Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite vs Samsung Galaxy A52: Which to Pick?

Introduction

In March of 2021, Samsung launched its Galaxy A52. The Mi 10 Lite, however, saw the light of day in May 2020.

We've run down the specs, design, price, and much more in this guide to help you choose between the Mi 10 Lite and the Galaxy A52.

For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.

 Click here  to check who their rivals are.

Price*			vs.
Device	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Release Date	2020, May	2021, March	1y.
OS Updates	1 year	3 years	2y.
Security Updates	4 years	4 years	0y.

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Which One Has The Best Performance?

Performance-wise, Geekbench 5 scores the Mi 10 Lite 22% ahead in the multi-core ranking. If you're a heavy gamer, think about this. If not, then it isn't a big deal.  ? 

You're not looking for the slowest phone around, right? The Galaxy A52 is clearly under the average if you consider related-priced phones. The average score is 2166, but it got 1577.

By the way, you can define the Mi 10 Lite as an upper mid-range and the Galaxy A52 as a mid-range device.

Performance*			vs.
Features	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
SoC	Snapdragon 765	Snapdragon 720
Graphics	Adreno 620	Adreno 618
Geekbench 5 Score	1927	1577	-350
OS	Android 10 and MIUI 12	Android 11 and OneUI
Tek-Score	5.1	4.5	-0.6

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.

Which Phone Has The Best Display?

The Galaxy A52 has a better display, but the Mi 10 Lite is just as good.

Bearing in mind the Mi 10 Lite, 93% of its rivals have an AMOLED screen.

Concerning the Galaxy A52, please be aware that just like its competitor, 76% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and 93% have an AMOLED screen.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Size	6.5	6.5	0.0
Screen Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1080x2400	1080x2400	0
Refresh Rate	60hz	90hz	30
Dots per Inch	404.89	404.89	0.00
Always-On-Display	Yes	Yes
Notch	Teardrop	Hole
Peak Brightness	610 nits	794 nits	184
HDR	HDR10+	-
Sub Tek-Score	7.9	8.7	0.8
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 5	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Tek-Score	6.4	6.7	0.3

*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.

Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?

Overall, You shouldn't be seeing any difference between these cameras.

About the Mi 10 Lite: I'm expecting a review from DXOMARK anytime now, and I'm confident that they'll give it close to 112* points. And if you take into account its wide-angle lens, you'll end up with a score of 125**.

Last (but not least), you should know that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more and have an ultra-wide-angle lens.

About the Galaxy A52: The guys over at the DXOMARK labs scored this camera with 107 points. Plus, combining with its wide-angle lens, that score goes up to 117. If you want to know more about every tidbit, check it here.

PS: This Dxo score is for the 5G version, but this version should be close enough.

Winding it up, just so you know, 97% of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, and all have an ultra-wide-angle lens.

Considering this score, we can classify the Mi 10 Lite more as a lower high-end while the Galaxy A52 leans towards the upper mid-range.

A telephoto lens would've been a great addition. If you agree with me, you better wrap it up and start looking for other devices like the Galaxy Note 10 Lite or the Galaxy A72.

*DXOMARK is a world-known reference in the camera benchmarking department. I'd love to see more tests, but some phones are just left out. So when I get my hands on one of them, I consider every camera spec and give an approximated score. This score should have a topmost discrepancy of 2 points.  ? 

**This score still needs improvement, especially with cameras with less than 40MP and no telephoto lens. They moved to a new camera test protocol, and I need more reviewed devices to fine-tune older scores.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Megapixels	48	64	16
Aperture	1.8	1.8	0.0
Lens	26mm	26mm	0
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	2	1	-1
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	No	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	125	117	-8

*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.

Extra Camera(s)	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52	vs.
Megapixels	8	12	4
Aperture	2.2	2.2	0.0
Lens	15mm	13mm	-2
Lens Type	Ultra-wide-Angle	Ultra-wide-Angle
Megapixels	2	5	3
Aperture	2.4	2.4	0.0
Megapixels	2	5	3
Aperture	2.4	2.4	0.0
Lens Type	Depth Sensor	Depth Sensor
Score	13	10	-3

Selfie Camera	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52	vs.
Megapixels	16	32	16
Aperture	2.5	2.2	-0.3
Lens	-	26mm

	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52	vs.
Tek-Score	7.4	6.9	-0.5

Who has the best frame?

None of them stands out, so any will do.

