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MagyarMi Note 10 Pro vs Mi 10 Pro: Which of Xiaomi's latest Pro smartphones should you buy?
The Mi 10 Pro has taken the world by storm, with it racing to the top of DxOMark and selling like hot cakes in China. In advance of being launched globally on March 27, we wondered what the Mi 10 Pro has to offer over the Mi Note 10 Pro, a device that Xiaomi released a few months ago.
Theoretically, the Mi 10 Pro should be an obvious winner. However, scratching the surface reveals that is not entirely true. Below is an overview of some of the key specifications for both devices. We shall outline cameras in a separate table below.
| Mi Note 10 Pro | Mi 10 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 157.8 x 74.2 x 9.7 mm208 g | 162.6 x 74.8 x 9 mm208 g |
| SoC | Snapdragon 730G | Snapdragon 865 |
| GPU | Adreno 618 | Adreno 650 |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR4x | up to 12 GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 256 GB UFS 2.0 | up to 512 GB UFS 3.0 |
| Expandable storage | No | No |
| Display | 6.47-inch1,080 x 2,340600 nit advertised60 Hz | 6.67-inch1,080 x 2,340500 nit advertised90 Hz |
| Battery | 5,260 mAh Li-Po | 4,500 mAh Li-Po |
| Charging | 30 W wired | 50 W wired30 W wireless5 W reverse wireless |
| OS | Android 9.0 Pie (MIUI 11) | Android 10 (MIUI 11) |
On the one hand, the Mi 10 Pro will clearly outperform the Mi Note 10 Pro. Not only does the former have a more powerful SoC, but it also has faster RAM and storage. The Mi 10 Pro has more of the latter two than the Mi Note 10 Pro does, too. While 8 GB of RAM will remain enough for a few years yet, neither device supports expandable storage, so you must make do with up to 256 GB of storage on the Mi Note 10 Pro.
Additionally, the Mi 10 Pro has a larger display than the Mi Note 10 Pro, albeit both are 1080p panels. Hence, the Mi Note 10 Pro has a slightly higher pixel density. The Mi Note 10 Pro has a 100 nit brighter display too, although the Mi 10 Pro supports 90 Hz.
It is worth keeping in mind that the Mi Note 10 Pro is marginally smaller than the Mi 10 Pro, while also being 0.7 mm thicker. Both weigh 208 g, though.
Undoubtedly, the Mi Note 10 Pro will have better battery life than the Mi 10 Pro. The former not only has a larger battery than the latter, but also a more efficient SoC and a smaller display. Software optimisation should not be a variable as they both run on MIUI 11, making battery life a definite win for the Mi Note 10 Pro over the Mi 10 Pro.
Then again, the Mi 10 Pro has superior charging capabilities. While the Mi Note 10 Pro is no slouch here with 30 W wired charging, the Mi 10 Pro can charge at up to 50 W. The latter supports 30 W wireless and 5 W reverse wireless charging too; the Mi Note 10 Pro is capable of neither of these. While the difference between 30 W and 50 W charging may be negligible in daily use, it is an advantage that the Mi 10 Pro has over the Mi Note 10 Pro.
The Mi 10 Pro does not necessarily offer a better camera experience than the Mi Note 10 Pro, either. Taking a look at the below, both have a 108 MP main sensor, although the Mi Note 10 Pro has an 8P lens to the Mi 10 Pro's 7P lens. While not a huge difference, some people believe that the additional lens allows the Mi Note 10 Pro to produce more accurate images than the Mi Note 10 can, which also has a 7P lens.
The Mi 10 Pro also has an 8P lens, not a 7P lens as we previously stated.
Both devices have optically-stabilised telephoto sensors too, although DxOMark asserts that the Mi 10 Pro captures more detail at 5x zoom than the Mi Note 10 Pro can. Xiaomi also includes the same 20 MP ultra-wide-angle camera in both devices, but eschews the second telephoto camera and 2 MP macro camera in the Mi Note 10 Pro for a 12 MP portrait sensor in the Mi 10 Pro.
The Mi 10 Pro can also record 8K videos, whereas the Mi Note 10 Pro tops out at 4K. However, the Mi Note 10 Pro has a higher megapixel front-facing camera. The 20 MP camera in the Mi 10 Pro has larger pixels, though.
| Mi Note 10 Pro | Mi 10 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Front-facing camera | 32 MPf/2.01/2.8"0.8 µm | 20 MPf/2.01/3"0.9 µm |
| Rear-facing cameras | Main sensor: 108 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.33", 0.8 µm, OIS, 8P lensTelephoto: 12 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.55", 1.4 µm, 2x optical zoomTelephoto: 5 MP (8 MP upscale), f/2.0, 1.0 µm, OIS, 5x optical zoomUltra-wide-angle: 20 MP, f/2.2, 1.0 µmMacro: 2 MP, f/2.4, 1.0 µm | Main sensor: 108 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.33", 0.8 µm, OIS, 7P lensTelephoto: 8 MP, f/2.0, 1.0 µm, OIS, 10x hybrid optical zoomPortrait: 12 MP, f/2.0, 1.4 µm, 2x optical zoomUltra-wide-angle: 20 MP, f/2.2, 1.0 µm |
| Flash | Quad-LED dual-tone | Triple-LED dual-tone |
| Videos | Rear - up to 2160p @ 30 FPS / Front - up to 1080p @ 30 FPS | Rear - up to 4320p @ 30 FPS / Front - up to 1080p @ 30 FPS |
Overall, the Mi 10 Pro is more powerful than the Mi Note 10 Pro, while also having better charging capabilities and a higher refresh rate display. Xiaomi also sells the Mi 10 Pro with more storage and RAM, while both are faster than the types that the company includes in the Mi Note 10 Pro.
Conversely, it is harder to separate the two devices on cameras, as both have their strengths and weaknesses. The Mi Note 10 Pro will offer better battery life than the Mi 10 Pro, though.
While Xiaomi is yet to confirm pricing for the Mi 10 series outside of China, the Mi 10 Pro will cost more than the Mi Note 10 Pro. The most expensive version of the Mi 10 Pro currently costs 5,999 CNY (~US$860), 2,800 CNY (~US$400) more than the top-spec Mi Note 10 Pro. Xiaomi sells the Mi Note 10 series as the CC9 Pro in China, for reference. Even the 8 GB and 256 GB version of the Mi 10 Pro costs 1,800 CNY (~US$260) more than the equivalent Mi Note 10 Pro SKU.
In short, the Mi 10 Pro is the better overall device. However, it also has worse battery life than the Mi Note 10 Pro, while likely being considerably more expensive too. Ultimately, if you can do without the bleeding edge performance that the Mi 10 Pro has, then the Mi Note 10 Pro offers practically the same experience but in a much cheaper package. Dropping to the regular Mi Note 10 would save you even more money, although you must contend with 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage and a 7P lens for the device's 108 MP main camera.
