We go hands-on with Xiaomi’s latest mid-range phone

Xiaomi’s Redmi K20 has finally arrived in the Philippines, though sporting a new moniker. The Mi 9T is the latest smartphone in the company’s already crowded mid-range lineup.

The phone’s highlight feature is its full-screen display, made possible via the pop-up camera module that removes the need for a notch, traditional or otherwise. Before you head on over to official channels to buy the phone, let’s see exactly what you’re getting, shall we?

What’s Inside the Box?

The packaging on the Mi 9T is very different from their usual fare. The clean, white or orange minimalist look we’ve been used to has been replaced with a black box that now rocks a photo of the device. Despite that the unboxing experience hasn’t really changed. You’ve a got a smaller box that contains the SIM ejector tool, documentation, and matte black case. It’s a good departure from the typical jelly cases we’re more accustomed to getting but it’s a pity that the gorgeous looks of the Mi 9T won’t show through with this one. Aside from that, you’ve got the phone itself, a USB-C cable, and the charger.

Living that pop-up life

Like we said earlier the Mi 9T is like the global version of Xiaomi’s Redmi K20 and is the first phone from the brand to have a pop-up camera. It’s the current go-to solution for making notchless, full-screen displays happen until under-display selfie cameras start becoming the norm.

Just like Xiaomi’s other mid-range phone, the Mi 9SE, the Mi 9T uses a premium glass back. Unfortunately though while the phone comes in a number of color gradients, because of allocation concerns PH customers will only be able to buy the Carbon Black and Glacier Blue variants of the phone.

Overall the Mi 9T feels great to hold, with the phone sporting a naturally curved back and rounded corners that make it easier to manipulate one-handed. We did find that the phone was a little slippery with the glass back, thankfully Xiaomi includes a case with the device to prevent that thing from happening.

The Mi 9T has a large 6.4-inch OLED display that’s not marred by a notch thanks to the pop-up camera on the top. Resolution is set at full HD+, and surprisingly the OLED display is pretty good for what it is. It has support for DCI-P3 and is one of the better panels we’ve seen for the price point, way better than the one on the comparably priced Mi 9 SE.

The phone also features an in-display fingerprint scanner which is fast becoming the main differentiator for Xiaomi’s mid-range offerings at the under Php 20K price point.

That pop-up selfie camera rises quickly when you need to take a selfie with the 20-megapixel f/2.0 sensor, and retracts when the phone senses it’s in freefall to protect it.

Speaking of cameras, the Mi 9T has an impressive trip of cameras on its rear: a 48-megapixel Sony IMX582 main camera with 6P lens; 13-megapixel f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle camera with 6P lens and 4cm macro mode as well as an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens with 2X zoom.

That’s a hell of a lot of cameras for a mid-range phone for sure, and we’re excited to see just how the cameras perform in real-life tests moving forward.

The Mi 9T uses Qualcomm’s newest mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 730, and depending what variant you get, is paired with 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage.

There are a few differences between the Snapdragon 710 and the 730, chief of which is the use of Cortex A76 based Kryo 460 cores and are manufactured on Samsung’s latest 8nm process node.

The GPU on the 730 is also different compared to the 710, with the 730 using the new Adreno 618 GPU compared to the Adreno 616.

The phone is loaded with Android 9 Pie, along with MIUI 10. Battery clocks in at 4000mAh, and the phone comes with 18W fast charging capability.

This means that the new Mi 9T is better and faster than the company’s recently released Mi 9 SE.

The Mi 9T is retailing for Php 15,990 for the 6GB/64GB variant and Php 17,990 for the 6GB/128GB variant, and will be officially available in physical stores tomorrow. If you can’t wait, sales for the phone has already begun in Lazada, though you’ll only be able to buy the Carbon Black 6GB/64GB variant there.

Xiaomi Mi 9T specs

• AI-Powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 octa-core processor
• Adreno 618 GPU
• 6GB RAM
• 6.39-inch Full HD+ OLED display, 18:7.9 aspect ratio, support for DCI-P3, 60000:1 Contrast Ratio, Gorilla Glass 6 protection
• 64GB/128GB of non-expandable storage
• Triple rear camera setup: 48-megapixel Sony IMX582 main camera with 6P lens; 13-megapixel f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle camera with 6P lens, 4cm macro mode; 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens with 2X zoom; Dual Pixel and Laser Autofocus, dual-tone flash, AI scene detection, and AI portrait
• 20-megapixel f/2.0 pop-up front camera with 1.8um pixels, AI Portrait, AI Beauty
• Dual SIM, with 4G LTE, LTE-A
• Dual Frequency GPS, GLONASS
• WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
• In-display Fingerprint scanner, USB-C, Reading Mode 2.0, Game Turbo, P2i coating
• 4000mAh battery with 18W Quick Wired Charging
• Android Pie with MIUI 10