I was not sure what to expect from this year’s Xiaomi 14 smartphone, but even though it may not be as flashy as some of the launches in the past few months, I was impressed with what it brought to the table. Xiaomi has managed to deliver an Android experience that packs all the latest tech into a compact frame without sky-high pricing.
This is a phone feeling tailor-made to target people looking to move on from the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, offering a slick design housing the brand new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon, 120Hz AMOLED display, and advanced triple camera array. After spending two weeks putting this phone through its paces, I’m convinced Xiaomi has shaken up the flagship Android status quo yet again.
While keeping the same compact footprint as last year’s 13 series, the Xiaomi 14 crams in upgrades across the board. The phone manages to offer the latest processor built on TSMC’s 4nm process, faster LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, a vibrant 6.7-inch 2K display with slim bezels, and 50MP primary camera anchored by a large 1-inch image sensor. Xiaomi delivers everything you could hope for from a 2024 flagship, only cheaper.
This is all with pricing starting at just under $999 USD (adjusted for exchange rate), massively undercutting the Galaxy S23 series. But let me assure you, this is not a budget phone, and it brings some fantastic things to the table, especially for power users and content creators.
Design
When the Xiaomi 14 first landed on my desk, I was struck by how much I liked the look of the phone. The Xiaomi 14 brings an understated yet premium design that refines the aesthetic of its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 series. With dimensions of 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.2mm and a weight of 188g, it retains a compact form factor that feels comfortable in hand. The phone sports an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and a silicone polymer back, lending durability and a smooth, glossy finish that feels great in the hand.
In terms of look and styling, the Xiaomi 14 features the signature squared-off camera bump on the rear but with slightly more pronounced edges. The module houses three high-resolution cameras, led by a fantastic Leica-tuned 50MP main sensor. On the front, Xiaomi has shaved down the chin bezel and gotten rid of any curves to achieve a more immersive, all-screen display spanning 6.36 inches. It comes in a range of colours, much like its predecessor, with the Xiaomi 14 available in Black, White, Jade green, and Pink. I managed to snag the white one for this review.
While the overall design language stays consistent with the Xiaomi 13 series, the 14 makes subtle refinements. The phone has a flatter frame with sides that curve more tightly towards the edge, improving ergonomics. Buttons and ports sit flush within the chassis for a seamless feel. The camera bump also protrudes less, just 0.99mm, smaller than what you would find on last year’s Xiaomi 13, enhancing pocketability and the overall feel of the phone.
Display and Screen
While I love the overall look of the phone, as with any device like this, the real showpiece is the screen. The Xiaomi 14 features a stunning 6.36-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2670 x 1200 pixels, offering a 20:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 460 ppi. The screen provides incredible clarity and sharpness, which are perfect for reading text and viewing high-resolution videos and images.
Did I mention it is flat this time around? Yes, you heard me; while there was a trend for a while for every smartphone screen to have a slight curve at the edges—something I despise for various reasons—the Xiaomi 14 has a flat screen that does away with the waterfall edges we have been inundated with, making it much more useful, and less issues with my fingers accidentally hitting the sides of the display while holding or texting. I may be alone in my odd vendetta against these curved edges, but at least one company has listened and released a fantastic phone to use, and I can’t praise this small change enough.
Several key enhancements have been made to the display over previous Xiaomi models. The peak brightness has been boosted to an impressive 3000 nits, allowing for great visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. The high brightness also enables vibrant HDR content thanks to support for standards like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The Xiaomi 14 offers one of the highest brightness levels of a smartphone I have tested in the past year, and with details, it is more power efficient than in past phones. I am impressed with the level of engineering that went into pulling that off.
The Xiaomi 14 smartphone display features a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate enabled by LTPO technology. Power efficiency can be optimized by automatically adjusting the refresh rate based on the on-screen content. For gaming and scrolling, the full 120Hz refresh rate delivers buttery smooth motion and animations. The touch sampling rate can also reach up to 2160Hz for ultra-responsive inputs in demanding games, making it feel fantastic, even if I still have not mastered the art of gaming without tactile buttons.
