| 6.36" AMOLED Display | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Chip | 12GB RAM/512GB Storage | Android 14, HyperOS |
| 50MP+50MP+50MP Rear cameras | 32MP Front Camera | 4,160mAh battery | 90W Charging support |
Xiaomi usually reserves the truly jaw-dropping tech for its Ultra model. But don't let the smaller Xiaomi 14 fly under your radar – it's a compact powerhouse in a world obsessed with big phones.
It's also gotten some important upgrades with a better camera system and a more powerful chipset compared to its predecessor. Keep reading our Xiaomi 14 review to find out how it performs in the real world.
The Xiaomi 14 is packaged in a standard retail box, complete with the expected user manuals, a 120W charging brick capable of 90W fast charging, and a USB-A to USB-C cable. Plus, there's a silicone case included in the box.
The Xiaomi 14 measures up at a cozy 6.36 inches, nudging just a bit beyond the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 15 Pro.
However, it’s still incredibly pocket-friendly and mimics the elegant design language of its rivals, featuring a sleek metallic frame and smooth flat edges.
From the back, the Xiaomi 14 might not grab everyone's attention, but there is something appealing about its straightforward design.
The rear features a square camera module in the top left corner, which has been positioned cleverly, so your finger naturally rests just below, making it super comfy to hold.
And at 193 grams, it's perfectly balanced for using with just one hand. My review unit came in this cool, fingerprint-resistant matte black, but there's this really snazzy green version you might want to check out.
It also offers an IP68 rating, so it's not afraid of a little water, and the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, so it's pretty tough.
The fingerprint sensor is a bit lower than I'd prefer, but it is it quick and dependable. Plus, the phone gets Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers, which pack a surprising amount of depth.
They also pair wonderfully with this beautiful AMOLED display, which comes with HDR 10+ credentials, making it an excellent device for watching movies.
The display resolution is set at 2,670 x 1,200 pixels, offering a slight improvement over the Xiaomi 13, and supports a dynamic refresh rate that switches from 1 Hz to 120 Hz , giving you silky smooth scrolling and a bit of a battery boost.
The display is impressively bright too, allowing for easy reading outdoors in direct sunlight, and it can achieve a peak brightness of 3,000 nits.
The Xiaomi 14 steps it up from last year's model by swapping out the rear cameras for a way better lineup. Now, you're getting a trio of 50MP shooters on the back, co-developed with the legendary Leica.
For the first time, we're seeing the Light Fusion 900 sensor in the main camera, which is supposed to be better at capturing light, thanks to its size.
It also comes with OIS, and a 23mm focal length. Complementing it are a 14mm ultrawide and a 75mm f/2.0 floating telephoto lens with OIS that brings 3.2x optical zoom into play.
Taking pics with the main camera feels snappy, even a bit quicker than my iPhone 15 Pro, delivering top-notch images in daylight.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S24 & Galaxy S24 Plus Review
Images come out crisp and full of detail, with noise barely in the picture. It also handles high-contrast scenes well, not overexposing bright spots or crushing shadows.
Colours are true to life in Leica Authentic mode, though you can dial up the saturation with Leica Vibrant if that's more your thing.
2X shots, which are cropped from the main sensor, can be a hit or miss. They may lack some sharpness, but you'd have to zoom in closely to notice any shortcomings.
Under mixed or low light, the Xiaomi 14 skillfully manages colours and contrast, avoiding an overwashed look. It avoids unnaturally brightening dark parts of a photo or altering the sky's colour, a common issue with competitors.
The ultrawide lens isn't on the same level as the main camera, lacking OIS and a more impressive focal length. But quality-wise, it's still pretty decent compared to what else is out there.
Diving into the telephoto capabilities, the 3.2x optical zoom slightly edges out the Galaxy S24 and S24+ 3x zoom. It captures detailed and noise-free shots in various environments.
The colours here tend to be warmer than at 1x and 2x zoom levels, which lean cooler.
Even when you digitally zoom in to 10x, you still get a pretty good picture, and pushing it up to 60x is possible, though you'll start to see a drop in detail and pixelation well before reaching that extreme.
