Combining a sleek design with the latest hardware you can get your hands on, the Xiaomi Mi 10 houses an incredible 108MP camera. But is it as impressive as it sounds?
In this article, we’re focusing on a Xiaomi Mi 10 camera review – how it performs against other phones in the same class and other Xiaomi phones. Let’s get started!
Is The Xiaomi Mi 10 Camera Good?
Xiaomi Mi 10 vs Mi 9 Cameras
In short, yes but with some caveats. The Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have impressive camera specs but their software struggles to keep up. For example, when you click into Xiaomi’s native camera app you won’t immediately have access to that 108MP camera – you’ll have to click into a different camera mode (like turning on video mode). Once you click into the Mi 10’s 108MP camera mode things get pretty laggy too. Both through the viewfinder and when looking at your photos you’ll experience the dreaded spinning circle of processing. Similarly to Samsung’s introduction of 8k video, Xiaomi’s 108MP camera lacks the processing power to truly deliver on expectations. If you need to capture a lot of content during the course of a day then the Xiaomi Mi 10 isn’t the phone for you as you will spend time waiting for it to process.
To kick off our discussion of the specs, though, we decided to compare the Mi 10 with the previous Mi 9 so you can have a better idea of what the newer model is bringing to the table.
Starting with the camera setups, the Mi 10 Pro has a quad rear camera design while base Mi 10’s camera is more inline with the Mi 9’s triple rear camera configuration. That’s a whole extra camera in the Mi 10 Pro.
The main camera is standard in both phones, both the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro offer a resolution of 108 MP whereas the Mi 9 offers 48 MP. The sensor on the Mi 10s is Samsung Bright S5KHMX sized 1/1.33″, but the Mi 9 is equipped with a Sony IMX586 Exmor RS sensor sized 1/2.25″. The difference in sensor size is negligible in the look of photos aside from a bit more contrast in the Mi 10.
Both the Mi 9 and 10 lines feature ultrawide and telephoto lenses though the Mi 10 Pro delivers 7 more megapixels in the former and improved usability in the latter by including 2x optical zoom to 10x hybrid zoom. While many hybrid zoom options on the market disappoint, Xiaomi’s does not. In combination with the improved image stabilization on the Mi 10 Pro, the zooming capabilities of this phone camera are seriously impressive. While this is the case, I am not a fan of the Xiaomi Mi 10 macro camera as the photos it produces are not comparable to what one can get through a better camera and a dedicated smartphone macro lens.
Both phones carry LED flash, but unlike the Mi 9, the Mi 10 features optical stabilization. The Mi 10 captures 8K videos whereas the Mi 9 is limited to 4K.
As for their selfie game, both phones include dedicated cameras, but the resolution is 20 MP in the Mi 10 and 24.8 MP in the Mi 9. The former is equipped with a Samsung S5K3T2 sensor and a 0.80 µm pixel size, while the latter has a Sony IMX576 Exmor RS sensor and a 0.90 µm pixel size.
Xiaomi Mi 10 vs OnePlus 8
One of the biggest selling points of the Mi 10 is its top-tier 108 MP sensor that bins down to 27 MP and enables better sensitivity in low-light settings. On the other side, the OnePlus 8 series plays things safe with 48MP main cameras for both the 8 and 8 Pro.
Both phones house 2MP macro cameras and ultra-wide sensors with 13 MP on the Mi 10 and 16 MP on the OnePlus 8. The Mi 10 also features a 2 MP depth sensor, falling just behind the dedicated 8MP telephoto lens on the OnePlus 8 Pro that supports 3x zoom and increases the resolution of the ultrawide lens to 48 MP.
The Mi 10 comes with a 20 MP selfie sensor, while both members of the OnePlus 8 series have 16 MP selfie cameras. The Mi 10 takes the cake in this aspect.
As for videos, the Mi 10 turns up the heat with its stunning video quality, stabilized 4K at 60fps capture, and the ability to record in 8K. The OnePlus 8 series affords 4K at 60fps but stabilizes only up to 4K at 30fps, allowing the Mi 10 to take the lead. The Xiaomi Mi 10 also offers 960fps slow motion at 1080p compared to the OnePlus 8’s 720p video at 480 fps and1080p slow motion at 240fps. In terms of mobile filmmaking capability, there’s really no comparison between the Xiaomi Mi 10 or the OnePlus 8.
Xiaomi Mi 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S20
The camera on the Xiaomi Mi 10 resembles that on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra as both feature a 108MP main option. The setup on the Mi 10 differs in that it also includes optical image stabilization, a 13 MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera, a 2 MP f/2.4 macro camera, and a 2 MP f/2.4 depth sensor.
