Xiaomi 14 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Since its debut in India in 2014, Xiaomi has dominated the mid-range and budget phone categories. Though it has launched feature-rich flagship phones, the company could only find little traction than anticipated in the subcontinent.
Now, as the company celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024, Xiaomi is making a renewed attempt to capture the premium segment. It has introduced the standard variant Xiaomi 14 (Rs 69,999) and a top-end Xiaomi 14 Ultra (Rs 99,999), the company's most expensive phones to date.
I used the Xiaomi 14 for close to a couple of weeks and here are my thoughts on the premium Android phone.
Design, build quality and display
Xiaomi 14 is a solid block of phone. It has a flat rail around the display with smooth curved corners. It is made of premium aluminium.
On the back, it has a glossy panel with a minimalistic design. It has a big square camera module with three 50MP sensors and LED flash at the top left corner. And the in same line at the bottom, it has Xiaomi branding. The rest of the area is plain.
Xiaomi 14 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
On the sides, you can find the power and volume rockers with antenna bands. On the opposite, there are no buttons. At the base, there is a type-C port, a SIM tray, a microphone and a speaker.
Xiaomi 14 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Our review unit is jade green colour variant. This model looks little dull to me, but this aspect is subjective, as it depends on invidual's taste.
The company offers the device two other colours-- white and black. I love the classic black.
The company has incorporated Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus shield on the display. It will protect the screen from daily wear and tear such as scratches from coins, pens or keys when the phone is kept in tight spaces such as pant pockets.
Xiaomi 14 with back cover case.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Also, the device comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it can survive water splashing and also accidental drop in the swimming pool for up to a depth of 1.5 metres (five feet) and for close to 30 minutes.
And, for extra protection from accidental drops on the floor, Xiaomi is offering a free silicone case with the device's retail box.
Xiaomi 14 flaunts a 6.36-inch 1.5K (2670 x 1200p) C8 12-bit OLED LTPO screen. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR content.
It can offer up peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits brightness, which comes in handy while reading messages or browsing the internet outdoors with direct sunlight. The phone's display is great for consuming multimedia content. The colours of the subjects in the scene appear vibrant and rich to deliver a really good viewing experience.
Also, the phone is compact; it is really easy to hold on it and scroll screen, send messages single handedly without any hassle.
Xiaomi 14 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
And, it has several eye-protective features for users to read content such as e-books for long hours without stressing the eyes.
The device also boasts an in-display fingerprint sensor and works amazingly well. However, users are advised to keep their fingers clean to lower the false rejection rate.
It also comes with an infrared sensor. This feature enables the phone to control smart Air Conditioners, smart TVs, and other Internet-of-Things (IoT) gadgets at home.
Performance
It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 octa-core processor with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. It runs Android 14-based Xiaomi HyperOS.
The user interface is clean and visually refreshing compared to the old MIUI interface. As far as the performance is concerned, it waltzed through the day without any issues. Even with heavy-duty tasks such as playing the graphics-rich game Asphalt 9: Legends and recording 8K videos, the device showed no sign of lag-ness.
Also, it boasts IceLoop Cooling technology, which ensures the heat generated during heavy-duty tasks is efficiently dissipated and the phone works smoothly without any issues. It is said to be three times more efficient than any current vapour cool chamber tech we find in the current crop of premium phones.
Xiaomi 14 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
The software and the processor are completely optimised for efficient distribution of power for tasks, video streaming and apps running in the background. Also, compared to other phones, I noticed the battery on the Xiaomi 14 does not drain faster when streaming multimedia content via the cellular network.
Compared to the previous iteration, it consumes 34 per cent less power to run apps on the phone.
With normal usage, it can deliver a full day of battery life. If you binge-watch TV series or play an hour more than usual gaming session, and the battery is low; fret not, as the phone supports 90W wired fast charging. It can go from zero to 50 per cent capacity in around 10 minutes and can hit 100 per cent mark in under 30 minutes. Add to that, it also supports 50W wireless charging speed and can reach zero to 100 per cent in 45 minutes.
Add to that, the phone comes with two dedicated chipsets--P2 Surge silicon and G1 battery management silicon, to ensure the phone doesn't overheat while fast charging and also the phone's battery retains full power carrying capacity for several years.
It should be noted that, after a year of usage, the phone's battery which contains chemicals begins to degrade and lose power-carrying capacity. With the G1 battery management chipset, Xiaomi 14's battery will remain healthy and serve the customer for long.
The new premium phone also supports reverse wireless charging. One can place any phone that supports wireless charging, on the back of the Xiaomi 14 to get the battery recharged.
Xiaomi 14 houses a smaller 4,610 mAh battery with support for 90W wired charging speed, 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.
It supports Wi-Fi 7, USB C 3.2, and Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC (Near Field Communication) for instant tap payment.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Photography
It houses a triple-camera module—50MP (with 1/ 1.31-inch Light Fusion 900 sensor, f/1.6 aperture, Hyper OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation, Leica Summilux lens) backed by 50MP 115-degree Leica ultra-wide angle lens (with f/2.2, Samsung JN1 sensor), and a 50MP Infinity Leica telephoto camera (with 3.2X 10cm with f/2.0, OIS, Samsung JN1 sensor) with LED flash.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It takes amazingly clear and sharp photos in all light conditions. Also, it enhances the colour of the subjects to make it more photogenic.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Indoors with controlled light conditions too, Xiaomi 14 excels in getting good pictures with colour accuracy.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
With ultra-wide-angle mode, it can capture wide areas without using any software tricks to artificially bend structures to accommodate them in the scene.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample with utlra-wide angle mode.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
In the night mode, it performs well and takes sharp photos with less noise.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample take in the night.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
With macro mode, the phone manages to get minute details perfectly on the frame.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample with macro mode on.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It supports up to 3.2X optical zoom. It takes amazingly good and as you can see the photo sample, there is hardly any loss of quality.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Xiaomi 14's camera sample with 2X zoom.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Xiaomi 14's camera sample with 3.2X zoom.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It can also digitally zoom up to 60X. Durign the testing, picture quality remains good up to 30X, beyond that, the photos begin to become grainy.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
In portrait mode, it doesn't matter if the subject is a human, a pet animal or a flower, Xiaomi 14 gets sharp photos thanks to really good edge detection. As you can see the multi-petal flower, got it correctly without smudges around the edges and ensured the background was perfectly blurred with the bokeh effect.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample with portrait mode on.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It also supports up to 8K video recording. The video quality is top-notch and stable too, good enough to make high-grade vlogs.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
On the front, it houses 32 MP (f/2.0, 22mm -wide sensor, 0.7µm pixel size, gyro-EIS).
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Xiaomi 14 takes brilliant selfies in all light environments. It manages to get the near-natural tone of the face.
Xiaomi 14's camera sample.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It also offers feature-rich tools to further enhance the beauty. Yes, it is superficial, but people love it. It does an amazing job clearing the acne scars on the face. It can even improve the thickness of the hairline. It can adjust skin tone, eye size, chin size and even the nose tip to make the face photogenic.
It also supports HDR, panorama, and can record 4K videos at 30/60 frames per second (fps), and full HD videos at 30/60 fps.
Xiaomi 14 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Final thoughts
Xiaomi 14 is a solid premium phone. It is made of high-quality materials; it has unique design elements. Inside, it has a powerful processor and performance amazingly good. It delivers a full day of battery life with normal usage. The most impressive aspect of the Xiaomi 14 is the Leica tech-backed camera system. It takes spectacular photos with clear details and vibrant colours in all light conditions.