Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro 256GB 256 GB / 8 GB

tectonic shift

In 2019, there was a tectonic shift in the smartphone market, mid-range models can do almost everything that flagships do. And flagship smartphones don't have to cost $1,000. The Mi Note 10 Pro presented in November 2019 is the best confirmation of this, it is a smartphone with an excellent screen, flagship hardware, a top-end camera with 5 modules and an official price tag of $500.

The new leader in the rating of camera phones

Let's start with the camera, because we haven't seen anything like it yet — a $500 smartphone received 121 points for photo and video capabilities from the reputable DxOMark resource, actually becoming the best camera phone on the market. 121 points is more than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus or iPhone XS Max and on par with the top-end Huawei Mate 30 Pro! And all these beauties are at least twice as expensive. DxOMark specialists noted excellent zoom and autofocus, good detail, and praised the gorgeous night shots taken with four flashes at once.

Camera with 5 lenses

By the way, the camera of the Mi Note 10 Pro is not quite ordinary: instead of three or four modules, there are five of them at once. Samsung's first ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor boasts a 108MP resolution, f/1.7 aperture, and quad-axis image stabilization (OIS). It is complemented by a 12MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, as well as 10x or 50x hybrid zoom. Next comes a 5MP depth sensor for portrait photography, a 20MP wide lens with a 117-degree coverage angle, and a 2MP macro lens with a focal length of 1.5cm.

Powerful processor and reinforced 5260 mAh battery

Everything else matches the camera and the general top level: The device received a glass case with metal frames and a curved 6.47-inch OLED display. It features a waterdrop notch with a 32MP front camera, as well as Full HD+ resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The screen supports HDR and DCI-P3 colour space. Under the hood of the device is an 8-nanometer Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G gaming processor. It comes paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. The icing on the cake was a beefed up 5260mAh battery with 30W fast charging (from 0 to 100% in 65 minutes).

Against the background of all that has been said, it is even somehow embarrassing to look for cons. Yes, most likely the price at the start of sales will be higher than the claimed $500, but as is usually the case, in a few months it will return to normal.