Both also have about the same weight: 189 g. (6.67 oz). If you're curious, the "weight to display size" score of the Mi 10 Lite is 4.8, which suggests it has an acceptable score for a 6.5 inches display. Having said that, the Galaxy A52 has 5.2, so nothing to state here.  ? 

If you're looking for some kind of waterproof phone, perhaps you should also consider the Galaxy A72.

Looks*			vs.
Body	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Size	163 x 74 x 7 mm (5.75 x 2.61 x 0.25 in)	159 x 75 x 8 mm (5.61 x 2.65 x 0.28 in)	10966
Weight	192 g. (6.77 oz)	189 g. (6.67 oz)	-3
Build	Front glass	Front glass
Colors	Aurora Blue, Dream White, and Cosmic Gray	Awesome Black, Awesome Violet, Awesome White, and Awesome Blue
Screen To Body Ratio	84.57%	85.54%	0.97
Disp.Size To Weight Score	4.8	5.2	0.3
Looks	5.2/10	6.3/10	1.1
Waterproof	-	-
Biometrics	Under Display Fingerprint	Under Display Fingerprint
Tek-Score	1.5	1.8	0.3

*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.

Which has the best battery?

The Mi 10 Lite does have a smaller battery, with 4160 mAh, while the Galaxy A52 has 4500 mAh. But GSMArena did test them out, and the Mi 10 Lite does have an advantage here.

For your information, the Mi 10 Lite also doesn't have many rivals at any given price range. Let's see if it still has a place on our top 10 list with the best battery life.

Battery*			vs.
Features	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Capacity (mAh)	4160	4500	340
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	85% left	83% left	-2
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	72% left	70% left	-2
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	76% left	69% left	-7
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	3.9	3.6	-0.3
Sub Tek-Score	7.8	7.4	-0.4
Fast Charging	20w	25w	5
Wireless Charging	No	No	0
Tek-Score	6.6	6.4	-0.3

*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.

Which has more storage?

The Galaxy A52 has about two times more storage.

Xiaomi put 6GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage on the Mi 10 Lite. Furthermore, other devices from this budget usually have more storage and more RAM. They average at 6GB of RAM and 119Gb of storage.

On the Galaxy A52, you'll find 128GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. Again, you'll get more RAM but less storage by picking any rival at that price range. 6Gb for RAM and 113Gb for storage, on average.

Most people should be OK with their internal storage. However, if you love to store 4k videos, you'll find out that 64 GB won't be enough for you.

Storage*			vs.
Features	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
RAM (GB)	6GB	4GB	-2
Internal (GB)	64GB	128GB	64
Micro SD	No	microSDXC (shared slot)
Tek-Score	2.8	7.5	4.8

*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).

Which is the most connectivity-friendly?

The Mi 10 Lite is your better option, as it features Bluetooth 5.1 and 5G.

You can find the Galaxy A52 in the LTE or (LTE and) 5G variants. The 5G variant of the Galaxy A52 has a 120hz display, an Adreno 619, a Snapdragon 750G, and 6GB of RAM.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Network	5G	LTE (also available in 5G)
Bluetooth	5.1	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes (market dependent)
3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes
Tek-Score	10.0	8.5	-1.5

Which is more affordable?

Here's what we've found out:

Reference: $399

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Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite

Reference: $380

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$375.99

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Samsung Galaxy A52

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Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.

Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).

How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).

Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.

Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.

Related articles:

Best smartphone deals

The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets

Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)

Want to know about that global score? Just so you have an idea, take a look at where its adversaries average. The Mi 10 Lite class is at 6.1, and the Galaxy A52 6.0.

Verdict: What Makes the Samsung Galaxy A52 Stand Out?

What can the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite give you that the Samsung Galaxy A52 can't:

- Better performance (+22%)

- More RAM (6GB vs. 4GB)

- Bluetooth 5.1

What can the Samsung Galaxy A52 give you that the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite can't:

- Better peak brightness

- Higher refresh rates

- OIS

- More OS updates (3 additional years)

- More internal storage (128GB vs. 64GB)

- External storage

Pros	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
#1	AMOLED	AMOLED
#2	Always-On-Display	Always-On-Display
#3	Cameras	Cameras
#4	Battery Life	Battery Life
#5	Fast Charging	Fast Charging
#6	3.5mm Jack	MicroSD Slot
#7		3.5mm Jack

Cons	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
#1	Wireless Charging	Wireless Charging
#2	MicroSD Slot	Weight
#3	Weight
#4	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	Mi 10 Lite	Galaxy A52
Gaming Score	5.8	5.3	-0.5
Tek-Score	5.45	6.19	0.74
Your Score

*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.

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