On February 13 of 2020, Xiaomi has finally released their new successor to the Xiaomi Mi 9 which is the Xiaomi Mi 10. It is one of the most amazing smartphones that packs in a ton of features that shakes the whole smartphone industry. It was released coincidentally with Xiaomi’s 10th year anniversary. No wonder this smartphone is amazing.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro came out in two versions which are the Xiaomi Mi 10 and the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. However for this particular review, we are going to take a look at the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro only which is the high-end one between the two.
Let’s see the internal spec-sheet below.
SPECIFICATIONS
XIAOMI MI 10 PRO
| Processor (CPU): | Snapdragon 865 |
| GPU: | Adreno 650 |
| RAM: | Up to 12GB |
| Storage: | Up to 512GB |
| Battery: | 4500 mAh | 50 Watts Wired QC |
| Charging: | 65W Charger Adapter Also Supports Wireless Qi Charging (30W) |
| Fingerprint Scanner: | In-Screen Fingerprint Scanner |
| Operating System: | Android 10 |
| Network: | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
Physical Design
In terms of physical design of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, a lot of features have been changed. For its size, it is a 162 x 75 x 9 mm size smartphone with a weight of around 208 grams. Screen size is also huge which measures around 6.67”.
The screen is also AMOLED, durable corning gorilla glass 5, has a refresh rate of around 90Hz and a great resolution of 2340 x 1080 (19.5:9 Ratio) or in other words, FHD+. Another fact about the screen is that it is slightly curved on both sides of the phone, making it a more seamless and streamlined phone. A small hole on the top of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro’s screen that contains the selfie camera (more on that later on).
Xiaomi unfortunately removed the headphone jack in favor of a USB Type C as its only port on the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. The port also serves as a multi-purpose from phone charging, to headphone port and data transfer.
Although many phone manufacturers are starting to go onto this direction of removing the headphone jack, I still find it more useful to have one of those in hand. The USB Type C port can be found at the bottom of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro alongside the sim card slot and an audio speaker.
Speaking of audio, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro offers you an excellent dual audio speaker system that can be found both at the top and bottom of the smartphone. It gives you great dual audio speaker quality. Aside from that, there is no micro SD card slot which means no expansion therefore you will only rely on the internal storage which is OK but it could have been better as some smartphones do offer this at this price range.
For colors, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro does come in either Pearl White or Starry Blue. This gives you quite a little bit of flexibility on external configuration out of the box. Overall, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro’s exterior design is a great one, although with minor changes that may bug some other people like the lack of headphone jack, it does make up for the excellent FHD+ display that is near bezel less due to the curved sides.
Internal Features
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has some impressive internal features that you can find. On the processor, Xiaomi has improved it with a Snapdragon 865, making this the first smartphone to have this CPU inside. It is an Octa-Core CPU processor that is incredibly fast and responsive which makes the overall usability of the phone great. It also works well on both multitasking, gaming and picture processing without any loss in quality and speed.
The Xiaomi Mi Pro is also equipped with an Adreno 650 GPU that is a big plus on this particular smartphone that can also handle gaming. The Operating System itself, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is equipped with the latest Android OS they called the Android 10.
For RAM, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro can come configured in either 8GB or 12GB and for storage, it can go from 256GB or 512GB. Surprisingly enough, there’s no indicated configuration of a 1TB option but some brands do offer this.
In terms of charging, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is capable of 60W fast charging via the single USB-Type C Port and Qi wireless charging of up to 30W. The phone can also charge any other devices through reverse wireless charging. Network and connectivity wise, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has the latest 5G network capabilities.
Unlike some phones that move on to face ID, this particular smartphone still retains its fingerprint scanner which can be accessed directly through the screen. Some people may still find this feature really usable even at this day and age. Battery life is OK but I find that the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is still better in this category.
So for internal features, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro does pack in excellent internal features. Next, we are going to take a look at the smartphone’s camera features.
Camera Features
Over the past few years, most high-end smartphones have drastically improved their photo and video capabilities to the point that it can compete with point-&-shoot cameras.
Smartphones like the S20 & iPhone 11 have either a triple or quad camera system that has excellent specifications. The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is no exception to this amazing trend. Let’s take a look at each special camera and what they are capable of.
Starting off with the front facing or the selfie camera. It is only a single camera system with a 20MP ⅓” image sensor. Its lens is wide angle with an aperture of f/2.0. For video shooters or selfie vloggers, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro’s selfie camera can record up to 1080p at 30fps and slow-motion with 720p at up to 120fps. The selfie camera’s features are not much compared to what’s on the main one which is located on the back of the phone but it is great to have nonetheless. Moving on to the rest of the camera features.
On the back of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, there are 4 cameras installed making it a quad-system phone. The first camera has a massive 108MP 1/1.33” image sensor with a wide-angle lens that has an aperture of f/1.7. That’s a big step up on Xiaomi’s game in terms of camera specs.
On the other hand, the second camera we are going to take a look at has a 12MP 1/2.55” Portrait Lens with an aperture of f/2.0 (also has 2x Optical Zoom). From the name itself, it is ideal for taking portraits. The other two lenses that the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is an 8MP telephoto camera with an aperture of f/2.0 (also has 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom) and a 20MP ultra-wide lens with an aperture of f/2.2.
In terms of features, three cameras except the ultra-wide have PDAF, Laser AF and OIS. This allows you to focus quickly without missing shots and the OIS stabilizes your shots and reduces blurred images.
The video features are also tremendously awesome on the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. For starters, the quad-camera system can record at 8K at 30fps (you heard it right, 8K), 4K up to 60fps and 1080p up to 960fps for slow-motion.
All are stabilized well with a Gyro-EIS. Overall, the camera features of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro are great to have, they are reliable and gives out high-quality photos especially with the 108MP camera. The video specs are also great, having that 8K capabilities really pushes the smartphone to its full capabilities.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is an excellent high-end smartphone released by Xiaomi. The specs are amazing and they do live up to it. The Snapdragon 865 processor greatly improves the overall usability of the phone and it is able to handle many demanding tasks like gaming and photo & video capture.
The only minor downside is the lack of headphone jack and the 1TB storage option which some smartphones may have at this price range. In terms of ease of use, the Xiaomi is overall great, charging is a breeze when using the wireless Qi charging, the screen is an excellent display and the Android 10’s features makes it better.
Now, who’s the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro for? The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is a great choice for people who want the top of the line smartphone that Xiaomi offers. The camera specs are excellent too, making this an ideal phone for photographers and videographers alike. But if you need more storage and a better battery life, then this may not be for you. Otherwise, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro once again, a great choice.
So that’s about it for the review of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. If you have bought one of these already, please let me know what your thoughts and experiences with Xiaomi's latest smartphone.
