Recently, we wrote about a new affordable Chinese smartphone for mobile gamers POCO X6 Pro. Now let’s talk about the latest top-of-the-line Xiaomi 14. This compact smartphone is positioned as a photo flagship equipped with super-powerful hardware, so for some, it will undoubtedly be the best solution for their money. However, the price tag of the device is not small, so others will definitely choose the iPhone 15 or competitive Android flagships, which are plentiful. In any case, we have a really cool, well-balanced smartphone that you should know about, and we should tell you about it.
Pluses:
good equipment; modern compact design; bright LTPO OLED screen at 120 Hz; premium body materials and build quality; IP68 protection against moisture and dust; compact dimensions; powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor; cool cameras; Android 14 with HyperOS shell; fast 90W wired charging; adequate price/quality/capabilities ratio
Minuses:
the processor throttles a lot; too many proprietary applications and services; sound and vibration response could be better
Content
Specifications of Xiaomi 14
| Screen | 6.36″, LTPO OLED, 1200×2670 pixels, 120 Hz, pixel density — 460 ppi, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, peak brightness — 3000 nits |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (Cortex-X4 3.3 GHz + five Cortex-A720 3.2 GHz cores + 2 Cortex-A520 2.3 GHz) |
| Graphics accelerator | Adreno 750 |
| Operating system | Android 14 with HyperOS firmware |
| Memory | 8/256, 12/256 GB, 16/512 GB, 16 GB/1 TB |
| Main camera | 50 megapixels, f/1.6 aperture, 23 mm sensor, dual pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS |
| Telephoto lens | 50 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture, 75 mm sensor, PDAF phase detection, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom |
| Ultra-wide-angle module | 50 megapixels, f/2.2 aperture, 14 mm sensor, 115 degree viewing angle |
| Record video | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 32 megapixels |
| Record video | 4K@30/60fps |
| Communications | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC module, IR port, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC navigation services |
| Sound | Stereo |
| Battery | 4610 mAh, 90W wired charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wired charging |
| Case materials | Glass, plastic, aluminum |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Pink, Green |
| Protection | IP68 (immersion to a depth of 1.5 meters for half an hour) |
| Dimensions | 152.8 × 71.5 × 8.2 mm |
| Weight | 188 grams |
Packaging and equipment
Xiaomi 14 comes in a standard white box.
Inside, we see the flagship itself with a film stuck to the screen, a clip for the SIM tray, documentation, a 90W power supply, a USB Type-C cable, and a black plastic case.
Not only did the Chinese flagship not remove the power supply, as many modern manufacturers do. On the contrary, the package is as complete as possible, which will definitely be pleasant to the user, and the case matches the black color of the smartphone. At least in our case.
Design and ergonomics
Xiaomi 14 follows the trends, so it’s a compact (152.8×71.5×8.2 mm) and lightweight (188 grams) smartphone with flat sides and rounded corners, but no rounded screen edges. If you don’t like «shovels», then pay attention to this new product.
The edges are metal and glossy, while the rest of the device is plastic and glass. The device is protected against water according to the IP68 standard. This means that it can be immersed in water up to a depth of one and a half meters for half an hour. But not in salt water.
The front panel features ultra-thin bezels, a small front camera module, and a built-in fingerprint scanner.
The back matte panel has a Xiaomi inscription and a glass module with the main cameras. It has three sensors, a flash, and a Leica inscription. The back cover itself protrudes slightly above the body and has rounded edges.
On the left side is the lock button and volume buttons. On the bottom is a SIM card slot, a USB-C port, a speaker, and a microphone.
In the settings, you can click on several color temperature options and choose the right preset for you. In addition, there is a function of enhanced textures, a reading mode, changing the refresh rate (by default, 60 or 120 Hz), eliminating flicker, a visualization system with AI, and more. Here you can also switch between light and dark themes, customize the lock screen, Always On Display, etc.
