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Review | Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review: phone is full of powerful features, from its 120X zoom lens to superfast burst charging

  • Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has pulled out all the stops for its 10th anniversary model, the Mi 10 Ultra
  • It has one of the best zoom lenses, a display with 120Hz refresh rate, super fast burst charging, and the option of a unique transparent back

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The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is packed with impressive features, and the transparent back option is a unique selling point. Photo: Ben Sin

To mark the Chinese smartphone brand’s 10th anniversary, Xiaomi has unveiled a new version of its Mi 10 series, the Mi 10 Ultra. Does the flagship handset live up to its impressive specs sheet?

Design and hardware

A more apt name for this phone would have been Mi 120, because this phone has a trifecta of features that hit that number: the 6.44-inch OLED screen refreshes at 120Hz; the main camera can zoom up to 120 times; and the 4,500 mAh battery can be charged at 120W speeds. The latter two are firsts in the industry.

It has a typical glass sandwich curvy design, except that the glass back of my unit is transparent, showing the device’s guts, including the wireless charging coil and NFC chip.
The quad camera module on the Mi 10 Ultra. Photo: Ben Sin
The quad camera module on the Mi 10 Ultra. Photo: Ben Sin

The quad camera system received a major upgrade here: the main camera is now a custom-built 48-megapixel sensor with an extra large image sensor. And the zooming system is anchored by Xiaomi’s first “Periscope” zoom lens. This is the lens that can achieve the much hyped 120X zoom.

Powering the phone is also the usual Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.

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Software and features

The Mi 10 Ultra runs the newest version of Xiaomi’s software, MIUI 12, over Android 10. Xiaomi’s is the most colourful and playful software skin around, with cutesy animations galore.

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