Xiaomi India has started 2021 with a bang. Their first phone of the year, Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G, drags down some stunning hardware including Snapdragon 750G, HDR compliant 120Hz Display, and 108MP primary camera to an extremely aggressive starting price of just INR 20,999! (Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)
Do all of these enticing features add up to an unbridled recommendation? How well does the Mi 10i 5G stack up against the likes of OnePlus Nord, Vivo V20 Pro or Samsung Galaxy M51? In our Mi 10i 5G review, we will share our experience with the phone and try to answer all questions you might have before you make your purchase decision.
Contents:
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Unboxing
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Design and Build
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Display
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Performance Expectations
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Camera expectations
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Battery and Audio
- Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Verdict, Pros & Cons
Xiaomi Mi 10i Review: India Price and Specifications
| Model | Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G |
| Display | 6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080), HDR10 and HDR 10+ compliant 120Hz (6 steps VRR: 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz) Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Dimensions and weight | 165.38 x 76.8 x 9 mm; 214.5 grams |
| Chipset | 8nm Snapdragon 750G octa-core chipset, Adreno 619 GPU |
| RAM and Storage | Up to 8 GB LPDDR4x; Up to 128GB UFS 2.2 |
| Rear camera | 108MP+8MP+2MP+2MP |
| Front camera | 16MP, f/2.45 |
| Battery | 4820mAh, 33W fast charging |
| Connectivity | 5G, dual-band Wi-Fi, Dual-band GPS and NavIC |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Side-mounted |
| Price | 6+64GB: INR 20,999 6+128GB: INR 21,999 8+128GB: INR 23,999 |
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Review: Unboxing
The Xiaomi Mi 10i box doesn’t have any unexpected surprises. Box contents include:
- Handset with pre-applied screen protector
- Protective Case
- 33W fast charging adapter
- Charging Cable (A to C)
- SIM ejector tool and documentation
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Review: Design and Build
At first glance, the Xiaomi Mi 10i was reminiscent of the Poco X3 and that’s probably because of the similarities in the rear camera module design. The quad-sensor array juts out quite a bit and Xiaomi uses a surrounding circular ring layer that softens the impact and makes the protrusion feel less jarring.
With a 6.67-inch screen size, the Mi 10i is a big phone. The 9mm thickness and 214.5 grams of heft further push it to the unergonomic side of the spectrum. Having said that, we got used to the heft after using the phone for a week or so.
It also feels remarkably solid. The weight is well balanced, there is Gorilla Glass 5 on front and rear, and the side frame (polycarbonate) feels quite durable.
The side fingerprint sensor is easily accessible, snappy, and consistent. It’s clubbed with the power button. The biometric unlock responds to ‘Press’ by default but you can make it respond to ‘Touch’ from settings.
The selfie camera resides in a centrally aligned punch hole notch. Bezels surrounding the screen are quite narrow with the bottom strip being expectedly thicker. Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G retains 3.5mm audio jack, SD card slot (Hybrid), has a USB Type-C port, IR Remote sensor, and has stereo speakers.
The Pacific Sunrise color that we have feels quite elegant. There is also Midnight Black and Atlantic Blue for consumers with more subdued taste.
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Review: Display
Xiaomi sticks to IPS LCD display for its affordable and mid-range phones. The panel on the Mi 10i has Full HD+ resolution and is HDR10/10+ compliant. The screen gets up to 450+ Nits bright and outdoor visibility is decent enough.
Interestingly, the Mi 10i has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. This is to say that the display automatically switches between 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates depending upon the content being drawn on the screen. So the full 120Hz fluidity can be realized with tasks like scrolling and the display can dial down to 48Hz when playing 24Hz content to avoid judder or to 30Hz while displaying static content in order to conserve battery. As of today, that’s as close to VRR on phones as it gets.
Also Check:List of phones with VRR displays
This is a decent quality IPS panel that supports wide color gamut and works best in the ‘Standard’ color profile. We’d still not rate it above available AMOLED options that have better contrast and are better suited for watching videos.
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Review: Performance and Software
The performance hardware on the Mi 10i is a really impressive. The phone is powered by the 8nm Snapdragon 750G octa-core chipset that has integrated X52 5G modem and can compare to Snapdragon 765 and Snapdragon 768 in terms of raw performance power. That’s because it uses a newer IP, or the new Cortex-A77 based performance cores.
The chipset is further backed by UFS 2.2 storage (UFS 2.1 with improved write speed) and LPDDR4x RAM. Needless to say, this is the best performance hardware you can expect for an affordable or mid-range phone.
We didn’t face any issues with mobile gaming and the UI and day-to-day usage was mostly smooth.
