Taking some cues from some of the biggest brands in the industry while maintaining what makes them special, Redmi has released their latest smartphone, the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ which, on paper, promises a lot of flagship features without a flagship price. I’ve had the chance to review the previous models of this phone, and while it feels very familiar, it’s made quite a few leaps.
The Redmi Note 14 Pro+ debuts a new chipset featuring the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 octa-core processor and Adreno 710 GPU. It is available in various storage and RAM configurations, including 128GB with 8GB of RAM, 256GB with 8GB of RAM, 256GB with 12GB of RAM, 512GB with 12GB of RAM (the model I am testing), and 512GB with 16GB of RAM. Unfortunately, the phone does not include an SD expansion slot. The version I am testing also features 6GB of virtual RAM, making it a remarkably responsive smartphone—especially considering that phones costing more often offer less.
The Redmi Note 14 Pro+ features Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a 1220×2712 pixel resolution, and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. This is noticeably brighter than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and more than compensates for any outdoor glare issues that Samsung’s anti-glare display addresses. The Note 14 Pro+ also boasts an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, allowing it to be submerged in up to two metres of water for up to 24 hours. If that were not enough, the phone supports dual SIM functionality, making it a convenient option for world travellers who need to switch plans with ease.
The camera on the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ boasts flagship-level specifications, featuring a 50MP wide-angle lens with an f/1.6 aperture, 24mm focal length, and a 1/1.55” sensor. It also includes a 50MP telephoto lens with an f/2.0 aperture, 60mm focal length, and a 1/2.76” sensor, as well as an 8MP ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, 16mm focal length, and a 102-degree field of view on a 1/4” sensor. The selfie camera is equally impressive, offering a 20MP wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, 25mm focal length, and a 1/4” sensor. Additionally, the camera app features a mode capable of creating 200MP photos.
“Redmi has released their latest smartphone, the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ which, on paper, promises a lot of flagship features without a flagship price.”
For video, the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ supports 1080p at 60 fps or 4K at 30 fps, as well as slow motion at 720p and 1080p at 120 fps. It features motion-tracking focus (also available for photos), macro settings, and access to a teleprompter—an excellent tool for vloggers looking to deliver scripted content.
The camera quality is impressive, delivering great detail, even in darker areas. While you won’t achieve the same quality with 30x zoom shots as you would with the S24 Ultra, the images remain usable. Shots within the normal range of the wide-angle lens and smaller zoom-ins on the telephoto lens look excellent. Portrait shots on the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ were a pleasant surprise, as they are easy to fine-tune and look great, even without using the beautifying features available on the device.
The adjustable bokeh effect provides a stunning background blur (if desired) and does an excellent job of naturally separating the subject from the background, even though the blur is digitally processed. You can adjust the bokeh effect either before or after taking the photo, so you’re not locked into any options—a very convenient feature.
The AI functions for the camera are also enjoyable to explore, offering tools like object or person removal from photos and the ability to replace the sky. You can select “AI camera” in the settings, which enhances shots with automated processing before and after capturing the image. The AI expansion feature allows you to build out the shot further by filling in blank space created when zooming or rotating the image. Additionally, AI film can take a selected collection of images and, with a prompt you provide, create a stylized video from the chosen content.
AI features on the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ extend beyond the camera. Several AI tools available on high-end flagship devices are also included here. One such feature is Circle to Search, which allows users to circle anything on the screen to initiate an image search. AI Subtitles enable real-time subtitles for any video you’re watching, and with the Recorder app, you can transcribe audio, even separating different speakers for easier navigation.
The Recorder app also offers the ability to translate recordings into other languages or summarize the content in a well-organized presentation. Additionally, the phone supports real-time translation during phone calls, translating and delivering your speech to the person on the other end in their language. For in-person interactions, plugins can display text and audio translations for both your language and theirs, facilitating seamless face-to-face communication.
“Gaming performance was strong on the Redmi Note 14 Pro+, with their Game Turbo app optimizing your phone for the best gameplay.”
The Redmi Note 14 Pro+ features a 6,200 mAh silicon-carbon battery, offering impressive longevity. While long battery life is a hallmark of the Note series, this is the largest battery ever included in a Redmi phone. In my experience, the battery lasted multiple days, even with extensive gaming and video or photography usage. When it does need recharging, the included 120W charging block can bring the phone from 0 to 100 per cent in approximately one hour.
Gaming performance was strong on the Redmi Note 14 Pro+, with their Game Turbo app optimizing your phone for the best gameplay. Using the app while playing Genshin Impact, its processes freed up enough processing power to double the framerate from 30fps to 60fps. There are certainly better phones for gaming, designed to keep your phone chilly and maximize your battery life, but the Note 14 Pro+ will give you a good gaming experience.
The Note 14 Pro+ gives you so many tools offered by phones worth at least triple the price. Other than the odd proprietary toys on some other phones, you would miss virtually nothing if this became your everyday smartphone. Given its feature-rich design, day-long battery life, and more, you’d be hard-pressed to find another smartphone that can do what the Note 14 Pro+ does for close to the same price, which appears to come in at INR 39,999 (Indian Rupees, which translates to roughly $670 CAD).
