Review Xiaomi Redmi 10 Review
Xiaomi is one of the kings of cheap phones and the Redmi 10 offers a lot for a very low price. It has limits though
Xiaomi has quietly become a force to be reckoned with at every price point, and the Redmi 10 sees the company deliver a solid mid-range phone at an impressively affordable price.
It's a good-looking phone too, offering a glossy finish that's more premium than most phones under £180/$250. It has a fingerprint sensor on the wake-up button, an almost all-screen front and performs admirably given its specs.
Unfortunately, though, the 90Hz display uses LCD technology, which makes it feel more than a little cramped compared to phones that use more modern OLED technology. However, for the price, it's hard to argue.
Design & Construction
- 8.9 mm
- 181 gr
No sealing
Despite the low asking price, there's no denying that the Xiaomi Redmi 10 looks and feels great.
Thanks to a matte finish on the back (my review unit came in Sea Blue, and there are also Pebble White and Carbon Gray options) it looks great as it catches the light, looking every bit like a premium device. Unlike the Redmi Note 10 5G, however, its back panel is glossy – meaning it attracts a lot of fingerprints and isn't as easy to grip as its fixed counterpart.
On the front, everything is professional – and on almost all screens. There are bezels here, and perhaps they're more noticeable with the LCD screen (in a bit), but it ditches the notch in favor of a punch-hole selfie camera.
The phone charges via USB-C on the bottom, and there's a volume rocker on the right side above a sleep/wake button that also calls up Google Assistant. The button also incorporates a fingerprint sensor, although the Redmi 10 can also be unlocked with a password or pattern if you prefer.
Finally, there's an IR blaster on the top of the device, which Xiaomi has been incorporating for a while now – although I've yet to find a use for it in everyday life. I would have preferred to have some form of waterproofing or waterproofing but there is none.
Screen
- 6.5 inch LCD
- Full HD+
- 90Hz με AdaptiveSync
The LCD screen on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is 6.5 inches, which means it's quite powerful. This canvas gives users plenty of room to play around with apps, but lacks the vibrancy of an OLED panel.
Although I appreciate that the decision was made to achieve the required price category, the Full HD+ 1080x2400 screen covers 90Hz while many of its stablemates reached 120Hz. In fact, it's nice to be above 60 Hz – as seen on the Honor 50 Lite – as the new standard, however, providing a smoother experience.
When static, the phone's AdaptiveSync is at 45Hz, while videos stream at 60Hz. Scrolling through social media or playing games will bump the refresh rate up to 90Hz. It's a smart way to make sure the screen doesn't draw a lot of power when it's not needed, and it helps keep battery life at a decent level.
More noticeable, though, is the LCD's lack of contrast. Photos rarely pop, and I constantly found myself wanting a little more vibrancy – even the icons on the home screen feel very dull.
Outside in daylight, readability suffers and viewing angles aren't great unless you're looking straight at it. That's a shame, given the screen's size, because it's a big chunk of real estate that's just begging for movies, TV, or even your best camera shots to be thrown at it.
Specifications & Performance
- MediaTek Helio G88
- 4 GB RAM
- 64 or 128 GB of storage.
The Redmi 10 comes with the MediaTek Helio G88 and aside from the display quality, it's the biggest indicator of the compromises made to achieve such a low price.
Running Geekbench 5 and other benchmarks, you can see the average scores below. It comes out similar to the more expensive Poco M4 Pro, and in the battery test it almost matches the Moto G9 Power.
In real terms, that's about enough grunt to power a match of PUBG Mobile (at best on medium settings) or to multitask between some of Google's apps, like Docs or Sheets while checking email. but anything more than that seems like it would be a bridge too far.
This is due, in part, to the paltry 4GB of RAM which means you'll need to close demanding apps before opening others. There is a 6GB model available but in few markets. For storage, you get 64 or 128GB, but there's a microSD card slot.
If you're looking for more power, it's hard to look past Xiaomi's similarly priced Redmi Note 10 Pro, which comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and a much more powerful processor.
Cameras
- Main camera 50 Mp
- 8 Mp ultra wide angle
- 2Mp depth and macro
- Selfie 8 Mp
As for the camera, the Xiaomi Redmi 10 has a 50Mp rear and an 8Mp front sensor located on the display.
At the back, it's a bit lackluster and a bit too functional for my taste. Images are clear but lack life, which doesn't help when viewed on the basic LCD screen. Contrast is minimal across the board, which when combined with the display makes all images look washed out.
During the day, however, colors are pretty accurate, but if you're looking to take a phone for photography, then this isn't it. A quad setup on the back might sound impressive, but the dual 2Mp sensors, as we've seen countless times, are really there to increase the number.
The shots offer plenty of detail in the foreground, but as you'll see from the image of the games on the shelf, the bokeh effect means the background isn't as sharp. Night mode performance isn't anything to write home about, with the Redmi 10 capturing the moment but not offering much to work with when you look at it again.
Selfies are clear, although the "beautyify" option is enabled by default. Without it, there's a kind of blurring of facial detail that makes it hard to tell if the front-facing camera just isn't cutting the mustard, or if additional filters are being applied.
Videos lack OIS (optical image stabilization) and are limited to 1080p at 30fps, with 720p also an option.
Battery life and charging
- 5000 mAh
- 18W charging
- Adapter included
The Redmi 10 has a large 5000 mAh battery that will easily last a day and a half. Less active social media scrollers or players will probably show up two days before you need to plug it in.
I ran the usual Work 3.0 test and the results showed a very impressive screen-on time of 15 hours and 48 minutes while the phone completed simulated tasks.
A fast charger is also included, with 18W fast charging as standard and a 22.5W charger. That, by today's standards, isn't very fast at all. In our usual 30-minute-from-dead test, the Redmi 10 only reached 29% charge.
Software
- Android 11
- MIUI 12.5
The Xiaomi Redmi 10 runs MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi's special flavor of Android, on top of Android 11 – not the current Android 12. An update is likely at some point.
For now, though, MIUI 12 is a delight. It's beautifully customizable, has a quick and easy setup assistant, and isn't hugely different from stock Android.
Check out our table of the best budget phones to see what other options there are.
Verdict
The Xiaomi Redmi 10 is a reliable phone that won't confuse you, but won't hit the wallet too hard.
Its camera and display tech is pretty basic, but it offers a large screen with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 90Hz, solid battery life, and it looks great too.
Understandably for the price, there's no 5G and performance is limited, charging is slow and there's no waterproofing. However, this is one of the best options under £200 right now if you don't need a phone to sing and dance to.
Diopter
- Xiaomi Redmi 10: Specifications
- Processor – MediaTek Helio G88
- RAM - 4 GB
- Storage – 64GB/128GB
- Battery – 5,000 mAh
- Operating System – MIUI 12 (based on Android 11)
- Display – 6.5-inch FHD+ (90Hz), 1080P display
- Network – 4G/3G supported
- Rear cameras – 50Mp, 8Mp ultra-wide, 2Mp depth, 2Mp macro
- Front Cameras – 8Mp
- Dimensions – 162 x 75.5 x 8.9 mm
- Weight - 181 g
