Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, launched the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 on 6th November 2019 adding to its huge roster of upper mid-range flagship killers. The phone is packed with standout features that you’d expect to pay significantly more than for its asking price. One such feature is the 108mp penta-camera setup, which opens up a world of possibilities for phone photography enthusiasts.
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 main features
Screen display
The screen is on the larger size, a plus for those who use their phone for gaming and watching videos. The phone has a 6.47” FHD+ curved OLED display with a 3D curved glass featuring rounded corners and tempered edges. The device is adorned with the now famous water drop notch and a screen resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels.
Camera
The Mi Note 10 phone’s front camera is 32-megapixel sensor for all the selfie lovers out there but the real belle of the ball is the penta-camera setup. The first lens in the rear-facing camera system is a 5mp super telephoto lens, a 12mp portrait sensor, then we have the Samsung made 108mp main sensor, next is the 20mp ultra wide lens and a 2mp macro lens. The phone is optimized for video blogging, something very popular in the digital content creation space right now.
Performance, battery and memory
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is equipped with a Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G coupled with 6GB memory and 128GB internal storage. The device also comes with a massive 5260mAh battery that allows for fast charging 30W, getting to 100% in 65 minutes.
Here is a summarized oversight of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 features and specifications.
| Dimensions | 157.8 x 74.2 x 9.7 mm |
| Weight | 208 g |
| CPU | Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G (8 nm) Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) |
| SimCard Slot | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Primary Camera | 108 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS 5 MP (upscaled to 8MP), f/2.0, (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, 2x optical zoom 20 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultra wide), 1/2.8″, 1.0µm, Laser AF 2 MP, f/2.4, 1/5″, 1.75µm (dedicated macro camera) |
| Selfie Camera | 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm |
| Internal Storage | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| Operating System | Android v9.0 (Pie) MIUI 10 |
| Color | Aurora Green, Glacier White, Midnight Black |
| RAM | 6 GB, 8 GB |
| Battery | 5260 mAh |
| Display | 6.47”, Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen |
| Display Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio |
| USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
Mi Note 10 vs Mi Note 9
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10’s is a subtle upgrade of the Mi Note 9 which was launched in March 2019. What are the notable changes? It has a slightly larger screen display at 6.47” compared to its predecessor’s 6.39” but you will carry more weight at 208g compared to the 173g of the Mi Note 9.
The internal storage of the Mi Note 10 is double what its predecessor offered, still someone would be mad that there is still no memory card slot for extra storage.
The battery capacity also increases from the 3300mAh to 5260 mAh. It doesn’t however offer a wireless charging option like the Mi Note 9.
It was surprising for Xiaomi to remove the FM radio option in the previous version but they seem to have realized their mistake and rectified it with the Mi 10.
The camera is a massive upgrade, from 20MP to 32MP for the selfie cam and 48MP to 108MP for the main cam.
Three lenses vs five. The Mi Note 10 has the P30 beat on battery capacity, the Snapdragon 730G processor which is the next best SoC from Qualcomm after the Snapdragon 855+.
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Price in Kenya
The Mi Note 10’s availability in Kenya when recently released depended on how fast third-party suppliers could ship in the phone as there is no official Xiaomi presence in Kenya.
There were no official launch dates for the Kenyan market. However, the phone is now available for purchase.
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 price in Kenya ranges from KES 50000 to KES 55000 depending on retailer, internal memory (128GB or 256GB) as well as RAM (6GB or 8GB).
The smartphone although not a flagship device for Xiaomi, is comparable to Huawei’s P30 which is a flagship device retailing at a higher price of KES 58000.
If this review piqued your interest and you’re wondering where to buy original Xiaomi phones, Avechi.com, Phoneplacekenya.com and Mi Store Kenya all sell the global version of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 as well as other Xiaomi phones.
Verdict
This phone is for you if you don’t mind giving this fairly new brand, at least to the Kenyan market, a chance.
Alternatives such as the Google Pixel 4, Nokia 9 PureView and Samsung Galaxy S8 will offer fairly the same
premium features and great performance but not at the great value for money or price tag of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Specifications and Price in Kenya