iPhone 12 Pro vs Mi 10T Pro
Why I decided to go with Mi 10T Pro instead of the latest Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Before I start, I have to admit that I am a big fan of Apple. I’ve been using iPhones since the first generation was introduced by Steve Jobs on stage in 2007. My current iPhone is the iPhone X which is already 3 years old. I had high hopes for the iPhone 12, but when Apple introduced the new iPhone 12 lineup on October 13th, 2020, saying that I was disappointed is just an understatement.
Out of frustration, I started looking for alternatives. Early this month, I read a news article that Xiami had trumped Apple to become the third best smartphone maker globally, with an impressive year-over-year change of positive 42%, so I decided to give it a try.
I found the Mi 10T Pro and immediate fell in love with it. After comparing it with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, I dodged the iPhone 12 Pro and ordered the Mi 10T Pro from Xiaomi’s online store. I received my phone yesterday (November 13th, 2020), which coincidentally the same date the Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max became available. Here are the reasons behind my decision.
Price
The 6.1" iPhone 12 Pro starts at US$999 with 128GB of memories. The 6.7" iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at US$1,099 also with 128GB of memories.
The Mi 10T Pro has a 6.67" screen with 256GB of memories. I bought it in Hong Kong for HK$3,699 which is equivalent to US$477 (1US$ = 7.75HK$). That means it is less than half the price of the entry model of the 6.1" iPhone 12 Pro. What if we compare the Mi phone to a more equivalent model, which is the 6.7" iPhone 12 Pro Max with 256GB? That model will set you back for US$1,199. A quick napkin calculation shows that it is 250% in terms of price compared to the Mi 10T Pro.
To put things in perspective, you can buy a 65" 4K UHD Smart TV for less than US$500 these days. Paying more than US$1,000 for a smart phone that is only marginally better than its competitors is just insane.
Display Refresh Rate
While my Mi 10T Pro has a 144 Hertz display, the entire iPhone 12 lineup this year, even the most expensive model, still sticks with 60 Hertz iscompletely pathetic. How can one justify something that is twice the price but has less than half of the refresh rate? Apple already developed technology for 120 Hertz display which carries the brand name of ProMotion technology as seen in the iPad Pro 2020, but Tim Cook is a cheap ass that he doesn’t even want to include it this year in any of the iPhone 12 models to drive down cost. If the US$799 iPad Pro can have a 11" ProMotion display, how come the iPhone 12 Pro that cost at least US$999 with only a 6.1" display don’t have ProMotion technology?
If you browse the internet a lot on your phone, or if you play a lot of mobile video games, you will greatly appreciate the ultra smoothness of the display to your eyes. Next time when you are in an Apple store, try putting a regular iPad and an iPad Pro side by side and do a comparison of browsing the same webpage. Trust me, once you experience it, there is no return back to the pathetic 60 Hertz display.
Touch ID
One thing I really hate about my iPhone X is the elimination of the Touch ID in exchange for the Face ID. It took me a while to get used to it. Now we are in the middle of the pandemic. In a place like Hong Kong where mask wearing is mandatory indoors and outdoors, the lack of Touch ID is not only an inconvenience, but a safety concern. Countless times that I have to drag down my mask just to activate my Face ID to either check my phone or to use Apple Pay.
The Mi 10T Pro has the Touch ID sensor embedded in the power button. Turning on the phone is as simple as touching your thumb at the power button without any noticeable delay.
Again, Apple already developed the technology to embed Touch ID sensor into the power button as we see in the latest iPad Air 2020 which was unveiled in September, one month before Apple unveiled the iPhone 12. That iPad Air announcement gave me a false hope that such Touch ID sensor would come as a standard for at least the iPhone 12 Pro, I couldn’t be more wrong.
Accessories
While my Mi 10T Pro comes with a 33W faster charger that let me charge my phone from dead to 100% in just one hour, Apple removed the charger from the box this year to drive down cost in the name of sustainability. Not only that, Apple doubled down and took out the earpods as well. Look, when you take out something that you are still selling online and in store for US$19.00, shouldn’t you reduce the same amount from the overall price of the iPhone, or at least provide Apple credit to those who need one? All you get is just a USB-C to Lightning cable in addition to the iPhone.
Yup, I did mention Lightning cable. It’s not a typo. While pretty much all Apple products have abandoned the 8-years old technology of Lightning connector for the universal USB Type C connector, the whole new iPhone 12 lineup all sticks with the old Lightning connector. This is completely mind-boggling to me.
In comparison, here are the accessories that come in the box of the Mi 10T Pro: Power adapter / USB-C cable/ SIM eject tool / Silver ion anti-bacterial case / Anti-bacterial screen protector.
Conclusion
Unless you were born with a silver spoon, you shouldn’t spend more than a grand for a cellphone that only comes with yesterday’s technologies. The iPhone 12 Pro is definitely in this category. If you have iPhone X or later models, there is absolutely no reason to upgrade. I will recommend you wait for another year. Rumors have that the iPhone 13 will have a 120 Hz ProMotion display, Touch ID, no or minimal notch, no more Lightning connector, and a more energy efficient 5G modem from Qualcomm. If all these rumors turn out to be true, upgrading to the iPhone 12 doesn’t make a lot of sense. If you already got one, maybe it is time to check whether t is still within the return period. After all, there are plenty of better and more affordable alternatives out there. To me, the Mi 10T Pro will keep me a very happy smartphone user until there is any major breakthrough from Apple to convert me back to iPhone.
