Samsung Galaxy Note10 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro: A Detailed Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user seeking a balance of features and value, the Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro emerges as the stronger contender. Its Snapdragon 855+ chipset offers a consistent performance edge, coupled with significantly faster 40W wired and 30W wireless charging. While the Note10’s S Pen is a unique advantage, the Mi 9 Pro’s overall package delivers more for the money.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note10 | Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - Global, LATAM | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 41 - China |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66, 71 - Canada | CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, August 07. Released 2019, August 23 | 2019, September. Released 2019, September |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame (7000 series) |
| Dimensions | 151 x 71.8 x 7.9 mm (5.94 x 2.83 x 0.31 in) | 157.2 x 74.6 x 8.5 mm (6.19 x 2.94 x 0.33 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 168 g (5.93 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus, 42ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | - | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.3 inches, 98.6 cm2 (~90.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.39 inches, 100.2 cm2 (~85.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED, HDR10+ | Super AMOLED, HDR10 |
| Always-on display | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA/LATAMOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) - USA/China | Octa-core (1x2.96 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485) |
| Chipset | Exynos 9825 (7 nm) - EMEA/LATAMQualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) - USA/China | Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855+ (7 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP12 - EMEA/LATAMAdreno 640 - USA/China | Adreno 640 (700 MHz) |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 12, One UI 4 | Android 10, MIUI 11 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 3.0 | UFS 2.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Laser AF, Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.1, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm, Super Steady video | 48 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF 12 MP, f/2.2, 54mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.0µm, PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/120/240fps, 1080p@960fps |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/3", 0.9µm |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| Infrared port | - | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a) |
| Radio | FM radio (USA & Canada only) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | - | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0 12W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 40W wired, QC4 30W wireless 10W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 3500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 4000 mAh, non-removable |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Aura Glow, Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Pink, Aura Red | Dream White, Titanium Black |
| Models | SM-N970F, SM-N970U, SM-N970U1, SM-N9700, SM-N970W, SM-N9700, SM-N970N, SM-N970X | - |
| Price | About 590 EUR | About 500 EUR |
| SAR | 0.85 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body) | - |
| SAR EU | 0.21 W/kg (head) 1.52 W/kg (body) | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -92.8dB / Crosstalk -94.0dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 92h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | - |
| Loudspeaker | -26.2 LUFS (Good) | - |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 344442 (v7), 452400 (v8) GeekBench: 10353 (v4.4), 2241 (v5.1) GFXBench: 28fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | - |
Samsung Galaxy Note10
- Integrated S Pen for productivity and creativity
- Bright and vibrant Super AMOLED display
- Samsung’s established software ecosystem
- Regional chipset variations (Exynos vs Snapdragon)
- Slower charging speeds compared to Mi 9 Pro
- Potentially higher price point
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro
- Powerful Snapdragon 855+ chipset
- Extremely fast 40W wired and 30W wireless charging
- Competitive price point
- Lacks the S Pen functionality
- Xiaomi’s MIUI software can be polarizing
- Camera performance may not match flagship competitors
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy Note10 boasts a display capable of reaching 789 nits of peak brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While Xiaomi doesn’t provide a specific brightness figure for the Mi 9 Pro, Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology typically delivers superior contrast – rated as 'Infinite (nominal)' on the Note10 – and color accuracy. Both devices likely utilize AMOLED panels, but the Note10’s display benefits from Samsung’s established display expertise. The absence of high refresh rate technology on either device is notable, a feature becoming increasingly common even in mid-range phones today.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable camera systems, but details are limited to 'Photo / Video' for the Note10. The Mi 9 Pro’s camera setup likely focuses on its main sensor and image processing capabilities. Without specific sensor size or aperture information for the Note10, a direct comparison is difficult. However, Xiaomi’s emphasis on camera technology suggests a more refined image processing pipeline. The inclusion of a 2MP macro camera on the Mi 9 Pro is likely a marketing feature with limited practical benefit, as image quality is heavily dependent on sensor size and lens quality. The Note10’s video capabilities, leveraging Samsung’s expertise, are likely strong, but a detailed analysis requires more specific data.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets. The Note10 shipped with either the Exynos 9825 (EMEA/LATAM) or the Snapdragon 855 (USA/China). The Mi 9 Pro exclusively features the Snapdragon 855+. The 855+ offers a slight clock speed bump (2.96 GHz vs 2.73/2.84 GHz) and improved thermal management over the standard 855 and Exynos 9825. While the Exynos 9825 is a capable chip, the Snapdragon 855+ consistently demonstrates better sustained performance in benchmarks and real-world gaming scenarios. Both phones utilize octa-core architectures, but the Mi 9 Pro’s chipset provides a tangible advantage for demanding tasks. The Note10’s CPU configuration varies by region, potentially impacting performance consistency.
Battery Life
The Galaxy Note10 achieves an endurance rating of 92 hours, indicating respectable battery life. However, the Mi 9 Pro compensates for potentially lower battery capacity with significantly faster charging. The Note10 supports 25W wired charging (PD3.0), 12W wireless (Qi), and 4.5W reverse wireless. The Mi 9 Pro, in contrast, boasts 40W wired (QC4), 30W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless. This translates to dramatically faster 0-100% charge times for the Mi 9 Pro. While the Note10’s endurance rating is good, the Mi 9 Pro’s charging speed offers a significant convenience advantage.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note10 if you absolutely require the S Pen for note-taking, sketching, or remote control functionality, and are comfortable with potential regional chipset differences. Buy the Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro if you prioritize raw performance, exceptionally fast charging speeds, and a more streamlined Android experience, especially if budget is a key consideration.