely new perspectives and many details visible.
-
- I enjoyed using the macro camera on the Mi 10 Pro. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- Many details become visible through the macro camera. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- You can see them especially with raindrops. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- Picture: TechnikNews
The 12MP "portrait camera" is specifically responsible for the bokeh effect. This is really very clean, with the Google Camera Mod this is even better thanks to artificial intelligence.
-
- This is a “normal” picture of the Mi 10 Pro. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The 5x zoom of the Mi 10 Pro is almost lossless. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The ultra-wide angle of the Mi 10 Pro is really fun to use. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The 2x zoom of the Mi 10 Pro is almost lossless. (Image: TechnikNews)
Battery
4500 mAh. That's an average flagship battery in 2020. It is recharged via USB-C cable with a maximum of 50 watts or wirelessly with a whopping 30W. The Mi 10 Pro can also charge other devices wirelessly with 10W using "reverse wireless charging". The battery is recharged via cable in just 45 minutes. With the Find X2 Pro, it only takes 65 minutes with 38W, but it's still a very good value.
The battery itself lasts about 6: 08h-6: 19h at SOT. That is the top value so far, because that Oppo Find X2 Pro lasted only 5 hours and 21 minutes and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra was empty after only about 4 1/2 hours. I always got through the day very well with the battery and whenever I had to charge, the battery was always full in no time at all.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro also uses the Google Assistant “Ambient Mode,” which allows you to turn your smartphone into a small “smart display.” Very cool feature. I’ve only seen this before on the OnePlus 7T Pro.
-
- The best battery life I achieved with the Mi 10 Pro (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- On that day I had 6h and 19 minutes SOT (picture: TechnikNews)
-
- The worst battery life I have achieved with the Mi 10 Pro (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- On that day I had 6h and 8min SOT (picture: TechnikNews)
-
- The ambient mode of the Xiaomi Mi 1o Pro is really cool (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- Images can also be displayed on this (Image: TechnikNews)
Software
The Mi 10 Pro uses Xiaomi's own MIUI 11, based on the latest Android 10. This is a bit reminiscent of Apple's iOS, but differs greatly in terms of Android's scope. However, Xiaomi has adopted good features from iOS. For example, there is "ShareMe", which is an AirDrop copy that works with Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme and Vivo devices. It also has its own screen recording function.
By the way, Xiaomi's more expensive smartphones don't have any advertising in the system apps, but this is sometimes different with Redmi phones. The Mi 10 Pro also has a feature that really surprised me. When I held down the fingerprint sensor in the display for a second after unlocking, a small "quick launch" menu appeared in which I could open a QR code scanner app or the Xiaomi browser. Such additional features are cool and useful.
-
- I adjusted the home screen with the “Rootless Pixel Launcher”. (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- This is what the settings of the Mi 10 Pro look like (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- These are the quick settings of the Mi 10 Pro, which will receive an update very soon with MIUI 12 (Image: TechnikNews)
-
- The fingerprint launcher is very helpful (Image: TechnikNews)
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is Xiaomi's best smartphone. It's a high-end smartphone with lots of cool features and a very good camera. But it's the little things that I find lacking for a "very good smartphone". Full HD+ is good, but not enough for a smartphone in this price range. Also at 90 Hz, the BBK competitors (Oppo and OnePlus) already have 120 Hz.
For a price of 1000 euros, I would have written that the smartphone is far too expensive for the price. But within the last three months (March 30th was the market launch) the price has fallen sharply. The first E-Bay dealer sold the global version of the device that I have here for 794 euros. In terms of price, this is a completely different segment, where the Xiaomi can convince primarily with its hardware. Xiaomi itself sells the device for 874 euros together with the Mi Air 2 headphones.
If you are looking for an alternative, you should get one OnePlus 8 Pro look at.
We would like to thank Xiaomi Germany for the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro personal device