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Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite test / review

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Published on: 07-07-2020 / Modified: 24-03-2021
Xiaomi phones are classified into several ranges. There is the entry level with the Redmi brand, there is the high end with the Mi brand followed by a number, there is Poco for the mid-range high performance and there is since the end of 2019 the range Mi Note which comes to be between the Redmi range and Mi. Xiaomi had struck a big blow at the end of 2019 by launching the Mi Note 10 with its camera of 108 million pixels. 6 months later, Xiaomi takes the basics of the Mi Note 10 to launch a Mi Note 10 Lite which is almost exactly identical to the Mi Note 10, the main difference is at the photo module level. I did not intend to test this phone but when ordering a Mi 10 Lite, I received a Mi Note 10 Lite, so I took the opportunity to test it before sending it back.

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite

The list below shows the prices for the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

06/24/2020 I ordered the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite on Edwaybuy 06/27/2020 I receive the Mi Note 10 Lite instead of the Mi 10 Lite but before sending it back, I start the test

Why this phone?

As I said above, I did not intend to test the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite but as I received it by accident, it would have been a shame not to take advantage of it. I had not bought the Mi Note 10 launched in 2019 because even if it was interesting, it was too expensive compared to the budget that I set myself to buy phones. The Mi Note 10 Lite is an almost perfect copy of the Mi Note 10 with the exception of the photo sensor and a few other details. The Lite version therefore keeps the premium finish as well as the performance of the previous model and is positioned as a fairly powerful mid-range phone. The photo module has been replaced by a Sony IMX 686 which can also be found in the Poco F2 Pro or the Huawei P30 Pro, so this sensor has already proven itself elsewhere.

Unpacking

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite is a mid-range phone with the body of a high-end phone. I expected to find a translation of this positioning at the box level but from the black color of the box, the content is exactly the same as that of a Redmi. You will therefore find the phone accompanied by a transparent protection, a charger and a USB cable, nothing more.

First configuration

The procedure for starting the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite is identical to what can be found on other phones of the brand marketed with MIUI 11. I found that Xiaomi was irritating to want to offer its cloud and impose its applications but today Everyone does that and Xiaomi is far from the worst, I also find that Samsung offers a first experience that is much more restrictive.

Finish

When I took the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite out of its box, I immediately felt like I had a high-end phone in hand. The Mi Note 10 Lite offers a large screen with very thin borders, the edges of the screen are curved like what Samsung was doing at the time with its Edge range. The outline of the phone is chrome-plated, the aluminum back is also reminiscent of certain Samsung models and the camera almost does not stand out from the back of the phone. Xiaomi knows how to make beautiful phones but these phones are large and quite heavy where Samsung manages to produce much thinner and lighter phones.
The top of the phone is completely chrome-plated and completely smooth, the SIM drawer is placed on the side. The infrared port is visible on the right of the phone.
The bottom of the phone has a very standard configuration with a speaker, a USB type C port and a Jack connector. Everything is elegantly anchored in the chrome edge of the phone.
The outline of the phone is completely chrome-plated, the volume and start buttons are very well positioned on the right of the phone. The SIM drawer is also on the right of the phone, I had never seen this configuration before. The left edge of the phone is therefore completely smooth. The left and right edges follow the curved shape of the screen in a natural way, you almost do not feel any interruption while going from the screen to the chrome part of the phone.
I bought the white version of the Mi Note 10 Lite. The back is made of glass with a pearly white giving birth to blue or red reflections depending on the orientation of the phone. I find here something very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S10 +. The photo sensor is on the side like most phones, it is almost perfectly flat, the phone will not limp if you put it on its back.
The screen occupies 87% of the space with fairly fine borders. The front camera resumes the fashion of 2019 with a placement in the middle with a notch. Xiaomi thus offers a beautiful screen surface with a minimum of interruption, other brands do better but in this price range, you will not find many screens with a higher occupancy rate.



