Xiaomi Mi 10i debuts in India: A 108MP camera phone for under $300

Xiaomi Mi 10i 2

Xiaomi has launched the Mi 10i in India.
The phone is effectively a rebranded Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G for the region.
The Mi 10i packs a 108MP sensor and the Snapdragon 750G chipset.

Xiaomi’s incessant rebranding strategy shows no signs of abating just yet. Today, the company announced the Xiaomi Mi 10i, which effectively serves as the Indian variant of the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G.

There’s little to separate the two devices in the flesh or on paper, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Up front, the Xiaomi Mi 10i wears a 6.67-inch 2,400 x 1,080 display. It also packs adaptive refresh rate tech that can max out at 120Hz when gaming or drop down to 30Hz when browsing social media. HDR10 support also features.

This screen is fitted to a hefty body. Weighing in at over 214 grams, the Xiaomi Mi 10i measures around 165mm in length, 77mm in width, and 8mm in depth. The phone’s front and rear are also slathered in Gorilla Glass 5.

Internally, the Snapdragon 750G makes an appearance, bringing 5G smarts and the Adreno 619 GPU. The silicon is mated to at least 6GB LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

But perhaps the big headliner on the Xiaomi Mi 10i is the rear camera array. Dominating the phone’s rear is a quad-camera setup, featuring the Samsung HM2 108MP sensor bringing nona-binning tech to the table. Joining it is an 8MP sensor for wide-angle shots with a 120-degree field-of-view. Less exciting is a 2MP macro shooter and an accompanying 2MP depth sensor. A 16MP selfie camera is mounted centrally in a punch-hole.

Keeping the Mi 10i alive is a 4,820mAh battery with split charging and a 33W fast charger included in the box. The latter can pump up the battery to 68% in half an hour, says Xiaomi.

Finally, a number of other niceties are included. For one, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor makes an appearance, while IP53 splash resistance, a 3.5mm headphone jack with dual stereo speakers, and an IR blaster also feature. The Mi 10i also comes with MIUI 12 out of the box.

Xiaomi Mi 10i: Price and availability

Xiaomi’s Mi 10i trumps the Motorola’s camera arrangement, but it does come in at a steeper price. The 6GB RAM with 64GB of storage kicks off the pricing at Rs 20,999 (~$287). The 128GB storage variant starts at Rs 21,999 (~$301). Finally, the 8GB/128GB model will retail from Rs 23,999 (~$328) and arguably seems to be the better deal.

It makes the phone an attractive prospect in India too. The only other notable rival using the Snapdragon 750G is the Moto G 5G, and it’s around Rs 1,000 (~$17) pricier with less impressive hardware. The Mi 10i also makes the OnePlus Nord at Rs 24,999 (~$342) a questionable investment.

The Xiaomi Mi 10i will be available from Amazon India starting at 12 PM IST on January 7, 2021. It will be made available from other retailers a day later. Pacific Sunrise, Atlantic Blue, and Midnight Black are the colorways on offer.