Xiaomi unveiled what might be the best camera phone, and best cheap phone, ever

(Image credit: Future)

Xiaomi just revived its dormant Note range with the Mi Note 10, and it might be the best camera phone ever made. Yes, we're saying that in a year that also saw the iPhone 11 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, and Huawei P30 Pro, its specs are just that impressive.

Xiaomi announced the device at a launch event in Madrid, Spain, alongside the Redmi Note 8T, a phone that is equally impressive in its own right (we'll get on to that later). 

So what's so good about the Mi Note 10? Well its main draw is photography, as it's the first smartphone ever to use a 108MP main sensor. You read that right, 108MP, nine times more high-res than most other smartphones like iPhones, most Samsung devices and Google Pixels, which all use 12MP.

You can therefore take pictures with over 100 million pixels, and they look just as high-quality as you'd expect. That main sensor is joined by a 5MP telephoto lens for 5x optical zoom, another 12MP telephoto snapper for portrait shots and 2x zoom, a 20MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro shooter.

That's a whole lot of impressive specs, but there's more – the battery is a huge 5,260mAh, the screen is curved around the edges like the Samsung Galaxy S10 and other premium handsets, and that display is a great-looking AMOLED panel. 

So is the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 a new heavyweight from the typically affordable brand, that might take the world by storm? We've tested the device to find out, so read our hands-on Xiaomi Mi Note 10 review to find out more.

Then there's the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T

There are some incredible specs in the Mi Note 10, but it might actually be the Redmi Note 8T that most people fall in love with, for one main reason.

The device has a 48MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide snapper, 2MP macro shooter and 2MP depth sensor, and a premium feel due to the fact it has a glass front and back. It's also got a 4,000mAh power pack and a decent mid-range chipset.

All in all, the specs point to it being a fine mid-range phone. So what's the catch, and the reason people could fall in love with it? Well, that's the price: in the UK it only costs £170 (roughly $220, AU£320), which is an astonishingly low price for a handset with specs like these.

Again, we've tested this phone briefly, so check out our hands-on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T review to see what it's like to use.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.