The Xiaomi 14 is Xiaomi’s latest top-of-the-line phone, carrying the weight of the brand’s reputation. Its slim design is a plus, and its standout feature is its Leica cameras, known for top-notch photography. The collaboration with Leica promises high-quality imaging. The phone boasts top-tier specs, powered by Qualcomm’s flagship SoC. With all these features, it aims to be a powerhouse in the smartphone market.
Verdict
The Xiaomi 14 is a feature-packed smartphone with strong performance. However, some users may find the pre-installed apps excessive, and there are minor issues with how the cameras handle light flares. Despite this, it excels in performance, fast charging, and the versatility of its Leica cameras. Additionally, its size makes it easy to use with one hand. Overall, it’s a solid choice for those seeking a powerful and versatile device.
Cameras
Let’s start by looking at the Leica cameras. The Xiaomi 14 has a powerful camera setup, including a 50MP primary shooter with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 50MP telephoto lens with 3.2x optical zoom and OIS, and a 50MP ultra-wide lens. These lenses offer versatility and high-quality imaging, making it easy to capture stunning photos in various scenarios.
On the front side, there’s a 32MP camera for selfies. It comes with a Light Fusion 900 sensor, ensuring clear and detailed selfies. The camera app offers plenty of settings and options for photography enthusiasts to explore. Although I won’t dive into all the details here, I can assure you that if you enjoy getting creative with your photos, the Xiaomi 14 has got you covered.
One cool feature is the shooting style, which lets you choose between Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant, giving your photos different looks. The portrait mode has a master lens system with options like documentary (35mm), swirly bokeh (50mm), portrait (75mm), and soft focus (90mm). These options help you get creative with your shots. Plus, there are plenty of filters to add your own touch to the photos, thanks to Leica’s special touch. So, if you like experimenting with different styles, you’ll enjoy playing around with these features on the Xiaomi 14.
In addition, there are features like Super Macro, long exposure, and a special movie mode called Director’s Cut. These options offer you a lot of flexibility to be creative with your shots. Whether you’re capturing close-up details with Super Macro, experimenting with long exposure shots, or shooting cinematic videos with Director’s Cut mode, the Xiaomi 14 gives you the tools to express your creativity and capture stunning visuals.
I had the opportunity to test out the Xiaomi 14’s cameras in different situations, and overall, they perform well. Daytime pictures come out clear with good detail and colors. The telephoto and ultra-wide cameras also work nicely. Night photos are decent, but sometimes have issues with light flares. The phone’s night mode helps a bit, but a software update could fix this better. The front camera does a decent job, though there’s some smoothing effect. I had fun experimenting with filters, especially black and white ones, which add character to street scenes, buildings, and portraits. Check out some sample shots above.
Design and display:
The Xiaomi 14 stands out with its size, sporting a 6.36-inch display that makes it easy to handle with one hand. It’s compact compared to many phones today, but just the right size. It’s lightweight and fits comfortably in pockets, yet the screen feels spacious for tasks like browsing, email, gaming, and watching videos. Its manageable size makes it convenient for all-day use without feeling bulky.
The black Xiaomi 14 I reviewed might not grab attention, but the Jade green variant could. Either way, it feels premium with excellent build quality. The matte finish on the glass back feels smooth and resists smudges. An interesting feature is the IR blaster located on the rear camera module, which might seem odd at first but makes using the universal remote easier. The phone is IP68 rated, so it can handle minor water splashes without issues. Overall, it’s a solid, well-designed device with thoughtful features.
Xiaomi didn’t compromise on the 6.36-inch display either. It’s an LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, reaching up to 3,000 nits brightness, and supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The bezels are thin, and there’s a fast fingerprint scanner right on the screen. Overall, the display is top-notch with no issues.
Software, performance and battery
The Xiaomi 14 runs on HyperOS over Android 14. It comes with some pre-installed apps, but you can delete them if you want. Overall, using the phone is smooth and easy. It includes familiar features like Mi Share, theme support, Mi Cloud for backups, Find My Phone, and Second Space. There’s even a hidden heart rate feature in the device settings that uses the fingerprint sensor to check your heart rate.
The Xiaomi 14 performs really well thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB storage. In India, only this storage variant is available. It scores high in benchmarks and runs smoothly even with heavy apps and games. Plus, it stays cool under pressure, which is great.
The Xiaomi 14’s 4,610mAh battery might seem small on paper, but it lasts all day with moderate use. Its 90W wired charging is super-fast, reaching 50% in under 15 mins, 80% in about 25, and full in around 35. It also supports 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging, which is great.
Final verdict
The Xiaomi 14 competes in the premium flagship category against tough rivals like the Google Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 excel in software and camera quality, but the Pixel may not be the best for pure performance. The Galaxy S24 stands out for its Samsung ecosystem features like DeX. However, the Xiaomi 14 shines with its Leica cameras, offering versatility for photography enthusiasts. With solid performance and fast charging, it’s a top contender worth considering.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Reasons to buy:
- The Xiaomi 14’s compact size is convenient.
- Smooth performance thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen3 and 12GB RAM.
- Leica cameras offer creative control and quality.
- Both wired and wireless charging are very fast.
Reasons not to buy:
- Pre-installed apps may clutter the phone.
- Camera struggles with light flare in some situations.