The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite takes over the body of the Mi Note 10 which cost more than € 500 at its launch while the Mi Note 10 Lite was between 250 and 300 at the time of its launch. In this price range, this level of finish is quite rare.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone.I bought the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite in its 6Gb / 64Gb version, there is also a 6Gb / 128 Gb version and another 8 Gb / 128 Gb. n

CPU / GPU Performance

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite uses the same configuration as Mi Note 10 which costs double the price. We can either say that the Mi Note 10 was not powerful enough for its price or that the Mi Note 10 Lite offers the right level of power for its price. I would say it is neither. The Mi Note 10 Lite uses a Snapdragon 730G and an Adreno 618 for the graphics part, this places it somewhere between the Redmi Note 9s and the Redmi Note 8 Pro, these are both phones that cost around fifty euros less. The Mi Note 10 Lite offers good performance but if I take into account the price, it would have needed a little more power.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

I got a score of 270559 points with Antutu, this ranks the Mi Note 10 Lite close to Realme 6, Redmi Note 9s, Redmi Note 8 Pro in terms of performance. With this kind of performance you will be able to play for most people, sometimes having to choose a medium level of graphics. With 3D Mark I got a score of 2418 points, this places this phone in the same category as the test with Antutu.






Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite is not a benchmark in terms of performance but it is powerful enough to run most games. You may sometimes have to make a concession in terms of graphics. With PUBG Mobile, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite works without problems.

Network performance

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite covers the vast majority of 3G / 4G frequencies in Europe. It is notably compatible with the B28 frequency which is used by Bouygues and Free in France.

Signal 4G (before december 2020)

The ability to pick up the network correctly is an essential element for a phone but it is only very rarely measured. To measure a phone's ability to pick up the network, I perform a large number of measurements on the same cells to be able to compare phones under similar conditions. The signal is measured in dBm, a value of -90dBm indicates a worse signal than -70dBm. These measurements are therefore taken under real conditions and not in a laboratory, they are not scientific but give a good indication of performance.


I obtained an average signal of just over -99 dBm over more than 1000 measurements with the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite, this score is in the middle with fluctuations between -97 dBm and -103 dBm. It is not the best phone in its class but it will not cause you any problems unless you live in an area where the network coverage is very low.

Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology



Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

I got a download speed of 153 Mbps for download and a speed of 68 Mbps for upload. This is an excellent performance which suggests that this phone is able to combine frequencies because it is so close to the theoretical limit imposed by the network. It is one of the best scores I got in 4G.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.


Wifi signal

Near the router, I got an average signal of -19 dBm, it's a very good score which indicates a good sensitivity to wifi. From a distance, I measured -68 dBm, it's also a very good score.





Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.A good sensitivity to wifi often indicates a good performance in download but I got an unexpected score with the Mi Note 10 Lite. I tested it on my main router which is usually the fastest and I couldn't get more than 78 Mbps for download. By testing the phone with my second router (which is connected behind my main router) I got almost 200 Mbps. This would seem to show that performance could be quite different depending on the router. This is the first time I have encountered this problem.

GPS performance

To test the quality of the GPS signal I use the Offline Maps application and I make the same train trip in pedestrian mode. Why? In pedestrian mode, the GPS does not artificially correct the signal to stick to the road, it has no markings, so you can see the actual position. I then use an application to measure the accuracy of the signal. I get a positioning accuracy of 3 meters, this score ranks the Mi Note 10 Lite in the average of the phones I tested. The road test shows that the phone is fast enough to recover the signal and the GPS application makes it possible to correct the difference in precision by making the position stick to the road.

Battery range

[battery product="xiaomi-mi-note-10-lite" capa="5260" lg="en"] The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite has a huge 5260 mAh battery which will give you a very comfortable autonomy. I usually find that batteries with as much capacity are used to mask a lack of energy efficiency of the phone but this is not the case here. Even if the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite does not manage to exceed the Motorola G8 Power in efficiency, it is not very far in the ranking.

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

The main difference between the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and its Lite version is the photo module. The Mi Note 10 uses a 108 million pixel Samsung sensor which is a reference in terms of photo quality while the Mi Note 10 Lite is equipped with a Sony IMX 686 sensor which is also a reference in terms of photo quality. This sensor is also present in the Poco F2 Pro or the Huawei P30 Pro.

