Xiaomi’s Mi 9 Pro is a 5G phone that costs only $520

When Apple launched the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro range earlier this month, one of the complaints was that there was no 5G model. Sure, the argument runs, 5G is nascent right now, but people keep their phones for two, three or even four years — and 5G hopefully will be in wide use by then. The problem, though, is that 5G phones tend to be expensive, and the one thing iPhones don’t need is a steeper price. However, Chinese electronics company Xiaomi is trying to prove that 5G phones don’t need to be excruciatingly expensive.

The company on Monday unveiled the Mi 9 Pro 5G. It’s a premium phone, with a blazing fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, a 6.39-inch AMOLED display and triple cameras on the back. That’s all on top of 5G, of course. The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G has similar features and costs $1,299 for it. The good news here is that the Mi 9 Pro 5G costs around $520. 

The bad news is that this price is a conversion from the Chinese cost of 3,699 yuan — because the phone is unlikely to launch in the US.  (That Chinese price converts to AU$770 and £420). As with other Xiaomi (and Huawei, and Oppo, and Vivo) phones, keen buyers will be able to import it. It launches on Oct. 31 in China. 

Xiaomi did say an international version is coming, but that details would be unveiled at a “later date.” 

That $520 is for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, but there are three other variations. On the top end is a 4,299 yuan ($605, AU$890, £485) model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of space. Xiaomi says we’ll be able to download a 1.9GB game in 15 seconds using 5G, so we’re going to need all the storage space we can get. 

The company put big emphasis on the phone’s battery and battery paraphernalia. It comes with a 45w charger which can be used to charge both the phone and USB-C-based laptop, such as the MacBook Pro. It’s also compatible with wireless charging. Using a 30w wireless charger, which Xiaomi will sell separately, you’ll be able to charge the Mi 9 Pro from 0% to 100% battery in 69 minutes. Nice. 

Like Huawei’s Mate 30 Pro, announced last week, the Mi 9 Pro 5G features reverse charging, meaning you can use it to charge other phones. Xiaomi said you can also use it to charge wireless earphones and even wireless mouses. It charges at 10w, above the P20 Pro’s 5w. (Huawei hasn’t specified how fast the Mate 30 Pro’s reverse charging would be, but it did say it’d be faster than the P20 Pro’s.)

Key specs

• 6.39-inch AMOLED display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor 
• 48 megapixel camera + 12 megapixel telephoto lens + 16 megapixel ultra-wide angle camera
• 4,000mAh battery, 45w charging, 30w wireless charging 
• Haptic motor for improved vibration 
• Starts at 8GB RAM, up to 12GB RAM
• Starts at 128GB storage space, up to 512GB
• MIUI11 operating system (based on Android) 
• Titanium Black and Dream White color options