Which Xiaomi smartphone to buy at the beginning of 2020?

Xiaomi in Russia and the world loves more. If 2-3 years ago I saw only budget devices or smartphones of the “price-quality” category in the hands of those around me, today the flagships of a Chinese company often come across. However, Xiaomi has one interesting feature – it produces so many smartphones per unit of time, that even us, gadget observers, find their models more and more difficult to navigate.

There are devices under the Xiaomi brand, in 2019 devices under the Redmi sub-brand were added to them, and Chinese names are often different from those under which devices are sold outside the Middle Kingdom, for example, the Chinese Redmi K20 is the global Xiaomi Mi 9T, and Xiaomi CC9 Pro there is Xiaomi Mi Note 10 here. In general, in order to figure this out, even we sometimes need Google, what can we say about users who just want to understand which Xiaomi is the most “top” today.

However, I closely monitor Xiaomi devices, so in this article I collected 7 relevant smartphones of the company, which, in my opinion, are the most interesting models in their price ranges at the beginning of 2020. Go!

The true flagship – Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro

On the one hand, buying the flagship of last year a month before the announcement of the new one is strange, because at the end of February at the MWC 2020 exhibition the company will present its new “king” – Xiaomi Mi 10. On the other hand, there are always users for whom the novelty is not is a determining factor, especially if a new device is needed here and now, and not in a couple of months, when the Mi 10 will just appear on Russian shelves. If you are one of them, then I recommend taking a closer look at Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. And that’s why.

Firstly, Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro (Redmi K30 Pro in China) is a powerful smartphone based on the 8-core Snapdragon 855 chipset with a clock frequency of 2.84 GHz and the Adreno 640 graphics subsystem, which is consistent with the flagship characteristics at the moment. Of course, smartphones on the Snapdragon 865 will soon go on sale, which will be about a third more productive in “synthetics”, but I have not yet met a single person who would complain about the performance of the 855th.

Secondly, Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is a beautiful smartphone with unique design features. This is a frameless display without cutouts, droplets, holes and other “bullying”, and an unusually iridescent back panel, and a front camera that comes out with futuristic backlight (and sound). I like the Mi 9T Pro because it is original and not like other flagships.

Thirdly, Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro has the most correct, in my opinion, set of cameras: the main module with high resolution (48 megapixels), “telephoto” with double optical zoom for portraits (8 megapixels) and “ultra-wide” with an angle of 125 ° (13 megapixels). All three cameras shoot very worthy for the flagship 2019.

Add to this the typical flagship chips like a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with HDR support and a 4000 mAh battery with support for 27-watt fast charging (QC 4.0+) and get an excellent flagship at a very attractive price.

Speaking of price. The Mi 9T Pro costs about $500 in official retail, with gray sellers with a dubious guarantee you can find about a third cheaper.

Why, among Xiaomi flagships, did I mention precisely the Mi 9T Pro, and not the classic Mi 9? Everything is obvious here: the Mi 9T Pro has a more capacious battery (4000 mAh versus 3300 mAh) and a more interesting design at a comparable price.

Capitalized Cameraphone – Xiaomi Mi Note 10

Calling the best Xiaomi smartphone in terms of photo capabilities is very simple. Naturally, this is Xiaomi Mi Note 10, which was the first in the world to receive the 108-megapixel ISOCELL Bright HMX module and four very good rear cameras for all occasions: a portrait with 2x 12 MP zoom, a telephoto with 5x 5 zoom MP, “shirik” at 20 megapixels and a macro lens at 2 megapixels.

Another feature of this device is its closely related dimensions and battery. The battery in the Mi Note 10 is truly gigantic – at 5260 mAh, and due to this, the smartphone is thicker than many of its competitors. But this is far from a minus, because the device is incredibly convenient to hold in hands. Naturally, with such a battery, the device’s autonomy is head and shoulders above the average smartphone – Mi Note 10 lasts for two days with moderate use.

You can find fault with it in two things. To the non-flagship Snapdragon 730G chipset, which, however, is enough for most tasks. During testing, I did not have any performance problems, and the throttling test showed the absence of any drawdowns.

