Xiaomi Mi 10 vs Mi 10 Pro: What's the difference?

With a full range of new phone launches heading our way in 2020, it's time to turn to Xiaomi's new flagship phone, the Mi 10.

There are two versions of this new flagship phone, closely related, but distinctly difference. So which is the phone for you?

What's the same?

We're going to start by telling you what's not different - i.e., those parts that are the same on both these devices.

• Same size and weight
• Same design, build
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, 8GB RAM
• 6.67-inch AMOLED display, 90Hz
• Both 5G
• Both have in-display fingerprint scanner
• Both support 30W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging
• Both have a 108MP main camera and 20MP selfie camera

There's a lot that the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have in common. The overall design and finish of the phones is the same, both with the same dimensions and weights (according to the spec sheets), as well as having the same size, resolution and refresh rate on the display. 

Both phones also have the same core hardware with Snapdragon 865, supporting 5G, with 8GB RAM. Both will come with 256GB storage, although there's also a 128GB version of the Mi 10 (there may be some regional differences here). 

Both also support 30W wireless charging and that's reversible too, so can charge other devices.

Both have a headline-grabbing 108-megapixel main camera and both have a 20-megapixel front camera in a punch hole. 

So what's actually different? 

These devices are a lot closer related than some other "pro" versions, but there are a few remaining areas that are very different. Here's how the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro differ.

Cameras

• Xiaomi Mi 10:
  
  • 108MP main with 7P lens
  • 13MP ultra-wide camera
  • 2MP macro camera
  • 2MP depth sensor

• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro:
  
  • 108MP main with 8P lens
  • 20MP ultra-wide camera
  • 12MP telephoto camera
  • 8MP telephoto camera
  • 960fps slow-mo

There's a huge difference in the cameras on the Mi 10 models. While both have the same 108-megapixel sensor - with exactly the same specs - the lens is different, with the Pro getting an eight element lens. This could improve the quality.

There's then a complete departure in camera specs. Both have an ultra-wide camera, but it's a different sensor. The regular Mi 10 has a lower resolution sensor, but a wider field of view and larger pixels. Exactly how different the quality will be is hard to tell - we suspect on wide-angle photos it won't make much difference.

The Mi 10 then offers a dedicated macro lens - something the Mi 10 Pro doesn't have - and a depth sensor - which is generally nothing to be excited about.

The Mi 10 Pro by comparison gets two telephoto lenses, one claiming 2x optical zoom, which sounds more like a portrait lens and a second offering 10x hybrid zoom likely to be used for the long range stuff - it also offers 50x digital zoom.

That means that the Mi 10 Pro is offering telephoto options that the Mi 10 simply doesn't have. It's also detailed that it offers 960fps super slow-mo. 

Battery and charging

• Mi 10: 4780mAh, 30W charging
• Mi 10 Pro: 4500mAh, 50W charging

While both offer the same wireless charging, the Mi 10 Pro gets faster 50W wired charging - but it also has a slightly smaller battery. That's probably because of the additional space needed inside the phone for the cameras.

The Mi 10 on the other hand gets a 4780mAh battery, so may actually last longer. It's not as fast to charge, but the difference probably won't be huge. There's one other difference here too: the Mi 10 Pro comes with a 65W charger in the box, compared to the 30W charger in the Mi 10's box. 

Summary 

The differences between the two phones is minor, falling into the camera and battery and charging areas only. What difference will that really make? The Mi 10 Pro sounds like the more exciting camera offering with those telephoto options. It's difficult to know if the lens on the main camera or the change to the ultra-wide will actually make any difference, apart from putting bigger numbers on the specs sheet. 

The battery is different too, but not hugely so and in the long run might not make much of a difference. With the same display, the same power and the same overall design and build, if you choose the cheaper Mi 10 then you're not missing out on a huge amount.

The real question will be how much you want those telephoto cameras.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 global launch will take place on 27 March 2020 when the full details of these phones - and the respective prices - will be fully revealed.

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