So...I'm thinking about getting a Xioami as an intermezzo device, depending on what gets announced by LG at MWC this year. I somehow have a suspicion that LG will punt again this year (strong in audio, manual mode - decent auto mode and not very good pricing wise).
I was initially leaning towards a Mi Mix 3 5g, but if I plan to really use this as a daily driver, I may be better served with a Mi 9T pro. My ultimate preference would be a Xperia 5 or V50, my issues are that the Xperia 5 is too expensive and I cannot get my hands on a V50 (Korean) in a non hassle free manner (eBay). I would rather something smaller, but I don't want to get a G8 (V50 is preferred here).
I'd rather get a new device (I can get a mint Xperia 1 under $500). The camera for the both devices seem good enough to get by and I can find a G cam port if I need too. If I get a 9T pro, I might get a 256GB version vs the 128 model.
Normally a ZTE Axon 10 Pro would be considered (big screen, big battery, expanded storage and Qi). But, it's a curved screen and quite frankly, my Mate 20 Pro still betters this phone. Plus it seems like the Xioami has better cameras than the Axon here.
The battery of the V40 (which wasn't new upon purchase), isn't holding up as well as I would like. Xiaomi still has some of the better 3.5mm around, so it's not a total loss there. Not a fan of the no IP rating or Qi, but I've used Xiaomi devices before (and use their tablet daily). Still, it's earlier days yet. I can wait another month.