Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Which One To Buy?

Estimated read time 12 min read

In this article, I am reviewing 2 mobile phones Mi Note 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S10. Both smartphones are very good but I will tell you which has better value.

Mi Note 10Samsung S10
BUY NOWBUY NOW
PROSPROS
Excellent camera for the price. Premium design. Includes a headphone jack.High screen-to-body ratio. In-screen fingerprint sensor. Wireless PowerShare perk.
CONSCONS
Underpowered at times. Dynamic range isn’t iPhone or Pixel good. Secondary cameras fall behind flagships.Stunning price hike. S10e and S10 Plus are better. Great camera, but not the best.

SPECIFICATIONS

NETWORKMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
TechnologyGSM / HSPA / LTEGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
SpeedHSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (3CA) Cat15 800/150 MbpsHSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps
LAUNCHMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
Announced2019, November2019, February
StatusAvailable. Released 2019, NovemberAvailable. Released 2019, March
BODYMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
Dimensions157.8 x 74.2 x 9.7 mm (6.21 x 2.92 x 0.38 in)149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm (5.90 x 2.77 x 0.31 in)
Weight208 g (7.34 oz)157 g (5.54 oz)
SIMDual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAYMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
TypeAMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsDynamic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size6.47 inches, 102.8 cm2 (~87.8% screen-to-body ratio)6.1 inches, 93.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~398 ppi density)1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~550 ppi density)
PLATFORMMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
OSAndroid 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 11Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10.0; One UI 2
ChipsetQualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G (8 nm)Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) – USA/China
CPUOcta-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver)Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.78 GHz Kryo 485) – USA/China
GPUAdreno 618Adreno 640 – USA/China
MEMORYMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
Card slotNomicroSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) – dual SIM model only
Internal128GB 6GB RAM

UFS 2.0
128GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM

UFS 2.1
MAIN CAMERAMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
Modules108 MP (7P lens), f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS

12 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, 2x optical zoom

5 MP (upscaled to 8MP), f/2.0, (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS, 5x optical zoom

20 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.8″, 1.0µm, Laser AF

2 MP, f/2.4, 1/5″, 1.75µm (dedicated macro camera)
12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS

12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom

16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm, Super Steady video
FeaturesQuad-LED dual-tone flash, HDRLED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@960fps2160p@60fps (no EIS), 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, dual-video rec., stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS
SELFIE CAMERAMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
Modules32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm10 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/3″, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
FeaturesHDRDual video call, Auto-HDR
Video1080p@30fps2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps
SOUNDMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
LoudspeakerYesYes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jackYes

24-bit/192kHz audio
Yes

32-bit/384kHz audio
COMMUNICATIONMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
GPSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFCYesYes
Infrared portYes
USB2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
FEATURESMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
SensorsFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compassFingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2

ANT+

Bixby natural language commands and dictation

Samsung DeX (desktop experience support)
BATTERYMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
BatteryNon-removable Li-Po 5260 mAh batteryNon-removable Li-Ion 3400 mAh battery
MISCMI NOTE 10SAMSUNG S10
ColorsAurora Green, Glacier White, Midnight BlackPrism White, Prism Black, Prism Green, Prism Blue, Canary Yellow, Flamingo Pink, Cardinal Red, Smoke Blue

DESIGN

Mi Note 10:

You get this beautiful curved display. This is a 6.47 inch AMOLED display and it looks amazing. The front also has the in-display fingerprint scanner which is fast nice and yeah it’s not just a display, the back looks great too. Overall, this a phone that looks and feels like a flagship.

Samsung S10:

The galaxy s 10 is a good-looking phone and there’s no denying it. It does use premium materials in its construction. So you’ve got Gorilla Glass 6 at the front and gorilla glass 5 at the back. And an aluminum frame that’s rounded which makes it really comfortable to hold. It isn’t bikie either which means that you will be able to use it pretty much all day long without any fatigue.

The s10 has a hole punch design which means that it has a tiny cutout for the selfie camera.

