Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro long-term review

Conclusion

We're going to get straight to the point here from the beginning. The Mi 10T Pro is an incredibly good phone for its current price of under €500. It is amazing value, and it does the flagship killer concept justice. As usual for this class, the performance is up there with the best of the best (and the most expensive), the basics are all met, and unsurprisingly the cameras are lesser than what you'll find in true flagships.

But here's the thing. That being said, the Mi 10T Pro, thanks to its main rear camera and its use of OIS, has what is probably among the best camera systems ever put in a flagship killer type device, and by far the best at this price. You can argue about the Galaxy S20 FE being more potent in this regard, but look at the price delta too - at the moment, it's around €200 more expensive than the Mi 10T Pro (we're comparing to the 5G model since the Xiaomi also has 5G).

If the improvements in that area, along with the OLED screen, are worth that much to you, then that's a great option too. As is the Poco F2 Pro if you simply hate LCDs or hole-punch cutouts - or both. That phone has neither, but since right now it's around the same price as the Mi 10T Pro, it's really hard to make a case for it based on anything else, since it has a smaller and slower charging battery and an inferior camera system, while it also can't compete in smoothness.

So, as with any device, the Mi 10T Pro is not perfect. But, if your budget is around what it costs right now, it's very easy to recommend for everyone but the people belonging to camps that can't live without any of the specific things it's missing. Otherwise, in spite of its small software bugs (and the slow speed at which those get fixed), at anywhere under €500, the value proposition of this device is simply outstanding - and much more so than the Poco F2 Pro's ever was, in this reviewer's opinion.

You're getting a mostly delightful package which includes smoothness on par with the best out there, a performance that is top-notch, a main camera that is better than anything else we've ever seen in a flagship killer that isn't the Galaxy S20 FE, amazing battery life (though at the cost of some background activity, it should be noted), and a screen that punches way above expectations for an LCD, even if it can't ever truly match an OLED in every single aspect.

The Mi 10T Pro was a pleasant surprise to use for an extended period of time, especially since we had set our expectations for it based on our experience with the Poco F2 Pro a few months ago. It easily surpassed our expectations and challenged our assumptions (for example, on how good an LCD screen can be in this day and age), and we can't wait to see what Xiaomi has in store for its inevitable sequel. Can it upend the flagship killer space yet again? The Mi 10T Pro definitely achieved that feat for itself, so we're not willing to bet against Xiaomi on this, that's for sure.