Default app

The default photo app for the Mi Note 10 Lite is a true copy of what is found in other Xiaomi phones. The application is complete but offers many options which can sometimes create confusion. The application offers a night mode which is particularly effective. I compared this night mode to that offered by Gcam and the Xiaomi application is doing better.

Photo quality

Photo test / studio

First example: ƒ / 1.89 1/151 5.43 mm 100 ISO Exposure: good Sharpness: good Colors: good Depth of field: good Distortion: slight Chromatic aberration: none Vignetting: none Digital noise: none The Sony IMX 686 sensor delivers good results in the studio where many Samsung sensors do not produce good photos under artificial light. I got the same result with the Poco F2 Pro which uses the same sensor, the treatment is therefore no different. The exposure is good, the colors are fair and the sharpness is good. Second example: ƒ / 2.2 1/240 1.94 mm 100 ISO Exposure: slight underexposure Sharpness: medium Colors: slightly too dark Depth of field: good Distortion: important Chromatic aberration: none Vignetting: no Digital noise: visible The ultra wide angle sensor has a deficit in brightness, this is almost always the case with this kind of sensor. The sharpness is much less pronounced than with the main sensor and the deformations are very visible. Digital noise is also visible at ISO 100. Third example: ƒ / 1.89 1/144 5.43 mm 100 ISO Exposure: good Sharpness: good Colors: good Depth of field: good Distortion: slight Chromatic aberration: none Vignetting: none Digital noise: none The Mi Note 10 Lite does not have an optical zoom, so it is the main sensor which plays the role of zoom by a digital enlargement. The properties of the photo are therefore the same as the first example, the sharpness is even more obvious because the objects are closer.

Photo test / sunny

First example: ƒ / 2.2 1/991 1.94 mm 100 ISO Exposure: good Sharpness: good Colors: good Depth of field: ok Distortion: visible on the periphery Chromatic aberration: no Vignetting: no Digital noise : none The ultra wide angle sensor produced an average photo in the studio but outside it allows you to capture a very large landscape with many details. The weather was not perfectly sunny and it was 6 pm, the conditions were therefore not perfect and yet I find that this ultra wide angle module produced a good photo. We see deformations in the periphery as well as a blurry area, the sharpness is better in the center, better to know. Second example: ƒ / 1.89 1/890 5.43 mm 100 ISO Exposure: good Sharpness: good Colors: good Depth of field: ok Distortion: none Chromatic aberration: none Vignetting: none Digital noise: none The Sony sensor produces a sharper photo than the ultra wide angle sensor, the photo is more detailed, the exposure is slightly better and the photo does not show any distortion or blurred areas. The horizon line is very clear and sharp despite the big difference in colors. Third example: ƒ / 1.89 1/839 5.43 mm 100 ISO Exposure: slight overexposure in the clouds Sharpness: good Colors: good Depth of field: ok Distortion: visible on the periphery Chromatic aberration: no Vignetting : none Digital noise: none The digital zoom produces a very clear photo, it is possible to distinguish many details in the vegetation and the outline of the clouds is very well drawn. There is a slight overexposure in the whites of the clouds but this is frankly not problematic. Using HDR increases the saturation of the image and enlarges its dynamic range. This mode works rather well but you have to accept that certain colors will be exaggerated like blue on this photo. Using HDR will allow you to capture scenes with high contrasts without much difficulty. @@ 32 @@

Photo test / cloudy

First example: ƒ / 1.89 1/1836 5.43 mm 100 ISO Exposure: slight underexposure Sharpness: ok Colors: too dark Depth of field: ok Distortion: none Chromatic aberration: none Vignetting: none Digital noise: none When a decor has very light and very dark areas, the Sony sensor produces slightly underexposed photos. It is a choice which allows in this case to obtain a very beautiful sky despite the absence of sun but the ground will be darker than in reality. It is possible to recover a little brightness at ground level by going through the HDR mode. Leaving aside the exposure problem, the photo clearly demonstrates the quality of the Sony sensor. Second example: ƒ / 2.2 1/1899 1.94 mm 100 ISO Exposure: underexposure Sharpness: good in the center, less good in the periphery Colors: too dark Depth of field: ok Distortion: visible in periphery Chromatic aberration: none Vignetting: none Digital noise: none The ultra wide angle sensor calculates its exposure according to the sky, the ground is therefore darker as with the main sensor but the effect is here even more pronounced because the ultra large sensor angle lets in less light. Here also the HDR will recover a little brightness I did several tests under the same conditions, with and without HDR and we see that the HDR plays on the saturation of the colors but does not manage to recover enough light at the level ground. The result remains very correct, however. @@ 35 @@

