Xiaomi 14
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The joint launch of a “classic” model and its Ultra version imposes a choice: that of reason. Rather than offering three smartphones located between high-end and ultra-premium, Xiaomi is content with two and therefore reserves its 14 model for France to accompany the 14 Ultra, announced in great fanfare at the MWC in Barcelona. Good news since Xiaomi delivers a promising device below the €1000 mark.
The brand’s ambitions are visible. Partner of Leica for its photo component since 2022, Xiaomi is counting more than ever on the expertise of the German to convince lovers of beautiful images to invest in its mobiles. The Chinese firm also announced a few days ago the upcoming opening of a Xiaomi x Leica Optical institute, which will have three laboratories. While waiting to be truly operational, the smartphone 14 benefits from a triple photo module co-developed with Leica, which the brand is highlighting more than ever. Thus, the block located on the back of the device is even larger than that of its predecessor.
Inside, we find identical elements on paper: three 50 megapixel sensors, flanked for the first by a wide-angle lens, the second by a ultra wide-angle, and the last of a telephoto lens. All the optics are signed Leica, as was the case in 2023, which does not mean that the smartphone does not hide any new features.
On the main module side, Xiaomi offers an “in-house” sensor called Light Fusion 900. It is an Omnivision to which the manufacturer, in partnership with Leica, indicates having made some 80 modifications to meet his demands. Note that the optics that accompany it, branded Summilux (photography enthusiasts know the range of eponymous lenses from Leica) offer an aperture of f/1.6. The sensor is larger than that of the Xiaomi 13 (which we have not tested), without however being a 1 inch type sensor. The first tests that we have carried out are rather attractive. In Vibrant mode for the case of the photos below, the images display a colorimetry that is at least vivid, and the smoothing appears contained in low brightness. On the other hand, we noticed a tendency to allow some flare when the light sources are intense.
Xiaomi adds to this main module a second sensor accompanied by an ultra-wide-angle lens (14 mm equivalent, f/2.3) and a third flanked by a telephoto lens. equivalent to 75 mm, which corresponds to a 3.2x zoom, with stabilization to avoid camera shake. A very complete set therefore, which adds some welcome refinements to its video component (cinematic bokeh, face tracking with change of focus during filming, etc.).
If we reserve our full opinion for the publication of our test, one point seems essential to us: Xiaomi, either because it does not yet have the means to enter the race, or because it does not consider it necessary, prefers to focus all his efforts on capturing images and positioning himself as an expert in mobile photography above all. It is therefore not particularly a question of artificial intelligence, an unavoidable trend of the moment, although intelligent editing functions are planned, for example.
(Almost) compact design
The smartphone is also rather compact – more so than the 13 Pro – and measures 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.2 mm for 188 g. Difficult to really talk about compactness, but we appreciate these measurements which make it easier to handle than a 14Â Ultra, which is much more bulky.
Its aluminum edges and its glass back, particularly in the white color that we took in hand, make it elegant. On the other hand, those who cannot stand fingerprints will move on and turn to the black color, which favors a polymer material (plastic, that is) with a matte finish. All these versions are IP68 certified.
This Xiaomi 14 owes this format to a 6.36 inch screen, Oled and the definition of 1200 x 2670 pixels. It benefits from a refresh rate of 120 Hz, dynamic thanks to LTPO technology, and promises a maximum brightness of 3000 cd/m². In real conditions, it is very difficult to reach such records, but we nevertheless measured 1500 cd/m² during our first tests, in the wake of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example . However, there is no question of an anti-reflective panel and the smartphone offers classic Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
Under the hood of the device hides the chip of the moment, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Suffice to say that it hits the mark without difficulty and allows the smartphone to ensure very smooth operation with its 12 GB of RAM. The autonomy of the device raises more questions, because it “is satisfied†with a 4610 mAh battery, when its competitors most often offer 5000 mAh, or even more. Our first tests did not reveal any problems at this level, which we will verify during our full tests. On the charging side, Xiaomi is as always on the fast side and provides a unit with a power of 90 W. The 14 is also compatible with wireless charging at 50 W.
Let’s finish this overview with smartphone connectivity. It benefits from 5G, wifi 7 provided by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but also Bluetooth 5.4. It is also able to accommodate an e-SIM card. So many features that are now essential…
On the software side, the smartphone is released under Android 14 with Hyper OS, Xiaomi’s interface very similar to MiUI, but with more advanced integration of its ecosystem of connected objects s. The brand promises four years of OS updates and five of security patches, average for high-end smartphones at the moment, but without going as far as the seven years of Samsung and Google .
We specified above, the Xiaomi 14 is sold below the €1000 mark, which places it against a Galaxy S24+ rather than an Ultra model. It is available at this price in a 12/256 GB version, and at €1099 for its 12/256 GB version.