Even the best Xiaomi phones don’t get the tech media in the West very excited. After all, most people outside of Asia haven’t even heard of this Chinese brand. But that’s changing fast, as people realize just how much it has to offer. 

Because if you’re willing to cast off your brand loyalty to Apple or Samsung, you can get excellent cameras, fast processors, gorgeous screens, and impressive connectivity for a lot less cash.

Choosing the best Xiaomi phone, however, can be a confusing nightmare, because there are so many of them. They don’t all even have ‘Xiaomi’ in their name, as the company has a number of sub-brands, including Mi, Redmi, and Poco.

Below we list the very best Xiaomi phones of all types. Or, should we say, the best ones you can actually buy in the West. For instance, the Xiaomi 12s Ultra isn’t just the best Xiaomi phone to date, it’s the best camera phone we have ever used. But unfortunately, it’s only sold in China, and it’s not coming to global markets. 

Similarly, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is the best foldable phone from Xiaomi, but again, it’s only currently available for the home market. And while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has launched in China, its launch in the West hasn’t yet been confirmed.

So these are the best Xiaomi phones you can actually buy in Europe and North America right now, along with links to our in-depth reviews for further info.

best Xiaomi phone: our top picks

The best Xiaomi phones in 2023

Xiaomi

The key attraction of the 12T Pro is its 200MP resolution, offering the same ground-breaking resolution as the much, much more expensive Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. This produces masses of detail, but its overall photographic potential are let down by inferior, old-spec secondary cameras. 

The ultra-wide setting offers a mere 8MP, and the paltry 2MP of the macro lens makes it hardly worth using. This is a decent-value phone, nonetheless, and its 120W charging is particularly welcome with those who want to top of their phone in a hurry. The large 5000mAh battery also helps it handset last all day.

See our full Xiaomi 12T Pro review.

The latest phone from Xiaomi, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, has be launched in the West. In the meantime, the 12 Pro remains the company’s most advanced smartphone you can actually buy right now. 

Launched in December 2021, it boasts sleek design, with stylish curves and a beautiful finish on the back. We also love the 6.73-inch screen; a high-quality LTPO AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, QHD (1440 x 3200) resolution and to 1500 nits in high brightness mode. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a great performer. The Qualcomm’s latest-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, when twinned with 12GB RAM, keeps everything running smoothly and responsively. 

The triple-camera setup is pretty impressive too, particularly the main 50MP IMX707 1/1.28-inch Sony sensor, which lets in a ton of light. The 50MP telephoto and 50MP ultra-wide sensors aren’t so capable, which is a shame, but still do a decent job, and there are loads of shooting modes to choose from. The 32MP selfie camera is a high quality offering too. The only downside is that while it does incorporate some dust- and waterproof features, it’s not IP rated.

Read our full Xiaomi 12 Pro review.

If you want a more compact phone than the Xiaomi 12 Pro (number one on our list), then its sibling, the Xiaomi 12, is an excellent choice. It has a smaller screen size (6.28 inches) and is smaller and lighter overall, but still boasts most of the same performance and specs. 

The main differences lie in the screen’s resolution (1080 x 2400 to the Pro’s much higher 1440 x 3200), and the camera’s second and third sensors (a 13MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro, compared with the Pro’s 50MP + 50MP setup). But both run on the same processor, the batteries are near-identical, and both displays support HDR10+ and have 120Hz refresh rates. So given the lower price of the Xiaomi 12, if you prefer a smaller phone anyway, it’s probably a slam dunk. 

Read our full Xiaomi 12 review.

If you’re looking for a relatively cheap Xiaomi phone, the Xiaomi 12 Lite has a lot to offer, including an excellent selfie camera for the price, a decent 108MP main camera, and a lovely AMOLED screen. On the downside, the 4,300mAh battery is a little underpowered, and our reviewer wasn’t impressed with the performance of the 2MP macro sensor. If those aren’t deal-breakers, though, you get a lot of bang for your buck with this very nice budget-beater. 

Read our full Xiaomi 12 Lite review.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is large but has a premium-feel thanks to its slim 8.1 mm depth and tapered curves. Its 6.81-inch screen has a wide 20:9 aspect ratio, and offers a superior QHD resolution and a peak brightness of 1,500 nits. 

The main camera features a 108 MP sensor, a 13 MP ultrawide sensor and a 5MP sensor combined with a macro lens. No telephoto, then, but on the plus side you can can shoot in 8K, and capture HDR video at up to 4K. 

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 review.

Released in September 2021, the Xiaomi 11T Pro is a budget-friendly version of the Xiaomi Mi 11. To achieve its lower price, there’s no wireless charging or traditional telephoto camera. But what you are getting is a powerful 108MP camera module with great image stabilisation, bolstered by an excellent 5MP telemacro lens and decent 8MP ultra-wide angle option. 

The Xiaomi 11T Pro, which runs Android 11, also has a great performing screen, a 5000mAH battery, and superfast charging, making this an excellent choice in the mid-range price bracket. 

Read our full Xiaomi 11T Pro review. 

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite is another great budget buy. It’s slightly pricier than the previous model on our list, the Poco X3 Pro, and slightly older too, but to balance that out, it does support 5G.

With a high (2400 x 1080) resolution, the screen is super-sharp, and smooth too, thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. The camera features a 64MP resolution module with a Sony IMX682 sensor, along with an 8MP ultrawide sensor with a 120-degree field of view, and 2MP macro and depth sensors. Along with stereo speakers, an IR blaster and 4K capture, it all adds up to an attractive bundle. 