Test photo / night

First example: ƒ / 1.89 1/14 5.43 mm 3375 ISO Exposure: correct Sharpness: slightly blurred (I moved a little) Colors: correct Depth of field: ok Distortion: no chromatic aberration : no Vignetting: no Digital noise: none I kept this blurred photo as an example because I needed an example to compare normal mode and night mode under the same conditions. Apart from the blur, the photo has interesting qualities such as a good exposure, colors close to reality but with or without blur, the photo lacks details. Second example: ƒ / 1.89 1/10 5.43 mm 5353 ISO Exposure: correct Sharpness: good Colors: a little saturation / warmth Depth of field: ok Distortion: no chromatic aberration: no Vignetting : none Digital noise: none I took this photo with the night mode, the result is much better than with the normal mode. The sharpness is very good for a night photo, the colors are on the other hand a little too cold but the night mode produces good photos. I tested Gcam under the same conditions and the result is less good. Third example: ƒ / 2.2 1/14 1.94 mm 5184 ISO Exposure: underexposure Sharpness: medium Colors: too saturated Depth of field: ok Distortion: visible on the periphery Aberration chromatic: none Vignetting: none Digital noise: very visible The ultra wide angle sensor does not produce good photos at night, the photos are underexposed, the colors are too saturated, the sharpness is not good and the digital noise is very visible. @@ 40 @@

Video quality

Stabilisation

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite has effective video stabilization, the movements caused by walking are softened and I do not see any pixelation of the image with each movement.

Video normale conditions
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite is capable of producing videos in 4k and 30 fps with digital stabilization. The videos produced are of good quality even when the brightness is not ideal as in this video. The lateral movement does not tear the image, the movements are fairly fluid. The change in exposure time is quite fast, I don't see a jump in brightness from the sky to the ground.

Video low light

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite is capable of producing good quality for night video. Digital noise is almost completely absent, the focus is quite quickly even if sometimes the sensor searches for the right focus area. The exposure level could have been a little higher but the content of the video reflects reality quite well. When the video is stable, the level of detail increases, we see it in particular at the level of the light sources which appear like a ball of light and if the video stabilizes, we begin to see the details.

Audio quality

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.
Xiaomi used to produce either phones with a very powerful sound but a high level of distortion or phones less powerful but with a more controlled sound. I note that on most of the phones I have tested this year, Xiaomi has chosen a lower sound power but a more controlled distortion. The external speaker produces correct sound with treble which lacks precision when the volume is high but if you use headphones, the sound quality goes up a notch.

Frequency Response

This test is intended to test the device's ability to correctly reproduce all frequencies. The white line in the middle of the graph is the ideal situation and the other colors come from tests on different phones. A deviation from the reference line indicates a deviation from the ideal situation. To see good sound at all frequencies, it is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the reference line. The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is capable of reproducing most frequencies fairly faithfully, I compared it here to the Poco F2 Pro because it produces exactly the same performance, the two phones are constantly on the same curve. Xiaomi probably used the same chip for sound in both phones.

Dynamic Range

This test is designed to test a phone's ability to play sounds at different volume levels. Here too, the phones must be as close as possible to the reference. The Mi Note 10 Lite delivers good sound over all frequencies and if I compare it to the Poco F2 Pro, I see that the curves are again very similar, the Mi Note 10 Lite is just a little less powerful than the Poco F2 Pro.

Noise Level

This test aims to identify if the device under test is able to reproduce sounds without too much noise. A high score indicates a low parasite rate, a lower score indicates a higher presence of parasites. The Mi Note 10 Lite does not present interference problems, it also follows the curve of the Poco F2 Pro here. If I have to summarize the audio performance of the Mi Note Lite 10 I would say that it is a little below what Samsung can produce with for example an S10 + but it offers a good sound performance where it only lacks a little power to compete with the best phones in this category.

