Xiaomi Mi Note 10 review

Introduction

It's been a while since we've last seen a Mi Note phone. The Mi Note 3 came more than two years ago and received a lukewarm reception, so the Mi Note series was put on pause. Well, we can now consider that a reboot as the Mi Note 10 is official and it starts on a high note with a penta-camera setup that's the host of the world's first 108MP snapper!

The 108MP camera is the obvious highlight, but it's not the only one. The Note 10 has two zoom snappers - one for 2x and another for 5x optical magnification. There is also a 20MP ultrawide camera with autofocus and a 2MP macro shooter. All kinds of hybrid zoom levels are available, as well as many video capturing modes.

There is more to the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 than just the camera. The maker has refined its flagship design since the Mi 9, and now the Note 10 introduces a new 3D curved screen - a 6.47" panel of extended 1080p resolution. The front curves mirror the rear ones, and the Mi Note 10 has one of the most symmetrical designs we've seen in a while.

The gaming-friendly Snapdragon 730G is in charge of everything that happens on the Mi Note 10. It's not the fastest chip there is today, but it is one of the most current and its power is more than enough for the 1080p display.

The Mi Note 10 also impresses with a massive 5,260 mAh battery that's capable of 30W fast charging. We expect nothing, but record-setting scores in our battery life test and here is hoping the Note 10 delivers.

Finally, Android 9-based MIUI 11 boots right off the bat on the Mi Note 10 - making it the first Xiaomi smartphone to have the new launcher installed by default.

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 front and back;
• Display: 6.47" curved AMOLED, droplet notch, 2340 x 1080px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 398ppi; HDR 10 and DCI-P3 compliant.
• Penta rear camera: Main camera - 108MP, 1/1.33" Quad-Bayer sensor with 0.8µm pixel size, 25mm f/1.7 lens (8P lens for the Mi Note 10 Pro), OIS, Laser AF; 2x zoom camera - 12MP, f/2.0, 1.4µm pixel size, dual-pixel AF; 5x zoom camera - 5M, f/2.0, saves 8MP; Ultra wide-angle cam - 20MP, 13mm f/2.2, 1.12µm pixel size; AF w/ closeup focusing Macro camera - 2MP, 1/5", 1.75µm pixel size, f/2.4; AF, 1.5-10cm focusing distance.
• Front camera: 32MP, 0.8µm pixel size, f/2.0; 1080p/30fps video recording;
• OS: Android 9 Pie; MIUI 11
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G: octa-core CPU (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver), Adreno 618 GPU.
• Memory: 6GB of RAM; 64/128GB storage
• Battery: 5,260mAh Li-Po; 30W fast charging, 0-100% in 65min.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A, 4-Band carrier aggregation, Cat.15/13 (800Mbps/150Mbps); USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0; FM radio, IR blaster.
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; single down-firing speaker; 3.5mm jack

It's no secret that the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is identical to the Xiaomi Mi CC9, which was unveiled yesterday for the Chinese market. The specs are the same except that the Note 10 doesn't get the 8GB/256GB tier that the Mi CC9 has.

Both phones have their 3.5mm audio jacks, IR blasters, and even an FM radio.

Sure there are some holes in their specs sheets - they lack any increased water resistance or a MicroSD slot, or wireless charging, or even stereo speakers. But some of us can live without those if it means you can get the impressive set of cameras on the back for a bargain price.

We are eager to test the 108MP camera, but before we go all-in with photo and video samples, we should probably unbox this Note.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Mi Note 10

The Mi Note 10 bundle is pretty straightforward - the contents are the same as you'd get with any Xiaomi. Inside the black box, you'll find a charger, a USB-C cable, and a black silicone case.

Xiaomi is shipping the Mi Note 10 with a proper 30W charger so that you can enjoy the fast charging right out of the box. And you are going to need it as that 5,260 mAh battery will take forever to recharge with an inferior adapter.