But let's quickly circle back to that 3.2x zoom. It isn't there just for covering distance; it's also fantastic for snapping some stunning macro shots. Plus, you can use Leicas's black-and-white filter in this zoom level to get some dramatic shots.
Then there’s the Portrait mode, which is mostly good but I didn’t always find it to be consistent, sometimes delivering stunning portraits with crisp edge detection and DSLR-level background blur, even in low light.
But at other times, it was a bit off, leaving me wanting more. I also played around with the different portrait styles Xiaomi throws into the mix.
You've got the 35mm Documentary, 50mm Swirly Bokeh, 75mm Portrait, and the 90mm Soft Focus Lens. The last one produced some weird results, so it was my least favourite.
The Xiaomi 14 impresses in the video department, offering 4K at 60fps across all three lenses. It's worth mentioning, though, that the HDR mode, which enhances dynamic range, is limited to 4K at 30FPS and doesn't extend to 60 FPS.
There's also the option to shoot in 8K using only the main camera, but it's quite the storage hog. While recording, you can zoom up to 15x, but I wasn't exactly thrilled with Xiaomi's zoom slider.
It felt a bit clunky compared to the more straightforward lens-switching solutions seen in other smartphones.
Around the front is a 32MP selfie camera. It's on par with other flagship offerings, delivering solid detail. By default, it tends to overly smooth skin textures, so you might want to dial that setting down to get more natural-looking results.
Overall, the Xiaomi 14 is a dependable choice for photography thanks to its diverse range of features, though it feels like it's just a couple of updates away from clinching the title of the best camera phone.
The powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor runs the show here. We've already seen it work wonders in Samsung’s S24 Ultra, and it doesn't drop the ball with the Xiaomi 14 either.
This phone is a beast, tearing through benchmarks like they're nothing and holding its own under heavy use. In our throttle test, it only dialed back to 85% of its max power, which is very impressive.
Additionally, the phone packs 12 GB of RAM and a generous 512 GB of the latest UFS 4.0 storage. That means it’s fast and built to handle anything you throw at it.
I had zero problems with multitasking or playing the most demanding games at the highest graphic settings.
During longer gaming stretches or when capturing photos out in the sun, the back of the phone, especially around the middle, tends to warm up a bit.
Its compact size doesn't allow for as effective heat management as you might find in larger devices, but it's worth noting I didn't experience any performance throttling or issues with the camera app refusing to take photos.
If there's one hiccup with Xiaomi phones, it's usually the software. The new HyperOS, built on Android 14 picks up where MIUI left off, and does a slightly better job of streamlining things up a bit.
Yet, you'll still find a bunch of extra apps cluttering the space, along with numerous Xiaomi apps set as the default options.
Out of the box, the interface might remind you of iOS, which I guess is good news for any one transitioning from iPhone to Android.
Xiaomi's promise of four years of Android updates and five years of security patches isn't too bad either, even though it doesn't quite stack up to the longer support periods offered by Samsung or Google.
Xiaomi 14 packs a 4610mAh battery, which might seem modest in size, but it's proven to deliver strong battery life in my tests. I've managed to get through a full day of mixed-to-heavy use without any problems.
Of course, extended gaming sessions will deplete the battery quicker, but that's hardly an issue thanks to the 90W wired charging speed – you can zip from 0 to 100% in about 40 minutes
The phone also offers 50W wireless charging capability, though you'll have to pick up Xiaomi's own wireless charging stand as an extra.
The Xiaomi 14 is a flagship device through and through. But that means it also comes with a flagship price tag of ₹70,000
This makes it ₹10,000 less expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S24, but what you get for that price is more RAM, extra storage, and a beefier Snapdragon processor.
On the other hand, the OnePlus 12 is priced slightly lower at a starting price of ₹64,999, while the iQOO 12 costs ₹52,999, both featuring the same chipset as the Xiaomi 14.
Then you've got the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8—both highly sought after and only a bit pricier than the Xiaomi 14.
is stepping into a pretty competitive ring and it's not an easy fight to win.
However, all things considered, the Xiaomi 14 carves out its niche in a crowded market with its unique blend of size, power, and camera versatility. It truly stands out in a sea of giants, proving that good things come in smaller packages.
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