Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review

GSMArena team, 17 June 2020.

MIUI 11 on top of Android 10

The Mi Note 10 Lite runs MIUI 11, based on Android 10, as most other recent Xiaomi or Xiaomi-related phones (cough, Poco). The flat and simple design with a high level of polish is characteristic of the entire UI, a result of many design iterations and subtle tweaks and decisions over the years.

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review

In terms of biometric security, the Mi Note 10 Lite gives you a choice between face and fingerprint unlock. The fingerprint reader would be our top choice as it works quickly and reliably. Facial recognition isn't as secure, but if you're after convenience it'll deliver that.

We do appreciate the extra attention to detail Xiaomi put into the visual aspects of unlocking as there are plenty of fingerprint reader animations to choose from. Better still, there are a couple of fingerprint-reader-based shortcuts you can set up for some extra convenience.

Security - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Fingerprint setup - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Fingerprint options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Fingerprint shortcuts - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Animations - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Face recognition - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
Security • Fingerprint setup • Fingerprint options • Fingerprint shortcuts • Animations • Face recognition

The Mi Note 10 Lite supports an Always-on display, and you can schedule it or leave it on/off all the time. MIUI 11 has a ton of themes you can choose from and make it yours and some of them can even be further customized. The AOD also supports breathing light - the curved edges of the display will flash with colors upon new notifications.

AOD and notification edge led effects - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review AOD and notification edge led effects - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review AOD and notification edge led effects - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review AOD and notification edge led effects - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review AOD and notification edge led effects - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review AOD and notification edge led effects - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
AOD and notification edge led effects

As far as the general layout goes, you get a few nice little extras, like a quick shortcuts pane to the left of the lock screen. In there, you can arrange and control your Mi Device IR and IoT gadgets and appliances and also toggle the flashlight.

Lock screen - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Quick access pane - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Home screen - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Folder view - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review App drawer - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review App drawer - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
Lock screen • Quick access pane • Home screen • Folder view • App drawer

All of the Android basics are definitely there and well covered. This particular build also features an app drawer option (missing on the Mi 10 and 10 Pro). It's the same one introduced by the off-shoot Poco Launcher, which has now made it to non-Poco-specific MIUI versions. The similarly unorthodox card-based task switcher can take some time to adjust but offers all of the needed functionality.

Notifications pane - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Quick toggles - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Recent apps - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Split screen - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Quick return to split screen - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
Notifications pane • Quick toggles • Recent apps • Split screen • Quick return to split screen

Navigation is handled in the classic three-button nav-bar manner out of the box. The Mi Note 10 Lite does offer a gesture-based method and switching to that is the first thing we do on any phone. It's missing the thin bar on the bottom that's become the Android 10 default way for switching back and forth between apps. On MIUI, switching between the last two apps is done by swiping from the edge of a screen as if you are performing a back gesture and holding for a split second. If you are not fond of that quick switch, you can disable it in the settings menu.

Navigation options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Navigation options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Navigation options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Navigation options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Navigation options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Navigation options - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
Navigation options

A system wide Dark mode is also available, and on the Mi Note 10 Lite, we had a much better experience with it than we did on the Mi 10, where we even found the occasional Xiaomi app and menu that doesn't adhere to Dark Mode settings. Of course, if Google Maps doesn't have a dark mode itself, it just doesn't and that's that.

You get extensive theme support with MIUI. Basically, everything is subject to change including wallpapers, icons, fonts, the lot.

Dark mode - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review MIUI Themes - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review MIUI Themes - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review MIUI Themes - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review MIUI Themes - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review MIUI Themes - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
Dark mode • MIUI Themes

MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.

A set of proprietary multimedia apps are on board too - Gallery, Music, and Video player. In some regions, the music and video apps include paid streaming options. MIUI 11 has a new document viewing app, which supports all popular formats and makes for a seamless experience. There is also a new Notes app that now supports Tasks.

Among the niceties almost forgotten, yet present on the Mi Note 10 Lite, are the IR-based Mi Remote app for controlling legacy non-connected appliances and an FM radio support.

Security app - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Gallery - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Video - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Music - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review FM radio - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review Mi Remote - Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review
Security app • Gallery • Video • Music • FM radio • Mi Remote

Synthetic benchmarks

The Mi Note 10 Lite is powered by the very same Snapdragon 730G chipset that you'd find in the non-Lite version. Qualcomm's mid-mid-range option features an octa-core CPU in a 2+6 configuration (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) and the GPU is Adreno 618. Three RAM/storage options are in existence - 6/64, 6/128, and 8/128, and we have the medium option for review. The storage is UFS 2.1.

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite review

Looking at some raw CPU performance results in GeekBench, the Mi Note 10 Lite is turning in middle-of-the-road figures, with the Snapdragon 730 non-G equipped Galaxy A71, Mi 9T, and Realme X2 posting slightly better scores under single-core loads. The Snapdragon 765-based Motorola Edge is further up in this test, keeping company to Kirin 810-packing Huawei P40 Lite and Honor 9X. These three lead the way in the multi-core test too where the Mi Note 10 Lite isn't winning any awards either.

GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

  • Honor 9X Pro
    594
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    591
  • Motorola Edge
    586
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    570
  • Realme 6 Pro
    565
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    548
  • Realme 6
    548
  • Realme X2
    545
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    542
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    542
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    521
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    493
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    398
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    315
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    311

GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

  • Honor 9X Pro
    1911
  • Motorola Edge
    1862
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    1862
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    1785
  • Realme X2
    1750
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    1733
  • Realme 6
    1726
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    1703
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    1694
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    1692
  • Realme 6 Pro
    1666
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    1622
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    1517
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    1413
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    1394

Antutu also ranks the Mi Note 10 Lite a bit lower than its peers - not appreciably lower, just enough to bump it down the chart.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

  • Huawei P40 Lite
    325777
  • Honor 9X Pro
    312668
  • Motorola Edge
    305989
  • Realme 6
    288931
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    279355
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    272229
  • Realme 6 Pro
    268785
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    263396
  • Realme X2
    257443
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    257146
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10
    256717
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    254000
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    253271
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    227810
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    196545
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    173607

There's little to no difference in frame rates in the GFXBench tests between S720, S730, and S730G devices - the odd frame per second one way or another is hardly a meaningful advantage. Having said that, the S765 Moto Edge (that's about twice as expensive, admittedly) is more noticeably brawnier in terms of GPU performance. So are the more affordable but now aging Honor 9X Pro and the more affordable but Google-less Huawei P40 Lite.

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    34
  • Honor 9X Pro
    34
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    34
  • Realme 6
    31
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10
    30
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    30
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    30
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    30
  • Realme 6 Pro
    30
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    30
  • Realme X2
    29
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    29
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    27
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    20
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    13
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    13

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    32
  • Honor 9X Pro
    30
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    30
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10
    27
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    27
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    27
  • Realme 6 Pro
    27
  • Realme 6
    27
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    26
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    26
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    24
  • Realme X2
    24
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    24
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    17
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    12
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    10

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

  • Honor 9X Pro
    21
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    21
  • Motorola Edge
    19
  • Realme 6 Pro
    18
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    18
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    18
  • Realme 6
    18
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10
    17
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    17
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    17
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    17
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    16
  • Realme X2
    16
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    7.3
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    7.1
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    7.1

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    18
  • Honor 9X Pro
    18
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    18
  • Realme 6 Pro
    16
  • Realme 6
    16
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10
    15
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    15
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    15
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    15
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    15
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    14
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    13
  • Realme X2
    13
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    7.4
  • Motorola Moto G8 Power
    6.6
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    5.6

Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    12
  • Realme 6 Pro
    11
  • Realme 6
    10
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    9.9
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    9.9
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    9.4
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    9.3
  • Realme X2
    8.9
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    8.6
  • Honor 9X Pro
    8.3

Aztek OpenGL ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    12
  • Honor 9X Pro
    12
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    12
  • Realme 6 Pro
    11
  • Realme 6
    11
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    10
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    10
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    10
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    10
  • Realme X2
    9.2

3DMark SSE OpenGL ES 3.1 1440p

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    3004
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    2818
  • Realme 6
    2570
  • Realme 6 Pro
    2506
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    2494
  • Honor 9X Pro
    2487
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    2467
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    2467
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    2464
  • Realme X2
    2402
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    2363
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    2182
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    1243
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    1125

3DMark SSE Vulkan 1440p

Higher is better

  • Motorola Edge
    2801
  • Realme 6
    2619
  • Huawei P40 Lite
    2603
  • Honor 9X Pro
    2535
  • Redmi Note 8 Pro
    2447
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
    2357
  • Realme 6 Pro
    2334
  • Realme X2
    2263
  • Samsung Galaxy A71
    2253
  • Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
    2248
  • Xiaomi Redmi K30
    2244
  • Xiaomi Mi 9T
    2035
  • Oppo Reno3 Pro
    1551
  • Sony Xperia 10 II
    1121

The Mi Note 10 Lite does not impress with performance, but delivers perfectly adequate results for its hardware. Marginally lower scores here and there aren't something to make a big deal out of. More importantly, we observed virtually no thermal throttling on the Lite. Certainly, a Snapdragon 765-based option will be more powerful, but in the current market that means twice the price and it's hardly twice the performance.

Reader comments

  • Anonymous
  • 23 Mar 2024
  • X}R

Green line problem. Naw

  • Daosh
  • 14 Jan 2024
  • gKA

I've been using this phone since October 2020, and it's been the best phone I've ever had. 3 years later I have no issues with the battery, I have 13.000 photos and the memory is full but no issues with lagging. The camera has been per...

  • Anonymous
  • 26 Nov 2023
  • mjE

I using this device form 3 years ago it was a good phone for me , but I have some issues specific related to phone internal storage space its note enough more 128 giga byte and the design of phone is note included a specials pocket to support an exte...