Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Review: the smartphone had everything to succeed, but …
We did a Review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 for ten days to give a final opinion. This notice on the smartphone is based on the latest version, namely MIUI 11.0.7. Below, you will therefore find my first impressions of this smartphone from the famous Chinese manufacturer, which was not far from ticking all the boxes.
What you will learn
Design and Hardware
As usual, I start my Review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 with the technical characteristics of the smartphone. As with the Mi 9T, Xiaomi chose a mid-range SoC, the Snapdragon 730G for its latest device. In addition, the Mi Note 10 has 6 GB of RAM. Like most models released this year, the experience is very fluid on a daily basis, with one exception (and unpleasant): the camera. For storage, the basic model has 128 GB which is, for me, more than enough. The latter is not expandable, even if you have a dual SIM slot.
Even if the use is fluid in this Review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, I find it a pity that a more powerful SoC was not chosen, but Xiaomi announced the release of a Mi 10 Pro (our Review) in the next few weeks, and the latter will add 2 GB of RAM, a total storage of 256 GB and an eighth lens. No mention of a different SoC – which I find unfortunate.
For all the tests that I used to carry out with games like PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile, the Mi Note 10 is doing perfectly. The slowness of the camera is really a shame. Its total score on Antutu Benchmark is 261,306, which is much lower than competitors like the OnePlus 7T or the Huawei P30 Pro. That said, the Mi Note 10 that we had a Review is less expensive than the latter.
The screen of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10
But one of the biggest advantages of this Xiaomi Mi Note 10 during my Review is its screen. The magnificent curved OLED panel is huge, namely 6.47 ″, on this point and on the design, it strongly recalls the Huawei P30 Pro, it is also difficult to recognize one or the other at first glance. ‘eye. I find the color rendering excellent, and the density of 398 dpi gives a magnificent rendering.
Only lack from my point of view: the 90 Hz. But the panel of this Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is a real success and a joy for the eyes. The brightness is at the top (600 nits), even if it is not the best on the market on this point. This is one of the positive points of the smartphone in my opinion.
The sensor takes the form of a teardrop-shaped notch, and the back of the Mi Note 10 is also curved, and the five sensors take up an important place and you will rock the smartphone when it is placed on a table. This is not a problem for me as I used the shell provided in the box from the start of my Review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Even if the smartphone is massive, I find the grip pleasant during my Review of this Mi Note 10 from Xiaomi. In terms of security, you can choose face recognition or the fingerprint sensor located under the screen. The latter is very responsive, like all smartphones that I have tested this year.
At the audio level, the feeling is mixed. On the one hand the presence of a jack port is a good thing, on the other the only speaker located on the bottom of the Mi Note 10 is simply average. This is one of the weak points of this new Xiaomi model. I am continuing my Review of the Mi Note 10 with the available colors.
The 5 sensors of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10
In terms of colors, you have the choice between black, white and green. Everyone will make an opinion, as it is a subjective point. To conclude, an excellent screen, average performance, but largely sufficient, and a very imposing smartphone with a weight of 208 grams. With a Snapdragon 855+, the Mi Note 10 would immediately have improved its quality / price ratio. Next part of this Mi Note 10 Review: the operating system.
MIUI 11: night mode arrives
Even though MIUI 11 is still based on Android 9, I find the OS more and more pleasant over time. The big software novelty of MIUI 11 is the arrival of the dark mode, which saves a little more battery, on this Mi Note 10.
In my Review version, some translation faults on the configuration and in the settings, but they will certainly be adjusted with the previous updates. The conclusion is the same as on my Review of the Mi 9T Pro, MIUI is a matter of taste. We are far from the stock experience Android or OxygenOS for example, and closer to iOS or EMUI. It’s up to you to see what you prefer, but on this fork I always choose to change the launcher and switch to Nova.
This is my big disappointment with this Mi Note 10 Review: the photo application. Is it due to MIUI, SoC, or the power required to manage the five sensors?
