Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review

Introduction

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra - it is hands down the best phone you cannot buy so far. Celebrating Xiaomi's 10th anniversary, the Ultra pushes the limits of the Mi 10 series and brings the lineup to a close with the ultimate screen, the fastest charging, and the best of cameras.

The Mi 10 Ultra upgrades on the already great Mi 10 Pro with plenty display enhancements - the screen now supports true 10bit color and hence it can display 1 billion colors. It is also much brighter at 800 nits, but the most important upgrade is probably the 120Hz refresh rate.

The rear camera is truly impressive - it has everything you can think of, in the realm of current technology, that is. The main camera relies on a new OmniVision 48MP sensor with an OIS lens, then comes another 48MP snapper by Sony behind a 5x zoom lens. There is also a 12MP portrait shooter for 2x zoomed photos and a 20MP cam with a 12mm ultra-wide lens that is also suited for ultra-macro shots. One thing that is a first-ever is the option to capture 8K clips with the 5x imager. How about that?!

Another first is the 120W fast wired charging. The 120W brick in the retail box that will refill 40% of the battery in a mere 5 minutes. Let that sink in! The Ultra also supports 50W fast wireless charging provided you buy Xiaomi's own 55W wireless charger that's sold separately.

Such a special edition can't be the same without some sort of unique wrapping and Xiaomi does offer one - in addition to the Obsidian Black and Mercury Silver versions, you can also opt for a limited Transparent Edition.

Unfortunately, the Ultra is currently slated for sales only in China and Xiaomi seems firm in its decision despite various requests across forums and even online petitions.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra specs:

• Body: 162.4x75.1x9.5mm, 222g; curved Gorilla Glass front and back, aluminum frame; Obsidian Black, Mercury Silver, Transparent color schemes.
• Screen: 6.67" Super AMOLED, 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 386ppi; 120Hz refresh rate; HDR10+ support, 800nits brightness, 1B colors.
• 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: 8/12/16GB RAM, 128/256/512GB built-in UFS 3.1 storage.
• OS/Software: Android 10, MIUI 12.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48MP, 1/1.32" sensor, 1.2µmm pixel size, 25mm equiv. focal length, f/1.9 aperture, Laser AF, OIS. Telephoto: 12MP, 1/2.55", 1.4µmm, 50mm lens, f/2.0, Dual Pixel PDAF. Long-range telephoto: 48MP, 1/2.0", 0.8µmm, 120mm lens, f/4.1, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS. Ultrawide angle: 20MP, 1/2.8", 1.0µmm, 12mm, f/2.2, PDAF, ultra-macro.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.3, 0.8µmm, 1080p video.
• Video recording: Rear camera: 8K 4320p@24fps, 4K 2160p@30/60fps, FullHD 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps; Front camera: FullHD 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4,500mAh, 120W fast charging support, USB-PD support, 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging.
• Connectivity: 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual GPS, USB-C
• Misc: Stereo speakers; Optical under-display fingerprint reader; IR port.

Ingress protection is what you won't be getting with the Mi 10 Ultra and it seems 10 years weren't enough for the maker to invest in such thing. Then again, Xiaomi did put money on a variety of startups and devices, that we just can't imagine a world without a Mi Band, Mi vacuums, Mi Air Purifier, Mi Routers, Mi Bulbs, and Mi whatnot. So, yes, we can live without the IP68 rating but it's really nice to have - if someone from Xiaomi is reading this.

Even though we won't be seeing the Mi 10 Ultra officially outside China, we are sure many will be getting this Chinese model one way or the other. And now we are going to find if it is worth the fuss and the hassle of getting a grey import. So, it's time we unbox this commemorative Mi 10 Ultra Transparent Edition!

Unboxing the Mi 10 Ultra

The Mi 10 Ultra is packed in a tall paper box and you may think you will get more contents than, say, the Mi 10 Pro bundle. Well, that's both true and false.

The box contains a charger, a USB-C cable, a 3.5mm adapter, and a transparent silicone case. You aren't getting any extra goodies.

Then again that heavy brick is the ultimate 120W charger - currently the fastest in the world. And the USB cable is rated at 6A - something you don't see every day and definitely - a cable that isn't standard-issue.

If you want to enhance your experience with the Ultra, you may also opt for the 55W wireless charger Xiaomi is selling separately.

There is also a special plastic case with carbon fiber pattern (again, sold separately), but hiding the Transparent edition's back with a case would be a real shame.