It looks like Xiaomi might finally ditch the overly ridiculous rat race for a 'flagship' phone and finally focus on an affordable and practical phone for the people. Which is excellent because my previous one was in desperate need of replacement. However, many decisions on this phone leave me confused as to what they were actually trying to accomplish, and as such Im not so sure i can recommend this phone. The 108MP camera is not paired up with a good AI processing, so images aren't that great in reality, which is probably another move to make the phone look good on paper. This is made worse by the flat LCD screen which makes things already...view more It looks like Xiaomi might finally ditch the overly ridiculous rat race for a 'flagship' phone and finally focus on an affordable and practical phone for the people. Which is excellent because my previous one was in desperate need of replacement. However, many decisions on this phone leave me confused as to what they were actually trying to accomplish, and as such Im not so sure i can recommend this phone. The 108MP camera is not paired up with a good AI processing, so images aren't that great in reality, which is probably another move to make the phone look good on paper. This is made worse by the flat LCD screen which makes things already dull, and seems out of touch considering there are cheaper phones out there with AMOLED now. The battery is still excellent and the performance of the phone is snappy. It is very large, and with a fingerprint prone back that causes massive smudges. However there is notably less bloatware than previous phones, with less ads but still ads nonetheless.

In summary, I would recommend holding off buying this phone. Either wait for their next phone which hopefully is more consistent or go for other phones that do better for the same price.

The screen is still great despite not being an OLED/AMOLED. Blacks are still quite deep, and the color accuracy is quite good (you are able to go into settings and change RGB levels and such if something doesn't sit right with you). Sunlight legibility is adequate at max brightness.

The 144Hz in my eyes is sort of a gimmick, and I would've preferred to see a 90Hz-only OLED/AMOLED panel instead of a 144Hz IPS panel, as you would need a keen eye to seriously notice the difference between 90Hz and 144Hz (it is noticeable, but not to a degree that would justify any "WOW!").

The camera is good, too. The 108MP camera is off by default (as eac...view more The screen is still great despite not being an OLED/AMOLED. Blacks are still quite deep, and the color accuracy is quite good (you are able to go into settings and change RGB levels and such if something doesn't sit right with you). Sunlight legibility is adequate at max brightness.

The 144Hz in my eyes is sort of a gimmick, and I would've preferred to see a 90Hz-only OLED/AMOLED panel instead of a 144Hz IPS panel, as you would need a keen eye to seriously notice the difference between 90Hz and 144Hz (it is noticeable, but not to a degree that would justify any "WOW!").

The camera is good, too. The 108MP camera is off by default (as each photo can get up to 20mb, which would create a storage issue really fast if you take a lot of pictures), but you can select to take photos @108MP in the "more" menu in the pre-installed camera app. As with any camera, editing can always be done to your liking and how "good" the raw picture file you receive from no-editing really is subjective to a high degree anyways, so it is up to you to decide whether you like it or not (watch reviews!)
I've been able to get some sweet macro shots as well.

The battery life is impressive. I can easily last a full day with moderate usage with plenty to spare. Light users may find it easy to last two full days. 5000mAh is no joke!

Fast charging is excellent. It'll save you a lot of hassle if you need a days worth of battery after forgetting to charge for the night. I get from 0 to 60% (sometimes just under 60) in 30 minutes no problem. Of course this is with the phone screen off, nothing going on in the background e.g. downloads. 100% takes around an hour (sometimes a little less).

There's no wireless charging. Who cares. "Oh no I have to plug in a cable to charge".

The speakers are average. Perfectly fine for normal watching/listening. I'd take it that if you wanted better audio, you would grab some headphones/use a bluetooth speaker, anyways.

Fingerprint reader is fast and works as intended. Not much to talk about here.

No headphone jack, but that's most smartphones nowadays anyways. It does come with a dongle if you need a headphone jack, though.

The Snapdragon 865 is incredible. Very fast performer. I can easily multitask, play demanding games and switch between apps with no issue whatsoever.

All in all, a great phone. Main problem some people may have is a lack of an OLED screen. Im sure many users would've preferred a slightly lower refresh rate for an OLED panel, but it is what it is. Thankfully, the screen is still great, despite being inferior to mid-tier OLED panels.

2nd Mi phone in the family now, and got to say, they're not all they're cracked up to be. Kept trying to ask the sales ppl about it, because what these companies advertise ain't always what you get. Shopping blindly is not the way to go. It's still better than a dead phone, a Huawei Y9, so I'll just have to make do. 2nd Mi phone in the family now, and got to say, they're not all they're cracked up to be. Kept trying to ask the sales ppl about it, because what these companies advertise ain't always what you get. Shopping blindly is not the way to go. It's still better than a dead phone, a Huawei Y9, so I'll just have to make do.

Couldnt fully charge overnight, turns out the battery was a dud. Not a great first impression Couldnt fully charge overnight, turns out the battery was a dud. Not a great first impression

Huge fan of Xiaomi phones always find that they are great value for money, was not disappointed with the product at all. Very happy with the performance especially the display speed as well as the battery life. However, the camera does perform a little lower than expected while under low light, however, this is a problem that I have faced before with Xiaomi phones. Overall would totally recommend the camera is still amazing just sometimes struggles under low light. Huge fan of Xiaomi phones always find that they are great value for money, was not disappointed with the product at all. Very happy with the performance especially the display speed as well as the battery life. However, the camera does perform a little lower than expected while under low light, however, this is a problem that I have faced before with Xiaomi phones. Overall would totally recommend the camera is still amazing just sometimes struggles under low light.

Great product and awesome specs. However, battery is overstated. 5000 mAh sounds nice but doesn't perform as expected. Great product and awesome specs. However, battery is overstated. 5000 mAh sounds nice but doesn't perform as expected.

One of my biggest regrets, so much so I dont want to waste time on a review. Disappointing. One of my biggest regrets, so much so I dont want to waste time on a review. Disappointing.

Price is cheaper than the xiaomi store and service is quick and accurate. Went to a store which has no stock but the salesperson quickly informed us the low stock level countrywide and where we can get one and process the order. Have been using for two weeks, slightly heavier weight maybe because of the battery that can last for two days for me! Price is cheaper than the xiaomi store and service is quick and accurate. Went to a store which has no stock but the salesperson quickly informed us the low stock level countrywide and where we can get one and process the order. Have been using for two weeks, slightly heavier weight maybe because of the battery that can last for two days for me!

It's fast, smooth and does the job. Camera software could be better. Can't complain much. It's fast, smooth and does the job. Camera software could be better. Can't complain much.

‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