[REVIEW] Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is a true flagship killer. We recommend it with all ten

We’ve already published a review of the smartphone Xiaomi Mi 9T on our website. That was a toned-down model with an excellent price, but now we’ll take a closer look at the “Pro” version of this device, called Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro.

Because it’s a very similar smartphone in terms of design, but with a big performance difference. Inside its body, it hides a full-fledged flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor.

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The package won’t surprise you – it’s identical

The smartphone comes in an elegant black box with a picture of the model name. On top, there’s again a black paper sleeve that contains (as with the Mi 9T) a quality plastic case with the necessary cutouts for the smartphone.

There’s also a set of simple manuals, but also a SIM tray ejector pin for the pair of SIM cards (in this case, you can’t use a microSD card).

Under the sleeve, you’ll find the actual glass-metal smartphone wrapped in a protective film. Below that, there’s also a charging cable with a USB Type-C connector and a local charging plug.

The charger included in the box has a power of 18 W. However, the smartphone supports fast charging up to 27W, specifically in the Quick Charge 4+ standard, for which the manufacturer definitely deserves praise. But to use this charging, you’ll need to buy the appropriate charger separately.

Mi 9T design, Pro specs

The Mi 9T Pro device comes with truly identical dimensions as the original Mi 9T. The dimensions therefore remain at 156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm, while the weight stays the same at 191 grams.

Bold design, including this smartphone’s motorized camera, fits your hand extremely well, especially thanks to the rounded back panel as well as the rounded corners of the device. When holding it, users don’t feel its size, which is a welcome plus.

Feels great in the hand

The front panel is the domain of the 6.39″ display with minimal bezels and a truly subtle “chin” at the bottom. The fingerprint reader remains on the front side; it’s integrated into the display.

Above the display, you’ll find the speaker for calls and a group of sensors. You won’t find an LED diode here; its primary function is replaced by ambient notification display on the AMOLED panels.

The top edge is home to the 3,5 mm audio connector, and it also has the slot for the aforementioned motorized front camera.

It’s also on this spot on the top edge that you’ll find an LED diode, which can signal, for example, charging. For notifications, however, its placement is rather unfortunate.

The bottom edge includes a loudspeaker that lacks a bit of bass, but it can handle some occasional video watching. There’s also a USB Type-C connector for charging, a primary microphone for calls, and, unusually, a slot for placing the SIM card.

The left edge is completely empty. However, there’s a plastic strip for signal passage, which you’ll find on other sides as well. The right edge has buttons for volume control, and also for switching the device on or off. The latter is color-highlighted, which is definitely a plus.

The back panel houses three rear cameras, proudly boasting a 48 MPx marking, i.e., the resolution of its main camera. The finish is glass and offers a beautiful play of colors.

There’s also the Xiaomi logo, and the official Slovak distribution in those places will provide the required certification information and recycling details. The cameras protrude from the device body, though only minimally, and the included case makes up for the rest.

The phone lacks an IP certification for enhanced resistance to dust and water; however, the prerequisite for this missing feature is most likely the motorized front camera.

The glossy design is a bit slippery, but a protective case can solve that. Despite these minor downsides, the device’s workmanship is truly exemplary, and we’d like to praise the manufacturer once again.

Top-tier AMOLED still

Yes, the display is another feature that remains unchanged compared to the cheaper Mi 9T model. It’s a 6.39″ Super AMOLED panel (covered by Gorilla Glass 5 protective glass) with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels (403 ppi) and an aspect ratio of 19.5:5.

The display has no cutout and comes with thin, truly minimal bezels. The panel itself also offers very good viewing angles, and you can safely call it a high-quality one.

The edges are rounded and the colors set by the manufacturer are slightly yellowish. Color correction, text size, as well as contrast are available in the settings, and we made proper use of that option.

The display’s minimum brightness is perfectly fine, and since it’s AMOLED, we recommend using Dark mode (for better readability at night and also to save battery). The maximum brightness is more than enough; the display mode for viewing in direct sunlight only helped, so we were extremely satisfied with the image quality.

Flagship processor Snapdragon 855

Among the main and clearly also the biggest upgrades, we count the use of a high-performance octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor (the cheaper model uses a less powerful Snapdragon 730 processor).

It’s paired with 6 GB RAM and an upgraded Adreno 640 graphics accelerator. Truly flagship-level specs, now also inside the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro.

You can genuinely feel this improvement in performance. The smartphone is lightning-fast, with zero lag, and well-optimized MIUI only adds to the final, very enjoyable user experience. While the cheaper model also didn’t lack in performance, the “Pro” version goes even further.

Gamers will have a great time, and the smartphone can handle practically any app or game from the Play Store, as well as demanding multitasking, photo and video editing. We only noticed minimal heating even under high performance.

Three different memory versions

There are currently three memory versions of the smartphone on sale. You get a combination of 6 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage; next up is 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage, and the most expensive / best-equipped version offers up to 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage.

When choosing a memory version, keep in mind that internal storage cannot be expanded with a microSD memory card.

During the first startup, the system storage will ask for just under 10 GB of the internal space. For that reason, we recommend choosing a sort of “middle ground” here—namely the version with 128 GB of memory—if your files don’t already require more space. 6 GB of system RAM is more than enough, so the extra cost for the 8 GB RAM version is only worth it for truly demanding so-called “power users”.

