The Mi Note 10 Lite runs MIUI 11, based on Android 10, as most other recent Xiaomi or Xiaomi-related phones (cough, Poco). The flat and simple design with a high level of polish is characteristic of the entire UI, a result of many design iterations and subtle tweaks and decisions over the years.
In terms of biometric security, the Mi Note 10 Lite gives you a choice between face and fingerprint unlock. The fingerprint reader would be our top choice as it works quickly and reliably. Facial recognition isn't as secure, but if you're after convenience it'll deliver that.
We do appreciate the extra attention to detail Xiaomi put into the visual aspects of unlocking as there are plenty of fingerprint reader animations to choose from. Better still, there are a couple of fingerprint-reader-based shortcuts you can set up for some extra convenience.
Security • Fingerprint setup • Fingerprint options • Fingerprint shortcuts • Animations • Face recognition
The Mi Note 10 Lite supports an Always-on display, and you can schedule it or leave it on/off all the time. MIUI 11 has a ton of themes you can choose from and make it yours and some of them can even be further customized. The AOD also supports breathing light - the curved edges of the display will flash with colors upon new notifications.
AOD and notification edge led effects
As far as the general layout goes, you get a few nice little extras, like a quick shortcuts pane to the left of the lock screen. In there, you can arrange and control your Mi Device IR and IoT gadgets and appliances and also toggle the flashlight.
Lock screen • Quick access pane • Home screen • Folder view • App drawer
All of the Android basics are definitely there and well covered. This particular build also features an app drawer option (missing on the Mi 10 and 10 Pro). It's the same one introduced by the off-shoot Poco Launcher, which has now made it to non-Poco-specific MIUI versions. The similarly unorthodox card-based task switcher can take some time to adjust but offers all of the needed functionality.
Notifications pane • Quick toggles • Recent apps • Split screen • Quick return to split screen
Navigation is handled in the classic three-button nav-bar manner out of the box. The Mi Note 10 Lite does offer a gesture-based method and switching to that is the first thing we do on any phone. It's missing the thin bar on the bottom that's become the Android 10 default way for switching back and forth between apps. On MIUI, switching between the last two apps is done by swiping from the edge of a screen as if you are performing a back gesture and holding for a split second. If you are not fond of that quick switch, you can disable it in the settings menu.
A system wide Dark mode is also available, and on the Mi Note 10 Lite, we had a much better experience with it than we did on the Mi 10, where we even found the occasional Xiaomi app and menu that doesn't adhere to Dark Mode settings. Of course, if Google Maps doesn't have a dark mode itself, it just doesn't and that's that.
You get extensive theme support with MIUI. Basically, everything is subject to change including wallpapers, icons, fonts, the lot.
MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.
A set of proprietary multimedia apps are on board too - Gallery, Music, and Video player. In some regions, the music and video apps include paid streaming options. MIUI 11 has a new document viewing app, which supports all popular formats and makes for a seamless experience. There is also a new Notes app that now supports Tasks.
Among the niceties almost forgotten, yet present on the Mi Note 10 Lite, are the IR-based Mi Remote app for controlling legacy non-connected appliances and an FM radio support.
Security app • Gallery • Video • Music • FM radio • Mi Remote
The Mi Note 10 Lite is powered by the very same Snapdragon 730G chipset that you'd find in the non-Lite version. Qualcomm's mid-mid-range option features an octa-core CPU in a 2+6 configuration (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) and the GPU is Adreno 618. Three RAM/storage options are in existence - 6/64, 6/128, and 8/128, and we have the medium option for review. The storage is UFS 2.1.
Looking at some raw CPU performance results in GeekBench, the Mi Note 10 Lite is turning in middle-of-the-road figures, with the Snapdragon 730 non-G equipped Galaxy A71, Mi 9T, and Realme X2 posting slightly better scores under single-core loads. The Snapdragon 765-based Motorola Edge is further up in this test, keeping company to Kirin 810-packing Huawei P40 Lite and Honor 9X. These three lead the way in the multi-core test too where the Mi Note 10 Lite isn't winning any awards either.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Antutu also ranks the Mi Note 10 Lite a bit lower than its peers - not appreciably lower, just enough to bump it down the chart.
Higher is better
There's little to no difference in frame rates in the GFXBench tests between S720, S730, and S730G devices - the odd frame per second one way or another is hardly a meaningful advantage. Having said that, the S765 Moto Edge (that's about twice as expensive, admittedly) is more noticeably brawnier in terms of GPU performance. So are the more affordable but now aging Honor 9X Pro and the more affordable but Google-less Huawei P40 Lite.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
The Mi Note 10 Lite does not impress with performance, but delivers perfectly adequate results for its hardware. Marginally lower scores here and there aren't something to make a big deal out of. More importantly, we observed virtually no thermal throttling on the Lite. Certainly, a Snapdragon 765-based option will be more powerful, but in the current market that means twice the price and it's hardly twice the performance.
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