CAMERA

Mi Note 10:

The main highlight of this phone are cameras. Well, this is a phone that packs in every camera sensor you can think of. There are five cameras and two dual LED flashes.

The first one is the 5 megapixel ultra-telephoto sensor with OIS. The second one is the 12 megapixel Telephotphoto sensor. The third one is the insane 108 megapixel sensor with IOS. The fourth one is the 20 megapixel ultra wide-angle lens and the last this tiny camera is the 2 megapixel macro lens.

Samsung S10:

The galaxy s10 and the s10+ have the same triple camera setup at the back which means that the software is also similar. It got a lot of modes to choose from when you’re clicking your photo and there’s a toggle which helps you select the telephoto, wide angle, and the super wide angle lens before shooting.

It also has a scene optimizer mode which helps the phone detect for what it’s point towards and set all the parameters up automatically and that is helpful. We did find that in macros it kind of boosts the colors are punished but if you like colors to pop on your display that is the setting you should keep enabled. When clicking landscapes we found the wide-angle camera to be useful but it did have a bit of barrel distortion at the edges. Samsung has thought about this and offers shape correction options in the camera app itself.

When clicking portraits in life focus mode the phone is able to distinguish between the subject and the background and apply the blur effect. The selfie camera clicks good photos and has good details overall. On the S10 you have to rely on the single selfie camera for life focus since it lacks a depth sensor like the galaxy s10 plus. The edge detection is acceptable and we did not face any significant issues.

DISPLAY

Mi Note 10:

We have a 6.47 inch AMOLED display 2340×1080 with a peak brightness of 600 nits. Not industry-leading brightness but it does okay in outside daylight and you’ve also got an always-on feature. This is very easily customizable within your settings. Now the display isn’t as good as the Samsung Galaxy S10 but for the price, it’s certainly competitive. The curved display appears to be cosmetic only as it doesn’t seem to be any additional features.

Samsung S10:

This has a 6.1 inch Super AMOLED display that is putting out quad HD plus resolution. It’s not set to quad HD by default it’s set to full HD burst you can toggle it to quad HD which means that the screen will be pushing out 515 PPI that is more than the galaxy 10e as well as the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus.

This is also HDR 10 plus certified which means that if you have HDR video content on it or if you’re streaming it off Netflix or on YouTube you will enjoy it’s a bloody crisp display.

AUDIO

Mi Note 10:

The audio coming from the single firing speaker. It can get pretty loud for a single speaker. At 80% to max volume, the sound could come up a little bit distorted and of course the soundstage from this one speaker isn’t the most full. Lows are basically non-existent.

Samsung S10:

We also still have stereo speakers on board, even though we don’t have really kind of any top bezel. There’s a tiny little driver up top, which sounds pretty good.

PERFORMANCE

Mi Note 10:

It supports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset coupled with an Adreno 618 GPU. This device handled most tasks I threw at it with ease. Specifically, a lot of web surfing, some photo editing, and light gaming. Our unit has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Samsung S10:

Samsung has a differentiated when it comes to the hardware between the three Galaxy S10 series smartphones. So by default, you get a Samsung Exynos 9820 SoC. And the Galaxy S10 and the S10 plus get 8 GB of RAM. You also get 128 GB of internal storage and if that’s not enough there is an option for 512 GB. If you want, you can expand it further via the hybrid SIM slot up to 512 GB.

SOFTWARE

Mi Note 10:

It’s running the updated MIUI 11 over the top of Android 9 pie.

There’s still no app drawer for example so you have to have all of your apps on your home pages. Xiaomi and Apple still do this in 2019 is a bit beyond me but at least you can order your apps from the bottom up unlike on iPhones.

There’s also a fair bit of unnecessary bloatware apps which is again common with all Xiaomi devices that are running with MIUI and not Android one. Outside of that, it’s fast and fluid with i pleasing animations and the gestures are basically the same as on android 10.

Samsung S10:

I really like the interface of samsung s10. S10 comes with One UI based on Android Pie 9. I Just don’t love the Stock icon pack, so i changed the theme in the GALAXY THEME STORE. There are very few bloatwares apps that cannot be uninstalled. The Bixby is the great feature and it also allows you to remap the bixby button.

