Move over Samsung Galaxy Note 10, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is here with a 108mp camera

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Xiaomi Mi Note 10

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

published 6 November 2019

Earlier this year, Xiaomi and Samsung collaborated on creating a 108 megapixel camera sensor named the ISOCELL Bright HMX, a first for the industry. That sensor didn't go into the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, though, and it now seems likely to go into the next generation of Samsung phones, with the Galaxy S11 incoming early next year. In the meantime, though, Xiaomi has gone and implemented the groundbreaking new camera tech into its Mi Note 10 flagship smartphone.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 packs the smartphone producer's first "penta camera" system, with five camera lenses packed into the phone. The 108 megapixel camera sensor is reportedly able to produce "billboard-level prints up to 4.24 metres high", while two telephoto lenses – 5MP and 12MP, respectively – allow up to a massive 50x zoom. A 20MP ultra wide-angle lens, while the phone also includes a 2MP macro lens for up-close and personal shots.

The phone also includes a front-facing camera at 32MP, which packs more pixels into a selfie shot than most other phones do on their principle rear camera.

Moving on from the camera, the Mi Note 10 also packs an impressive 5,260mAh battery, bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+'s 4,300mAh cell. A 6.47" curved AMOLED screen with a high-contrast ratio really makes images and videos pop. The phone has an in-screen fingerprint sensor, retains the headphone jack – sure to please traditionalists – and has a USB type-C connection.

The phone starts with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor is lacking next to Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 855+, which is the latest and greatest chip going in smartphones today. It also does not have wireless charging capabilities.

With 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, the phone is available in some EU countries priced at €549. The Mi Note 10 is said to be available from the end of 2019 in other markets around the world, although details are to be confirmed.

Xiaomi has also released a second cheaper phone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T. With a 48MP four-lens "quad camera" setup, the phone contains an 8MP wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro lens and a depth sensor. Slightly smaller than the Note 10 with a 6.3" LCD display, the battery life is still excellent with a 4,000mAh cell, although the processor, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, remains behind the latest from the likes of Samsung and Huawei.

The phone will be available from Three UK, starting at £169.99, from 22 November in the UK and 8 November in other EU countries.

The penta camera system on the Mi Note 10 is likely to be similar to the one included on Samsung Galaxy's upcoming S11, after a top leaker confirmed that Samsung is likely to include the 108MP camera sensor on the company's next flagship.

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Matt Evans now works for T3.com sister brand TechRadar, covering all things relating to fitness and wellness. He came to T3.com as staff writer before moving on, and was previously on Men's Health, and slightly counterintuitively, a website devoted to the consumption of Scotch whiskey. In his free time, he could often be found with his nose in a book until he discovered the Kindle.