After the arrival of the POCO F2 Pro, there are now three Xiaomi affordable flagships released in the global market during 2020. All of them are fueled by the same flagship chipset, all come with 5G connectivity and all can provide blazing speeds and amazing gaming experience. We are obviously talking about POCO F2 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10, and Black Shark 3. They carry different price tags, but all of them can be considered affordable flagships if we look at street prices. Here is a comparison that will help you understand the pros and cons of each device.

Xiaomi POCO F2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 10 vs Xiaomi Black Shark 3

Xiaomi Mi 10 Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Xiaomi POCO F2 Pro
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 162.6 x 74.8 x 9 mm, 208 g 168.7 x 77.3 x 10.4 mm, 222 g 163.3 x 75.4 x 8.9 mm, 219 g
DISPLAY  6.67 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), AMOLED 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz
MEMORY  8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE  Android 10, MIUI Android 10, MIUI Android 10, MIUI
CONNECTIVITY  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS
CAMERA  Quad 108 + 13 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.7 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
20 MP f/2.0 front camera		 Triple 64 + 13 + 5 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.3 + f/2.2
20 MP f/2.2 front camera		 Quad 64  + 5 + 13 + 2 MP f/1.9, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4
20 MP front camera
BATTERY  4780 mAh, fast charging 30W, Fast wireless charging 30W 4720 mAh, fast charging 65W 4700 mAh, fast charging 30W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot, reverse wireless charging 10W, 5G Dual SIM slot, 5G, magnetic charging 18W, LED lights, shoulder buttons Dual SIM slot, 5G

Design

I personally think that the most attractive design belongs to Xiaomi Mi 10. It offers a higher screen-to-body ratio, a curved screen (despite not everyone likes it due to usability-related issues), and a less invasive camera module. But POCO F2 Pro still offers an amazing design with its notch-less display, a pop-up camera, a glass back, and an aluminum frame. Black Shark 3 is not the most elegant device out there as it has an aggressive and gaming-centric design, but it offers some interesting gaming features such as triggers and magnetic charging.

 

Display

Black Shark 3 and Xiaomi Mi 10 offer the same display specifications, including a 6.67-inch diagonal, a Full HD+ resolution, the HDR10+ certification, and a high 90 Hz refresh rate. Further, they both feature powerful stereo speakers. POCO F2 Pro lacks a high refresh rate and stereo speakers. That is why Black Shark 3 and Xiaomi Mi 10 win the multimedia comparison. They are at the same level when it comes to the display, so you can choose one or the other according to your tastes.

 

Hardware/Software

In the hardware department, these three handsets are even more similar. All are flagship killers powered by the best Qualcomm’s chipset: the Snapdragon 865 running at a max frequency of 2.8 GHz. They all feature LPDDR5 RAM, but Xiaomi Mi 10 and Black Shark 3 offer up to 12 GB of RAM, while POCO F2 Pro stops at 8 GB. On the other hand, POCO F2 Pro has a slightly faster UFS 3.1 storage. But I prefer having more RAM than slightly faster storage: UFS 3.0 is enough and it is impossible to notice the difference in daily use. Given that they launched in 2020, all of these devices obviously run Android 10 customized by MIUI 11.

 

Camera

Unfortunately, it lacks a telephoto lens and it can not be considered a top camera phone, but Xiaomi Mi 10 offers definitely better camera hardware than POCO F2 Pro and Black Shark 3. And given that the software is the same, it provides a better photo and video quality. It boasts a 108 MP main sensor that can record videos with an 8K resolution. The silver medal goes to the POCO F2 Pro: it records 8K videos as well, but with an inferior main camera and without OIS. Black Shark 3 is just a typical midrange camera phone.

 

Battery

The differences in battery capacities between these handsets are marginal. That is why despite it has a smaller battery, we believe that POCO F2 Pro may last more on a single charge due to its standard refresh rate. On the other hand, Black Shark 3 offers the fastest charging technology in the market with a 65W power: it is definitely more relevant. Xiaomi Mi 10 is the only which supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

 

Price

POCO F2 Pro is the most affordable handset with a €499/$538 starting price globally, Black Shark 3 costs €599/$646 and Xiaomi Mi 10 goes for €879/$948 in its base variant, but it can be found at very interesting street prices. Xiaomi Mi 10 is the most advanced device due to the presence of wireless charging and better cameras, but there are no huge differences in this trio. Black Shark 3 is a definitely better device for gamers, while you can still get an awesome user experience with POCO F2 Pro, but it lacks a high refresh rate. We do not think the differences between specifications of Xiaomi Mi 10 and POCO F2 Pro justify the price difference between the two handsets.

 

 

Xiaomi POCO F2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 10 vs Xiaomi Black Shark 3: PRO and CONS

Poco F2 Pro

PROS

  • More affordable
  • UFS 3.1 storage
  • Holeless, borderless and notch-less display
  • 8K video recording

CONS

  • Standard refresh rate
  • Up to 8 GB RAM

 

Xiaomi Mi 10 

PROS

  • Great design
  • Biggest battery
  • Wireless charging
  • Stereo speakers

CONS

  • Price

 

Xiaomi Black Shark 3

PROS

  • Gaming-centric
  • Stereo speakers
  • Magnetic charging
  • Fastest charging

CONS

  • Inferior cameras

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