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Photo: five sensors at the top, an application not up to par
Xiaomi has access to all of its communication around this main 108-megapixel sensor, which is, on paper, a feat. Here is the composition of each of the sensors present on the Xiaomi Mi Note 10:
At the time of this writing, the camera application proposed by Xiaomi is marred by great slowness, this is its main weakness. At launch, the transition between the different modes, in the settings, the experience is far from fluid. I waited for a stability update to write this part of the Review, and received it a few days ago. It changed absolutely nothing in the behavior of the camera, and it is really a shame, because the potential is there.
Preamble of the photo part, remember to deactivate the watermark “Shot on Mi Note 10 Penta Camera” so that your first photo is not spoiled. The main 108 megapixel sensor is capable of magnificent shots (whether in 108mpx mode or in 27 mpx which uses pixel binning), as you can see here:
A photo with the 108 MP sensor (reduced to 3000 px wide)
The 108 Megapixel mode is interesting, but I don’t see a big difference with a 27 Megapixel shot which is much lighter when exported. Here is an example of a photo taken in 27 MP:
The 27 MP sensor
The ultra wide-angle is doing pretty well in our Review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, just like the Zoom X2 and X5. Unlike the iPhone 11 Pro, colors tend to be treated differently between sensors. The x10 hybrid zoom can be useful in certain situations, and the pictures are correct. For the X50, we are simply in a marketing gimmick, it is absolutely not usable in the state, even if it can be useful to read an inscription in the distance.
The ultra wide-angle
The Zoom x2
The Zoom x5
The Zoom x50
A new lens is appearing, macro mode with a 2 MP sensor. In good conditions, it can take excellent shots, even if I found that of the OnePlus 7T more regular.
Macro mode
The night mode is also very successful and you can get very good shots. What a shame that this photo application is so slow.
The night mode of a lambda photo
The portrait mode is also very efficient, and the cutting of the faces (and especially the hair) is one of the best I have had in my hands. For selfies, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is also doing very well in our full Review.
To conclude on the photo, the Mi Note 10 has, in my opinion, one of the most promising combinations on the market, but the camera app is too capricious, which is a great shame. If Xiaomi manages to solve these concerns with a software update, the Mi Note 10 can go and tease the Huawei P30 Pro, Pixel 4 and iPhone 11 Pro – even though they are significantly more expensive!
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 battery life: size matters
With the photo, autonomy was, on paper, the big highlight of the Mi Note 10. To put it simply: it is. With a capacity of 5260 mAh, it can last almost two days with conventional use. I haven’t experienced this on a smartphone since the P30 Pro. On top of that, Xiaomi includes the 30W fast charger in the box of the Mi Note 10, and fortunately, because it takes about 2 hours to recharge it to 100%. So remember to take your charger with you, otherwise it will take a long time to fully charge this Mi Note 10.
Fast charging
Only point a little damage in terms of autonomy and battery in our Review of the Mi Note 10, it is the absence of wireless charging. It could have been a real positive addition for this model, even if it can be used in USB-C to charge other devices (which I used during my 6 hours of waiting at the airport to recharge my P30 Pro). This defect is resolved on the Mi 10 Pro.
Mi Note 10 Review: final opinion
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 does not lack qualities. The two main ones for me are the autonomy and the quality of the screen. If the camera application is “repaired”, the photo will clearly become the last one. On the side of the black dots that we raised in our Review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, MIUI which is definitely not my cup of tea, which is very subjective. The speaker is also disappointing.
I still find it difficult to locate this smartphone in the Xiaomi range, with around fifteen smartphones launched this year it becomes complicated to read the range. The Mi Note 10 could have been at the very top of the range, but I tend to prefer the Mi 9T Pro. It remains to be seen whether the Mi Note 10 Pro will ship a Snapdragon 855+ or not, the latest news is not.
Best price of Mi Note 10