The setup on the Samsung Galaxy S20 consists of a 12 MP f/1.8 main sensor with optical image stabilization, a 64MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with optical image stabilization and 3x hybrid optical zoom, as well as a 12 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera. See how the Samsung Galaxy S20 stands against the rest of Samsung’s phones historically.
It may seem at first glance that the Xiaomi Mi 10 is better than the Samsung Galaxy S20 for mobile photography but this isn’t necessarily the case as much as the Mi 10’s software struggles. While the Galaxy S20 software is better it isn’t without issue. For example, both phones can record videos in 8K quality but neither does so well enough to really do a video shoot as they overheat before competition.
In regards to front cameras, there’s a 10 MP f/2.2 selfie camera on the Galaxy S20 and a 20 MP f/2. selfie option on the Xiaomi Mi 10.
Xiaomi Mi 10 vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
So, is it worth upgrading to the Pro version of the Xiaomi Mi 10? Let’s find out. Differentiating between the Xiaomi Mi 10 and the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro really pretty simple when it comes to cameras but we’ll discuss the overall differences between the two phones first.
The Mi 10 Pro does offer the possibility of 512GB of storage whereas the Mi 10 maxes storage at 256GB. The regular Xiaomi Mi 10 is also a dual SIM phone which is a big perk to some. In terms of battery, the regular Mi 10 features a more impressive 4780 mAh battery than the Mi 10 Pro’s 4500 mAh one. That being said, the Mi 10 Pro is capable of faster charging so choosing between the two in terms of battery isn’t really an option. Fortunately we’re doing a Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro camera review because that’s where the difference in these two phones will be clear.
gsmarena
As is made clear by the above graphic, the Xiaomi Mi 10 comes with less lenses than the Mi 10 Pro. Additionally the lenses that are included in the Mi 10 Pro’s camera setup are more impressive than those in the base Mi 10 model. Oh, and if you’re a mobile filmmaker then the choice isn’t even a choice at all. Did you know the Xiaomi Mi 10 doesn’t even have slow-motion video? So, if you’re a mobile photographer or filmmaker then you’re going to want the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro over the Xiaomi Mi 10.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Camera: Technical Specs
Camera #1
- Type: Standard
- Resolution: 108 MP
- Sensor: Samsung Bright S5KHMX
- Type: ISOCELL
- Aperture: ƒ/ 1.69
- Pixel size: 0.80 µm
- Pixel Binning: 1-4 (2×2)
- Sensor size: 1/1.33
Camera #2
- Type: Wide Angle lens
- Resolution: 13 MP
- Aperture: ƒ/ 2.4
- Pixel size: 1.12 µm
Camera #3
- Type: Portrait mode (depth)
- Resolution: 2 MP
- Aperture: ƒ/ 2.4
- Pixel size: 1.75 µm
Camera #4
- Type: Macro lens
- Resolution: 2 MP
- Aperture: ƒ/ 2.4
- Pixel size: 1.75 µm
Features
- Flash: LED
- Optical Stabilisation: Yes
- Slow Motion Video: Yes, 120 fps
- Video: 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 60fps, 720p at 40fps
- Digital zoom
- Optical zoom
- Quadruple camera
- Digital image stabilization
- Optical Stabilization (OIS)
- Laser AF
- Manual focus
- Continuous autofocus
- Autofocus
- Touch focus
- Self-timer
- ISO settings
- White balance settings
- Face detection
- RAW
- HDR
- Geotagging
- Night Mode
- Scene mode
Selfie Camera
- Dedicated
- Resolution: 20 MP
- Sensor: Samsung S5K3T2
- Sensor Type: ISOCELL
- Aperture: ƒ/ 2.3
- Pixel size: 0.80 µm
- Pixel Binning: 1-4 (2×2)
- Sensor size: 1/3.4
Xiaomi Mi 10 Camera Review: Maybe Try The Xiaomi Mi 11?
The Xiaomi Mi 10 introduced a 108MP camera sensor to the world, and boy did it deliver in terms of resolution and novelty specs. It is worth noting that the 108MP camera is only available in the one lens and the others suffer as a result. For reference, I wouldn’t say the Xiaomi Mi 10 camera is more usable than the iPhone 12 line as the latter is comprehensively more impressive.
If given the chose would you choose the Xiaomi Mi 10 or the Mi 10 Pro over what you’re currently shooting with? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
