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Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro : test / review

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Published on: 17-12-2020 / Modified: 28-04-2021
The year 2020 was marked by numerous releases at Xiaomi, sometimes using the Xiaomi brand, sometimes Redmi and sometimes Poco.

Xiaomi is undoubtedly the manufacturer that releases the most models each year. Their secret? Recycling! I thought Xiaomi was very innovative a year or two ago and now I have the impression that they are slowing down a bit by reusing components from several phones to make a new one with just a small difference that justifies a different price positioning and a different name. There is something to get lost in it!

The Mi 10T Pro takes the format of a Poco X3 with side scan, the size of the Poco F2 Pro, the photo sensor of the Mi Note 10 or Mi 10, the CPU and GPU of the Poco F2 Pro. I imagine that other less visible components are also shared. So there is nothing new in this Mi 10T Pro and yet it was sold for over €500.

I'm not used to buying phones at this price but I took advantage of the Rue Du Commerce trade-in pack so that they could take it back when I had finished testing it. What motivated me to buy it is the presence of the 108 million pixel sensor, I'm finally going to be able to test this sensor and compare it with everything I've been able to test so far.

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.mi.com
Site where I have bought the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro: https://tidd.ly/34Be1MH

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro

The list below shows the prices for the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

11/12/2020 order of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro on Rue Du Commerce with trade-in package
14/12/2020 delivery of the phone, the test can begin

Why this phone?

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is not in my usual selection criteria because it is too expensive but I made an exception for two reasons. The first one is the RueDuCommerce Trade-in Pack and thanks to this trade-in pack, I don't have to worry about resale. The second is the Samsung camera that produces photos in 108 million pixels. This camera had been launched with the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 which was too slow to handle such photos, it was then used in the Xiaomi Mi 10 (also too expensive).

As I have been able to test a lot of cameras in the last 2 years, I will be able to analyze the photo quality of this sensor with enough hindsight.

Xiaomi is doing a lot of recycling at the moment, you have to see this Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro as a Poco F2 Pro with another camera.

Unpacking

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is a high-end phone but the only difference with a mid-range phone is the presence of corded earphones in the box. The rest of the box looks like the other boxes of the brand.

The box contains the phone, a charger, a USB cable, a manual, a transparent cover, a needle to open the sim drawer and a manual.

The packaging therefore does not reflect the premium aspect of the phone, it is especially at the first handling that doubts will be dispelled.

First configuration

The configuration of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is common to the phones using MIUI 12, it doesn't present any difficulty but I deplore that with each new version Xiaomi pushes its Cloud in a more and more subtle way. As I often change phone, the only cloud option for me is Google's cloud but this could change when Google Photos becomes pay-per-use from June 2021.

Finish

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is made of glass and metal, so the level of finish is impeccable. Xiaomi has visibly dropped the eccentric lighting effects on the back of its phones, the Mi 10T Pro is sober but elegant.

The screen occupies 85% of the front panel, it is interrupted by the front camera which is in the form of a punch in the upper left corner, the border is quite thin but Samsung manages to produce smartphones with even thinner borders.

The photo sensor at the back is quite imposing and stands out quite strongly, it's quite common at Xiaomi and I guess the huge 108 million pixels sensor has something to do with it. So the phone poses on the sensor rather than on its back and this causes an imbalance. I don't have a problem with that but I know it will bother many users.

The Mi 10T Pro offers stereo sound from a speaker at the bottom of the phone and the use of the speakerphone.

The sim card drawer holds two sim cards and the drawer is in the usual place on the left. The fingerprint sensor takes the bases of the Redmi Note 9s with a side position on the right.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone.I bought the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro in its 8Gb / 256 Gb version, you will find the main features in the following screens.

CPU / GPU Performance

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 CPU, this type of CPU is clearly a high performance CPU. This CPU can be found in other phones such as the OnePlus 8T, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE or the Asus Rog Phone 3. At the time of writing, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro was one of the best performing phones on the market. This was also the case when I tested the Mi 9T Pro, it has become a bit of a habit for this range of phones at Xiaomi.

For the graphics part, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is based on a Qualcomm Adreno 650 GPU and here too it is a high performance GPU.

With this CPU/GPU combination, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is not likely to be put at risk even with the most demanding games.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

I scored over 581,000 points on Antutu, the best score I've gotten so far. I got a slightly lower score with the Poco F2 Pro, which costs much less.

With a score like that you can play any game or run any application. The phone also relies on 8Gb of RAM, so not only will you be able to leave more applications open, but the transition between applications should not be a problem either.






Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.As I wrote above, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro can run any game. PUBG Mobile runs in HD mode by default but it is possible to increase the resolution and detail without causing any slowdown. The textures are well detailed and the depth of vision is maximum.

Network performance

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is compatible with a large number of frequencies and on the 5G part, the phone covers 10 frequencies. At the moment 5G is not yet widespread and there are still questions about which frequencies will be used most. Choosing a 5G phone today therefore carries a risk if it only covers a few frequencies, which is not the case with the Mi 10T Pro.


Signal 4G (before december 2020)

The ability to pick up the network correctly is an essential element for a phone but it is only very rarely measured. To measure a phone's ability to pick up the network, I perform a large number of measurements on the same cells to be able to compare phones under similar conditions. The signal is measured in dBm, a value of -90dBm indicates a worse signal than -70dBm. These measurements are therefore taken under real conditions and not in a laboratory, they are not scientific but give a good indication of performance.



Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology



There is not yet a 5G commercial network in Belgium at the time of this test, so I will test the sensitivity of the network in 4G.

I made more than 1000 measurements and I obtained an average signal of -94.03 dBm with the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro where I obtained an average signal of -90.61 with my measuring device. The difference of 3.42 dB is in the average, so the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has a network sensitivity in the average. I have already noticed several times that the price unfortunately does not give a guarantee on the network sensitivity. I have made the same observation with other brands.

The measured signal shows smaller deviations than the measuring device, the Xiaomi circle in the graph below is almost perfect where the measuring device detects many more mains fluctuations.



Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.


Wifi signal

Not yet available / tested



Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.

GPS performance

To test the quality of the GPS signal I use the Offline Maps application and I make the same train trip in pedestrian mode. Why? In pedestrian mode, the GPS does not artificially correct the signal to stick to the road, it has no markings, so you can see the actual position. I then use an application to measure the accuracy of the signal. Not yet available / tested

Battery range

Not yet available / tested

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is equipped with a 108 million pixel Samsung Bright S5KHMX sensor. This sensor was first released with the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, so it is not a new sensor but it has always been considered as one of the best sensors. I hadn't had the opportunity to test it yet, so I will finally be able to compare it with the other sensors I have tested so far.

Phones equipped with the Samsung Bright S5KHMX are often more expensive than those sold with high-end Sony sensors. Maybe that's why this Mi 10T Pro is so expensive.

Default app

Xiaomi's photo application has improved a lot with MIUI 12. I found that Xiaomi's photo application had become too busy with its many options. The main menu has been simplified and it is possible to customize the items in this menu to keep only what you are interested in. The "Plus" option has become a catch-all in which you will find all the additional options such as: night mode, slow motion mode, accelerated mode, document mode, vlog mode, pro mode, ...

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is also compatible with Gcam, so I will compare the result obtained with the Xiaomi application to see if Gcam manages to increase the quality of the photos.

Photo quality

Photo test / studio



I was curious to see if the Samsung 108 million pixel sensor would produce properly exposed photos in the studio as Samsung sensors are generally not very good for this exercise.

Unfortunately, this sensor will follow the trend of other models by delivering slightly underexposed images. Samsung sensors seem to have difficulty finding the right exposure when exposed to artificial light.

Apart from the exposure, I also note a rather brutal blurring application, which greatly reduces the depth of field. When I take my photos in the studio, I focus on the headlights and here I see that the focus is on the door. This area is therefore very sharp but the rest of the image quickly falls into blur.

I tested the normal mode, the AI mode, the HDR mode, the 108 million pixel mode, the night mode as well as the pro mode with RAW format. I get the best result in pro mode but using the pro mode does not correct this too aggressive blur.



The problem of underexposure is less marked than on other Samsung sensors, it doesn't really pose a problem for me. The application of artificial blurring is much more problematic as it doesn't seem to follow my request to focus on the front of the car. A large part of the photo is therefore in the blurred area. This should not be a problem for landscape photos but if you are going to photograph objects up close, you will have to pay attention to it.



Photo test / sunny



The studio test had left me a little perplexed about the technical qualities of the Samsung sensor. Outdoors and under the sun, the result is fortunately quite different.

By default the photos are taken in a slightly strange format between 16:7 and 16:8. This is not too much of a problem for landscapes but if you don't pay attention you could take photos in the wrong format and only realise it when you review the photos later.

