We recently compared the newly announced Xiaomi Mi 9 SE and Samsung Galaxy S10e to see which is the more reasonable buy. But this time we are pitting their bigger flagship brothers – the Mi 9 and Galaxy S10. Would you go for value or supremacy?
Advantages of Xiaomi Mi 9
Advantages of Samsung Galaxy S10
Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+
Both the Xiaomi Mi 9 and Samsung Galaxy S10 sport premium designs but the former attracts attention with its highly reflective multicolor back while the latter has a fresh look with its fullscreen display due to pinhole camera (more on that later). Whether you like pinole or notch – is up to you. But do keep in mind that only the S10 will survive under water with its IP68 rating.
We have AMOLED panels on both sides but the newest Dynamic AMOLED of Samsung should provide more accurate HDR effect.
Performance won’t be a problem here but local buyers of Galaxy S10 will get an Exynos 9820 version instead of the more popular Snapdragon 855. Either way, the difference in performance isn’t noticeable whether it’s games or day-to-day use. Furthermore, you can expand the storage only on the Samsung handset since Mi 9 doesn’t come with a microSD slot.
Moving to the selfie camera first — the Mi 9 has a large 20MP sensor for crisper shots while the Galaxy S9 settles for 10MP but uses autofocus, has a wider shot angle, and capable of recording 4K videos.
As for the cameras, telephoto and ultrawide sensors are found on both devices. Xiaomi has a 48MP + 16MP (ultrawide) + 12MP (tele) setup while Samsung has 12MP (f1.5/f2.4 – wide) + 12MP (tele) + 16MP (ultrawide) setup. Quality will come down to user preference in which you should check out once we release our full review. But one thing to take note of is that OIS is only present for the Galaxy S10.
The sound department belongs to the Galaxy S10 thanks to the presence of an audio jack and improved stereo speakers. The same goes for the latest Wi-Fi 6 and faster USB Type-C connection.
Innovation-wise, the future arrives at both devices sporting in-screen fingerprint scanners. In terms of usage, the ultrasonic sensor of the Galaxy S10 could be faster and more secure than the optical sensor of Mi 9.
Battery capacity is 100mAh larger on the Galaxy S10 at 3400mAh with 4.5W reverse wireless charging for other mobile and accessories, but the Mi 9 should top up faster due to its 27W fast wired charging and (currently) the fastest wireless charging on the market at 20W.
Outside of the usual specs, the Galaxy S10 lets you use its heart rate sensor and its Samsung Dex experience that provides a desktop-like interface on a monitor through a Type-C-to-HDMI cable.
Now for the price – Samsung Galaxy S10 retails for Php49,990(8GB/128GB) while Xiaomi Mi 9 is estimated to start at Php21k(6GB/128GB). Furthermore, higher Mi 9 variants could cost Php25.5k(8GB/128GB) and Php31k(12GB/256GB).
Xiaomi still keeps on offering very competitive prices compared to the supremacy of brands like Samsung thus making it clearly the value-winner device in this comparison. But if you’re into the fullscreen display and a few exclusive features of the Galaxy S10, there’s always the (expensive) price to pay.
Read:
| Specs | Xiaomi Mi 9 | Samsung Galaxy S10 |
| Display | 6.39-inch Full FHD+ Super AMOLED screen, 403ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, HDR, DCI-P3, teardrop notch, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 (front), 5 (back) | 6.1-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O, 438ppi 19:9 ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 (front), 5 (back), HDR 10, Always-on Display, IP68 water and dust resistant |
| Dimensions | 157.5 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm , 173g | 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm, 157g |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) | Exynos 9820 Octa (8 nm) – EMEA, Qualcomm SDM855Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) – USA/LATAM, China |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Mali-G76 MP12 – EMEAAdreno 640 – USA/LATAM, China |
| Memory | 64/128 GB, 6/8 GB RAM | 128/512 GB, 8 GB RAM + microSD, up to 512 GB |
| Main Camera | 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2″, 0.8µm, Laser/PDAF 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.0″, 1.0µm, Laser/PDAF 12 MP, f/2.2, 54mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, Laser/PDAF, 2x optical zoom |
12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide) |
| Front Camera | 20 MP, f/2.0, 0.9µm | 10 MP, f/1.9, Dual Pixel PDAF, up to 4K @ 30fps video recording |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE-A, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, hotspot, BT 5.0, LE, USB Type-C | 4G LTE-A, Bluetooth 5.0, LE, GPS, NFC, WiFi 6 (ax), USB Type-C, audio jack with 32-bit support |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3300mAh battery (27W Quick Charge 4+, 20W wireless charging) | 3400 mAh, 15W wired and wireless charging, 4.5W reverse charging |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie) with MIUI 10 | Android 9.0 (Pie) with One UI |
| Official Price | Php21k(6GB/128GB)
Php25.5k(8GB/128GB) Php31k(12GB/256GB) |
Php49,990 (8GB/128GB) |
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