Xiaomi 14 Review: Captivatingly Compact

Value When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

Xiaomi’s flagship vary of smartphones for 2024 is right here and though we don’t get the Professional, the common Xiaomi 14 and 14 Extremely make for a formidable duo. 

It’s the common on take a look at right here, which could not be as headline-grabbing because the Extremely, however an excellent smartphone in nearly each respect. 

It is available in at £849 within the UK and has all of the issues we wish to see in a recommendable flagship, together with a top-notch show (and a compact one at that), wonderful cameras co-developed with Leica, clean efficiency, speedy charging and extra.

The cellphone is worthy – which I assumed it would after simply 24 hours – of a really excessive rating however let’s delve deeper to seek out out. 

Discover out what handsets rank in our round-up of the most effective smartphones.

Design & Construct 

• Compact and classy 
• IP68 
• Three colors 

I’ve little or no to complain about on the subject of the design and construct of the Xiaomi 14. It’s a correct little stunner and it doesn’t hassle me that the appear and feel hasn’t change a lot in comparison with the Xiaomi 13. 

It’s not a compact cellphone just like the iPhone minis and Sony Xperia Compacts of yesteryear, but it surely’s actually some of the pocket-friendly flagships of 2024. 

The premium design appears each bit the half, from the tiny bezel across the display to the posh watch-esque texturing across the digicam module. 

I’m not tremendous eager on the shiny chrome impact of the body however the rear cowl of my Jade Inexperienced pattern is uncommon and lovely.  

It does, nonetheless, have two issues. The primary is that it sounds just a little hole should you give it a faucet within the center, however a lot worse is how simply it attracts fingerprints and different grubby marks.  

The shiny end of this 3D curved glass again solely appears nice for the primary 30 seconds out of its field. Xiaomi does present a good darkish gray silicone case but it surely’s a disgrace to cowl up the good inexperienced. 

The premium design appears each bit the half, from the tiny bezel across the display to the posh watch-esque texturing across the digicam module

From the appears of it the white colourway is equally shiny however the black choice has a matt end, so it may be your greatest guess. 

It’s a disgrace because the cellphone feels very strong and sturdy so I’d be blissful utilizing it with out a case for probably the most half. The Gorilla Glass Victus entrance comes with a display protector utilized and the cellphone is IP68 rated so totally mud and water-resistant, as a flagship needs to be. 

The problems listed below are frequent within the smartphone world so it’s not like getting a rival goes to be vastly totally different, I simply crave a cellphone that isn’t a slippery fingerprint magnet and never in a boring color.

The important thing issue right here within the wider market is that the Xiaomi 14 is likely one of the most compact and simple to deal with flagships you will get. It’s 8.2mm thick and 193g, which has similarities to the Pixel 8. 

Haptic suggestions is usually good, although the way in which it responds isn’t my favorite. It’s principally fast and sharp however can get just a little buzzy at occasions, to the extent that it turns into audible. Nevertheless, you may simply regulate the vibration degree in Settings.

Display screen & Audio system 

• 6.36-inch AMOLED 
• 1-120Hz 
• Stereo audio system 

At 6.36-inch and utilizing AMOLED expertise, the show would possibly sound like the identical as its predecessor, but it surely will get a number of upgrades that make for a pleasant step up. 

The marginally greater Full HD+ (2670 x 1200) decision is welcome but it surely’s the addition of LTPO panel tech that’s extra necessary right here. It means the refresh fee can scale from 120- all the way down to 1Hz to avoid wasting battery when a better fee is just not wanted. 

It additionally will get a brightness increase to a theoretical peak of 3000 nits. I measured it with auto-brightness switched off at a good 702 nits and had no issues utilizing it in any scenario. 

Together with the aforementioned slither of a bezel and options resembling a contact 240Hz sampling fee and assist for HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient, the Xiaomi 14’s show is beautiful – there’s nothing I can complain about. 

The Xiaomi 14’s show is beautiful – there’s nothing I can complain about

The under-display optical fingerprint scanner works very effectively with a excessive degree of accuracy. It’s simply maybe barely low down when it comes to placement for me however solely by just a little. 

Though there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, that’s not a shock for a 2024 flagship cellphone.

