Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G review - Almost complete as a flagship device

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Last year, Xiaomi launched the highly popular Mi 9T series that delivered plenty of features and top-tier specs. This year, Xiaomi has followed up with the new Mi 10T series, which has two models - the Mi 10T 5G and Mi 10T Pro 5G.

In this article, we will be sharing our experience of using Xiaomi's latest flagship device, which we've been playing around with for a few weeks. So without further ado, read on below for our review of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro.

 

Design - Large but special

One of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G's standout features would be the back of the phone, where you will find the rectangle camera module featuring a giant camera. This is the main camera, which packs a 108MP lens that looks like one from a professional camera. Below that, there are four more lenses arranged symmetrically. In our opinion, this is one of the more refreshing designs for 2020.

On top of that, the phone comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 glass back panel that glows when light shines on it. The camera module is also covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. However, the glass surface does make fingerprint smudges look more apparent. So, we recommend using the free silicone case provided in the box. As for the phone's body, the frame is made out of aluminium, giving it a solid and premium feel when held.

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Items in the Mi 10T Pro 5G box

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Silicon protection provided

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Rear camera covered by glass

On the front, you'll find the 6.67 FHD+ LCD screen with a 20:9 screen ratio. That's right, the phone uses an LCD panel, which isn't as good as AMOLED or Super AMOLED. But it's still enough to show a lot of details and has decent colour accuracy.

Another good point of the Mi 10T Pro's LCD panel is that it has a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. The visuals look really smooth on this phone, something you will notice when scrolling on social media. It also supports the 'AdaptiveSync' display feature, which will automatically change the refresh rate depending on your battery level.

The display can look a bit yellowish when you're using automatic colour mode. But that's not a big problem since you can change the colour mode in the settings. Another thing to note is that the display, like the back panel, is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

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6.67-inch LCD panel

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The volume rocker and power button (integrated fingerprint sensor)

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USB-C port, speakers, and SIM card slot

At 218g, the Mi 10T Pro 5G is heavier than most flagship phones. It's also one of the thicker phones we've reviewed so far at 9.3mm. In terms of colours, it's available in Cosmic Black, Lunar Silver, and Aurora Blue.

Other things worth noting is the side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is integrated into the power button. There's also no 3.5mm audio jack or microSD support for this phone, which is honestly quite disappointing.

 

Tech specs and features - Packing a lot of heat

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, with a retail price of RM1999. It's a relatively affordable price for the specs and features it offers. Let's dive into the details about that.

  • Measuring 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm
  • Weight 218g
  • Snapdragon 865 5G (7nm) chipset, Adreno GPU 650
  • 8GB RAM + 256GB Storage, UFS 3.1
  • 6.67-inch LCD with 1080 x 2400 resolution (20: 9 ratio), 144Hz refresh rate, AdaptiveSync feature, HDR 10
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 5 glass panels, aluminium frame, plastic body
  • Rear cameras: 108MP f/1.67 + 13MP f/2.4 (ultra wide) + 5MP f/2.4 (macro); Front cameras: 20MP f/2.2
  • Video recording 8K 24 / 30fps, 4K 30 / 60fps, slo-mo 1080p 120fps
  • Stereo speakers with Hi-Res Audio
  • 5000mAh battery, 33W fast charge support
  • Bluetooth 5.1 support, NFC
  • Integrated fingerprint sensor
  • MIUI 12 interface on Android 10 software

The MI 10T Pro's UI is neat and user-friendly, with an app drawer that makes it easy for you to track and organise your apps. You can also directly access Google Discover by swiping left from the main screen. However, do bear in mind that there are ads and bloatware that come with the UI. Fortunately, you can remove the ads in just a few steps if you dislike them. You're stuck with the bloatware though.

 

Performance - Great like any other flagship phone

Moving on to performance, the Mi 10T Pro features the powerhouse chipset for 2020 - the 5G-enabled Snapdragon 865. As you know, this chipset delivers top-notch performance. Using apps and navigating the phone always felt smooth, and you can multitask on it without getting any lag.

The model in Malaysia comes in one configuration only, which is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. You can refer to our benchmarks below for some details.

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While not on par with the more powerful Snapdragon 865+ chipset, you can see that it performs as well as many other flagship devices. You definitely won't have to worry about this phone's performance, especially if when it comes to your day to day tasks and apps.

And if you're looking to play some mobile games, this phone would be an excellent choice. It performs well in most games, even if you set the graphics quality to High and maintain a high refresh rate for games like PUBG Mobile and COD: Mobile. One obvious advantage that this phone has in gaming is that you can set the in-game frame rates to 90Hz or more, thanks to the 144Hz display.

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Highest graphics settings for PUBG Mobile

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Highest frame rate setting for PUBG Mobile

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is equipped with a 5000mAh capacity battery that can last more than one day (depending on your usage). Additionally, it has a 33W fast-charger that can charge the phone from 0% to 100% in about 58 minutes. This fast charger is provided, so you don't have to buy it separately.

As for the camera, this Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G comes with three cameras on the back with a light sensor for automatic screen brightness control. The main camera is 108MP, which is a large sensor that can deliver pictures with a lot of detail. It also comes with a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 5MP macro lens. This phone does not come with a telephoto camera like the previous Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. On the front, you will find a 20MP selfie camera.

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Charming flower pictures

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Pictures of rempeyek

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Pictures of goods in the supermarket

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Pictures of a swing in the playground

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Pictures of coffee machines in the store

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108MP mode

Pictures taken by this phone tend to have slightly vibrant colours and are sharp with plenty of detail. In particular, the pictures taken with the 108MP camera have more detail and look a little brighter than those captured in normal mode. Then there's the ultra-wide camera, which produces photos with excellent light control and good colour tone. However, the image quality doesn't match up to the 108MP sensor.

As for the macro camera, it can produce good close-up images, but the image quality is the lowest of the three. Besides that, the camera app also has a night mode, which makes photos look better at night. With that said, photos can still look good at night even if night mode isn't used.

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Main camera image (left), ultra-wide camera image (right)

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2x Zoom

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Portrait mode image

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Regular selfie pictures

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Portrait selfies

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Night image without night mode

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Picture night time with night mode

Of course, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is also capable of recording video up to 8K 30fps quality, as well as slo-mo 1080P 120fps video. 8K videos produced by this camera has beautiful details and colours but doesn't do too well if there's too much movement.

It does have an image stabilisation that helps make videos more stable. However, this doesn't work for the 8K mode. If you enable image stabilisation, the video quality will change to 1080P 30fps. Overall, we are satisfied with the image quality for both photos and videos.

Video from Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro with 'Steady Video' feature

 

8K 30fps video from Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro

 

Conclusion - A special flagship phone

This Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G is an attractive flagship device with top specs and some cool features. Overall, it's suitable for a wide range of users. However, it still comes with some shortcomings that prevent some of you from choosing it. This is because its display is an LCD panel, which has the worst viewing angles, contrast, and colour accuracy compared to other phone displays. It also doesn't have a 3.5mm audio jack and is a rather heavy phone.

Priced at RM1999, the Mi 10T Pro is a worthwhile flagship phone. Its prowess is most evident on the 144Hz refresh rate display, 108MP camera, and ability to record videos in 8K. If you are a gamer, you will also be more than satisfied with its overall performance.

For other options, you could opt for the vivo V20 Pro, OnePlus Nord, POCO F2 Pro, iPhone SE 2020, or Samsung Galaxy A71 instead. In case you didn't know, these are all within the RM2000 price range.

So, do you agree with our review of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G phone? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more smartphone reviews.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G Specs & Price >