Xiaomi Mi 10i Benchmark Scores
- Geekbench 5 single core- 619
- Geekbench 5 multi-core 1914
- PCMark Work 2.0 – 7675
- Androbench Random Read – 183MB/s
- Androbench Random write -160.69 MB/s
Performance, however, is also a function of the software. The Xiaomi Mi 10i runs MIUI 12 which is still Android 10-based. By now this is a very familiar user interface in India and users who have had some experience with a Xiaomi phone in the past would know what they are getting into.
If you ask us, MIUI 12 isn’t our personal favorite. Other interfaces have leap frogged ahead and feel a tad more refined. This is of course a subjective take and there are several MIUI users who’ll swear by it. The software is rich in useful customization options and it’s fairly easy to get rid of annoying bits and to align the experience to our personal taste.
We didn’t face any issues with call quality or connectivity during our testing. The handset supports dual 4G VoLTE and carrier aggregation.
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Camera Performance
The camera is what gives Mi 10i an edge over its mid-range rivals. Xiaomi uses Samsung’s HM2 sensor that’s 15% smaller than HM1 but combines 9 pixels to 1 resulting in bigger 2.1um pixels.
The primary 108 MP camera is paired with an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP portrait sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, the Mi 10i employs a 16MP sensor.
Now the performance we are getting from 108MP camera is quite good for the price, but don’t expect it to match flagships or flagship killers that cost twice as much, particularly in lowlight.
In daylight, the camera can capture impressive details. Color tones are pleasently saturated which was very evidednt while shooting bright Kalanchoe Orange.
We like that the camera is consistent in proper daylight.
In indoor lighting, the camera performance is still better than what we usually see in this segment, but yes consistency suffers.
The Night mode understands exposure rather well but oversharpening and artifcats are visble when the images are examined on a bigger display.
The wide angle camera does a decent job, but the image isn’t very wide and the quality noticeably degrades.
The macro camera is another addition which may be useful at times.
The portrait camera is great at detecting subject edges.
Video are strictly average. The Mi 10i is missing any sort of video stabilization. Front camera is a decent performer.
The camera app is not very intuitive and feels cluttered. Xiaomi does add a few slick image editing options including the AI sky that can smartly modify sky in clicked shots.
So, to sum it up, the still photography performance is better than what we usually get in the under 25K price segment.
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G Review: Battery and Audio
This one comes with a massive 4820mAh battery that can comfortably carry you through a day of moderate to heavy usage with the display set to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Xiaomi bundles a 33W charger in the box that can fully charge the battery in around an hour.
Mi 10i also has stereo speakers that get fairly loud without any significant distortion. The phone supports Hi-Fi wired audio and we didn’t face any issue with Bluetooth connectivity.
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G review: Verdict
Xiaomi Mi 10i has all the ingredients needed for a disruptive online blockbuster and then some. Indeed there is a lot to look forward to here and that too at a very alluring price.
We will conclude that the Xiaomi Mi 10i doesn’t outright trounce its competition but it stands its ground well and should give many users enough reasons to side with it. The 108MP camera is good for still photography, the display supports high refresh rate, the battery mileage hasn’t been compromised, the fingerprint sensor is consistent and reliable, and the Stereo Speakers are an added bonus.
On the downside, the MIUI software needs more refinement and the display falls short of AMOLEDs that are not very hard to come by in this segment.
Pros
- Dependable performance and 5G support
- 108MP camera is good for still photography
- Decent battery mileage with fast charging
- Stereo speakers and IR Blaster
- Retains Audio jack
Cons
- Display falls short of available AMOLED options
- MIUI software needs more refinement
- Big and Heavy
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G: Should You Buy? Video [Hindi]
Xiaomi Mi 10i 5G FAQ
Q) What is Xiaomi Mi 10i SAR Value?
Head SAR is 0.867W/Kg and Body SAR is 0.825W/Kg (distance 15mm)
Q) Does Xiaomi Mi 10i supports auto call recording?
No, it does not.
Q) Does Xiaomi Mi 10i display support VRR or Variable Refresh Rate?
Xiaomi Mi 10i has 120Hz Adaptive refresh rate display that switches between 6 fps presets – 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz – depending on the content on screen. The display isn’t true or seamless VRR, but since it can dial down to below 60Hz, it’s as close to VRR as you may expect on phones as of today.
Q) Does Xiaomi Mi 10I have AR core support for Google 3D Objects?
A) No, it does not.
Q) Does Xiaomi Mi 10i support Dual VoLTE and Carrier aggregation?
A) Yes, it does.
Q) Does Xiaomi Mi 10i have DRM L1 certification for HD streaming on apps like Prime Videos and Netflix?
Yes, it does. HD streaming is supported on popular apps. HDR videos are supported on YouTube.
Q) Does Xiaomi Mi 10i have a dedicated SD card slot?
No, it does not have a dedicated card slot.
MI 10I DOES SUPPORT ARCORE.