In the meantime, the stereo audio system on supply listed below are respectable with loads of quantity accessible. The mid-range is wealthy and excessive finish crisp, whereas the dearth of bass is quite common on telephones.

Specs & Efficiency 

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 
• 12GB RAM 
• 256/512GB storage 

I’ve completely no quibbles with efficiency on this cellphone. I didn’t count on to, however can verify: on the subject of efficiency, the Xiaomi 14 is a pocket rocket. 

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 won’t be overclocked just like the ‘for Galaxy’ model present in Samsung’s S24 vary but it surely’s lots quick sufficient to fulfill energy customers. 

The chip is paired with a really wholesome 12GB of RAM, no matter whether or not you select to get 256- or 512GB of inner storage. Take into consideration that properly as there’s no microSD card slot right here and with solely £50 additional to double the storage, that may very well be an actual boon down the road.

Processor, RAM and storage are all an enchancment on the Xiaomi 13 for a similar value which is a uncommon factor to see.

On the subject of efficiency, the Xiaomi 14 is a pocket rocket

Every little thing occurs with lightning pace on the Xiaomi 14, from navigation to loading apps. Double tapping the latest apps button to modify to your final used app occurs in a flash. 

It will probably deal with gaming very effectively certainly, with the power to play probably the most demanding video games resembling Genshin Affect on the highest settings with out dropping frames or any form of noticeable lag. 

The cellphone will get heat in direction of the highest after an prolonged interval of gaming, however by no means sufficient to fret about. Xiaomi’s ‘IceLoop’ cooling system appears to do the job effectively. 

Xiaomi 14 benchmarks

When it comes to different core specs, you couldn’t actually ask for extra from the Xiaomi 14. It has each Bluetooth 5.4 (with AptX Adaptive/LDAC/LHDC 5.0 assist) and Wi-Fi 7 (with Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Cell Connectivity System) assist – these are the very newest requirements on the time of writing.

There’s additionally GPS, NFC, an IR blaster (sure that’s very helpful for controlling the TV when your one-year-old has hidden the distant), 5G and dual-SIM with assist for 2 nano SIMs or one bodily and one eSIM.

Cameras & Video

• Triple 50Mp rear cameras with Leica 
• 32Mp selfie cam 
• DSLR-level outcomes 

Pictures is an space the place the Xiaomi 14 has acquired a big improve over its predecessor. 

A trio of 50Mp rear dealing with cameras (co-developed with iconic digicam firm Leica) makes for a formidable setup. The Xiaomi 13 had one 50Mp shooter however 12- and 10Mp ultrawide and telephoto choices alongside it respectively. 

After important testing, the Xiaomi 14 comes out as top-of-the-line digicam telephones that we’ve ever examined. 

The mix of a 23mm (equal) f/1.6 important digicam with a big 1/1.31-inch sensor, 14mm f/2.2 ultrawide and 75mm f/2.0 floating telephoto – all at excessive decision – is unimaginable. It feels such as you’re carrying round a compact DSLR with interchangeable lenses, simply with out having to bodily swap them spherical. 

Xiaomi presents completely beautiful picture high quality on the 14, no matter which digicam you employ. Thought it’s the principle digicam that I used probably the most, and it’s the one that basically stands out. Outcomes look nothing in need of DSLR-level with eye-opening element for starters. 

Xiaomi presents completely beautiful picture high quality on the 14, no matter which digicam you employ

What I discovered notably spectacular is the way in which the Xiaomi 14 captures mild. It’s truly tough to place into phrases for some pictures however there’s a very moody and intriguing high quality to them – see the instance beneath (albeit compressed for on-line viewing) the place the sunshine is coming in from the window and particular person hairs are crisp. 

The digicam is fast to reply, capable of focus and recognise faces with ease and nearly at all times will get key settings like publicity and ISO proper. The element in shadows in astounding and I really like the pure bokeh of the principle lens, which makes portrait mode nearly redundant. 

It’s maybe just a little too shallow once in a while (test the hazy fringe of the ice cream beneath) however this solely occurs not often. Color is true to life with the app set to the Leica Genuine mode, however you may shortly faucet within the high nook to modify to a extra saturated look with Leica Vibrant should you desire. 

As per the portrait mode, I additionally didn’t discover I wanted to manually choose Evening mode both, such is the low mild efficiency of the cellphone. I believe the outcomes communicate for themselves.