The display is one of the many strengths of Xiaomi 14. It’s colorful and bright, and the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support is really noticeable when watching YouTube videos or Netflix content.
The built-in fingerprint scanner is located closer to the bottom edge. The sensor is fast and works without glitches, and it also responds to wet fingers. Its location was convenient for me, but it’s up to you.
Sound and vibration response
Xiaomi 14 has stereo sound. The sound is loud and surround. There is support for Dolby Atmos technology, as well as Xiaomi Sound. There is a built-in equalizer and various sound presets. Immersive sound is also activated, which adds an immersive effect and a sense of space. This is a kind of enhanced surround sound that you should try to turn on in videos, movies, or TV shows, but it’s definitely not for music.
The vibration response is nice, but there are no additional settings. There is only activation and a spinner for tactile feedback.
In the headphones, the smartphone supports 24-bit/192 kHz Hi-Res sound (Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Wireless), and there is also support for Snapdragon Sound. That is, if you have good headphones, the smartphone has everything to convey their high-quality sound.
In general, the sound in the speakers is the flagship’s weakest point. That is, it is detailed and powerful, but it is no different from the adequate sound quality of the same POCO X6 Pro, which is many times more affordable. Also, there are not two full-fledged separate speakers, but one main speaker at the bottom plus an earpiece.
Xiaomi 14 cameras
Xiaomi 14 has a triple main camera. All sensors are 50 megapixels from Leica: the main one, an ultra-wide-angle module, and a telephoto lens. The first one has an aperture of f/1.6, a 23 mm sensor, dual pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS. The ultra-wide-angle one has an aperture of f/2.2, a 14 mm sensor, and a viewing angle of 115 degrees. The telephoto with an aperture of f/2.0 and a 75 mm sensor is equipped with PDAF phase detection, OIS and 3.2x optical zoom.
In the main menu of the camera app, you can choose from two available photo modes. These are Leica Vibrant or Leica Authentic. The former offers rich colors, while the latter makes photos appear natural. You can switch between modes in a second, so it’s convenient to take photos in different versions and then compare them.
Xiaomi 14 is a full-fledged photography flagship that can take great photos in any conditions. My examples below include darkness, night, evening, day, fog, etc. In all cases, the photos are of high quality, saturated, with adequate contrast and white balance.
I especially like the realism and naturalness of the photos. Yes, the above-mentioned modes change the mood of the pictures, but for some moments one mode is better, for others — the other. That’s why you need to play around, and I don’t give preference to anyone. Each of them is worth experimenting with.
The ultra-wide-angle and telephoto modules are also worthy of praise, but due to their features, of course, they take slightly worse photos. However, without comparison, the quality is also excellent, and a lot of detail remains when you zoom in.
The phone can shoot video up to and including 8K@24fps. At 4K, there are 60, 30, and 24 frames per second. There is slow motion, a variety of modes, beautifiers, PRO mode, «Cinema» mode, full teleprompter, and more.
The front sensor here is 32-megapixel, capable of shooting 4K video at 60 or 30 frames per second. There are also a bunch of formats and functions, including a teleprompter, Bokeh mode, etc.
The selfie camera takes high-quality, detailed photos. I also like the portrait mode.
Productivity, software, and games
Xiaomi 14 is powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This is an octa-core processor (Cortex-X4 3.3 GHz + five Cortex-A720 3.2 GHz + 2 Cortex-A520 2.3 GHz cores) with an Adreno 750 graphics chip.
The smartphone has different versions of memory (8/256, 12/256 GB, 16/512 GB, 16 GB/1 TB), but only the 12/512 GB version is officially sold in large networks such as «Allo». It’s nice that these are fast modern standards LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0, respectively. You can also now add up to 6 GB of virtual RAM.
As for modules and interfaces, there is support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, IR, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS and NavIC.