With a wider P3 colour gamut and 12-bit colour depth supporting 68 billion colours, colour reproduction is rich and accurate. Xiaomi includes Original Color and Vibrant display modes tuned in partnership with Leica to cater to different preferences. Extensive tuning and calibration ensure colour accuracy for professional use cases like photo and video editing.
Several features contribute to a comfortable viewing experience and eye protection. Full DC dimming prevents screen flicker, which is especially helpful at lower brightness levels. The display is also TÜV Rheinland certified for low blue light emissions. For improved outdoor visibility, a Sunlight mode boosts contrast in bright environments.
As mentioned above, the display stretches nearly edge-to-edge with slim 0.9mm bezels on three sides and a slightly larger 1.7mm chin. This 89.3% screen-to-body ratio provides a suitably modern appearance. The subtly curved edges and lightweight design make the Xiaomi 14 comfortable to hold over extended gaming or movie sessions.
Camera
But, with that iconic Leica branding, Xiaomi is clearly putting the camera as one of the major selling points, and it is easy to see why. The Xiaomi 14 smartphone brings some welcome upgrades in the camera department this year, even if changes seem subtle on paper. You still get the same triple 50MP Leica-tuned rear cameras—main, ultrawide, and telephoto. But improved sensors, lenses and Xiaomi’s computational photography give photos and videos a noticeable boost in quality.
In ideal lighting, the 14 captures vibrant, highly detailed shots with excellent dynamic range. Colours pop nicely without looking oversaturated, and HDR is handled very well to retain highlights and shadows. The main cam’s new sensor pulls in more light thanks to its f/1.6 aperture lens, giving it an edge for low-light photography. Nighttime city shots and indoor photos retain plenty of detail with low noise.
“The Xiaomi 14 smartphone brings some welcome upgrades in the camera department this year, even if changes seem subtle on paper.”
The ultrawide camera also sees improvements—shots have better edge-to-edge sharpness and less of a fish-eye effect. The 3x telephoto optical zoom works great for portraits and compressed perspectives without a significant drop in quality. It even manages to offer special modes for people who want to take moon photos, something that is completely superfluous but fun all the same.
Video sees a significant upgrade on the 14. You can now shoot stabilized 4K footage at 60fps on all three rear cameras, which the 13 couldn’t do. Colours and exposure are handled nicely when switching between lenses. Steady video stabilization keeps handheld footage smooth without much warping.
The front selfie camera gets a meaningful boost, too. It still has a 32MP sensor but can now shoot 4K video at 60fps—a first for Xiaomi’s front cameras. Selfies have more detail, better colour accuracy, and improved portrait mode effects versus the 13 series.
Compared to other 2023 flagships, the Xiaomi 14 holds its own for photography and beats many in videography thanks to its class-leading mix of resolution, frame rates and stabilization options. It falls a bit behind the iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in zoom capabilities but gives you far more versatility at a lower price point.
Performance
Beyond photos, the main selling point of the Xiaomi 14 smartphone is the performance and cutting-edge features, an area that Xiaomi has managed to deliver in spades. The Xiaomi 14 definitely brings its A-game thanks to the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. This phone flies through tasks, and apps open instantly with barely any lag, living up to Xiaomi’s promises of faster speeds and snappier response. Swiping around the interface feels slick and fluid, and that is beyond even talking about playing games.
Gaming is where the Xiaomi 14 really flexes its muscles. Its top-tier processor, paired with up to 16GB of RAM, means it can handle even graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact without breaking a sweat. I tested out some popular titles, and the gaming experience was superb. Visuals were richly detailed, textures loaded fast, and gameplay was smooth and stutter-free, even at higher settings, all paired with the stunning AMOLED screen, and you have the makings of a marriage made in heaven.
“Beyond photos, the main selling point of the Xiaomi 14 smartphone is the performance and cutting-edge features, an area that Xiaomi has managed to deliver in spades.”
The Xiaomi 14 does an admirable job controlling heat, too, considering the processing power it hides within. It got slightly warm during longer gaming sessions, but temperatures never reached uncomfortable levels thanks to the thermal engineering. I could game or do graphic-intensive tasks for over an hour without any performance drops or throttling.
