Which Xiaomi phone is better to buy in 2022: expert rating

Choosing a smartphone in the current world has become a challenge because of the sheer number of models the Chinese tech giant makes every year. A potential buyer is often lost in series, confusing titles and marketing gimmicks, not understanding where the real performance difference lies. If you’re wondering which phone Xiaomi is best to buy in 2022, you’ll need a clear understanding of your own needs so you don’t overpay for unnecessary features or be disappointed in weak hardware.

The company has divided its devices into several distinct segments over the years, each focused on a specific audience. MI’s flagship lineup (now renamed Xiaomi with a digital index) offers cutting-edge technology and premium materials. Redmi and POCO series dominate the affordable segment with a focus on maximum performance for minimal money. Understanding these differences is the first step to smart buying.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the key features to look at when choosing a device this year, and analyze the specific models that have become bestsellers, and we will touch on the issues of processing power, quality of photography and autonomy, so you can make an informed choice.

Key criteria for choosing a smartphone this year

The first thing any technologist looks at is the processor, and it's the chipset that determines the speed of the interface, the ability to run heavy games, and the overall smoothness of the system. In 2022, the middle-class Snapdragon 7 Series and Dimensity processors from MediaTek became the standard, while flagships are equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or their counterparts. It's important not to chase blindly the number of cores, but to look at the results of tests in AnTuTu and Geekbench.

The second critical parameter is the screen, and today's users spend a lot of time on their phones, so the quality of the matrix is a huge part of the difference. IPS gradually AMOLED-panels that provide deep black and high brightness. Update rates of 90 Hz or 120 Hz have become a mandatory minimum for comfortable scrolling of social media feeds.

The MIUI shell (or the new HyperOS) offers a wide range of functionality but requires resources. The minimum amount of RAM for comfortable operation in 2022 is 6 GB, and better to focus on 8 GB or more. Less memory will lead to constant downloading of applications from the background.

Also worth paying attention to is charging speed and battery capacity: Xiaomi’s fast-charging standards allow you to recharge your battery from 0 to 100% in less than 30 minutes, which dramatically changes the user experience.

Flagship solutions: Xiaomi and Mi series

If you're budgeting, you should look at the top-end devices that are driving the industry, and in this segment, the manufacturer offers the best cameras, screens and body materials, usually glass and metal, which gives the device premium weight and tactile pleasure.

One of the main features of flagships is the presence of a telephoto lens with optical zoom, which allows you to take high-quality pictures of distant objects, and it also uses advanced image stabilization, which is critical for video shooting. The processors in these models are often overclocked and have an improved cooling system.

• 📸 Camera: 50 MP main module with optical stabilization and periscopic TV.
• 🚀 Performance: Top-end Snapdragon 8 Series chipset and fast memory UFS 3.1.
• 🖥 Display: LTPO AMOLED adaptive refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz.

It’s worth noting that flagship models often get security updates and a new version of Android for longer, ensuring that the phone remains up-to-date and secure even 3-4 years after purchase, but that comes at a high price that is sometimes comparable to rivals from (Apple) or Samsung.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi flagship models in 2022 can get very hot with prolonged load due to the features of Snapdragon chipsets.

Budget King: The Redmi Note Series

The Redmi Note series has been the benchmark in the affordable smartphone segment for many years. In 2022, this lineup received huge updates, bringing many of the flagship features to the mid-range. AMOLED-screens, (fast charging) and even moisture protection as standard IP53.

The focus of these models is on balance. You won't get a top-end processor for heavy ultra-tuning games, but everyday tasks will be solved instantly. Cameras here are often high resolution, although low-light shooting quality is inferior to flagships due to the lack of optical stabilization.

An important advantage is the presence of a headphone jack 3.5 mm and support for microSD cards, which is becoming rare in the modern world. cases are often made of plastic, but quality, with a pleasant texture that mimics glass or leather.

• 🔋 Autonomy: 5000mAh batteries become standard for the series.
• 🎧 Multimedia: Stereosound and the presence of a minijack for wired headphones.
• 💾 Memory: Often starts with 128GB of internal memory in the base version.

For most users who use a smartphone for social media, navigation, instant messengers and video, the power of the Redmi Note is more than enough. It is a rational choice that allows you to save a significant amount without losing comfort.

Gamer's Choice: The POCO Brand

The POCO sub-brand was designed as a flagship killer, and it was aimed primarily at enthusiasts and gamers. The philosophy is simple: maximum CPU power at the lowest possible price, often sacrificed for the quality of the body materials or the camera.

In 2022, the POCO F and X series received powerful chipsets that allow you to run any game at high settings. The cooling system in such smartphones is often strengthened, using graphite plates, copper tubes and even fans in accessories, which avoids trottling (resetting frequencies due to overheating).

Device design is often aggressive, with bright colors and geometric patterns on the back. POCO Launcher software offers unique widgets and customization capabilities not available in standard MIUI. However, be prepared for the presence of advertising in system applications, which, however, can be turned off.

• 🎮 Games: Support for technology to improve the gameplay and high FPS.
• 🔊 Sound: Powerful stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.
• ⚡ Charging: Support for ultra-fast charging up to 120W.

If you buy a phone primarily for PUBG, Call of Duty Mobile or Genshin Impact, POCO is the best choice for price/performance, and the camera is a document scanner and video caller, and you can't expect miracles from it.

⚠️ Note: In some regions, devices POCO You can have a global firmware version with a Chinese bootloader, which requires unlocking to install Russification. ROM purchase.

Comparative table of popular models

To make the selection process easier, we have brought the key features of the popular 2022 models into a single table, which will allow you to quickly compare key parameters and determine the leader in each category.

Analyzing the table, you can see that even in the mid-range (Redmi Note 11 Pro) manufacturers offer screens with a high refresh rate, which was previously the prerogative of flagships.

The POCO F4 looks like an interesting compromise: the old but proven and stable Snapdragon 870 processor delivers excellent performance, often outperforming the new but overheated Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips in long-term loads.

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When buying, pay attention to the labeling NFC. In some budget models Xiaomi NFC It may not be in the global version, although it may be in Chinese. NFC boxed.

Camera and multimedia: what not to save

For many users, a smartphone is a major content creation tool. In 2022, Xiaomi took a big step forward in image processing by introducing artificial intelligence algorithms. However, megapixel count is not the only indicator of quality.

The matrix size and aperture of the lens are key. Larger pixels capture more light, which is critical for night photography. Optical stabilization (OIS) allows you to take clear pictures from your hands at long exposure and shoot smooth video without shaking.

The Xiaomi 12S series (developed in conjunction with Leica) featured an inch matrix that is physically larger than most competitors.It gives a natural background blur and stunning detail. In the budget segment, a "pixel binning" is common, where multiple pixels are combined into one to improve quality, but it works worse than the physical size.

• 🌃 Night mode: Check the availability of dedicated Night mode and its speed.
• 🎥 Video: Support 4K at 60 frames per second and the presence of stabilization.
• 🤳 Selfie: Front camera resolution and wide-angle mode.

Sound is the norm, but stereo speakers are different, and the alignment of the equalizer is different, and for music lovers, it's important to have high-resolution codecs like LDAC or aptX HD supported via Bluetooth.

⚠️ Attention: Advertised"108 MPs are often a marketing ploy. The real quality of the photos is often worse than that of the public sector. 12-16 Sony's flagship sensors due to cheap optics and poor processing.

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Xiaomi’s best camera in 2022 is in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra/Pro series thanks to its inch sensor and Leica optics, but the Redmi Note Pro series will also be enough for amateur shooting.

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