Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G review

Introduction

The Xiaomi Mi 10 series premiered back in February, but it took a while for Xiaomi to release the devices around the world. Well, the wait is over, and the Mi 10 phones are now available in many Western markets. The first stop for our review train is the premium Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G and we can't wait. Choo-choo!

The Mi 10 Pro is a proper flagship and a worthy addition to the iconic series. But it is also much more. Previous Mi phones carefully matched cherry-picked flagship features with a reasonable price tag. But with the Mi 10 Pro, the maker has gone all-in - no limits, no restrictions - it's the complete package top to bottom.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G has it all - a curved 90Hz OLED, the latest Snapdragon 865, a large battery with super-fast charging, and all-round connectivity options complete with 5G. But Xiaomi went above and beyond its usual take on the camera and we get the premium camera from Mi Note 10 with the same 108MP primary, a similar 8MP camera with a 5x lossless zoom, another 12MP shooter for 2x optical zoom and portraits, and a 20MP ultrawide snapper. We also get 8K video capturing, hybrid 10x zoom and a few other camera-centric features.

The premium features don't end with the camera. Xiaomi also used the fastest of the under-screen fingerprint readers, offers you the fastest of wireless charging solutions, and there are dedicated stereo speakers on the frame - identical and perfectly balanced, there are no workarounds with the earpiece or anything else.

Let's take a deep dive into the Mi 10 Pro specs.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G specs:

• Body: 162.5x74.8x9mm, 208g; curved Gorilla Glass 5 front and back, metal frame; splash resistant; Solstice Grey, Alpine White color schemes.
• Screen: 6.67" Super AMOLED, 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 386ppi; 90Hz refresh rate; HDR10+ support.
• Chipset: Snapdragon 865 (7nm+): Octa-core CPU (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585); Adreno 650 GPU.
• Memory: 8/12GB RAM, 256/512GB built-in UFS 3.0 storage.
• OS/Software: Android 10, MIUI 11.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 108MP, 1/1.33" sensor, 0.8µm pixel size, 25mm equiv. focal length, f/1.69 aperture, PDAF, OIS. Telephoto: 12MP, 1/2.6", 1.4µm, 50mm lens, f/2.0, PDAF. Long-range telephoto: 8MP, 1/4.4", 1.0µm, 94mm lens, f/2.0, PDAF, OIS. Ultrawide angle: 20MP, 1/2.78", 1.0µm, 15mm, f/2.2, fixed focus.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.0, 0.9µm, 1080p video.
• Video recording: Rear camera: 8K 4320p@30fps, 4K 2160p@30/60fps, FullHD 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps; Front camera: 4K 2160p@30/60fps, FullHD 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4,500mAh, 50W fast charging support, USB-PD support, 30W wireless charging, reverse wireless charging.
• Connectivity: 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual GPS, USB-C
• Misc: Dedicated symmetrical stereo speakers; Optical under-display fingerprint reader; NFC; IR port.

The Mi 10 Pro has one screaming omission and it's the IP68-rating. The phone does feature P2i water-repelling nano-coating on its internals and has some additional insulation around its internals. This surely isn't equal to IP68, probably more like IP53 - and while it pretty much guarantees the phone will be fine in the rain and will survive accidental drops in water, the focus is on the word accidental.

Well, excluding the limited editions such as Mix and Alpha, the Mi 10 Pro 5G is Xiaomi's most expensive mass-market phone to date. And we hope it is worth every penny. So, without further ado, here comes the Mi 10 Pro retail box, wide open.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro

The retail box of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has everything you need for a flagship experience - inside you'll find a 65W charging brick, a USB-C cable, and USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter. Our package arrived without the audio adapter, but Xiaomi says all retail boxes should pack one.

The Mi 10 Pro 5G also comes with a factory-applied screen protector. It is one very thin film that fits the curved display perfectly and will not get in the way of the optical fingerprint scanner. You decide whether to keep it or peel it off.