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In a surprise announcement, during the EU launch of the Xiaomi Mi 10 series, Xiaomi announced the Mi 10 Lite 5G, an affordable 5G phone based on the Snapdragon 765G chipset.

Their sub-brand Redmi already has the K30 5G which was announced back in December, more recently Nokia announced their Nokia 8.3 also based on the SD765G.

Rumour has it that the next Pixel will be based on this new chipset, with the flagship phones hitting new insane levels of pricing the popularity of these upper mid-range phones could likely soar this year.

Chipset, Memory & Storage

All these phones are based on the same chipset, and the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite has a based specification of 6GB/128GB with the option to upgrade the storage via microSD. This then goes up to 8GB/128GB.

The Redmi K30 5G has a lower base spec of 6GB/64GB but this can also use microSD. This goes up a little higher with options for 8GB/256GB.

Finally, Nokia has two options, either 6GB/64GB or 8GB/128GB with this also have microSD.

Design & Display

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite is the only option out of the three that has an AMOLED display, this is also the smallest phone of the three with a 6.57 inch screen running at 1080 x 2340 pixels. While most phones have adopted a punch hole display this year, the Mi 10 Lite still uses a notch.

The Redmi is a bit larger, using an 6.67 inch IPS display running at 1080 x 2400 pixels with a 120 Hz refresh rate. This then has a dual punch hole to the upper right of the display.

Redmi K30 5G

Then the Nokia has a massive 6.81-inch display running at 1080 x 2400 which also has a notch.

With the Nokia and Redmi using IPS displays, they have located the fingerprint scanner on the side of the phone.

Nokia 8.3
Nokia 8.3

Camera

The differences in the camera specification is one of the main differences between the phones, especially the two Xiaomi devices.

The new Mi 10 Lite arguably has the worst main sensor with a 48 MP sensor, strangely Xiaomi hasn’t revealed the full spec of the other lenses which makes it hard to judge how good the overall spec is. It is claimed that it will have the same 8MP ultra-wide as the Redmi, then a 5MP macro lense and 2MP depth sensor. It is quite possible the other three lenses will be the same spec as the Redmi.

Both the Redmi and Nokia have the same 64 MP f/1.9 lens, but the Nokia uses Zeiss optics which should give it the edge in overall picture quality.

The Redmi then has an 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor.

The Nokia has a better 12MP ultra-wide then also uses the now generic arrangement of 2MP macro 2MP depth.

On the front the Mi 10 Lite has a 16MP wide lens, while the Nokia has 24MP. The Redmi has a dual lens with a 12MP camera and a 2MP depth sensor which will help with the bokeh effect on selfies.

Battery

As for the battery, the Redmi leads the way with a 4500 mAh battery and 30W charge, then the Nokia is next with the same battery size but 18W charge, finally the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite with a 4160 mAh battery and 20W battery.

Other

The big selling point of Nokia recently has been their use of Android One, giving you a pure Android experience and a sort of affordable Pixel.

The new phone lacks the Android One branding on the hardware but will still be using Android One as the base OS. Which therefore means regular updates to the latest features and a guaranteed OS updates for 2 years with security updates for 3.

Price & Availability

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G has launched at an attractive €349 price point, they did not announce UK price or availability but you should be able to buy it from Amazon Spain when it launched like other Xiaomi phones. This would work out as £312, but it won’t land until May.

There is still no work on official UK or EU availability of the Redmi K30 5G but you can buy it from BangGood for £380.

The Nokia is not exactly cheap, the official launch price is €599 but Clove.co.uk has it for pre-order for £499.99 with stock expected in July.

Overall

The Zeiss optics and the use of Android One will likely make the Nokia the best phone overall, but it is around 60% more expensive than the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G, making it a bit of a tough sell.

It is peculiar that you will be able to pick up the  Mi 10 Lite 5G for less than the Redmi, with Redmi traditionally being the affordable sub-brand of Xiaomi. The Redmi K30 5G does have a slightly better overall specification though.

Overall, I am inclined to say the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G is the best option, it is much cheaper than the Nokia, and it will have official EU availability in May so you will get a proper warranty and easier returns.

Specification Comparison Table

Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5GXiaomi Redmi K30 5GNokia 8.3 5G
Announced2020, March 272019, December2020, March 19
StatusComing soon. Exp. release 2020, MayAvailable. Released 2020, JanuaryComing soon. Exp. release 2020, Q2
Dimensions-165.3 x 76.6 x 8.8 mm (6.51 x 3.02 x 0.35 in)171.9 x 78.6 x 9 mm (6.77 x 3.09 x 0.35 in)
Weight-208 g (7.34 oz)220 g (7.76 oz)
BuildGlass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
SIMDual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
TypeAMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsIPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsIPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size6.57 inches, 106.0 cm26.67 inches, 107.4 cm2 (~84.8% screen-to-body ratio)6.81 inches, 112.0 cm2 (~82.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~392 ppi density)1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density) HDR10 120Hz1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~386 ppi density)
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 5
OSAndroid 10.0; MIUI 11Android 10.0; MIUI 11Android 10.0, Android One
ChipsetQualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm)Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm)Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm)
CPUOcta-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)
GPUAdreno 620Adreno 620Adreno 620
Card slotmicroSDXCmicroSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Internal128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM
UFS 2.1UFS 2.1
Modules48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF64 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF64 MP, f/1.9, (wide), PDAF
8 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm8 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), AF
5 MP, f/2.4, (macro), 1.12µm2 MP, f/2.4, (macro), 1/5.0", 1.75µm2 MP, (macro)
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)2 MP, (depth)
FeaturesDual-LED flash, HDR, panoramaDual-LED flash, HDR, panoramaZeiss optics, Dual-LED flash, panorama, HDR
Video2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps, gyro-EIS2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/120fps, 720p@960fps; gyro-EIS2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS
Modules16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1.0µm20 MP, f/2.2, 27mm (wide), 1/3.4", 0.8µm24 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
2 MP, f/2.4, 1/5", 1.75µm, depth sensor
FeaturesHDR, panoramaHDRZeiss optics, HDR
Video1080p@30fps1080p@30fps1080p@30fps
LoudspeakerYesYesYes
3.5mm jackYesYesYes
24-bit/192kHz audio
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth5.0, A2DP, LE5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD5.0, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDSYes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
NFCYesYes
Infrared portNoYesNo
RadioFM radioFM radio
USB2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go
SensorsFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compassFingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compassFingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Non-removable Li-Po 4160 mAh batteryNon-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh batteryNon-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery
ChargingFast charging 20WFast charging 30W, 100% in 57 min (advertised)Fast charging 18W
ColorsBlack, Blue, WhiteBlue, Red, Purple, WhitePolar Night
PriceAbout 350 EUR$ 284.99About 600 EUR

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