Xiaomi Mi 10 review - Premium hardware let down by unpolished software - Android

Design: Understated elegance

• 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• 162.58 x 74.8 x 8.96mm, 208g
• USB-C
• Alpine White, Solstice Grey

The Mi 10’s design is a testament to restraint: it embodies all the modern flagship trends without going over the top. The back panel is a single pane of polished glass that gently curves around the edges to achieve a snug fit in the hand.

The camera module sits near the left side of the frame. While the three primary lenses are lined up on a single island, the ultra-wide camera inexplicably sits below the rest. While it doesn’t take away from the design, it does come across as an odd choice in such a well-thought-out device.

The Mi 10's design is a testament to restraint. It manages to look understated yet elegant.

While there’s a market for devices that scream power, there’s something to be said about the sheer elegance of understated design. The dull grey hue of our Mi 10 variant makes the phone look premium without being shouty.

Elsewhere, the metal frame between the front and back glass is painted to match the hardware and creates a seamless look. I particularly liked the feedback from the volume rocker and the power button. The buttons are well-positioned and easy to reach despite the size of the device.

I found the in-display fingerprint scanner to be reasonably fast and accurate. While the scanner rarely failed to unlock the phone, the animation and haptics took their own sweet time to do their thing. Xiaomi would do well with tweaking the duration of the haptics here.

The Mi 10 stands out thanks to its attention to detail and exceptional fit and finish.

Overall, while most premium phones these days deliver a high standard of fit and finish, the Mi 10 comes across as something special. The hardware stands right up there with the best flagships as far as build quality is concerned.

Display: As bright as it gets

The display on the Mi 10 isn’t quite as large as the one on the OnePlus 8 Pro, but honestly, that’s for the better. It’s a perfectly manageable size that still leaves enough real-estate for immersive media consumption. The camera punch hole on the top-left isn’t too distracting, though I have to say I definitely miss the unhindered display achieved with a pop-up selfie camera.

Compared to the OnePlus 8 Pro, there are other misses as well. For one, this is a Full HD panel compared to the Quad HD display on the OnePlus. Additionally, the refresh rate tops off at 90Hz instead of 120Hz.

The lack of a Quad HD panel and 120Hz display isn't a dealbreaker.

Does it make a difference? None that I can notice. The Mi 10 has a beautiful display that looks absolutely fluid as you browse, look at social media, or perform your daily tasks. Add to that HDR10+ support and you have an excellent media consumption device.

I also loved how bright the display gets and faced no difficulty in viewing the screen in the harsh sunlight of 44-degree Delhi.