Review Xiaomi Mi 10 pro

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  •  中文

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is the Chinese manufacturer’s brand-new high-end device, offering premium specs all around, including Qualcomm’s new top-end Snapdragon 865 chipset and a 6.67-inch display with FHD+ resolution. In the camera department, the new flagship uses hardware very similar to last year’s heavy-hitting Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition — a 108MP primary shooter with a large 1/1.33 image sensor, combined with a 20MP ultra-wide camera and dual tele-lenses for optimized performance across a wide range of zoom factors.

The short-range tele module comes with a 50mm-equivalent focal range lens and a 12MP sensor. (The camera uses a 8MP module with a 94mm-equivalent lens when increasing the zoom factor.)

This year marks Xiaomi’s 10th anniversary in the smartphone business. Is the Mi 10 Pro an adequate device for celebrating the occasion? Read our full camera review to find out.

The Mi 10 Pro’s camera setup is very similar to that of the CC9 Pro Premium Edition.

The Mi 10 Pro is our first tested device with a Snapdragon 865 chipset.

Please note: We tested the Mi 10 Pro using firmware that Xiaomi plans to provide to customers via an Over The Air (OTA) update by March 5th, thus the device we tested is a pre-production unit. As we always do in these cases, we will repeat the test with a commercial device when available to confirm that the image quality is identical. 

Key camera specifications:

• Primary: 108MP, 1/1.33-inch sensor with 25mm-equivalent, f/1.69-aperture lens, OIS (25MP output resolution)
• Short telephoto: 12MP, 1/2.6-inch sensor with 50mm-equivalent, f/2-aperture lens
• Long telephoto: 8MP, 1/4.4-inch sensor with 94mm-equivalent, f/2-aperture lens, OIS
• Ultra-wide: 20MP, 1/2.8-inch sensor with 16mm-equivalent, f/2.2-aperture lens
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset

Huawei P30 Pro price and availability

• Available now (but not in the US)
• Huawei P30 Pro price starts at £899 (AU$1,599) for 128GB model

The Huawei P30 Pro price starts at £899 (AU$1,599, around $1,140), making it one of the most expensive handsets on the market, matching the price of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, but it’s cheaper than the iPhone XS Max. In the UK the 512GB Amber Sunrise P30 Pro costs £1,099 (around AU$2,000, $1,400).

As well as Amber Sunrise - aka an orange/red - (exclusive to the 512GB model), the 128GB P30 Pro is available in Breathing Crystal (our light blue/purple review unit), Aurora (a darker blue/purple finish) and Black. In Australia you only get the choice of Breathing Crystal and Aurora, with no 512GB version.

Design

• Premium design with super-slim bezels
• Not much grip, but included case helps
• In-display fingerprint scanner

The Huawei P30 Pro design has been developed and refined over the handset it’s replacing, the Huawei P20 Pro.

Huawei has stripped back the bezels above and below the screen to the bare minimum, reducing the size of the notch at the top of the display to just what’s required to house the front camera, while at the bottom the fingerprint scanner is embedded in the display, allowing the screen to extend further to the base of the handset.

Setting up fingerprints on the scanner is a little time-consuming, with a number of scans required for each digit you register – we’d recommend both thumbs and forefingers for ease of use. Once set up though, the scanner works with great accuracy and speed.

Display

• 6.47-inch OLED, 1080 x 2340, 19.5:9 display with 398ppi
• Bright, clear and colorful, but not the best on the market
• Small notch doesn’t get in the way

Review Samsung A50

The good The Samsung Galaxy A50 has a solid camera, an in-screen fingerprint reader, a headphone jack and a long-lasting battery -- all at an affordable price.

The bad The phone can be buggy at times, its maximum video resolution is only 1080p and the speaker quality is tinny.

The bottom line Though not water repellant like the Moto G7, the Galaxy A50 is worth the extra $50 for its superior camera and enduring battery.