Admittedly, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite doesn’t excel at any one thing in particular. But if you’re just looking for a good all-rounder, at a low price, this is very much worth considering. 

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite review. 

Macro cameras on smartphones often seem a bit of an afterthought, but the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G is a notable exception. With 1.12μm pixels, an f/2.4, and autofocus with a focal range from 2cm to 10cm, the 5MP sensor does an excellent job at bringing out all that close-up detail you crave. 

Plus, with a 108MP main sensor and 13MP ultra-wide, it’s a pretty decent camera overall too. A large screen with a 144Hz refresh rate completes the picture, and overall this is a great value 5G phone for the price. 

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G review.

Redmi

Looking for the best Xiaomi phone at a low price? Then we’d recommend the Redmi Note 10 5G. One of the cheapest 5G phones you can buy right now, it runs the latest version of Android (11), comes with a 48MP camera, offers up to up to 128GB storage, and promises excellent battery life. All of this is very impressive to see in a budget phone. 

Obviously, you’ll have to make compromises for a phone this cheap. So you won’t find an ultrawide or telephoto sensor here, and it’s not great for macro photography either. But if you’re watching the pennies, there’s an awful lot to like about this Xiaomi phone. 

Read our full Redmi Note 10 5G review.

Like getting value for money? Then you’ll find it in the Redmi Note 11 Pro. For a quite affordable price you get quite a fantastic phone.  

The display is to die for, with a high 120Hz refresh rate, 700 nits brightness, support for HDR and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The camera comes with a top-quality 108MP main lens, along with an 8MP ultra-wide, a 5MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. Battery life from 5,000mAh batter is excellent too. All this is just incredible considering the low price of the Redmi Note 11 Pro. 

Read our full Redmi Note 11 Pro review.

Poco

For a mid-range price, the Poco X4 Pro 5G offers something suprisingly close to a high-end experience. 

As well as 5G connectivity, you get a 108MP main camera, along with ultra-wide and macro sensors, and a 16MP selfie camera too. And shooting modes go beyond the standard ones to include 108MP, Short video, Panorama, Document, Slow motion, Time-lapse, Long exposure and Dual video modes.

Elsewhere, the 6.67 inch screen is amazing for the price: a premium AMOLED panel offering a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. And the 5,000mAh battery should last the whole day long. All in all, for bang-for-buck value this is hard to beat. 

Read our full Poco X4 Pro 5G review.

If you’re looking for a budget phone, then you’re spoilt for choice among Xiaomi’s range. And another great option can be found in the Poco X3 Pro. 

For a low price, you get a modern smartphone running the latest version of Android, 128GB or 256GB storage, a powerful battery, and a quality IPS screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The main camera module features a 48MP Sony IMX 582 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, a 2MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. You can shoot video in 4K at 30fps, and the 20MP selfie camera is impressive too.

In short, if you’re not bothered about 5G, and you’re keen on your smartphone photography, this is an excellent choice. 

Read our full Poco X3 Pro review.

Released last March, the Poco F3 5G is another great Xiaomi phone at a budget price. And while it’s broadly comparable to other low-cost Xiaomi phones on this list, there is one area it stands out. 

While Its 120Hz AMOLED display is on a par with the Redmi Note 10 Pro’s, it has faster processing power thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chip paired with 6GB or 8GB RAM, along with 5G connectivity. And that makes it fantastic for gaming, even on top-tier games.

You also get a decent camera, with a 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide and 5MP telemacro, making it a good choice for macro photography. 

Read our full Poco F3 5G review.

If you’re on a budget, but crave a decent camera on your phone, then the Poco X3 NFC is well worth checking out. Its 64MP primary camera features Sony’s superior IMX682 64MP sensor, along with a 13MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro. And while it’s not great for distance shooting, it’s impressive overall, with broad dynamic range and a very respectable night mode. 

Running Android 10, this is a decent phone in general, too, with a powerful 5160mAh battery, and a generously sized 6.67 inch screen with 120Hz refresh rate and tall 20:9 aspect ratio. 

Read our full Poco X3 NFC review.

Black Shark

Want a phone that’s good at gaming? Then Xiaomi has not just one phone, but a whole line of them, under the ‘Black Shark’ banner. And the Black Shark 5 Pro is the one we’d recommend over all others, with hardware and software that works together to provide a first-class mobile gaming experience. 

It’s not bad for photography either, with a 108MP main camera twinned with a 13MP ultra-wide sensor and a 5MP depth-sensing lens. It captures decent images by night as well as day, and supports HDR video. The 4,650mAh battery will keep your phone juiced up for plenty of hours, too. See also Best phones for gaming

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How we test Xiaomi phones

As a photography website, we pay special attention to the photo and video quality of Android phones. Camera phones are all-around digital assistants too, of course, so we will also check general handling, usability, and practicality – such as battery life.

For Android camera phones we rate resolution, noise, and color rendition in the context of what rival Android phones can do, and where there are any special features, such as ‘night modes’ or ‘portrait modes’, we check that these perform as the makers describe. 

What is the difference between Xiaomi and Redmi?

You’d be forgiven for thinking Redmi is a phone brand in its own right, but, Remdi is actually a subbrand of Xiaomi. Redmi devices are usually more budget-friendly than those made under the main Xiaomi brand. Xiaomi phones typically have newer cameras and features than their Redmi counterparts, although Redmi phones still pack in some excellent features for a reduced price.

What is the difference between Xiaomi and Poco?

Xiaomi reserves its most high-end phones for selling under its own name, but the company also produces phones sold under the Poco branding. Poco is used for the company’s mid-tier phones, which offer a little less power and less capable cameras than Xiaomi phones, but at a lower price.