I can still remember of being really impressed with the specs and performance of the Xiaomi 14, especially the built-in camera, during its official launch event last March. Xiaomi Philippines and its PR agency told us they only had a few review units for the Xiaomi 14.
However, because I was so impressed with the phone, I requested the PR agency to lend me one unit so I could review it for the website after my other tech media colleagues were done with it.
And so, here we are now as I share my experience with the Xiaomi 14 and how well its cameras can take high-quality photos and videos.
The Xiaomi 14 is still available at authorized Xiaomi stores and retailers nationwide. You can also purchase it through its official e-commerce partners on Lazada and Shopee. The Xiaomi 14 will be sold in two available storage variants – Php 47,999 12GB+512GB and Php 45,999 12GB+256GB.
Now let’s dive into the review.
Unboxing
The packaging box of the Xiaomi 14 is very simple and made of durable thick cardboard type material clad in an all-white color matte finish.
The contents of the box include the following items.
- Xiaomi 14 Unit
- SIM Ejector Tool
- Protective Case
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- 90W Power Adapter
- Quick Start Guide
- Safety Information
Design
The Xiaomi 14 offers three colorways with White, Jade Green, and our review unit in Black. It weighs 193 grams with overall dimensions at 152.8mm for its height, wdith at 71.5mm and a slim thickness at 8.20mm.
The phone gets an IP68 rating certification against dust and water resistance of up 30 minutes with depth of up to 1.5 meters.
The build quality is sturdier with the frame made of metal, the front using Gorilla Glass Victus and a 3D curved Asahi glass at the back.
On the overall side edges of the phone, the right side has the power button and volume rocker, while the bottom edge holds the USB Type-C port, microphone, SIM card slot and speaker grille. The left and top edges is completely clean for a more simple profile design of the phone.
The rear back has a square type camera module with a slight bump that houses the triple camera setup.
On the front of the phone, the bezels are much slimmer and you get a small centered punch hole design for the front camera.
Display
Even for a compact phone like the Xiaomi 14, the display is really spec’d out which you’ll find out in a bit. The screen is vibrant, sharp, and bright enough to be used outdoors. I love watching any kind of video on the display, whether it’s from Netflix, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Playing games on it is also a blast, as the color reproduction is great, smooth, and the details are excellent.
Here’s the specs on the Xiaomi 14’s and why it gets a great display.
It has a 1.5K 6.36-inch AMOLED display with resolution at 2670 x 1200-pixel, touch sampling rate of 240Hz, and 460 PPI for that sharp detailed image. For those smooth animations and scrolling, It has a dynamic refresh rate capable of going from 1 Hz up to 120 Hz.
It can also reach up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness good for using even on direct sunlight.
Watching movies on the display are excellent thanks to its 68 billion colors, DCI-P3 color gamut, and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
With long hours of using the phone, you can be sure that your eyes are well protected, as it has certifications from TÜV Rheinland for Low Blue Light, Flicker Free, and Circadian Friendly.
Performance
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 14 won’t disappoint you in its internal hardware and chipsets. It is powered with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 Mobile octa-core processor built with a 4nm power efficient cores with maximum clock speeds of up to 3.3GHz. For its GPU, it is paired with a Qualcomm Adreno 750 which is more faster and power efficient as well.
For storage, it offers two variants: 256GB or 512GB, both features a high-performance UFS 4.0 technology delivering higher data transfer speeds and lower power consumption. It is equipped with a large memory up to 12GB RAM LPDDR5X.
The stereo speakers on the Xioami 14 offer Dolby Atmos with clear vocals and boast surprising depth.
Here’s our benchmark scores on the Xiaomi 14.
- GeekBench 6 CPU: 2193 Single Core / 6700 Multi-Core
- CPDT: 912.88 MB/s Write, 1.08 G B/s Read
- 3DMark: Maxed Out!
- PCMark: 15928 Work 3.0 Performance Score
Camera
One of the Xiaomi 14’s standout features is its camera system. The built-in triple-lens camera are all Leica-tuned lens that offer users excellent image quality for both photos and videos.
The main camera is having a 50MP Leica lens using a Light Fusion 900 image sensor with a large sensor size at 1/1.31-inch and an aperture of f/1.6. It supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to prevent shaky footages and makes photos crisper.
The second camera is a 50MP Leica telephoto camera with an aperture of f/2.0, OIS, and zoom capabilities at 1x, 2x, and 3.2x.
To capture larger-scale images, the third camera lens gives you a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a maximum field of view of 115-degrees, and an aperture of f/2.2.
For selfies, the front camera offers a 32MP lens at f/2.0 aperture, and a field of view of up to 89.6-degrees for group shots or 0.8x zoom.
Record videos with four available resolutions starting with the maximum 8K quality at 24fps, 4K at 24fps/30fps/60fps, 1080p at 30fps/60fps, and 720p at 30fps.
The camera application on the Xiaomi 14 is very similar to other camera apps but I prefer the way Xiaomi 14 organizes its camera settings. The drop-down arrow at the top center of the screen makes it faster and easier to change my preferred settings.
The zoom switch dial has an available zoom options from 0.6x, 1x, 2x, 3.2x and all the way up to 60x zoom.
On the top right corner of the camera app, you’ll find two Leica photographic color styles – Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic. The difference between the two is Leica Authentic will give your photos a more accurate and natural color reproduction. While Leica Vibrant creates brighter and saturated tones, making blue skies appear more lively. I always prefer and use the Leica Vibrant option for my photos, but I would suggest shooting both as there will be shots where you get different results.