Under the sun, there is obviously no more problem of under-exposure, the image is very bright and rich in detail, the dynamic range is also quite wide because very bright areas are next to very dark areas without falling into under/over-exposure. The light blues are undoubtedly a little too much towards cyan and the colour temperature is a little too low for my taste but this is not disturbing.


If I use the wide angle sensor in the same place and at the same time, I get a quite different result. The image is much less precise, some areas have lost sharpness. The colour temperature here is a bit too hot compared to the main sensor. The colours also deviate from reality, the sky takes on colours that are sometimes a little strange and the chromatic aberration is clearly visible. The photo is not unpleasant, however, it is not of a high technical quality.

If I switch to 108 million pixel mode, I get a very detailed image with a more correct and neutral colouring. The photo is also much larger, this photo takes more than 40 Mb, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro doesn't have any difficulty taking photos of this size contrary to less powerful phones. The interest of the 108 million pixels lies precisely in the richness of the details, so it pays off in terms of storage.

The 108 megapixel mode here delivers very good photos, but I don't find that these photos are really of a higher quality than what a Poco F2 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S20 can deliver. The photos are more detailed but the difference is not huge.

I have taken a long series of photos with sometimes different settings to show what this sensor is capable of producing. On some photos taken inside wood, you can clearly see this ability of the dynamic range to go for differences in lighting without losing detail.

The manual mode can produce RAW files and given the level of detail recorded in the image, you can give free rein to your creativity to produce really striking photos.



Photo test / cloudy

Not yet available / tested

Test photo / night



The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has a night mode that allows you to superimpose several images taken at different exposure levels to produce an illuminated photo. This is quite common and I find it makes good night shots. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro even does very well without the night mode as the main sensor is able to take unassisted night shots and the result is quite good. The photos are detailed, the colours are correctly saturated and I don't see any digital noise, the sky is even dark to the point of sometimes letting a star appear.



The wide-angle sensor also does very well at night because usually the photos produced by wide-angle sensors are unusable at night but this is far from being the case for this Xiaomi. The colour temperature is a bit too warm but the rendering is quite pleasant, the photo is less detailed than with the main sensor but this is not too visible and a distortion of the image is visible. This is probably one of the best sensors of this type that I have had the opportunity to test and again, I didn't need the night mode to take good pictures.



The 108 million pixel mode also does very well for this kind of photo, the level of detail is very impressive as the treatment applied to night photos often has a negative effect on the details. The level of detail in this photo is really excellent.

Video quality

Stabilisation

Not yet available / tested

Video normale conditions
Not yet available / tested

Video low light

Not yet available / tested

Audio quality

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.

Frequency Response

This test is intended to test the device's ability to correctly reproduce all frequencies. The white line in the middle of the graph is the ideal situation and the other colors come from tests on different phones. A deviation from the reference line indicates a deviation from the ideal situation. To see good sound at all frequencies, it is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the reference line. Not yet available / tested

Dynamic Range

This test is designed to test a phone's ability to play sounds at different volume levels. Here too, the phones must be as close as possible to the reference.Not yet available / tested

Noise Level

This test aims to identify if the device under test is able to reproduce sounds without too much noise. A high score indicates a low parasite rate, a lower score indicates a higher presence of parasites.Not yet available / tested

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is equipped with an IPS LCD screen where most phones sold at over €500 are equipped with an Amoled screen. Why is this a problem? Amoled screens offer a much better contrast than LCD screens, the blacks are really black whereas with an LCD the black will always be a bit grey. At this price level, I don't find it normal to have a screen like this.



The LCD screen of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro, on the other hand, is very well calibrated provided that the display is switched to "normal" mode. I got a dE of 0.82, this is one of the best scores I have ever gotten. The white is almost perfect with 6663K (perfect = 6500k), this is quite rare.

At this price level I expected no less but I repeat, I don't understand the choice of Xiaomi as the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite is equipped with an Amoled screen for less than 300€, this screen offers the same level of colorimetry as this Mi 10T Pro but with a much better contrast.



Brightness / Contrast

I measured a brightness of 530 cd/m² with my probe, I have activated the sun mode but I think the screen is capable of going a little higher. I didn't have a light source strong enough to make sure the brightness was at maximum.

With this level of brightness you can use the screen outdoors without any problems.

Biometry

Not yet available / tested

Operating system

Not yet available / tested

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro

Compare Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro with the others

Test / Review conclusion

Not yet available / tested

Strengths

Not yet available / tested

Weaknesses

Not yet available / tested

Alternatives to this product

Not yet available / tested