Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite vs POCO X3: Discernible price difference for similar specs but the Mi 10T Lite edges out the X3 with 5G and a little 128 GB storage surprise

With both the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite and POCO X3 now appearing on the smartphone market, consumers not tempted or interested in paying out of the nose for the latest flagship have two more appealing choices to deliberate over. At the time of writing, the Mi 10T Lite has an official price from €279 while the POCO X3 costs from €229 (although occasional flash sales reduce this price tag to €199 in some markets). It’s a noticeable price difference between the two devices but reasonable enough to adequately compare their respective advantages.

The POCO X3 and Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite can certainly tempt with their mostly similar stellar specifications. Both smartphones deliver a 6.67-inch IPS LCD capable of a 120 Hz refresh rate, both come with the same base configuration of 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, and even the camera setup is not vastly different, although the cheaper POCO X3 actually has the advantage here in terms of megapixel count at least (see key specs comparison table below). The POCO device also has a slightly larger battery than the Mi 10T Lite: 5,160 mAh vs. 4,820 mAh. So the smart money would seem to bet on the X3 smartphone at this point.

But it’s two of the key components that make the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite a better option if you want a smartphone that’s going to be relevant for a longer period of time. Firstly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 SoC delivers all-important 5G connectivity and there is a slightly better integrated GPU too (Adreno 619 vs. 618). Secondly, there is a little surprise waiting for those who plump for the 128 GB variant of the Mi 10T Lite. In regard to prices, the top-end configuration of the Xiaomi device is currently €329 compared to the 128 GB POCO X3 at €249 (temporarily reduced from €269).

Hidden in the specifications sheet, and spotted by XiaomiAdictos, is a note that the 128 GB variant of the Mi 10T Lite actually utilizes UFS 2.2 storage, while the POCO X3 is left with UFS 2.1 storage. The difference between the two is mainly the addition of the WriteBooster feature in UFS 2.2, which unsurprisingly speeds up the write speed for this particular type of storage. This is only relevant to the 128 GB model though; the 64 GB Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite uses UFS 2.1. The POCO X3 appears to be an excellent buy, especially at current prices, but the Mi 10T Lite has the edge, even with the modest extra cost, thanks to faster storage type (128 GB model) and the presence of 5G capability.