Review of the Xiaomi 14 smartphone: one of the best compact flagships of 2024

Xiaomi 14 offers a high-quality OLED screen with a 6.36-inch diagonal, top-tier hardware, advanced cameras, and support for 90W fast charging. All of this comes in a relatively compact glass-metal body that is water and dust resistant. What else can this new model offer and what competitors does it have? Read in our review.

Design and Ergonomics

The Xiaomi 14 is slightly larger than its main competitors, the Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 15 Pro. However, it is still not as bulky as the typical “phablets” that dominate all market segments. The area and thickness of the body allow for comfortable one-handed use, provided your hand is not very small. By today’s standards, the device can be classified as a compact device.

Externally, the new Xiaomi 14 is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13. The design of the device cannot be called original, but it looks quite attractive. The flat body with rounded corners is surrounded by an aluminum frame. The back panel is made of slightly curved glossy glass at the edges—very prone to fingerprints but pleasant to the touch and look. In China, there is also a special version with a synthetic leather back, but this option is not officially available in Ukraine.

The flat display occupies almost the entire front panel. The bezels around it are thin, as befits a flagship. The front camera is of the island type—in other words, isolated from the edges of the screen—and is quite small, so it does not interfere at all. The display is protected from scratches and impacts by durable Gorilla Glass Victus. Continuing the theme of protection, it is worth noting that the Xiaomi 14 meets the IP68 standard characteristic of premium gadgets. Therefore, the device is resistant to dust and water.

The rear camera block on the new model is as square as its predecessor, but it protrudes even more from the back. Additionally, the color range has slightly changed. The Xiaomi 13 is available in black, white, light green, and blue options, while the Xiaomi 14 comes in black, white, and dark green versions. These are the main visual differences between the generations.

Display Parameters

The Xiaomi 14 is equipped with an excellent 6.36-inch display. While the screen size remains the same as the previous model, almost all other characteristics have improved.

The pixel density has been increased from 414 to 460 ppi, making the images appear even sharper and more detailed. The new OLED matrix supports a wide color spectrum, delivers excellent contrast, and does not fade at different angles. Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 14 is compatible with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision technologies. These provide the most vibrant colors when watching videos on Netflix, YouTube, and other platforms with high-quality content.

In addition, the developers have ensured eye comfort. The presence of Low Blue Light and Flicker Free certifications from TÜV Rheinland indicates low levels of blue light emission and flickering. This makes the display well-suited for use in the dark. The brightness level is sufficient for comfortable use of the smartphone on a sunny day. Thanks to the precise auto-brightness sensor, the screen quickly and accurately adjusts to any lighting conditions.

But the main feature of the Xiaomi 14 display, which the old model does not support, is LTPO technology. Thanks to this, the new screen can automatically adjust the refresh rate in the range of 1-120 Hz depending on the current content. For instance, with a static image, the refresh rate drops to a minimum, while during gameplay, it increases sharply. This ensures a balance between smooth animations and power consumption.

Performance and memory

The Xiaomi 13 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, while the Xiaomi 14 has received the new generation of this chip — the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This upgrade has significantly boosted performance, making the new model one of the most powerful devices on the market. As usual, the smartphone is available in several configurations with different memory capacities: 8/256 GB, 12/256 GB, 12/512 GB, 16/512 GB, and 16 GB/1 TB. However, at the time of writing, only the 12/512 GB version is officially available in Ukrainian stores. None of the versions support memory cards.

Which is not surprising for a flagship, the Xiaomi 14 can easily handle any games. For instance, the demanding Genshin Impact runs smoothly at high settings with 60 fps. During long gaming sessions, the device heats up noticeably and may slightly reduce graphics smoothness in some cases. However, this will likely be fixed in updates.

The smartphone runs on HyperOS, Xiaomi’s new interface based on Android 14. The interface is very similar to the familiar MIUI for users of this brand, but even faster and more functional. HyperOS still has a way to go to reach the level of One UI 6 found on modern Samsung devices. However, Xiaomi promises a competitive level of software support for buyers: four major system updates and five years of security patch support.

Camera capabilities

Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 14 features a four-module camera system equipped with optics from the iconic brand Leica. However, the developer has replaced the sensors and lenses with more advanced ones, resulting in significantly improved image quality. The device boasts a 32 MP front camera and three 50 MP rear cameras: a main camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera, and a telephoto module with 3.2x optical zoom. The latter, thanks to floating focus, can also function as a macro camera.

All modules perform at a flagship level. In good lighting, you can expect high clarity, a large amount of detail, and rich, close-to-natural colors. The main camera also performs very well in low light, maintaining natural tones and high detail through effective light capture. However, the other modules are less impressive in low light: images lose color and become noisy. Nevertheless, for additional cameras, they perform quite well.

The main module supports video recording at up to 8K quality at 24 fps, while the others can record in resolutions up to 4K at 60 fps. The videos offer high clarity and natural tones. Stabilization effectively smooths out the footage, eliminating shake effects.

Connectivity, sound, battery life

The Xiaomi 14 is well-equipped in terms of communication capabilities. The device supports the latest wireless standards like 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. It also features an NFC module for contactless payments. Additionally, users have access to a slot for removable Nano-SIM cards and an integrated eSIM chip for digital SIM cards.

Like its predecessor, the new model has a hybrid speaker system. One is a large full-fledged speaker, and the other is smaller and also used for phone calls. This configuration, although inferior in quality and loudness to a pair of good standard stereo speakers, still manages to impress. It offers deep bass and Dolby Atmos surround sound support. There is no 3.5 mm port for wired headphones — only USB-C or Bluetooth is available.

Despite its compact size, one of the device’s strongest points is its battery life. The new energy-efficient chip, LTPO display, and an increase in battery capacity from 4,500 to 4,610 mAh make the Xiaomi 14 more enduring than its predecessor. While the Xiaomi 13 lasts a day with average use, the new model comfortably lasts a day and a half.

However, the main advantage of the Xiaomi 14 is its charging speed. With an increase in maximum power from 67 to 90 watts, the smartphone fills an empty battery in just 35 minutes. Few flagships can boast such a result. Moreover, the appropriate power adapter is included in the box, which is a rarity for premium devices.

Summary

The Xiaomi 14 surpasses the previous model in many aspects and can now be considered one of the best compact flagships on the market. The smartphone has an excellent display, decent cameras, and a powerful chip. Additionally, it offers great communication capabilities and impressive charging speed.

The main factor that might deter buyers is the price of the new model: 45,000 UAH for the official version with 12/512 GB. Whether versions with different memory capacities will be available and at what price is still unknown. In any case, in a few months, the price of all versions should drop, and the device will definitely be worth the money.

If you are not ready to spend this amount or wait for the price drop, you might consider the cheaper compact flagships Samsung S24 and Pixel 8. However, both fall short of the Xiaomi 14 in terms of charging speed and camera quality: the Pixel has an excellent main module but lacks a telephoto camera. If, on the contrary, you want a top compact flagship regardless of the price, take a look at the iPhone 15 Pro. It is comparable to Xiaomi in most parameters but has better video recording. However, the iPhone is more expensive and, again, falls short in charging speed.