Xiaomi Mi 10T Review: Value for Money Flagship Smartphone

When Xiaomi first launched the Mi 10T series in Indonesia, to be honest, I was immediately skeptical. Initially, not a few thought that this smartphone was the successor of the Xiaomi Mi 10, although it wasn’t really that bad. The price of the Xiaomi Mi 10T starts from Rp.5,999 million only. Not a promo price either.

From the price point, direct expectations are organized in such a way. Superior camera specifications, especially performance with flagship-class chipsets. Large battery, fast charging, glass body material, 144Hz screen. If I remember the term, “there is a price, there is a shape,” I immediately wondered what parts are there so that it can be cheap?

To prove it myself, I have been using the cheapest variant, the Xiaomi Mi 10T for the last few days as a daily driver. And this is the full review.

Design

Both the Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro adhere to the exact same design. For me, the design and in-hand feel are very comfortable, but maybe not for others.

This is because Mi 10T uses materials that are classified as premium; Gorilla Glass 5 coated glass on the front and back, and a metal frame. But with the battery capacity and large screen, it weighs up to 216 grams, which might be too heavy for some people.

The glass back is made frosted, and in my opinion, the Lunar Silver color variant is the best choice. It looks very premium when viewed from various angles, is rough, and doesn’t get dirty easily. Xiaomi actually provides a slightly thick soft case, with a slightly matte material plus a fairly large Xiaomi logo. Good for protection, but looks less “expensive”.

The camera protrudes quite a bit at the back, so watch out for use without a case. Overall, carrying the Xiaomi Mi 10T in my opinion gives the impression of carrying a flagship price of IDR 10 million. Until finally the front screen turns on.

Display

What is favored by Xiaomi through the Mi 10T, one of which is the use of the 144Hz screen. Refresh rate is higher than Mi 10 at 90Hz. With a 7ms response time, of course, this screen will spoil mobile gamers who prioritize responsive screens.

Xiaomi provides settings for refresh rate options of 60, 90 and 144Hz, supported by Adaptive Sync to match the content, so that the battery is not wasteful. The screen dimensions are 6.67 inches with full HD + resolution, have blue light certification from TUV Rheinland, and support DCI-P3 and sRGB color accuracy.

On paper it is quite tempting, but when compared to other IPS panels, it will feel less kicking. Especially in contrast and how the Xiaomi Mi 10T displays a pretty bright black color. Also, when displaying white content, the bottom edge of the screen will show a slightly gray light.

Is the screen ugly? Absolutely not. But also don’t expect height and alignment with other flagships, huh. It’s still very enjoyable, although there are also cheaper priced smartphones that have better IPS panels (not with flagship chipsets, of course).

Camera

One of the main differences between the regular Xiaomi Mi 10T and the Pro variant, is the main sensor used. The Pro variant uses a 108MP f / 1.69 sensor from Samsung, while the Mi 10T uses a Sony IMX682 64MP f / 1.89. In my opinion, the Mi 10T sensor here is “safer”.

Sony IMX682 is widely used in other middle and upper-middle smartphones, call it Real 7 Pro, ASUS ROG Phone 3 and also Poco X3 NFC. On average, all of them provide quality photos, as well as on the Xiaomi Mi 10T. I am quite satisfied with the results in various lighting conditions.

Apart from the main sensor, the 13MP ultra wide-angle f / 2.4 sensor on the Xiaomi Mi 10T is no less quality. Color reproduction is close to that of the primary sensor, although detail is naturally lost. There is no autofocus yet, indeed, but the quality is still maintained even in indoor conditions. The night mode is also quite helpful in improving photo details.

The third sensor is a 5MP f / 2.4 macro, and is not equipped with a special depth sensor. But the portrait effect is still quite good, providing a real-time effect that can be adjusted for the type of bokeh and the aperture virtually.

Complete photos from the Xiaomi Mi 10T camera can be accessed on Google Photos album.

The camera features are also straightforward, starting from vlog mode, clone to dual video. For video recording, in addition to the 4K 60fps option, there is also an 8K 24 / 30fps option, which can take “photos” from each 33MP resolution frame. Video stabilization at full HD resolution is quite good. Unfortunately, it cannot switch between the main and ultra-wide sensors when recording.

Features

The Xiaomi Mi 10T runs the MIUI 12 interface based on Android 10. As usual, MIUI provides a variety of interesting additional features which are quite helpful when using the Mi 10T everyday. One thing that I feel is the benefit, is the integration of Mi Home in the control center, you can easily manage Yeelight or other Xiaomi IoT devices.

Xiaomi also provides an option to display Google News on the far left of the home screen. And even though it doesn’t support always-on display, there is a notification LED light on the left of the earpiece. The light is only one color, but it is quite helpful as a sign when there is an incoming notification.

This smartphone also has a quality stereo speaker setup. Although there is an infrared sensor, the 3.5mm audio jack is not found on the top or bottom sides. So it’s good to listen to music through your favorite TWS earphones. The vibration of the motor is also equivalent to the flagship of a dozen million, very comfortable when activated for a virtual keyboard.

Performance

Toned and cool. The Xiaomi Mi 10T is present as one of the cheapest official smartphone options in Indonesia that use the 2020 flagship chipset, namely the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. The chip is combined with 8GB of RAM capacity and 128GB of internal storage, respectively LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 types. Plus a special cooling system in it.

In terms of performance, of course, it really feels fast. Even though the RAM capacity is not yet dozens of GB like some other flagships, its multitasking capability is still very capable. Even if you need to reload, it happens quickly thanks to a fast CPU.

Another positive side that I feel is the temperature that is maintained. Want to be made to play games, take photos intensively until you use it as a portable hotspot, at least it just feels a little warm. It is suitable for Gizmo friends who are looking for the fastest performance in its class price range.

Battery

The battery capacity of the Xiaomi Mi 10T is quite large, 5,000 mAh. With a power-efficient chipset, my usage can last up to a full day. That’s been with the use of a portable hotspot for several tens of minutes and a camera test.

Meanwhile, if used lighter, can reach 1.5 days. Charging is quite short, with a 33W charger adapter included in the sales package, only a span of approximately one hour.

Conclusion

If given a rating on a report card, the Xiaomi Mi 10T almost has a perfect score on each point. The design looks luxurious with premium materials, fast performance, economical battery, good audio features with stereo speakers. Including a quality camera in various lighting conditions.

Then at an affordable price, which parts should be “simplified”? Yes, that’s right, the screen part. It is already 144Hz, but in saturation and contrast, it is still inferior to other smartphones in its class, or even cheaper ones.

Still okay, actually. But when compared to those who have used OLED, the difference will be felt. If it doesn’t matter that much, the Xiaomi Mi 10T can of course be the best smartphone choice for a price range of IDR 6 million, bringing very high value to consumers.