Part of Xiaomi’s success has come from what you might call a deluge of devices. For better or worse, Xiaomi makes a lot of phones – both within its own core brand, and across its Poco, Redmi, and Black Shark sub-brands. That means there are a lot of excellent Xiaomi phones to pick from, but also that it can be difficult to find the best one for you. The good news is that every year we review loads of Xiaomi handsets, and here we’ve done our best to rank them as they stand right now – including pros and cons for each model, the latest pricing, and links to our reviews for in-depth analysis. Read on to find out exactly which Xiaomi phones we think are the best right now. Bear in mind that if you’re considering a flagship, the new Xiaomi 13 series has already been revealed in China and is expected to launch worldwide (except the US) in the next month or two.
Best Xiaomi phone reviews 2023
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Compact design Excellent performance Solid main camera Fast wired & wireless charging
Middling battery life No IP rating No telephoto lens
You also get some high-end specs, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, an AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, and speedy 67W charging. It’s also got a solid main camera, along with a good ultra-wide shooter, but few buyers will be excited by a telemacro lens. While there’s lots to like about the Xiaomi 12, it still has no waterproofing, and battery life is nothing special.
Affordable Stunning design Flagship-level 120Hz AMOLED display Capable 108Mp camera
Plastic body Occasional lag
While the refresh rate isn’t adaptive like premium alternatives, the phone can still comfortably last more than a day with average use, and when it does need a top up there’s 67W fast wired charging (with the necessary charger supplied in the box). The 108Mp camera is a real treat too, offering impressive detail and colour representation in well-lit environments, although the lack of OIS means night photography could be improved. The accompanying 8Mp ultra-wide is handy, but the same can’t be said for the 2Mp macro lens. The internals are mid-range, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 leading the show, but performance is very decent for the money. A tempting option for the cost-conscious.
Sleek, understated design Excellent display Strong triple camera 120W wired charging
Poor battery life No IP rating
We love the sleek, understated design, the beautiful display and the impressive performance. And we (mostly) love the camera, which is a solid performer, if not quite best-in-class. Unfortunately, the battery life is a clear failing – which might be fixed with updates, but for the moment it frustrates.
Very fast 120W charging Excellent performance Pop-up shoulder buttons
Middling battery life No headphone jack
Gamers will love the Snadpragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 12GB RAM, 120W fast charging, and pop-up shoulder buttons. Meanwhile everyone else will love that it doesn’t look like a gaming phone, and still comes with a decent 64Mp camera that can hold its own.
Lightweight construction Impressive cameras Great performance Long battery and quick charging
Palm rejection could be better No IP rating
Performance is again very good, as are the cameras if you want something for social media platforms. The software can be a bit clunky at times, and the overly sensitive display takes a little getting used to, but these are minor gripes compared to all the other benefits on offer.
Phenomenal main camera Powerful performance Excellent battery life
Divisive design Selfie camera disappoints Only available with Chinese software
Part of that is purely practical: the phone is only officially out in China, so prospective buyers will have to import the phone and fight through some additional hassle to get the software set up to work well for global tastes (it doesn’t include any Google software, including the Play Store, for example). If you’re willing to put up with that then this is a powerful device. The Leica-branded camera is the main draw, with a 1in main sensor – the biggest around – driving detailed photos, great low-light performance, and beautiful natural bokeh. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip delivers strong performance and excellent battery life too, while the display is hard to fault either. The downsides? Other than the Chinese exclusivity, there’s the divisive design, and the fact that for all its size, the camera arguably isn’t quite the best around – the Vivo X80 Pro still trumps in night mode, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra remains the periscopic zoom king.
Solid performance Great cameras for the price 120W fast charging Impressively affordable
Underwhelming battery life No wireless charging No IP rating
Performance from the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Ultra chipset is superb, with only an occasional app crash or stutter. Everything looks great on the 6.67in OLED display, especially when combined with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 108Mp main camera is another highlight, but all four lenses on the 12T hold their own. With a slick, premium design and rapid 120W charging, there’s a lot to like here. But in exchange for those charging speeds, you’ll have to contend with underwhelming battery life, and miss out on a few high-end features. If you can look beyond that, the Xiaomi 12T is an excellent phone – especially for the price.
Super fast 120W charging Slick design Impressive specs
Android 11 Poor macro camera
The design is great, performance is impressive thanks to a MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chipset, and the 108Mp main camera delivers great results too. The only real downsides are that the other camera lenses impress less, and that the phone still ships with the older Android 11 software.
Strong gaming performance Fast, responsive 144Hz display Built-in magnetic triggers Vastly improved main camera
Fixed focus on ultrawide camera Can get hot over prolonged sessions JoyUI takes some getting used to
The 120W charging provides some of the snappiest charging times around achieving a full 100% charge in under 30 minutes, though the downside is a smaller battery than alternatives. Though not usually a focus for gaming phones, the Black Shark 5 Pro has an impressive 108Mp rear-facing camera that’s capable of taking decent snaps, though the decision to include autofocus capabilities on the macro lens and not the more popular 120-degree ultra-wide leaves some ultrawide shots looking a little soft. The design will only appeal to committed gamers, and the software frustrates us a little, but otherwise there’s a lot here to like.
AMOLED display Improved 64Mp camera Easy-to-manage design Solid battery life
No 5G Not exceptional in a competitive field Pointless macro lens
It enables the inclusion of the first AMOLED display in the series, as well as the first 64Mp main camera. It’s debatable whether the Poco M4 Pro’s unique design is any better than its brother’s, but the fact that some effort has gone into making it different is worthy of praise. It’s undeniably a little more compact and thus easier to use single-handed, too. Throw in more generous RAM and storage options, and you have a well-equipped budget phone that just feels that tiny bit more premium than its close brother. Budget phones come from the Redmi sub-brand. These are still made by Xiaomi, but the Redmi brand is a signal that a phone will be cheaper than the core line. Then there’s Black Shark. This is the company’s gaming phone line, with a focus on pure performance and features like advanced cooling, extra controls, and bold designs. Finally, Poco. While Poco started as a Xiaomi sub-brand, it’s technically been spun off as an independent company since then. However, it still shares Xiaomi’s R&D and uses Xiaomi software, so Poco phones are often quite similar to Xiaomi and Redmi models. They tend to be affordable, like Redmi devices, with a particular focus on power and performance. If you do, make sure you buy a model with a global ROM installed, or be prepared to mess around with the software when it arrives (novice users should avoid this). The global models have full access to Google services and an English-language interface out of the box. If you accidentally purchase a Chinese ROM model, we’ve explained how to install Google Play on a Xiaomi phone here. Second, if you’re buying from China you should take into account that your consumer rights are different to when you buy elsewhere, and that should something go wrong you’re going to find aftersales support more difficult. Lastly, delivery can be a pain. Delivery times will be longer in general, though there are usually free and express shipping options. More than that, though, there could be hidden costs: you may be asked to pay import duty upon the phone’s arrival, which is calculated based on whatever value is printed on the shipping paperwork, usually plus an additional admin fee. To be honest, MIUI isn’t our favourite version of Android out there – it’s a little cluttered and complicated – but you can expect a fairly smooth and reliable experience, with plenty of customisation options and fairly frequent updates. Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he’s a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