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite uses a good quality Amoled screen, I got a color difference (dE) of 1.91. This score ranks the Mi Note 10 Lite among the best screens in this price range, only experienced users could see the difference with a high-end device. Most colors have a score lower than 3 (beyond 3, the eye begins to perceive the difference), only white seems to deviate a little from the norm with a slightly bluish tint with a color temperature d 'around 6800k. I obtained the optimal setting using the "normal" mode in the options offered for the screen. By default, Xiaomi configures its devices on the "saturated" mode but even if the colors seem more vivid, this mode deviates from the ideal colorimetry.



Brightness / Contrast

I measured a maximum brightness of 425 cd / m² with the screen at 100% brightness, this is a good score which should make the screen readable in most situations but in full sun, it would have taken a little more light to be perfectly readable. The small light deficit combined with the reflectivity rate of the screen will undoubtedly force you to have to rotate the screen to make it perfectly readable.
The Mi Note 10 Lite uses an Amoled screen with almost infinite contrast, this means that the blacks are really black and the images will have a depth that you will not be able to obtain with an LCD type screen. In this price range, we mainly find LCD screens, the Mi Note 10 Lite therefore offers here a high-end screen at an affordable price.

Biometry

The Mi Note 10 Lite uses a fingerprint sensor on the screen, it is fashionable in 2020 but it is clearly not the most effective unlocking. You have to find the right thumb position and this kind of sensor is always slower than the fingerprint sensor that can be found on the back of some phones. You can also use facial recognition, I haven't noticed a difference from what I usually see on other phones.

Operating system

The Mi Note 10 Lite is marketed with MIUI 11 and will undoubtedly be one of the first candidates for MIUI 12 which is coming soon. I did not notice any differences between this version of MIUI 11 and the other phones than the brand I tested. Only the Poco F2 Pro seems to stand out with its application drawer. MIUI 11 offers many possibilities that are not available by default on Android and each time I switch to a phone running Android without overlay, I always have the impression that I am missing something (ex: gallery app default photo, video recording of the screen, ...). MIUI's faults are those found on all previous versions also, namely: the glut of options, the presence of advertising when downloading applications (this can be disabled) and the presence of applications forced by Xiaomi. .

Encoutered bugs

n / A

Accessories Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite

Compare Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite with the others

Test / Review conclusion

As I wrote at the beginning of this article, the Mi Note 10 Lite is a light version of the Mi Note 10. The main difference is at the photo module level, this difference translates into a huge difference in price which me is not justified. The Mi Note 10 Lite was marketed around 300 € and I find that it was already too expensive compared to other phones in this price range. The Mi Note 10 Lite has a very good level of finish, a very good photo sensor, a very good battery and a very good screen. This phone therefore has undeniable qualities but it should ideally be sold around 250 € because at 300 € other phones could represent a credible alternative. The Mi Note 10 Lite is quite heavy and massive, this does not pose a problem to me but I imagine that this kind of criterion can be important for certain buyers. It offers sufficient performance for just about any use, but in this price range, there are other devices that offer much higher performance. This is probably its biggest weakness at this price level. I did not discover any other weak points, the Mi Note 10 Lite ranks in the average for a whole series of other criteria like the quality of signal 4G, the GPS or even the wifi. The Mi Note 10 Lite is one of the cheapest Sony IMX 686 equipped phones, this sensor is not new on the market but it is still one of the best. This is undoubtedly what explains the price positioning of the Mi Note 10 Lite compared to its most direct competitors.

Strengths

Premium finish Day and night photo quality Video quality Battery life

Weaknesses

Average CPU / GPU performance Average GPS

Alternatives to this product

In this price range, the most direct alternative is the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite which I am testing in parallel, the Mi 10 Lite is more efficient and offers 5G but does not use the same photo sensor and does not offer not as good autonomy. The Realme X2 Pro could also represent a credible alternative, this phone is much more efficient but will undoubtedly make a worse photo and offer less battery life.

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