If you’re looking for the best Xiaomi phone to buy, you could easily get confused by the sheer variety of devices the company puts out – the tech giant has a few different sub-brands it puts phones out under, and each of them has separate lines of devices too.
Since Xiaomi is the second-biggest smartphone company in the world, trailing Samsung and ahead of Apple, you might be wanting to try out one of its phones. The company is best known for its competitively-priced mid-ranged phones, but it actually has a huge array of handsets, from cheap models to super-powered flagships and with some niche entries too.
Xiaomi markets its phones under many sub-brands including its flagship Mi, budget Redmi, mid-range Pocophone and gaming-focused Black Shark brands, and most of those have several lines of devices too. You don’t need to worry about all of that too much, though, because instead of throwing the whole intimidating array of Xiaomi phones at you, we’ve picked the best.
The below choices hit a range of price tags from low-end to super-pricey, with options for you if you like top-spec cameras, quick charging, long-lasting batteries or more. WIth four different brands under its wing, you can rest assured Xiaomi has something for you.
The most recent phone on this list is the Xiaomi 11T Pro, launched in September 2021 as a budget take on the Xiaomi Mi 11, the company’s annual flagship launched at the beginning of the year. Some time soon we’ll hopefully see the Xiaomi 12 and maybe the Xiaomi Mi Note 11 too, to further shake up the roster.
The firm might be a relative newcomer to the field but Xiaomi phones often have impressive specs and features, with prices lower than you’d expect. If you’re looking for great value for money, Xiaomi is a great pick over handsets from Apple, Samsung and Huawei, providing you do your research.
As always, we’re updating this list regularly to keep up to date with all the latest Xiaomi developments. 2021 is wrapping up but 2022 promises to be as busy as ever. For now, check out our ranking of the best Xiaomi phones that you can buy right now.
If you don’t think you want a Xiaomi device, you can check out our list of the best phones overall, or individual lists for the best Android phone or best iPhone we’ve compiled. We’ve also got guides on the best budget phone, best camera phone and best 5G phone, and while Xiaomi has entries in lots of those guides, there are plenty of other devices too.
The best Xiaomi phones
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is the company’s flagship for 2021, showcasing new camera modes, screen technologies and rear camera designs at a premium-phone price tag.
We gave the phone a glowing review, praising, in particular, its macro photography mode (using a bespoke rear lens), its great-looking screen with a high resolution and refresh rate, and the processing power provided by its top-end chipset.
While this phone represents the best tech Xiaomi has right now, its cost might put some people off it – despite that, if you’re looking for a great smartphone from the company, it should be the first one you consider.
Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 review
The Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC is a surprising phone mainly because it is one. This phone has really impressive specs for a handset at its price.
The device has loads of processing power, a really long-lasting battery, and a 120Hz screen all for a really low price. If you pick this device up you’re certainly getting more than you paid for, in the best possible way.
Sure, there are some quirks not everyone will like – the phone is really big, and the cameras don’t match same-price competitors. But this is still a worthy buy, that’s the best budget phone right now.
Read our full Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC review
If you’re looking for the best phone from Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi, the Note 10 Pro is that phone. It has top specs and a low price, making it a solid buy.
The phone has a super-high-res 108MP main camera, a big and bold 120Hz screen and a massive 5,020mAh battery – as cheap phones go, it’s a star.
Sure, there are a few things you miss out on with the Note 10 Pro – there’s no 5G here, mainly – but if you don’t need that, the phone is all you need.
Read our full Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
The Xiaomi 11T Pro is both a mid-range take on the Mi 11 and the year-on successor to the Mi 10T Pro, though it’s worth noting that it was the first phone to lose the ‘Mi’ branding previously used by the company.
This is a great mid-range handset with a powerful chipset, good-looking screen, useful camera array and intuitive fingerprint scanner. If you liked the look of the Mi 11 you’ll find many of its features here like the 5MP telemacro lens or plentiful camera modes.
There were a few issues with the phone though – its fingerprint sensor, though quick to use, was a bit too high for some people to reach. The main problem we had was that it got hot really quickly, which reduced processing power.
Overall, though, this is a great Xiaomi phone, and if you need a new mid-range handset it’s definitely worth checking out.
Read our full Xiaomi 11T Pro review
Xiaomi’s Pocophone sub-brand became very prolific between 2020 and 2021, and the Poco F3 is part of the third generation of devices.
