My experience with the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro after a month of use

At this point, Xiaomi has established itself as a strong alternative to the most recognized brands in the smartphone world . Models like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 or the Xiaomi Mi A3 have been placed among the first choices of users who do not want to spend a lot of money for their new terminal, but do not want to lose benefits along the way. And in the increasingly big mess that are the names of Xiaomi models, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is one of the most powerful proposals that the brand brings us. A model with a competitive price of 400 euros, all screen design with a retractable front cameraand the combination of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with 6 GB of RAM to run both apps and games without problems. A good cover letter for a mobile that also includes a 4,000 milliamp battery with which you will forget to look for a plug throughout the day. But not everything is lights on this Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. I have had the opportunity to tinker with this model for several weeks. This has been my experience of using the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro.

TECHNICAL DATA SHEET XIAOMI MI 9T PRO

Sleek design with fingerprint-repellent glass back

Well yes, this mobile is probably one of the ones that has best solved the use of a shiny glass mess. At least in the black configuration that I have been able to test, the performance of its oleophobic layer (to avoid fingerprints) is very remarkable. Even with dirty fingers, the traces that remain are not very noticeable and for the first time I can use a mobile of this type without having to walk around with the cloth every few minutes. True, it does not work miracles and there are traces of fingerprints but the comparison with other models with a shiny rear leaves a very different feeling.

Of course, as they say around there, the chickens that come in through those that come out. The rear of the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is slippery, quite slippery . Holding it by hand does not generate much security and be careful not to place it on a surface that is not well leveled. As standard, it comes with a fine and fine rubber casing, but in short it is a great but not being able to comfortably use the model without casing.

By the way, a dot pattern is used under the glass to give it a differential touch. Another aspect that differentiates this Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is the placement of its cameras. The main rear camera is placed in a separate module from the other two and with a striking red circle to attract attention (next to the 48 MP and AI Triple Camera inscription on the sides).

But perhaps what I liked the most about the design is that the headphone slot is respected, something that is increasingly less common to see in models of more than 300 euros. The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro only has three physical buttons, which are located on the left side. Perhaps the biggest sacrifice of the design is the audio, since you only have a mono speaker at the bottom next to the slot to insert the SIM card.

In general, we are facing a well-balanced mobile but it is somewhat heavier than other similar models, with 191 grams. Nor is it particularly thin since its thickness is placed at 9 millimeters.

Screen that occupies the entire front

Be that as it may, the most interesting thing about the design of the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is found in its front camera. The Chinese company has decided to release all the front glass to make the most of the screen space , and hide the camera for selfies inside the mobile. In this way, it only comes out automatically when we open the interface for front photos. The time it takes to unfold is just over a second. It takes some agility from taking photos, but in return it is quite cool and on top of it it has a red LED light that surrounds the lens. In fact, we can even customize the sound of the camera when leaving.

As I said, this camera configuration has the great advantage that it leaves all the front for the panel. The truth is that it is attractive to have a cleaner panel, although it gives me the impression that this jump has been half-done. Especially in the lower frame, which is somewhat thicker than desirable to have that infinite screen experience. Of course, I have to admit that I loved being able to have the bar with the notifications totally clean, without taking away space for a perforated camera or for the notch.

The panel of the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is OLED , like the Samsung mobiles and the high-end terminals of companies such as LG or Huawei. This technology brings us higher brightness indexes - I have been able to use the equipment outdoors with sunlight without any problem - and more vivid and somewhat oversaturated colors. Specifically, the maximum brightness level is 600 nits , a figure similar to that set by the Huawei P30 Pro.

We are facing a 6.39-inch screen with a Full HD + resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels . As is often the case in these cases, the question always arises as to whether more detail is required on panels of these sizes. Personally, I do not think it is something fundamental, in fact, many top mobiles that have higher resolutions show Full HD by default. Unless you consume multimedia content at all hours you will not need a higher resolution.

Triple camera with good performance for its price

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is another one that adds to the trend of triple camera configurations. There are no big surprises at this point, as a higher resolution lens, a wide angle and a telephoto are combined . That is, a main camera for more detailed photos, one for taking larger photos (ideal for photos of landscapes or large buildings) and a third that includes a two-fold optical zoom.