The second thing is that many did not like the starting price of 40 thousand rubles, but there are already shops offering it for a quarter cheaper. And for 30 thousand other smartphones with a comparable camera in terms of quality and versatility, it’s unlikely to be found today.

Intelligent sub-flagship – Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite

Devices in the sub-flagship category are usually chosen by those users who want a productive device, but so that it honestly fulfills every ruble invested in it. And among such Xiaomi smartphones, I would like to highlight Mi 9 Lite – a lite version of the flagship Mi 9.

The device operates on the basis of the time-tested Snapdragon 710 chipset with eight cores and a clock frequency of up to 2.2 GHz. For graphics-loaded games with maximum settings of 60 fps, this, of course, will not be enough, but this chipset copes with other tasks perfectly.

On the front panel is not inferior to many flagships AMOLED-display with a diagonal of 6.39 “, FullHD + resolution and brightness up to 600 nits.

A set of main cameras at the necessary and sufficient level. There is a main flagship module at 48 megapixels and with an aperture of f / 1.79, which is very good for this price category. There is a “shirik” at 8 megapixels with a shooting angle of 118 °. There is also a two-megapixel peephole, which is responsible for blurring the background in portrait photographs.

The version of Mi 9 Lite with 6 + 64 GB of memory today can be officially purchased from 20 thousand rubles. And for this quite adequate amount for the sub-flagship, you get a nice device with an excellent display and main camera, working at the same time on a good, albeit not a top-end chipset.

Quality-Price – Redmi Note 8T

One of the most popular Xiaomi lines for many years has been devices with the Redmi Note prefix, and at the end of 2019, the Chinese company pleased its fans with another hit – Redmi Note 8T. Talking about these devices is most correct in this way: first we list the characteristics, and then we say the price. Let’s go!

Specifications:

• Chipset: eight-core Snapdragon 665 with a clock speed of up to 2 GHz.
• Display: IPS, 6.3 “, 2340×1080, Gorilla Glass 5.
• Memory: 3/32 GB, 4/64 GB, 4/128 GB.
• Battery: 4000 mAh.
• Cameras: the main four at 48 megapixels + 8 megapixels (super wide angle) + 2 megapixels (macro) + 2 megapixels (for determining depth), the front at 13 megapixels.
• MIUI 11, NFC, fast charge (18 W).

The official priceis from $220, but already in some networks on the stock you can find offers from 12 thousand rubles for a PCT device. And for this amount it is one of the most functional and balanced devices on the market with a decent set of cameras (which even know how to “night mode”). In a word – a new bestseller.

And the fifth Xiaomi I did not choose

For a beautiful figure, I wanted to bring here the fifth Xiaomi smartphone, but after half an hour of thought, I still couldn’t decide on it. Therefore, I will give three more interesting models that are worth paying attention to, with a short description.

Xiaomi Mi 9T. The younger brother of the Mi 9T Pro, which differs only in the chipset, is equipped with the Snapdragon 730 instead of the 855, but in official retail it costs a third cheaper. If you manage to find it at a more interesting or comparable price to Mi 9 Lite, then as a sub-flagship it will look better.

Redmi Note 7. The hit of the first half of 2019, which today comes across in official retail is cheaper than $160. With such a budget, the RN7 is a great option.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. Finding this flagship slider with the Snapdragon 845 chipset is no longer easy, but sometimes in official retail I came across remnants at an interesting price – less than $250. For this amount, you can tear it off with your hands.

Conclusion

In my opinion, it is these devices from the Xiaomi assortment that deserve attention at the beginning of 2020. And if you are aimed at the flagship and ready to suffer a little, then I recommend waiting for the announcement of Xiaomi Mi 10, which, according to rumors, will be one of the most interesting devices of the Chinese company in the past few years. His presentation will take place at the MWC 2020 at the end of February.

Share your thoughts and experiences using Xiaomi smartphones in the comments. We know that among our audience there are many owners of such devices!