Some extra gaming features in Xiaomi’s new HyperOS also add to the experience. You can quickly access gaming tools from the notification shade, screen record or live stream your gameplay, and monitor CPU/GPU usage in real time. There’s an ultra-stable mode that locks brightness and prioritizes performance, too.
My only complaint is that the Xiaomi 14’s battery life isn’t the greatest for marathon gaming. The phone needed recharging by the early evening if I gamed or used graphics software a lot during the day. Fast charging helps make up for it—I could get around a 50 percent charge in just 20 minutes. But those planning gaming marathons will want to stay near an outlet.
Thankfully, the Xiaomi 14 boasts excellent charging speeds thanks to 90W wired charging that can recharge the phone to 100% in just over 30 minutes. The phone also features 50W wireless charging that is supposed to bring the phone to 100% in just over 45 minutes. For anyone who has a wearable that can’t keep a charge or just to top up a friend’s phone quickly, Xiaomi 14 also manages to offer 10W reverse wireless charging.
Software
One of the most significant changes for this generation of smartphones is that Xiaomi 14 brings the latest Android 14 underneath Xiaomi’s own HyperOS interface. As Xiaomi’s newest range, it offers a predictably smooth and responsive software experience thanks to the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset packed inside.
HyperOS itself brings some nice upgrades over MIUI, like more personalized icons and widgets, a refreshed notification shade with more quick settings toggles, and fun new lock screen customization options. There’s also Xiaomi’s AI assistant built-in that can generate text summaries, make presentations, and even create AI portrait art on the fly.
One really cool feature is the ability to seamlessly connect the Xiaomi 14 to other Xiaomi devices like laptops and tablets for easy cross-device file transfer and syncing. You can use the phone’s camera directly on a Windows laptop with HyperOS. The unified ecosystem is clearly a focus here.
However, HyperOS does still have some optimization issues leading to occasional lag and stuttering. Notifications can also be delayed or missed entirely, sometimes depending on the app. Battery life could be better as well, even with the power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and with some optimizations, Xiaomi could push things even further.
Even with the issues, HyperOS shows potential as Xiaomi’s future software direction with its focus on customization, AI capabilities, and ecosystem connectivity across devices. It brings just enough new stuff to make it feel fresh while retaining that familiar Xiaomi UI. I do appreciate the innovation and love most of the changes, but still, for people who like a near-stock Android experience, HyperOS brings a lot of bells and whistles that some may find distracting.
But is the Xiaomi 14 Worth Buying?
After two weeks of testing Xiaomi’s latest compact flagship, I’m thoroughly impressed by just how much cutting-edge technology and polish has been packed into this phone. The Xiaomi 14 delivers a gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED display, class-leading performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, excellent battery life, and pro-grade triple camera array for hundreds less than rivals.
And for those who are tired of phones that don’t even come with a charger, Xiaomi goes above and beyond by including not only a USB-C cable but also a powerful 90W charger and a case for the phone. Considering the case is quite nice and has a soft touch, this is a great range of accessories that adds to the value proposition. I really enjoyed using the case, and while the inclusion of a case is nothing new for Xiaomi, one that’s this nice is a real bonus that I wasn’t expecting, but I’m still very happy to see. Take note Samsung and Apple, this is how you ensure your customers are happy.
The Xiaomi 14 smartphone nails the fundamentals and then some for a 2024 Android device. The hardware and cameras compete toe-to-toe with phones, double the cost. Performance is snappy and sustained thanks to top-notch cooling. The software continues getting cleaner and promises four major Android version updates. And the design, while divisive, feels distinctly premium in hand. Even with the issues with longevity, the Xiaomi 14 brings enough to satisfy most, thanks to quick charging and power-save options.
Xiaomi is clearly gunning for the Android crown this year. With the excellent execution and refinement found in the 14 series, more folks may consider this brand over known brands like Samsung or Google. The Xiaomi 14 smartphone punches far above its weight and earns my wholehearted recommendation.
