REVIEW: Xiaomi Mi 9T

Dubai - Smile for that pop-up camera, will ya?

I've never been big on tweaking smartphone design, especially if it means slapping on extra unnecessary stuff (I've done a feature once on mobile phone identity crisis). But hey, someone's gotta give it a shot, right?
Which is why we have the Xiaomi Mi 9T, among a category of devices doing away with in-screen cameras to give that truly all-screen display.
Xiaomi, though, is hardly the first to have its own take at extra contraptions at smartphones: Oppo has its Find X and Reno, Honor has its Magic 2 and Vivo has its Nex. Fact: The Mi 9T is, basically, a rebranding of Xiaomi's Redmi K20 for parts of this side of the world.
Logic dictates that this is the successor to the Mi 9. So let's stack up the Mi 9T against it:
TALE OF THE TAPE

We got a bit of upsies and downsies over there. The most notable difference internally is that the Mi 9T's chip is - while the latest in Qualcomm's semi-premium series - a whole notch below where the 8XX line-up is. There are also some downgrades in the camera lenses. It does, however, make up for those with an in-screen fingerprint and a higher battery.
The controls and ports, meanwhile, are at the places you'd expect them to be: Power and volume on the right, USB-C port below and 3.5mm audio jack atop. The dual-SIM tray, however, is at the bottom as well.
The Mi 9T also features an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and it does a pretty solid job. I first enrolled and tested it out with the screen's spec sticker still placed, and it never missed a beat. The sensor area - just at the right place from the chin - will light up once you lift the phone, and you don't have to press it too much for it to recognise your 'print.

^{Fits fairly well in your hand}
Which brings us to the Mi 9T's callout feature: Its selfie camera. As you may notice, its 6.39-inch screen is lacking a front-facing snapper (things like these shouldn't surprise anyone right now); that's because that shooter is tucked inside atop:

^{We'll get to the main camera system a little later}
The only way this pop-up camera - I'd rather term it as a 'periscope', a rather popular term for it - will show up is when you use the selfie function of the camera app. Initially, I thought the mechanism won't allow you manually push it down (I was a bit sceptical on applying too much force); however, just a little extra effort will indeed send it back into hiding. Switching back to the main camera, going to a mode not supported by it, exiting the camera app or locking the device will also do the trick. Just for fun (though I am annoyed by it), the periscope cam makes a sound when it pops up or down; you can only turn this off by either shutting down the media volume or putting the phone on silent. And don't forget the red lights on its edges, too.
In our print review, it was - for some reason - said that face unlock was unavailable. Well, it actually exists. And while it does well under good lighting conditions, it's virtually dead in complete darkness. You'll need a little light for it to recognise your likeness.
Anyway, that extra bulge on top is up to you to judge:

^Pop! 
Anyway, that tiny little contraption isn't a pushover, since it packs a 20MP sensor. And, as always, the front lens tends to smoothen out faces too much - but it's a good selfie-taker, nevertheless:
 
^{It's been a hot day}
The image on the left was taken in a well-lit place. The other one, meanwhile, was taken in a darker area, but you can see how the camera was able to light it up; that also explains why the former is a bit overexposed.
Swinging over to the main camera, you'll find out that an even bigger package awaits you, because it's a triple-lens camera system: 48MP wide, 13MP ultra-wide and 8MP telephoto lenses makes this device a serious snapper. 
And serious it is: It's a great snapper in good lighting conditions; under the summer sun of Dubai, results were bright, crisp and nary a blur, even at times my hands weren't steady.
Here's a general shot:

^{Gusty day in Dubai}
See that flag on the left? Here's how it looks from just below it:

^{UAE flying high} 
It was a rather windy day at the time I took it, but the flag came out okay in the snap.
Some zoom shots:

^{Well, The Trees Told Me So}
The zoom feature pretty much holds up. But if you zoom into the already zoomed-in shots, that's where it gets all pixelated, which is understandable.
Also, you'll need a really steady hand when taking zoomed shots; some of them turn out really garbled.
Here's my favourite set; just look at the detail of the leaves, especially those tiny flowers:

^{Just great} 
But, of course, nothing will beat a great, just-me-myself-and-I sushi meal after a hard day's work of snapping around:

^{Anyone who wants to treat me to sushi, hit me up - PLEASE}
Approaching night, here's a shot at dusk; the camera was able to light up the shot very well, considering that it was a bit foggy at the time:

^{Hello, my dear balcony}
You'll also notice that there's some watermark on the lower-left area; don't worry, you can toggle it on or off in the camera's settings - and even put your own customised message should you wish.
At low-light or night conditions, meanwhile, it belts out decent shots, though it tends to struggle to focus relative to where the lights are at, resulting in rather blurry shots in certain situations. Solution: Use night mode to fix it up and end up with more decent snaps:

^{I told you you can change that watermark}
Smudges and glares a fixed a bit using night mode. And the results will depend on which area you tap to focus on:

^{What am I doing at the office at this time?}

Night mode can really light up a scene, but it gets all mushy at certain areas: 

^{Green is my favourite colour}
And of course, we have to test the front camera at night too: 
 
^Boo 
That mushiness also applies to the front camera.
In the battery life department, the Mi 9T is a serious one. In our standard one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the device lost only 9 per cent, which is at par with some top flagships out there - and it'd better be because, in fact, Xiaomi's is marketing this as its latest flagship. It was good enough to last me almost a day-and-a-half, which is a good rate on any day.
The biggest drawback of this device is that it doesn't have a microSD slot, so you're stuck with the 128GB configuration (there is a 64GB option in some markets). That could be an issue for some, but, fortunately, the higher-end version still won't exactly burn a hole in your wallet.
AND SO... 
All things put together, the Xiaomi Mi 9T could well be vying for the top spot in its class. The periscope cam is a novel idea - though I am really disturbed if, somehow, you drop it and clangs up the entire mechanism to render it immovable.
The downgrade in the chip isn't really felt, because it has, so far, never failed when it comes to performance. Props as well to its sleek design - but be careful when holding it because that silky-smooth glass back may become a bit slippery.
It's a sub-Dh1,500 device that gives a lot of value, making it deserve a good look. There are many others in its class that offer similar things, but what I'm more concerned about is what type of contraption these companies will come up with next.
GOODIES - Great camera, long-lasting battery, sleek design
BADDIES - Non-expandable storage, inferior processor
EDITOR RATING - 4.5/5
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com

• Mobiles