The Xiaomi Mi 10 launched as Xiaomi’s switch toward a more premium Mi flagship — powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 and 5G-capable hardware. It ships in configurations with 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, and uses a 6.67" 2340×1080 display. Early impressions positioned the Mi 10 as a performance-first phone with a high-resolution 108 MP main camera and a focus on a flagship experience rather than Xiaomi’s historically budget-first positioning.
This review pulls from device lab and software notes reported in GSMArena’s Mi 10 review (software and performance section), UL Benchmarks median results and 3DMark submissions, XDA Developers’ analysis of Xiaomi’s premium ambitions, user impressions (including Reddit), and contemporary coverage such as Unbox.ph and DxOMark mentions for the Mi 10 series. Benchmarks and reported user feedback form the basis for performance, display, and software conclusions.
High level: the Mi 10 is a fast, well‑specced 2020 flagship with a large 6.67" 2340×1080 90Hz panel and a 108 MP main sensor — and it delivers strong synthetic GPU performance (3DMark Wild Life ~4,412). Its weakest points are software and update timing — it ships with MIUI 11 on Android 10 even though MIUI 12 was announced — and some reviewers and users flagged that MIUI 11 feels out of place on a flagship. If you prioritise raw performance and camera hardware, the Mi 10 delivers; if you prioritise an up-to-date OS from day one, there are trade-offs.
Raw speed and GPU performance match flagship ambitions
Under the hood the Mi 10 uses the Snapdragon 865 silicon; UL Benchmarks lists the platform and user-submitted medians for the model. In 3DMark Wild Life the device posts a median score of 4,412 with 99% stability and a reported Graphics Test 1 result around 26 FPS; the Wild Life Unlimited median is 3,804. Those figures place the Mi 10 squarely in early-2020 flagship performance territory for sustained GPU workloads.
User reports and reviews cited in our sources note that the phone feels fast in everyday use — Reddit users called the speed 'perfect' — and the 8 GB / 12 GB RAM options support multitasking. The combination of Snapdragon 865 and these memory configurations gives the Mi 10 strong synthetic and real-world responsiveness for gaming and heavy apps according to the benchmark medians.
MIUI 11 on Android 10: polished but dated on launch
The Mi 10 ships with MIUI 11 atop Android 10. GSMArena highlights MIUI’s polish — subtle animations, snap-back and velocity effects, and a generally flat, refined UI — but notes MIUI 12 had been announced and was not yet available on the device at launch. XDA and Unbox.ph both pointed out that MIUI 11 can feel incongruent on a flagship despite its polish.
Practically, that means the Mi 10 delivers a refined, fluid UI experience out of the box, but buyers should expect a software update path rather than up-to-date software on day one. Sources indicate owners could expect the Mi 10 among the earlier devices to receive MIUI 12, but MIUI 11 / Android 10 is the baseline experience reviewers and early users encountered.
Large 6.67" 2340×1080 panel with a 90Hz refresh for smoother motion
UL Benchmarks lists the Mi 10 display as 6.67" with a 2340×1080 resolution. Community feedback (Reddit) and reviews emphasise a 90Hz refresh rate, and multiple sources describe the screen as a standout element for daily use and media consumption. The display and 90Hz combination contributes to the perception of flagship polish and responsiveness.
While reviewers praised the look and feel of the screen, the device’s display is 1080p-class rather than the higher resolution panels some flagships use; that trade-off is visible only in very specific use cases (very close inspection or VR). For most users the 6.67" 90Hz 2340×1080 panel strikes a practical balance between smoothness and battery use.
108 MP main sensor and camera lineage; results depend on tuning
The Mi 10 is built around a 108 MP main camera sensor (spec listed in UL/GSMArena materials). The Mi 10 series also established a strong camera pedigree for Xiaomi in 2020 — the Mi 10 Pro received high marks from DxOMark — which reflects the company’s camera engineering focus for this generation, though that DxOMark reference is specifically for the Pro variant.
Practical camera performance on the Mi 10 benefits from the high-resolution sensor and Xiaomi’s processing, but final image quality depends on firmware and tuning. Reviews and third-party testing in our sources emphasise good camera hardware; however, the Pro variant’s DxOMark results should not be taken as a direct one-to-one guarantee for the vanilla Mi 10 without consulting image samples and side-by-side tests.
Premium ambitions: a Mi device repositioned toward flagship buyers
XDA frames the Mi 10 as part of Xiaomi’s intentional shift to a pricier, more premium Mi lineup. Build quality and design cues were praised in contemporary reviews: reviewers noted an overall premium feel, haptic feedback improvements and flagship-grade materials compared with Xiaomi’s earlier, more value-focused models.
That repositioning is a real strategic change — the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro were Xiaomi’s priciest Mi devices at launch — and it affects expectations. Reviewers expected flagship-level software polish and timely updates; shipping with MIUI 11 on Android 10 undercut that expectation for some critics even while hardware and performance met flagship standards.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Snapdragon 865 platform with 3DMark Wild Life median score ~4,412 and 99% stability (strong flagship-class GPU performance)
- ✅ Large 6.67" 2340×1080 display with reported 90Hz refresh for smoother scrolling and UI motion
- ✅ 108 MP main camera sensor — flagship camera hardware for the Mi series in 2020
- ✅ Available in 8 GB and 12 GB RAM configurations with 128 GB or 256 GB storage options
- ✅ Polished MIUI animations and UI polish praised by reviewers despite software version timing
- ❌ Ships with MIUI 11 on Android 10 even though MIUI 12 had been announced; not shipping with the newest MIUI at launch
- ❌ Some reviewers and users described MIUI 11 as feeling 'out of place' on a flagship — software can undercut the hardware impression
- ❌ 1080p resolution (2340×1080) rather than higher-resolution flagship panels — trade-off for battery and performance
- ❌ Camera praise in sources is stronger for the Mi 10 Pro (DxOMark) than for the vanilla Mi 10; image quality depends heavily on firmware/tuning
How It Compares to the Competition
- OnePlus 8 — Similar Snapdragon 865 performance and clean software approach; OnePlus offers a lighter Android skin versus MIUI 11 on the Mi 10.
- Samsung Galaxy S20 — Comparable flagship performance with Samsung’s software update cadence and different camera/image tuning; Samsung uses higher-profile flagship branding and update expectations.
- Huawei P40 — Strong camera hardware and flagship-class specs but different app/service trade-offs; Huawei pursues a different imaging and services strategy than Xiaomi.
- Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro — Shares generation and many hardware foundations but the Pro variant scored higher on DxOMark and targets a more camera-focused audience.
Who Should Buy This & Who Should Skip It
Buy it if: Buy the Mi 10 if you prioritise raw Snapdragon 865 performance, a large 6.67" 2340×1080 90Hz display and high-resolution 108 MP camera hardware, and you accept receiving MIUI 12 later as an update. The phone fits users who want flagship-era specs and 5G capability in a Xiaomi device.
Skip it if: Skip the Mi 10 if you need the absolutely latest OS and skin out of the box or prefer a lighter Android experience than MIUI 11, or if you require the highest-resolution display possible. Buyers focused strictly on camera tuning and end-to-end imaging results should compare samples against the Mi 10 Pro and other camera-focused flagships before committing.
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