SECURITY

Mi Note 10:

The fingerprint scanner is one of the latest generation optical in display ones and it’s pretty quick. It takes about half a second to unlock the device and I believe it can feel even faster, if we speed up or disable the unlocking animation.

The face unlock is also pretty quick. It unlocks the device around the same time the fingerprint scanner does.

Samsung S10:

This also has an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner which works really well. Samsung also pre applies a screen protector on the display which means that you won’t have to go around looking for one that is compatible with that in-display fingerprint scanner.

BATTERY

Mi Note 10:

We’ve got some good news, 5260 mAh battery capacity huge, massive cell, and we do have a fare weight to this device as a result. You also have fast charging with the included 30 watts fast charger in the retail box.

In terms of daily use, the battery life is really solid, I did feel for the cell size that I would get a little bit more possibly something Xiaomi can look at in terms of battery optimization but I’m still getting to the end of the day with sort of 20-30 percent in average and not overly strenuous work load.

Samsung S10:

Samsung had to compromise on the battery capacity so it does not have a big battery like the Mi Note 10 but it’s a moderate 3400 milliamp-hour battery.

In our HD video loop test that we run on most smartphones, we test this for managed to go on for 14 hours and 23 minutes which is acceptable. In terms of battery drain while playing PUBG we did notice around 12 to 13 percent battery drain after playing for 40 minutes.

WHICH ONE YOU SHOULD BUY?

I think that Samsung is a much better company with much more high quality phones. And this time S10 is more good than Mi Note 10. But if your budget is tight then Mi Note 10 will be good choice.


Expert Reviews For Mi Note 10:

By T3
the performance is fast and consistent and at par with smartphones with higher specifications.The Mi Note 10 runs on MIUI 11, which is based on Android 9. We would’ve wished that it ran on Android 10 but Xiaomi did say that the update is soon so we’ll…

By Techadvisor
Priced higher than Xiaomi’s flagships, this is in fact a mid-ranger – but one with a balanced specification in terms of performance, photography and design, and incredible battery life.Though they fared reasonably well in our tests, the unique selling…

By DigitalCameraWorld
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 isn’t just a 108MP camera phone, it’s also a competitively priced handset in almost every respect, combining great design with a big battery, fast charging, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. You won’t get a sharper camera…

By TheStraightTimes
Last year saw the return of the smartphone megapixel (MP) race as first Sony, then Samsung, unveiled high-resolution camera sensors.Samsung, for one, topped its own 64MP sensor, which it announced last May, with an even higher-end 108MP sensor later…

By NotebookCheck
If you include the price point of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10, there’s hardly a better offer at the moment if you’re looking for one of the best cameras and very long battery life.Xiaomi Mi Note 10 – 2019-12-2012/20/2019 v7Florian SchmittChassis86%Keyboard69…

Expert Reviews For Samsung S10:

By GadgetSpeak
It is 15.5×7.5x.8cm and weights 177 grams. The notional diagonal imperial screen measurement is 6.4 inches. The screen resolution is FHD+ 2280×1080 but can be cranked up to 3040×1440 if your eye sight is better than mine using an option in…

By Thegaurdian
The Samsung Galaxy S10 is an all-round great phone that thankfully keeps things at a manageable size. It still has a big, beautiful screen that’s great for watching videos, but it doesn’t make your hand hurt holding it.Performance is good, the camera’s…

By ExpertReviews
The Galaxy S10 isn’t foldable, but Samsung’s latest flagship is a worthy iPhone Xs killer.

By Lifewire
The Samsung Galaxy S10 is one of the absolute best phones you can buy today.This device brings some freshness to Samsung’s familiar feature-packed approach to flagships. It’s a gorgeous phone with the most impressive screen on the market, the…

By IGN
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is what you’d expect from Samsung flagship time and time again. If you’re coming from an S7 or the S8 you’ll not regret it, the Samsung familiarity is there and the added benefit of excellent cameras and better display only…

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