A couple of months back, Samsung announced a new ultra high resolution 108 MegaPixel sensor for smartphone cameras. At the time we didn't know where this sensor would first show up, but now we have our answer: Xiaomi. This week the company is introducing the industry’s first smartphones with a five-module (penta) camera setup, including the 108 MP sensor from Samsung. Dubbed the Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro (and in China, the Mi CC9 Pro/Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition), these new phones are aimed specifically at photographers, with Xiaomi taking an upper-mid-range platform and giving it one of the most extensive camera arrays on the market.

Without any doubts, the key feature of Xiaomi’s Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro devices (and their Chinese equivalents) is their five-module rear camera featuring Samsung’s ICOCELL bright HMX 108 MP wide-angle 1/1.33-inch sensor with a 4-axis OIS, 4-in-1 pixel binning, and a 7-piece lens assembly (an 8-piece in case of the Pro model). In addition to the gargantuan 108 MP sensor, the camera array also has a 20 MP 117º ultra-wide-angle module, a 12 MP telephone module, a 5 MP telephoto module for 10x hybrid and 50x digital zoom, and a 2 MP macro camera. The whole camera setup is equipped with a quad-LED dual-tone flash. And along with the main camera, the smartphones come with a 32 MP 'waterdrop' selfie camera.

To view high-quality photos, the flagship smartphone camera is paired with a 6.47-inch SAMOLED display featuring a 2340×1080 resolution, a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 600 nits peak brightness, the DCI-P3 color gamut, and HDR10 support.

Meanwhile, at the heart of the Xiaomi’s Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro smartphones is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730G SoC, which is one of Qualcomm's upper-mid-range SoCs and features two Kryo 470 Gold cores, six Kryo 470 Silver cores, and Adreno 618 graphics. That SoC is accompanied by 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage in case of the regular model, as well as 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage in case of the Pro model. The handsets are powered by a non-removable Li-Po 5260 mAh battery.

Rounding out the package, the new phones feature 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB 2.0 Type-C connector, an under-display fingerprint reader, as well as all the other essential features that we come to expect in late 2019. However as these aren't full flagship-level phones, you won't find much in the way of advanced features: the phones aren't listed as dust and water resistant, there's no wireless charging, and they do not have a microSD card slot (which is a bit odd given the target audience).

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Family Mi Note 10 Mi Note 10 Pro Display SAMOLED

6.37"

2340x1080

600 nits

HDR10

Corning Gorilla Glass 5 SoC RAM 6 GB 8 GB Storage 128 GB of NAND flash

256 GB of NAND flash Local Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Data/Charging USB 2.0 Type-C Audio 3.5-mm jack

stereo speakers

active noice cancellation NFC Yes LTE Yes Navigation A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO Rear Camera Main 108 MP, f/1.69, 25mm

1/1.33"

0.8µm

PDAF, Laser AF, OIS Ultrawide 20 MP, f/2.2, 13mm

1/2.8"

1.0µm

Laser AF Telephoto 12 MP, f/2.0, 50mm

1/2.55"

1.4µm

Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, 2x optical zoom Telephoto 2 5 MP, f/2.0

1.0µm,

PDAF, Laser AF, OIS, 5x optical zoom Macro 2 MP, f/2.4

1/5"

1.75µm Main Lense Assembly 7 pieces 8 pieces Front Camera 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm Battery Capacity 5260 mAh Expected Life ? ? SIM Size Nano SIM + Nano Sim Sensors accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass Biometric Security Fingerprint Yes Facial Recognition - - Dimensions Height 157.8 mm | 6.21 inches Width 74.2 mm | 2.92 inches Thickness 9.7 mm | 0.38 inches Weight 208 grams Colors Midnight Black

Aurora Green

Glacier White Protection Drop ? ? Splashes - - OS Google Android 9.0 with MIUI 11 Launch Countries China, Europe initially Price €549 €649

Xiaomi's Mi Note 10 smartphone will be available in Midnight Black, Aurora Green, and Glacier White in Europe starting mid-November for €549. The Mi Note 10 Pro model will be priced at €649.

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Sources: Xiaomi, GSMArena