In a variety of stress tests and benchmarks, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has proven to be incredibly productive, but like other recent processors from the manufacturer, it seriously throttles and gets very hot. The chip pulls any powerful game or application, but after a certain time of use, its performance will drop. But this won’t affect the process much, because there is more power than needed, and the case heated up only during stress tests. None of the many popular games in everyday use caused anything like this — just a slight warming up and nothing more.
Of course, Xiaomi 14 runs all popular and «heavy» games at maximum graphics settings. The flagship processor allows you to play mobile hits with the best picture and high fps.
Xiaomi 14 runs on Android 14, and there is also a proprietary HyperOS add-on that replaced MIUI. There are some changes, but not many of them, in general, it concerns a slightly different visual style and a change in the location of settings, functions (the appearance of virtual RAM), etc.
We still have many tools to change the style and appearance, which is definitely a plus. But there are also a lot of proprietary applications, services, and ads, which, in my opinion, still negatively affects the user experience. However, due to the top-end hardware, design, cameras, and compactness, all this «garbage» fades into the background.
Xiaomi 14 battery life
Xiaomi 14 is equipped with a 4610 mAh battery. Wired charging of 90 W, wireless charging of 50 W, and reverse wired charging of 10 W are declared.
In real life, with standard use with the Internet, instant messengers, apps, games, and watching content on YouTube, it lasts for a day of use without any problems. Of course, you can either use it faster or last up to a day and a half. But in both cases, this will be non-standard use. Therefore, count on average of a whole day, which is more than adequate for this size.
But the main thing is different. Even if it charges faster, it takes 18 minutes (!) to charge from 0 to 50% and 35 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%. This means that you generally cannot worry about it and sometimes allow yourself to run out of juice. While you’re eating, brushing your teeth, or going to the bathroom, it will be ready to work for a long time.
Let’s not forget about fast wireless and reverse charging. But the former is only available on a special Xiaomi station, which you need to buy separately and connect via the bundled 90W power adapter. In all other cases, wireless charging will be at 15 watts.
User experience
I didn’t expect anything from Xiaomi 14 at all, and after using it, I really liked it. I only know about the 12 and 13 models theoretically, so I know that it has become significantly better, but in terms of design, it has not departed far from its predecessor.
And it was the design that I liked the least, but I understand why. Flat edges and rounded corners are a tribute to the current trend in the segment. A huge, bulging module is needed to accommodate serious cameras and all the necessary related mechanisms. Of course, this will affect the user experience because even in the case, the top of the platform with the cameras remains open. So I advise you to always look where you put your smartphone and what is lying next to it.
At the same time, its compact design is the best part, so it almost covers the nuances mentioned above. Xiaomi 14 combines compact dimensions with a fairly large screen, which is facilitated by thin bezels. It takes up less space, fits better in the palm of your hand, and is convenient to use with one hand not only for people with long fingers but also for everyone else.
The new Chinese flagship is liked for its cameras, screen, performance, and ultra-fast charging. With its compact size and relatively small battery, it can easily work all day and be fully charged in half an hour. I wanted the wireless charging to be superfast with all the chargers, but there are always some nuances.
Price and competitors
Xiaomi 14 is sold at a price of 36,735 hryvnias. This is the global version with 12/512 GB. Of course, you can find «siryaki» and even Chinese versions with 8/256 for 25,000 UAH, but we will consider the official prices from large networks. For example, in «Allo» and other similar stores, the new product costs UAH 39,999. In my opinion, the price is adequate and fair, but there are a lot of eminent competitors here, but the most serious opponent will be the recent novelty from the Korean giant.
First of all, we pay attention toSamsung Galaxy S24 (our review here). The smartphone has a much more popular and less cluttered shell, it has a screen that’s not worse, and in some aspects, even better. However, the camera is inferior to the Chinese, as is the fast charging power.
Among other competitors, do not forget about Apple iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Google Pixel 8 Pro and OnePlus 12. And there are also Motorola Edge 40 Pro andSony Xperia 1 V if you also want something compact and with a powerful camera.