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro photo gallery

And what about performance? It must be said that this is not the strongest point of the terminal. Coming as I come from a Huawei P30, the seams are more noticeable in this camera. It generally performs quite well, but fails to impress. In night conditions you can take good quality photos (especially through night mode). It does not reach the level of the top equipment on the market, but we must not forget that this Xiaomi Mi 9T has half the cost of other top-of-the-line models.

This Mi 9T Pro has a portrait mode to create blurs, but suffers from the same problems as for example the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+. When doing the effect through the main objective and the telephoto, to create the blurs we need the person or the element to be at a certain distance (in this case, two meters). That greatly limits the game of this type of photos.

The camera app is very complete. Although for users who are not used to great flourishes it can be overwhelming at first, I think it is a very good portal to start playing with the camera and get the most out of it. Of course, there are ways that I think are a bit too much. For example, that of short videos. The only novelty it brings is that it limits the videos to 15 seconds, in a clear nod to Instagram stories . But honestly, you can watch the time and divide the clip into multiple stories if necessary. What I did like is that you have a separate mode to take photos in the full 48 megapixel resolution of the main camera.

The reason so many manufacturers are bringing 48 or 40 megapixel lenses to their phones is not for you to take huge photos. These pixels are put together in groups of four to improve sharpness and detail, leaving the photo at 10 or 12 megapixels when shooting automatically. By taking the "raw" photo with its 48 megapixels you lose that advantage, but you can enjoy the full resolution of the lens.

As for the camera for selfies, beyond the grace that it comes out automatically when the front camera is activated, it has a good performance. Of course, it is very easy for you to get out of hand with the beauty effect (the smoothest skin features are noticeable even without being activated). It has a resolution of 20 megapixels and an acceptable performance in low light conditions.

Good autonomy

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro fulfills what I expect from a mobile: it is able to endure a whole day of work without having to be sweating to find a plug or worry about carrying the removable battery. It is something that does not happen with many flagship terminals, which trust their letters to the use of fast charging. Of course, it does not reach my ideal either, which is a minimum of two days of use and that very few models on the market reach - what a homelessness of the times of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or the Huawei Mate 8! -. In general, I have been able to work with the Mi 9T Pro for about a day and a half without recharging .

By the way, it is compatible with fast charging technology and capable of reaching up to 27W . In the box it comes with an 18W charger, and the truth is that it is already very fast when it comes to recovering power.

Sound with good and bad news

The sound is the bittersweet section of this Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. On the one hand, it is appreciated that it has had a slot for the headphones , a feature that disappears in many models although today its future is not very clear to me. It is true that some launches abandon it but there are others that recover it, as is the case precisely with this model compared to what we saw with the Xiaomi Mi 8.

On the negative side, it incorporates a single speaker that is located at the bottom and that does not have as much quality as other competitors. It does have quite a bit of power, but it does so at the cost of quite high distortion with the volume near the maximum. Be that as it may, with compatible headphones you can reproduce sound in HiFi quality.

Xiaomi-style custom interface

Regarding the interface of this Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, I recognize that it has not been a Xiaomi for a while and the changes that the functions of the Chinese brand have undergone have left me a very good taste in my mouth. Starting with its full notification panel and going through extra functions such as the always-on screen (to see data such as the time or the latest notifications without having to turn on the phone) or a dark mode for the menus and Xiaomi's own apps.

Even if you want to tinker with the options offered by the mobile, you have the option to choose the sound that the front camera makes when it goes out. And as this one is full of small details that have made the experience of using the mobile very pleasant. Of course, as pleasant as the options were, it would not be the same if it is not joined fluently. The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro more than meets this premise. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor plus 6 GB of RAM go like a shot , and both the menus and apps open very quickly. You can choose between a configuration with 64 GB of internal memory (400 euros) and another with 128 GB of space (450 euros).

Of course, not everything is gold. There are times when my mobile has gotten stuck in apps like WhatsApp and every time you open the gallery if you have many photos stored in the cloud it takes a long time to organize them (you can access the photos by folders to speed up the process, but still leaves to be desired the way in which this organization is carried out).

Price and reviews

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro can be purchased in stores for a price of 400 euros. A very competitive cost for a complete mobile phone with many premium range elements. If you are not looking for a top photographic set and you like the Xiaomi experience, this terminal has many arguments to become your next purchase.