5G phones might not yet be ready for a mainstream worldwide audience, but don’t bother about that. Today, we are talking about a device that is exceptionally great at an affordable price. Its an excellent bang for your buck while being cheaper than phones like the iPhone 11, Huawei P30 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Even these devices don’t have 5G coverage. So, until you get your 5G for rocket-fast speeds, you’ll have to make do with the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. So, buckle up and read our Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro review.
This new device from Xiaomi delivers many new features with similarities to flagship devices. It is incredibly comparable to top-tier devices even with a price point that’s usually found in mid-range phones.
The device comes with a 6.39-inch display that has Super AMOLED technology with a Full HD+ resolution and a high PPI. Furthermore, its appeal is marketed towards the mid-range audience similar to the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom; it also has a flagship chipset with the Snapdragon 855 chipset which is extremely powerful.
At $480 it certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s still within the realm of possibility compared to many other devices. The Mi 9T Pro might just be a steal with these specs. However, its real-world performance might be different? We explore this in this review, so stick around.
Design of Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
The device looks extremely great and has a slick and smooth build. At the front of the device, there is a bezel-less full-screen display. This is thanks to the device’s pop-up selfie camera that’s built into the display and hidden except you’re using it. It has a smooth and curved design that’s blended extremely well with the different parts that make up the phone externally. At 8.8mm, it’s still a very beautiful and slick device.
It also sports an aluminum frame that’s built-in a smoothed out form. This smooth aluminum blends with the phone’s glass panels both at the front and back of the device. It also sports some red accents that give the device a nice and unique design. These pop-ups are located on the power button of the device and at its rear camera.
At the back panel of this phone, it features a solid pattern reminiscent of carbon fiber under the glass. This design looks really premium, and even though it attracts fingerprints, it’s not necessarily bad. Especially in comparison to devices like the S10, which is a fingerprint magnet.
What’s in the box?
Within the box, there is a Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro case for the back of the device, and at the front, it’s protected by the extremely durable Gorilla Glass 5 which can withstand some rigidity. Note that the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro review unit did not include a pre-fitted screen protector. Therefore, the commercial ones aren’t expected to come with one either.
A great part of this device is the headphone jack. In 2019, it’s quite weird to highlight that, but, the industry has to move on. So it’s a welcomed addition for the new Mi 9T Pro, and we are happy to see this for once in a long while on a top-tier device with flagship specs. Additionally, the device is equipped with a USB-C port that charges it. Furthermore, it has a speaker at the bottom with volume and power buttons that are situated on the right side of the device.
Although there is a camera bump, it’s quite small and isn’t wiggly on a surface. The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro’s camera is not a protruding one and its a lot sharper than some of its competitors like the Huawei Honor 20 or the OnePlus 7.
Display of Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
The battery of Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is a device that packs a high capacity and performance. On this device, there is a high battery capacity that holds over 4,000 mAH, which is an excellent upgrade from the previous Xiaomi Mi 9.
The Mi 9T Pro has a battery that’s really solid and great for an upgrade. Granted, the Mi 9 already had a solid battery. This device can last you all day with enough battery for rigid use. Our Mi 9T Pro review unit lasted until about 20% at night. Even watching a full 90-minute movie only reduced the battery life by 10% in total.
Furthermore, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is a device that fully supports fast charging capabilities. It comes with an 18W Quickcharge 3 charging setup. And, this charger helps you with up to 27W in total. The fast charging was suitable for the device. Although it doesn’t quite compare to some other devices with fast charging capabilities. With 10 minutes of charging, this device powers up to 15% and charging for an hour gives you up to 100% of the fully charged device.
How the Mi 9T Pro maintains a good battery life constantly
The charger of this device is quite fast and still holds its own against some flagships like the iPhone XS Max. On that device, the charging time stretches to over 3 hours with the default charger out of the box.
Additionally, the phone comes with some software and features that are used for monitoring battery and usage. This feature helps to keep track of apps that are draining your battery life. On that note, the device also helps you track background connectivity and activities/processes that will help your Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro last.
The phone also has software features to monitor battery usage so you can track down rogue apps, or taper background connectivity and activity if you need the Mi 9T Pro to last that bit longer.
Camera of Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is a device that’s extremely integrated with the times. This device comes with three cameras at the back and these cameras all serve unique purposes. There is a wide-angle camera, an ultrawide camera, and a telephoto lens.
This is not a setup that’s unique to the Xiaomi device. It’s also found in some other devices like Samsung’s S9 and the LG V50 ThinQ. This camera setup is great, but, the main objective is how good it takes pictures.
The Camera app comes with a variety of settings for shooting images. The device also comes with an automatic AI scene detection which is enabled in its “Pro mode”. The AI feature takes control of the best lighting and adjustments for your photos. The device includes a quick full-resolution option for your images which helps you capture large amounts of detail through the camera.
For your image quality on the Mi 9T Pro, the device uses its 12MP lens by default. When the lighting is good, there is a picture-perfect image for you to take your photos.
Video Recording Performance of Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
On the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro review unit, the results for its video performance is extremely great for a device at its price point. It even excels better than similarly priced devices. However, it just isn’t comparable to some other devices like the Samsung Note 10 or the iPhone 11.
The video footage captured with this device is at a great 4K 60fps which is the top video resolution available in smartphones today. When you have ideal lighting combined with a tripod, you’ll get high-quality footage.
Without a tripod, image stability is bad. Very bad. But, once you drop the frame rate of your 4K 60fps video, your footage will be smoother and much better. This is due to the electronic image stabilization that comes with the device.
The resolution of the Mi 9T Pro is best reduced when you are in low light environments. This low light image processing on the device is extremely bad. But, the problem is not unique to this device in any way.
Final Verdict
The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro gives a great performance for its price point. With a device like this, you’ll be in the best possible sweet spot for a price to performance ratio. A processor like the Snapdragon 855 combined with great battery life, solid display, and a nice camera, you’ll have all the flagship essentials in one device. So, it’s good for you to purchase a Mi 9T Pro now or when it goes on sale.