I was very happy and satisfied with my hands-on experience of the Xiaomi 14. It has a fast shutter speed, natural pleasing bokeh, and no doubt, when you use it in bright conditions, you get good image quality with sharp details and nice color reproduction. With the built-in large sensor, you also get good quality shots even in low-light situations.
For videos, you’re getting great footage in any situation, whether in well-lit conditions or low-light scenarios.
Here are some sample photos taken with the Xiaomi 14 during a 3-day event I attended in Cebu.
0.6x, Ultra-Wide Camera, Sunny Weather
1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Sunny Weather
2x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Sunny Weather
3.2x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Sunny Weather
1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
2x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
3.2x Telephoto Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Closer shot using the 1x zoom, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Leica Authentic at 1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Leica Vibrant at 1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Shooting food on the Xiaomi 14 produced nice colors and details while using the Leica Vibrant filter
1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo Mode, Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
Selfie, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Selfie, Portrait mode, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
Software
The Xiaomi 14 runs on its newest software the Xiaomi HyperOS based on Android 14.
Checking over the installed apps, you get a few bloatware applications such as Amazon Shopping, Booking.com, Facebook, Lazada, LinkedIn, Netflix, Shopee, Spotify, TikTok and proprietary apps from Xiaomi.
For the Xiaomi 14 the company will offer users four years of Android updates and five years of security patches.
With the new Xiaomi’s HyperOS, the phone’s performance remained smooth across all tasks we do on this flagship phone. Plus, it has a vibrant interface, personalized lock screens, and multitasking capabilities for work productivity.
Battery
For the Xiaomi 14, you’re getting a 4610mAh battery instead of the usual 5,000mAh battery which are fitted to other phone these days.
But don’t fret as its rather an ideal thing to do for the Xiaomi 14 to be more lightweight, sleek, and compact.
You can easily juice up the battery with the 90W wired and 50W wireless ‘HyperCharge’ fast charging feature. Plus, the company also included a 90W power adapter and we were able to charge the phone from 0% to 48% in just 15-minutes. It took us almost 51 minutes to fully charge the Xiaomi 14 from 0 to 100%.
You can power up some of your other gadgets that supports wireless charging on the Xiaomi 14 by placing it on the back of the phone thanks to its 10W reverse wireless charging feature.
Conclusion
In general, the size of the Xiaomi 14 is just right for me. Don’t underestimate this phone due to its compact size, as you’re getting the best features built into this flagship phone by Xiaomi.
The design is elegant, and the build quality is solid. I suggest you check out the Jade Green colorway as it’s also attractive.
When we look at the internal hardware of the phone, there’s little to complain about, as you’re getting a flagship chipset from the processor down to the sound quality. Battery life is pretty good plus you get fast charging, wireless, charging and reverse charging technology.
The Leica triple camera lens setup on the Xiaomi 14 is impressive, definitely a stand out feature and for users who wants a phone that can take excellent photos and videos at the same time even in different conditions.
Lastly, the display is stunning, whether you’re watching multimedia or playing games on the device.
If you’re looking for a premium flagship phone in 2024, I would definitely recommend the Xiaomi 14.”
Full Specifications – Xiaomi 14
- Price: PHP45,999 (12GB+256GB), PHP47,999 (12GB+512GB)
- Colors: Black, White, Jade Green
- Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform
- 4nm Power Efficient Manufacturing Process
- CPU:1x Prime core (X4-based), up to 3.3GHz 3x Performance cores (A720-based), up to 3.2GHz2x Performance cores (A720-based), up to 3.0GHz2x Efficiency cores (A520-based), up to 2.3GHz
- Qualcomm Adreno GPU
- 12GB RAM (LPDDR5X 8533Mbps)
- 256GB / 512GB (UFS 4.0 Storage)
- 5K 6.36-inch AMOLED Display
- 2670 x 1200 pixels
- 460 PPI
- LTPO, AdaptiveSync Pro
- Refresh Rate (Dynamic 1-120Hz)
- 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate
- Peak Brightness 1000 nits (typ), 3000 nits (max)
- Pro HDR display
- Dolby Vision
- HDR10+
- 68 billion colors
- Color Gamut: DCI-P3
- TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light(Hardware Solution)
- CertifiedTÜV Rheinland Flicker Free
- CertifiedTÜV Rheinland Circadian Friendly Certified
- Rear Camera 1: 50MP Leica Main Camera f/1.6 OIS, 1/1.31-inch Sensor Size, Light Fusion 900 image sensor
- Rear Camera 2: 32MP Leica Telephoto Camera, f/2.0, OIS, 10cm Macro Photograhy
- Rear Camera 3: Leica Ultra-Wide Camera, f/2.2, 115-degrees FOV,
- Front Camera: 32MP In-Display f/2.0 89.6-degrees FOV, 5P Lens
- Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@24fps/30fps/60fps, 1080p@30fps/60fps, 720p@30fps
- Xiaomi IceLoop Cooling System
- Dual SIM (nano SIM + nano SIM or nano SIM + eSIM)
- 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
- Stereo Speakers
- Dolby Atmos
- IP68 Rating
- 4610mAh Battery
- 90W HyperCharge
- 50W Wireless HyperCharge
- Reverse Wireless Charging
- Charging Port USB-C 3.2 Gen 1
- Xiaomi HyperOS
- 8 x 71.5 x 8.20mm
- 193 grams