Transferring to the telephoto lens (initially discovered on the Xiaomi 13 Professional) you may shoot an at optical zoom of three.2x which is barely greater than the S24 and S24+ (each 3x). That apart, it’s the standard that’s the important thing factor right here due to the mix of excessive decision, OIS (optical picture stabilisation) and quick f/2 aperture. 

See for your self within the samples beneath. You’ll be able to zoom as much as 60x in digital cropping but it surely’s no shock that issues begin to get pixelated when you hit even half that determine. 

The ultrawide is maybe the least spectacular of the three but it surely’s nonetheless much better than most in the marketplace. It’s simply that the opposite two cameras are so spectacular, and I discovered them extra helpful in my images than the ultrawide. 

It doesn’t have OIS or as spectacular an aperture, however high quality remains to be excellent and color is near the opposite cameras, too. The pliability of a wider discipline of view will at all times be helpful.

I discovered the cameras sensible to work with with out delving too far into the settings – congrats to Xiaomi for making the digicam app so clear and user-friendly. However you are able to do issues like shoot in RAW, at 50Mp decision or with customized settings in Professional mode should you like.

Across the entrance is a 32Mp selfie digicam with f/2 aperture. It’s according to different flagship front-facing cameras, providing good element and loads of options – together with a portrait mode with depth management and evening mode. 

You may as well make use of ‘dynamic framing’ (aka cropping) to decide on between 0.8x and 1.0x relying on how a lot you’re making an attempt to suit into the shot. Nevertheless, in contrast to some telephones, it doesn’t robotically transfer between them.

Transferring onto video and the Xiaomi 14 continues to impress with the power to shoot in as much as 8K/24fps, however most will wish to knock it all the way down to 4K to get 30- or 60fps and Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR. 

I discovered video footage to be prime quality, clean, detailed and vibrant. Audio high quality can also be above common, due to an array of 4 microphones. 

My on gripe right here is that though the app presents you a pleasant zoom wheel which easily zooms out and in such as you’ve obtained an old style camcorder, it’ll change between the rear cameras if you get to sure ranges and the transition is commonly jarring.  

Even so, I’m blown away by the cameras on the Xiaomi 14 and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely is much more spectacular on paper, particularly with the alluring Pictures Equipment, although it comes at a value. 

And should you don’t wish to take my phrase for it, the 14 is ranked third in its class by DXOMark on the time of writing, behind solely the Pixel 8 and iPhone 15. Although it will get a decrease rating, these rivals don’t have a telephoto lens.

Battery Life & Charging 

• 4610mAh 
• 90W HyperCharge 
• 50W wi-fi HyperCharge 

A 4610mAh battery is just a little beneath the oh so frequent 5000mAh capability, however don’t fear an excessive amount of. 

I’d personally relatively take this and have the scale and weight advantages that include it, particularly as I can verify that battery life is respectable regardless of its below-average capability.

You will get via a day of assorted utilization with an inexpensive quantity of display on time with round 50% left, so this can be a two-day cellphone in some conditions. Nevertheless, if duties like gaming are a part of your each day routine, then I’d count on it to wish charging at bedtime. 

In our typical PCMark for Android battery take a look at with the display set to 200 nits the Xiaomi 14 lasted a good 12 hours and 43 minutes. 

Battery life is respectable regardless of its below-average capability… that is two-day cellphone in some conditions

It’s not laborious to maintain the Xiaomi 14 topped up although, so I didn’t actually do the cost at evening factor. With 90W wired and 50W wi-fi ‘HyperCharge’ quick charging accessible, small bursts of cost go a good distance. 

Xiaomi offers the 90W adapter within the field, too, and with this, you will get from 0% to 43% in simply 15-minutes after which 82% in half an hour in my testing. Quite a bit quicker than the Pixels and Galaxys of this world.

It additionally helps 10W reverse wi-fi charging so you may high up different devices, maybe your wi-fi earbuds case, by putting them on the again of the Xiaomi 14. 

Software program & Apps 

• HyperOS 
• Android 14 
• Good software program assist 

Though the Xiaomi 14 comes with the shiny new HyperOS (model 1.0) over Android 14. However don’t get too excited should you suppose the HyperOS software program is a departure from the longstanding MIUI.  