Fingerprint reader under the display

Even the better-equipped model retains the premium feature in the form of a new generation fingerprint reader. It’s located at the front, but under the display.

Specifically, the sensor placement is highlighted by software when enabled (backlit by the AMOLED panel). The manufacturer deserves praise for implementing this innovative technology. But what is the fingerprint reader like in practice?

The reader itself isn’t bad at all; for the positioning of sensors under the display, it’s fast and typically recognizes your finger on the first attempt. The second try is only needed minimally, assuming your fingers aren’t wet or overly greasy. If they are, you may not get far—then you can use the code or face recognition instead. However, that’s slower (due to the delay of the front camera popping out).

No Android 9.0 Pie is missing

The smartphone comes with the current Android 9.0 Pie system and will almost certainly also get a newer update to Android 10. For the flagship smartphone, the manufacturer has already confirmed this, but so far only for the Chinese version of the K20 Pro. The European version will likely get it too.

The system is very well optimized and runs without a hitch with sufficient RAM capacity, helped by the powerful processor as well. The security level is a slight disappointment, as the smartphone only came with the August security patch. At the time of testing, we would have appreciated at least September security patches from Google.

Current MIUI 10.3.2 system

The traditional MIUI overlay is currently at version 10.3.2. As a very well-equipped flagship smartphone, the Mi 9T Pro will also get an update to the new MIUI 11 overlay. However, European customers will have to wait a few more weeks for the stable version. Even in its current version, the MIUI overlay works exemplary.

The overlay offers a dark mode, ideal for AMOLED panels, as well as ambient display of the date or notifications. The good news is the implementation of “Digital Wellbeing”.

This is Google's original service in Android, which directly and statistically shows how often and in what way the smartphone is used. It also offers various limit settings.

Triple powerful cameras

The photo kit features a verified main 48 MPx (f/1.8) sensor, complemented by a 8 MPx (f/2.4) telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, as well as a 13 MPx (f/2.4) wide-angle sensor. HDR is included, along with a panorama mode, night mode, a full 48 MPx mode, and more modes including slow-motion video.

Standard video can be recorded at up to 2160p (30/60 fps). The mentioned rear cameras protrude slightly from the body of the device and are complemented by a dual LED flash.

The front camera is a chapter of its own. It is a motorized sensor that slides out from the top edge of the device when needed, or when the camera is launched.

The pop-up is quite fast and seamless, and is accompanied by a sound and light effect that can be customized. The module that pops out contains a 20 MPx (f/2.2) sensor, and there is also HDR and 1080p video.

The photo quality in daylight is truly very good. Sharpness is there, color reproduction is fine, and the blurred background, or the popular “bokeh” effect, is also pleasing. The AI mode sometimes adjusts colors quite wildly, so it is more of an occasional feature.

What is pleasing, on the other hand, is the night mode, which delivers noticeably more light in night shots. In this price category, though, it is a very good camera setup and the smartphone certainly has nothing to be ashamed of. The software is fast and well optimized.

Original photos in full resolution are available at the following link.

In the gallery above, we bring you a preview of photos taken in daylight, photos taken in worse lighting conditions, full-size shots, as well as macro photos. The sample photos in the gallery have been reduced for review purposes.

Connectivity – everything as it should be. Including NFC

The device offers exemplary connectivity in its flagship equipment, including full-fledged LTE connectivity in Slovakia. There is also Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 LE with aptX HD support, GPS (including A-GPS), GLONASS, GALILEO, and standard FM radio.

The NFC chip is also welcome. We tested contactless payments via Google Pay, and they work flawlessly in Slovakia too.

4000 mAh will not disappoint

In terms of battery life on a single charge, the smartphone is a bold but reliable work device. The “Pro” model handles a full workday, including active use of social networks, calling, as well as watching videos or occasional gaming, absolutely without problems.

In the evening, there is still a very good 20 – 30% battery left. It can be topped up via fast 27W charging (a fast charger is included in the box).

However, battery life is an individual matter. If a less demanding user gets this smartphone in hand, two days of battery life is indeed realistic.

On the other hand, an avid mobile gaming or streaming fan can drain the battery even by midday, which is also suggested by the screenshot of the screen being on. In general, though, battery life is very good. If we’re looking for a downside, compared to competing flagship devices, in this case wireless charging for the smartphone is missing.

Final verdict: A true flagship smartphone

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro model is a true flagship smartphone. That’s evidenced not only by the design and build quality, but above all by its technical specs, including a powerful processor, a large battery, and fast charging.

It’s completed by an AMOLED display, a motorized front camera, full connectivity including NFC, and a great, finely tuned system with a custom overlay (for now) MIUI 10.

We bought it here

Show the best prices for Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro

So what exactly makes this device exceptional? The mentioned strengths are usually offered by most flagship devices. What, then, makes Mi 9T Pro destined for success is its extremely low price.

Low in terms of the price/performance ratio and the features versus the competition. You can actually buy this smartphone for as little as a flat 300 EUR / 7738 CZK. That’s a price that’s really hard to resist.