This particular mobile phone is by far the most value for money option under €400 for people who prioritize processor performance. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is currently among the top 10 best mobile processors, according to benchmarks. A list where to move to the next one you have to pay twice the amount. From this perspective, it simply has no competition.
Even for users who do not engage in heavy usage and are only interested in light browsing and social media, they are also favored as everything is lightning fast and no matter how many apps you open, you won't wait more than fractions of a second for them to load. For phones in the €1000 range, these may not be remarkable, but in this category, they are not at all obvious. A powerful processor also means that the phone will remain efficient over time.
I have not encountered any bugs or software issues. Overall, MIUI has improved a lot in this regard in recent years.
As for bloatware, it's not too bad, you can delete most of them, but it has the classic Xiaomi music, video, and browser apps that are full of advertisements. If you want, you can ignore them or even better, download a debloater on your PC and the problem is solved. The process of cleaning everything on the phone is easy with a quick look at a YouTube tutorial.
The battery is good. As someone who uses their phone heavily, it still has 20% left at the end of the day. This is purely subjective and depends on each person's usage. I can imagine it lasting for 2 days with light usage. However, it charges very quickly. It reaches 100% in less than 1 hour with an empty battery.
The phone does not heat up much with heavy usage, although my point of comparison is specifically the Mi Note 10 Lite that I had before, a phone that "lit up" for me with specific games.
That's it in terms of functionality. In short, it is flawless if you prioritize all the above in a phone. I hope the device, with a battery change in the future, will last me many years.
Now let's talk about multimedia. Video/Photo/Sound.
I'm not a photography enthusiast, so I don't have a strong opinion. If I take a photo, it's to capture memories. I don't upload to social media and I'm generally not interested in technical specifications. They seem very good to me, but from what I hear, Xiaomi doesn't have the most attractive photography. If you're a photography enthusiast, you know better than me.
The speaker is satisfactorily loud. It is also stereo, which as a user of mono speakers on budget phones, I am satisfied with. I don't have technical knowledge in this area, like with photography, and I don't find any flaws in my own ear. The presence of the headphone jack is a big positive.
The video is what you would expect from a device like this. Nice AMOLED screen with very strong brightness. The 120Hz in applications make a noticeable difference, and I strongly feel it when I put the phone on battery saver mode, which resets the screen to 60Hz.
The construction is made of plastic on the back, which personally doesn't worry me as I use the case that comes with the device and I feel at ease. It also has a ready-made plastic screen protector on the display, which you can remove if you want. Personally, I prefer the touch sensation on glass and I don't obsess over micro-scratches, so I remove it. For someone who doesn't consider their phone a fashion statement, the plastic on the back is a very good choice because, apart from the cost, it doesn't heat up like glass, you don't have to worry about it breaking if you don't have a case, and overall it is lighter and more comfortable. It does scratch easily, but that doesn't matter if you see a phone for what it is, a tool. Also, while many budget plastic phones break when bent, this one has a sturdy construction and you can't break it with your hands. Not that I have tried it, but there are videos on YouTube.
The device was purchased in August 23rd and if there are any changes regarding the positives I have mentioned, I will update the review. If you are a power user, this is simply the way to go with this budget.