Its phones may not go on sale in the US, but Xiaomi remains one of the most important smartphone manufacturers in the world. It goes toe to toe with Apple and Samsung in its native China, and is comfortably the third biggest player in the global market too.
Part of Xiaomi’s success has come from what you might call a deluge of devices. For better or worse, Xiaomi makes a lot of phones – both within its own core brand, and across its Poco, Redmi, and Black Shark sub-brands. That means there are a lot of excellent Xiaomi phones to pick from, but also that it can be difficult to find the best one for you.
The good news is that every year we review loads of Xiaomi handsets, and here we’ve done our best to rank them as they stand right now – including pros and cons for each model, the latest pricing, and links to our reviews for in-depth analysis.
Read on to find out exactly which Xiaomi phones we think are the best right now.
Best Xiaomi phone reviews 2022
1. Xiaomi 12 – Best Xiaomi phone
Pros
- Compact design
- Excellent performance
- Solid main camera
- Fast wired & wireless charging
Cons
- Middling battery life
- No IP rating
- No telephoto lens
The Xiaomi 12 is a compelling flagship smartphone. Its compact form factor will appeal to those who don’t want a huge handset and, overall, the design looks and feels great.
You also get some high-end specs, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, an AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, and speedy 67W charging. It’s also got a solid main camera, along with a good ultra-wide shooter, but few buyers will be excited by a telemacro lens.
While there’s lots to like about the Xiaomi 12, it still has no waterproofing, and battery life is nothing special.
2. Poco X4 Pro – Best budget phone
Pros
- Affordable
- Stunning design
- Flagship-level 120Hz AMOLED display
- Capable 108Mp camera
Cons
- Plastic body
- Occasional lag
The Poco X4 Pro 5G is a huge upgrade over its predecessor in terms of features and design, with a premium look and feel despite the plastic body. The 120Hz AMOLED display is bright, vibrant and buttery-smooth, with one of the smallest camera cut-outs we’ve seen.
While the refresh rate isn’t adaptive like premium alternatives, the phone can still comfortably last more than a day with average use, and when it does need a top up there’s 67W fast wired charging (with the necessary charger supplied in the box).
The 108Mp camera is a real treat too, offering impressive detail and colour representation in well-lit environments, although the lack of OIS means night photography could be improved. The accompanying 8Mp ultra-wide is handy, but the same can’t be said for the 2Mp macro lens.
The internals are mid-range, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 leading the show, but performance is very decent for the money. A tempting option for the cost-conscious.
3. Xiaomi 12 Pro – Best big phone
Pros
- Sleek, understated design
- Excellent display
- Strong triple camera
- 120W wired charging
Cons
- Poor battery life
- No IP rating
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has an awful lot going for it, but that’s coupled with a pair of major flaws.
We love the sleek, understated design, the beautiful display and the impressive performance. And we (mostly) love the camera, which is a solid performer, if not quite best-in-class.
Unfortunately, the battery life is a clear failing – which might be fixed with updates, but for the moment it frustrates.
4. Poco F4 GT – Best gaming phone
Pros
- Very fast 120W charging
- Excellent performance
- Pop-up shoulder buttons
Cons
- Middling battery life
- No headphone jack
The F4 GT is Poco’s effort to hide a gaming phone in plain sight.
Gamers will love the Snadpragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 12GB RAM, 120W fast charging, and pop-up shoulder buttons.
Meanwhile everyone else will love that it doesn’t look like a gaming phone, and still comes with a decent 64Mp camera that can hold its own.
5. Xiaomi 12 Lite – Best mid-range phone
Pros
- Lightweight construction
- Impressive cameras
- Great performance
- Long battery and quick charging
Cons
- Palm rejection could be better
- No IP rating
The Xiaomi 12 Lite is a very solid mid-range phone. The lightweight construction is a comfortable change from the heavier alternatives found at this price point, plus the square-edged design is both modern and makes it easier to hold in the hand.
Performance is again very good, as are the cameras if you want something for social media platforms. The software can be a bit clunky at times, and the overly sensitive display takes a little getting used to, but these are minor gripes compared to all the other benefits on offer.
6. Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Pros
- Phenomenal main camera
- Powerful performance
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Divisive design
- Selfie camera disappoints
- Only available with Chinese software
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is the company’s most powerful phone right now, but it’s not the one we’d recommend most people by.
Part of that is purely practical: the phone is only officially out in China, so prospective buyers will have to import the phone and fight through some additional hassle to get the software set up to work well for global tastes (it doesn’t include any Google software, including the Play Store, for example).
If you’re willing to put up with that then this is a powerful device. The Leica-branded camera is the main draw, with a 1in main sensor – the biggest around – driving detailed photos, great low-light performance, and beautiful natural bokeh.
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip delivers strong performance and excellent battery life too, while the display is hard to fault either.
The downsides? Other than the Chinese exclusivity, there’s the divisive design, and the fact that for all its size, the camera arguably isn’t quite the best around – the Vivo X80 Pro still trumps in night mode, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra remains the periscopic zoom king.
7. Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G
Pros
- Super fast 120W charging
- Slick design
- Impressive specs
Cons
- Android 11
- Poor macro camera
The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge is an excellent mid-range phone that’s good for a lot more than just the fast charging its name suggests – though with 120W speeds it’s certainly no slouch there.
The design is great, performance is impressive thanks to a MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chipset, and the 108Mp main camera delivers great results too. The only real downsides are that the other camera lenses impress less, and that the phone still ships with the older Android 11 software.
8. Xiaomi Mi 11
Pros
- Fast performance
- Great camera
- Attractive design
- Phenomenal value
Cons
- No IP rating
- No telephoto camera
The Mi 11 is a fantastic bit of hardware for the price, despite now being superceded by the Xiaomi 12. Last year’s fastest chipset, a beautiful display, and strong cameras are all packaged within a lovely bit of industrial design.
Some will miss the IP rating, though for me the bigger down sides are the choice of a macro over a telephoto lens and only average battery life.
9. Black Shark 5 Pro
Pros
- Strong gaming performance
- Fast, responsive 144Hz display
- Built-in magnetic triggers
- Vastly improved main camera
Cons
- Fixed focus on ultrawide camera
- Can get hot over prolonged sessions
- JoyUI takes some getting used to
The Black Shark 5 Pro is currently at the top of the Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone line-up, and it ticks all the boxes for gamers: it has a buttery smooth 144Hz refresh rate, top-level performance, gaming-specific features like magnetic triggers and gesture-activated shortcuts, plus much more.
The 120W charging provides some of the snappiest charging times around achieving a full 100% charge in under 30 minutes, though the downside is a smaller battery than alternatives.
Though not usually a focus for gaming phones, the Black Shark 5 Pro has an impressive 108Mp rear-facing camera that’s capable of taking decent snaps, though the decision to include autofocus capabilities on the macro lens and not the more popular 120-degree ultra-wide leaves some ultrawide shots looking a little soft.
The design will only appeal to committed gamers, and the software frustrates us a little, but otherwise there’s a lot here to like.
10. Poco M4 Pro
Pros
- AMOLED display
- Improved 64Mp camera
- Easy-to-manage design
- Solid battery life
Cons
- No 5G
- Not exceptional in a competitive field
- Pointless macro lens
The Poco M4 Pro takes things in a surprisingly different direction to the Poco M4 Pro 5G (below). Though you may lose 5G connectivity, you gain quite a bit more in return.
It enables the inclusion of the first AMOLED display in the series, as well as the first 64Mp main camera.
It’s debatable whether the Poco M4 Pro’s unique design is any better than its brother’s, but the fact that some effort has gone into making it different is worthy of praise. It’s undeniably a little more compact and thus easier to use single-handed, too.
Throw in more generous RAM and storage options, and you have a well-equipped budget phone that just feels that tiny bit more premium than its close brother.
Xiaomi phone buying advice
What’s the difference between Xiaomi’s different brands?
Xiaomi has a range of different brands, which can make things confusing. First up, it has its core Xiaomi products – these used to have the ‘Mi’ moniker, but now they’re simply branded with the company’s name. This is where you’ll find its latest flagships and foldables, but also plenty of cheaper options.
Budget phones come from the Redmi sub-brand. These are still made by Xiaomi, but the Redmi brand is a signal that a phone will be cheaper than the core line.
Then there’s Black Shark. This is the company’s gaming phone line, with a focus on pure performance and features like advanced cooling, extra controls, and bold designs.
Finally, Poco. While Poco started as a Xiaomi sub-brand, it’s technically been spun off as an independent company since then. However, it still shares Xiaomi’s R&D and uses Xiaomi software, so Poco phones are often quite similar to Xiaomi and Redmi models. They tend to be affordable, like Redmi devices, with a particular focus on power and performance.
Should I buy a Xiaomi phone from China?
If you live in the US then you may be tempted to turn to Chinese importers such as GearBest and Geekbuying to buy a Xiaomi phone – and even readers elsewhere in the world will find that there are still some models that stay exclusive to China and may tempt you into an import, including the top-of-the-range 12S Ultra.
If you do, make sure you buy a model with a global ROM installed, or be prepared to mess around with the software when it arrives (novice users should avoid this). The global models have full access to Google services and an English-language interface out of the box. If you accidentally purchase a Chinese ROM model, we’ve explained how to install Google Play on a Xiaomi phone here.
Second, if you’re buying from China you should take into account that your consumer rights are different to when you buy elsewhere, and that should something go wrong you’re going to find aftersales support more difficult.
Lastly, delivery can be a pain. Delivery times will be longer in general, though there are usually free and express shipping options. More than that, though, there could be hidden costs: you may be asked to pay import duty upon the phone’s arrival, which is calculated based on whatever value is printed on the shipping paperwork, usually plus an additional admin fee.
What software do Xiaomi phones use?
All Xiaomi phones run the Android operating system, with the company’s own MIUI Android skin installed on top.
To be honest, MIUI isn’t our favourite version of Android out there – it’s a little cluttered and complicated – but you can expect a fairly smooth and reliable experience, with plenty of customisation options and fairly frequent updates.
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Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.