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Xiaomi is a Chinese electronics manufacturer that has been around since 2010, but its smartphones only made their way to Australian shores in early 2019.
Most Xiaomi phones sit in the mid-range to premium price bracket and focus on high-end features like multi-lens camera arrays and in-screen fingerprint readers.
Xiaomi phones use a custom version of the Android operating system called MIUI. It offers most of the regular Android features including the Google Play app store but supports custom themes that let you customise the look of your phone's interface.
What to consider when choosing a Xiaomi phone
Xiaomi's smartphones don't skimp on features. From pop-up selfie cameras and in-screen fingerprint readers to support for 5G mobile networks, there's a lot to keep in mind when comparing the various models on the market. To help you, we've highlighted some of the key considerations below:
Most Xiaomi phones don't come with microSD card slots, meaning you can't easily add extra storage down the track. That's why it's important to choose a phone with sufficient internal storage to meet your needs.
Xiaomi's phones typically trend towards the larger end of the spectrum, boasting displays of six inches and larger. This makes them well-suited to watching videos, playing games and other entertainment purposes. At the same time, they can be awkward to operate for people with smaller hands and might be too big to fit in your pocket. Bear this in mind when looking at the larger Xiaomi smartphones.
Most Xiaomi smartphones offer mid- to high-end performance and features with a price tag to match. You can expect to pay anywhere from around $400 for one of Xiaomi's older, mid-range handsets all the way up to $1,500 for the latest flagship models.
Like many premium smartphone manufacturers these days, Xiaomi has abandoned the 3.5mm headphone jack in favour of slimmer and sleeker designs. To compensate, most Xiaomi handsets come with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box, letting you connect a regular pair of wired headphones to the USB-C port instead. Alternatively, Xiaomi smartphones support Bluetooth for connecting wireless headphones, too.
If you're concerned about your phone falling into the wrong hands, you'll be happy to know that Xiaomi's latest smartphones all include fingerprint sensors for locking out unauthorised users more effectively than a simple PIN. Better yet, the latest Xiaomi handsets incorporate the fingerprint sensor into the screen itself, saving you from fumbling with a rear-mounted sensor.
High-quality cameras are a fixture among premium smartphones and Xiaomi doesn't disappoint here. Multi-lens camera arrays power most of its modern handsets, with some lenses sporting resolutions as high as 48MP. The front-facing "selfie" camera is often especially powerful on Xiaomi's smartphones, with plenty of AI optimisations to help out folks who don't want to mess around with exposure settings manually.
Xiaomi was one of the first smartphone manufacturers to offer a 5G-compatible handset in Australia, edging out the competition by charging hundreds of dollars less for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G than phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G or the Oppo Reno 5G. This gives Xiaomi Australia a distinct advantage for folks wanting the highest Internet speeds currently available on a mobile device.
All Xiaomi's recent phones support some form of fast charging, though there are some important differences to watch out for. The charger included with Xiaomi's phones can vary in wattage from 10W up to 20W or higher, with larger values leading to shorter charge times.
Some handsets also support wireless charging, or even fast wireless charging, which can be especially useful if you're tired of carrying around tangled cables all the time.
With Xiaomi's phones sporting large screens and powerful processors, a big battery is a must. Fortunately, most handsets include batteries with at least 3,000mAh capacity and typically deliver a full day of use off a single charge.
If your phone spends a lot of time near spillable liquids, you'll want to think carefully before purchasing a Xiaomi phone. No Xiaomi handsets currently offer official water resistance, so there's a chance any contact with water or other liquids could cause serious damage.
Power is in ample supply under the hood of Xiaomi's smartphones. Most handsets feature the latest high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon processors available at the time of manufacture, ensuring that they can handle virtually any task you throw at them. Combined with a healthy supply of RAM, Xiaomi's phones offer performance up there with the best Android handsets.
Matt Sayer is a technology writer and editorial engineer for Finder, combining industry expertise with data-driven solutions to help people make better decisions. His extensive portfolio spans investigative reporting on the roll-out of 5G, statistical analysis on the legacy of E3 and guides for popular products like mobile phones and smart speakers. Matt has a Bachelor of Computer Science from RMIT University and is passionate about finding ways that technology can better our lives.
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