As we learnt in advance, Xiaomi has given the 14 series of smartphones a global launch at MWC 2024 and I have thoughts.
Xiaomi kindly sent me a regular Xiaomi 14, the entry-level option below the 14 Pro and 14 Ultra and although I haven’t had it long enough to bring you a full review here are my initial impressions.
After 24 hours, at the time of writing, there are several things I noticed about the Chinese tech giant’s latest flagship smartphone. Find out everything Xiaomi announced at MWC 2024.
Find out what won our Best of MWC 2024 awards
The Good
Let’s start with the good as fortunately there are far more positives to mention than negatives based on my time with the Xiaomi 14 so far:
It looks and feels luxurious
Let’s face it, smartphone design has been a tad boring for the last few years. The Xiaomi 14 doesn’t rewrite the rulebook, but it’s got something about it that makes it stand out.
Not one specific thing, more like overall personality. It’s got a glossy and polished finish like a supercar, and it feels very well put together (apart from one element I’ll mention later).
The chromed finish on the aluminium frame is a bit bling for me but I like subtle details like the textured rim around the glass of the camera module. It’s like a bezel on a luxury wristwatch.
It’s somewhat on the heavy side (188g for the lighter option) for a flagship that’s more compact than many but in this case, it adds to that craftsmanship, high-end feel. Xiaomi fans will notice some similarities to last year’s flagship.
Chris Martin / Foundry
It’s super-fast, in more ways than one
As well as looking like a supercar, the Xiaomi 14 also impresses under the bonnet. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and no less than 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
It feels extremely zippy in use and may be one of the most powerfully specced phones on the market for a reasonable price.
I gave it a run through Geekbench 6 and it achieved a score of 6861, which is less than 300 points off the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Keep in mind that the latter handset has an overclocked version of the same chipset.
More (much more) noticeable in real life, is the fast charging on offer. Xiaomi ships the phone with a 90W PD3.0 adapter which can supposedly get the phone from dead to 100% in just 31 minutes. I haven’t needed to charge it yet, but I don’t doubt that figure.
There’s also very impressive 50W wireless charging with 10W reverse wireless charging, with all of these wattages eclipsing flagships from Apple and Samsung.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Cameras look amazing
This one is a more ‘on paper’ entry as we like to spend a good couple of weeks testing flagships with their array of cameras and technologies.
However, the Xiaomi 14 looks like it will be up there among the best phones for photography.
It’s got a trio of 50Mp rear cameras developed with Leica with some mouthwatering specs for those who know their apertures from focal lengths.
The main shooter has a fast f/1.6 aperture with a large 1/1.31-inch sensor, dual pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS).
The f/2.0 telephoto lens also has OIS and offers up to 3.2x optical zoom (slightly more than the Galaxy S24). The ultrawide might have a slightly narrower 115-degree field of view than the S24 and iPhone 15 but it’s much higher resolution.
A 32Mp f.2.0 selfie camera rounds out the options and on the video side, you can shoot up to 8K/24fps/HDR (on the main rear camera that is).
Xiaomi has various software features going on including a ‘Master-lens system’ which gives you a selection of lenses for different portrait effects or you can use a slider to adjust the aperture yourself.
I love IR blasters on phones
Ok, this one is niche but hear me out. Around a decade ago, pretty much all phones came with IR (infrared blasters) so you could control devices around your home without the dedicated remote control.
Namely TVs, it was a feature that not many people used. Gimmicky to many people perhaps but I’ve recently had a few review samples with one on and I’ve found it incredibly useful and for one key reason…
Having a 14-month-old toddler means remote controls are deliberately kept out of reach and very easily get lost. Having an IR blaster on my phone set up for various devices around the house means I can quickly get the TV off when needed instead of tearing my hair out trying to find it.
Chris Martin / Foundry
The bad
Ok, time for the bad. Thankfully, there isn’t much that irks me about this phone so far, apart from one thing:
Knock knock, who’s there
I’ve been sent the Jade Green colourway of the Xiaomi 14 and it’s lovely. It’ll also be available in Black or White if you prefer.
The issue here is that, although I mentioned earlier that the phone is very well-made and luxurious, this particular model has a weak spot.
Give it a little tap in the middle of the back and you’re greeted with a very hollow-sounding echo that makes the phone feel cheaper than it is. There were plans for a silicone polymer back on at least one model but they all have Gorilla Glass Victus so this is a shame.
It’s not a big problem, it doesn’t make the same sound when you tap near the edge, but it still bothers me at the back of my head. The rear cover I have also picks up fingerprints quite badly, made obvious by its reflective glossy finish.
I will no doubt be covering up the lovely green colour with the supplied silicone case before I jet off to MWC for Xiaomi’s launch event of the 14 series and other products.
Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor, Tech Advisor
Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been at Tech Advisor for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.