The month of February 2020 has begun, and contrary to previous rumours, there is still no exact date for the Xiaomi Mi 10 launch. According to the latest - unconfirmed - information, the manufacturer may postpone the press event due to the increasing spread of the coronavirus, which is causing more and more deaths. However, it is more likely that the Mi 10 series, or the Black Shark 3 in the gamer line, will not be unveiled at an offline event, but via an online stream.
Every year, months before the launch, rumours abound about the specifications and models of the upcoming model range. The arrival of the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro is now a certainty, while the Mi 10 SE is just a myth. What fewer people know is that the Black Shark 3 is expected to arrive at about the same time this year (within 1 month), which could get the same top-of-the-line hardware as the Mi 10, with the difference that the display refresh rate is expected to be higher than the 90Hz predicted for the Mi 10.
The February 11 date on the poster that was released a few weeks ago is therefore probably not feasible, so the announcement of the competing Xiaomi Mi 10 is not expected before the Samsung Galaxy S20.
In a post, Black Shark CEO Lou Yuzhou indicated that the official launch of Black Shark 3 may not be held at an offline event (in front of large crowds) due to the crown virus. He asked how they could hold a quality presentation online for the press.
In any case, they need to look at a stable platform where they can deliver the event to large crowds (outside Asia).
Another credible leaker claims that both Mi 10 and Black Shark 3 will be unveiled online. This also means savings for the manufacturer, as it would involve additional expenses other than the rental of space and technology. It is also a precaution, as contagion is unavoidable at an event with hundreds of people.
We hope to know the exact official date of the launch this week.
This is not the first time Xiaomi has held an online launch, as several 2019 Mi and Redmi models have been unveiled online only.
Full specifications of the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have not been confirmed yet. What's for sure is Snapdragon 865, 5G for the Mi 10 Pro, and the most powerful edition could get 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This configuration is unlikely to make it into a Global edition. The OLED panel is nothing new, but the 66W fast charging support is more so (although it's still a long way from the 100W in development)
Black Shark 3, as I mentioned before, is expected to have a 120Hz refresh rate, but the question is the type and resolution of the panel. 5G is also expected here, as is 16GB of RAM.
In the past week, several manufacturers have cancelled their press events in China, so such a decision was almost inevitable for Xiaomi. I remain curious to see what the Spanish decide, as MWC is in 3 weeks and the international crowd there is definitely a strong risk. Although no cases of coronavirus have been reported from Spain yet, 3 weeks is still a long time and the thousands of people there could pose an increased risk.
