Xiaomi, as a brand, has been on a roll lately. They’ve been continually releasing great smartphones and as well as opening up new authorized Mi Stores here in the Philippines.
With that, today’s comparison will cover two of their most recently released phones here in the Philippines — the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 and the Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Let’s talk about the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 first. This is a gaming smartphone that is made exactly with mobile gamers in mind. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and an obligatory aggressive design.
The second phone in this matchup is the Xiaomi Mi Note 10. It’s main feature is the five cameras on the back, led by a 108-megapixel primary shooter.
You might be wondering, why are we comparing a gaming phone to a mid-range phone? You might be surprised at how close they are in some aspects — especially the price. Let’s find out more of their similarities and differences in this Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Mi Note 10 Specs Comparison.
| Xiaomi Black Shark 2 | Xiaomi Mi Note 10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie MIUI 10 | Android 9.0 MIUI 11 |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby |
| Display | 6.39-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi 108.9% DCI-P3 430-nits 34.7ms latency HDR | 6.47-inch AMOLED 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution ~398 ppi 87.8% screen-to-body ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 5 HDR |
| Processor | 2.96GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ octa-core Liquid Cooling 3.0 | 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 octa-core |
| RAM | 6GB/8GB/12GB | 6GB |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Adreno 618 |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 non-expandable | 128GB non-expandable |
| Front camera | 20-megapixel f/2.0 | 32-megapixel f/2.0 |
| Rear Camera | 48-megapixel (f/1.8, Sony IMX 586) 12-megapixel (2x telephoto, f/2.2) PDAF LED flash AI Scene Detection Night Mode | 108-megapixel (f/1.7, 7P Lens, OIS) 12-megapixel (f/2.0. Portrait) 5-megapixel (50x digital zoom, OIS) 20-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide) 2-megapixel (f/2.4, macro) LED flash AI Scene Detection Night Mode |
| Audio | Stereo speakers No headphone jack | Single loudspeaker Headphone jack |
| Security | In-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock | In-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS USB Type-C | 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, BDS, Galileo, A-GPS, GLONASS USB Type-C |
| Dimensions | 163.61 x 75.01 x 8.77mm | 157.8 x 74.2 x 9.7mm |
| Weight | 205g | 208g |
| Colors | Black Silver Blue | Aurora Green Glacier White Midnight Black |
| Battery | 4,000mAh 27W fast-charging support | 5,260mAH 30W fast-charging |
| Price | 6GB/128GB: Php22,990 8GB/128GB: Php23,990 12GB/256GB: Php28,990 | Php25,990 |
As you can see, the two phones clearly are meant for two different customers. But first, let’s discuss their similarites and differences.
Let’s start with the display. The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has a 6.39-inch AMOLED display while the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 has a 6.47-inch AMOLED screen. The former has a faster screen while the latter looks more sleek with its curved corners.
Processor and GPU wise, as expected, the Black Shark 2 overpowers the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 thanks to its flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and Adreno 640 GPU.
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is running on a midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chip and an Adreno 618 GPU.
On the memory front, the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has 3 different variants to choose from. Namely; 128GB/6GB, 128GB/8GB and 256GB/12GB. Compared to the single variant of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 which is 128GB/6GB.
Related:
- Xiaomi Mi Note 10 vs Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro: What’s the difference?
- Xiaomi Black Shark 2 vs Black Shark 2 Pro: What’s the Difference?
Where the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 shines is in its 5-rear camera set up. It houses a 108-megapixel main camera — making it one of the firsts to have it. We also have the 12-megapixel (telephoto), 5-megapixel (50x zoom), 20-megapixel (ultrawide) and a 2-megapixel (macro) cameras. At the front is a 32-megapixel selfie camera.
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has a 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel dual camera set up at the back. At the front is a 20-megapixel selfie camera. Clearly, the Mi Note 10 wins this round.
Battery wise, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 has the bigger battery and faster-charging feature. The Mi Note 10 is housing a 5,260mAh battery and has a 30W Fast Battery Charging feature. While the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has a 4,000mAh battery and a 27W Fast Battery charging feature.
As stated earlier, both phones are fairly within the same price range. Here are the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 prices based from their variants: 128GB/6GB for Php22,990, 128GB/8GB for Php23,990 and 256GB/12GB for Php28,990. While the Xiaomi Mi Note 10’s lone model of 128GB/6GB can be bought for Php25,990.
To summarize, if overall features and best-possible performance is what you’re after, then the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 is the clear winner. But if mobile photography is really a top priority, and you want to brag about owning the first smartphone to come with a 108-megapixel camera, then the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is here for you.