The phone is a display and performance champion, making it great for streaming, gaming and scrolling through social media.
As a low-cost phone there are things you’re missing out on – the cameras aren’t great, and there’s no wireless charging, but not everyone needs those things.
Read our full Xiaomi Poco F3 review
The Xiaomi Mi 10T series were late-2020 additions to the Mi 10 phones, and the Mi 10T Pro is the top of that new squad, which sits above the Mi 10 but below the Mi 10T Pro. Ironically, this order goes the other way in our best Xiaomi phones round-up.
The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is great as a cut-price flagship – it has the same main camera, software and processing power but has a lower quality design and display to balance the books and keep the cost low.
There are a few great additions to this phone that are absent in the Mi 10 series though like a really useful side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 144Hz display and an absolutely huge camera bump.
Read our full Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro review
Since you’re only seeing Xiaomi’s 2021 super-phone, the Mi 11 Ultra, halfway through this list, you can probably tell it has a few issues.
The large camera bump really gets in the way, it costs a huge amount, and we found it had an overheating issue that affected performance.
Look past those issues, and you’ve got a fantastic phone – it charges incredibly quickly, it uses the top-end Snapdragon 888 chipset, the cameras are great, and the display looks amazing.
Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review
If you’re looking for a phone that’s good for gaming, but don’t want to splash out on a top-end device, you might find a Black Shark device great for you, and the Black Shark 3 is the third-gen phone from Xiaomi’s gaming-focused subsidiary.
The Black Shark 3 has plenty of top-end specs like a Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G connectivity, a big battery and a 90Hz refresh rate screen, but doesn’t cost as much as many of its similarly-specced competitors. The phone has a great camera too, which is somewhat of a surprise.
Sure, this phone isn’t for everyone, and if you’re not an avid mobile gamer we wouldn’t recommend it for you (not least because its design is certainly divisive), but if you’re prone to a game of PUBG Mobile, Fornite or Call of Duty: Mobile, you should definitely consider it.
Read our full Xiaomi Black Shark 3 review
There are plenty of Pocophone smartphones on the market right now, and the Poco X3 Pro is one of them. It’s a Pro version of the NFC model, listed near the top of this article.
The handset has the same issues other Poco devices do – there’s no 5G, its cameras are iffy, and it’s a pretty bulky phone. But it’s still a good device for its price.
There’s a great processor at play here, the screen looks good and has a top refresh rate, and the battery will survive hours of gaming.
So if you’re looking for a decent gaming or streaming phone this is a good option – it’s cheaper than the Poco F3 higher in this list too.
Read our full Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro
The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 took our top spot in this list for a long time. It never saw a successor, though, and it’s very hard to find in stores now, so it’s harder to recommend.
Looking at the specs list and images, you’d be forgiven for thinking this phone was a top-end flagship phone, with a curved screen, 108MP main camera and huge battery pack. But then look down to the price and you see a phone that’s a third of the price of the biggest and best phones out there right now.
Sure, there are a few weaknesses that stopped us giving this phone a perfect score, but it was a close call, and using the phone for a variety of purposes is a treat.
Read our full Xiaomi Mi Note 10 review
Previous best Xiaomi phones
The following phones previously sat on our list of the best Xiaomi phones, until being removed for one of various reasons:
- The Pocophone F1 sat at #8, then #9 on this list until newer phones superseded it.
- The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T briefly was #10 until newer phones pushed it off the list.
- The Xiaomi Mi 9T was #10 until the Poco F2 Pro kicked it off.
- When we updated this list in late 2020 the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, Black Shark 2 and Mi 9T Pro all got bumped off in favor of newer phones.
- This list was updated in early 2021 to add the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T, and as a result the Redmi Note 9S and Xiaomi Mi 9 were dropped. In addition, the Mi 10 and Mi Note 10 were dropped lower in the ranking due to age.
- Xiaomi’s busy 2021 caused the Mi 11 Ultra, Poco F3, Poco X3 Pro and Redmi Note 10 Pro to hit this list in the middle of the year, and as a result the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, and Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro, had to go.
- Towards the end of 2021, the Xiaomi 11T Pro‘s addition caused the Poco F2 Pro to fall off the list, and we also dropped the Mi Note 10 to a low position since it’s becoming even harder to buy.