If you happen to’ve used MIUI earlier than, a lot of the working system can be acquainted right here. In truth, it’s tough to identify any main variations. 

It’s actually a greater expertise than MIUI was a number of years in the past and with a while spent tinkering, will be fairly nice. You might even just like the cut up notification and fast settings panels on both aspect of the selfie digicam, iOS-style. 

These can a minimum of be pulled down with out reaching the highest of the show however no shortcut for the principle settings menu is a mistake, that means you’ll want to depart the app icon model someplace helpful. 

Don’t get too excited should you suppose the HyperOS software program is a departure from the longstanding MIUI

It appears for each good factor, there’s a draw back. 

Many customers will love the GameTurbo mode, which not solely offers a efficiency increase however has numerous helpful options and instruments. And you should use apps in floating home windows but it surely’s not at all times intuitive or simple to make use of.

The largest downside, as ever, is the massive quantity of bloatware. It feels such as you’ve picked up another person’s cellphone after setup such is the quantity of apps already vying on your consideration. 

There’s a complete folder of ‘Extra apps’ together with the likes of Fb, Reserving.com and AliExpress. And who wants three internet browsers? Chrome, Opera, and Mi Browser are all pre-installed.

Certain, most will be uninstalled however I don’t wish to spend time doing boring admin on my new cellphone to get issues tidied up, thanks. 

The agency doesn’t record it on the web site or retailer however has confirmed to me that the Xiaomi 14 will get 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of safety updates. 

It’s not so long as Samsung or Google (each seven for flagships) but it surely’s actually not dangerous.  

Value & Availability 

The Xiaomi 14 arrives within the UK with a beginning value of £849 (the identical because the Xiaomi 13) which will get you the 256GB mannequin or you may double this to 512GB for £899. 

Xiaomi has numerous presents on the official Mi retailer together with a free Xiaomi Pad 6 should you pre-order together with 3-months of YouTube Premium and 6-months of 100GB Google One storage. 

Nevertheless, the cellphone isn’t accessible on contract, so that you’ll have to purchase outright and pair with SIM-only deal. As typical, the cellphone isn’t accessible within the US, although you could possibly import onee

The value places the Xiaomi 14 in competitors with the likes of the Google Pixel 8, iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S24 and OnePlus 12. 

All of that are strong decisions in 2024 however the Xiaomi 14 stands in excellent stead amongst these titans in addition to what we rank as the most effective smartphones you should purchase. 

Do you have to purchase the Xiaomi 14? 

By no means a easy query to reply however it is best to positively give the Xiaomi 14 severe consideration should you’re searching for a top-notch flagship in 2024. 

I personally love this compact and excessive efficiency handset. In a number of methods, it outpaces rivals from the massive names. 

The design is beautiful in nearly each manner, I simply want this Jade Inexperienced colourway wasn’t a fingerprint magnet. 

There’s little or no to complain about on the subject of {hardware} right here. The show is beautiful (and extra compact than most), efficiency is blazingly quick, charging is speedy and the cameras are astounding. 

The important thing query right here is whether or not you wish to pay greater than the likes of the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 when HyperOS is a step down and software program assist, although respectable, isn’t as lengthy. 

I’m significantly tempted (with some person interface tweaking) to make use of it as my important machine, which is about as excessive as reward will get from a expertise journalist. 

Specs

• Android 14 w/ HyperOS 1.0
• 6.36in FHD+ AMOLED 1-120Hz show, 240Hz contact sampling, HDR10+, Dolby Imaginative and prescient
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• Corning Gorilla Glass Victus entrance
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• 12GB RAM LPDDR5X
• 256/512GB UFS 4.0 non-expandable storage
• 50Mp, f/1.6, important digicam with OIS
• 50Mp, f/2.2 wide-angle digicam
• 50Mp, f/2 telephoto digicam with OIS
• 32Mp, f/2.0 front-facing digicam
• Twin audio system with Dolby Atmos
• 5G
• WiFi 7
• Bluetooth 5.4
• USB-C port
• IR blaster
• Twin-SIM
• 4610mAh battery
• 90W quick charging
• 50W wi-fi charging
• 10W reverse wi-fi charging
• 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.2mm
• 193g
• Launch colors: Black, White, Jade Inexperienced