In the world of phones, there are two main camps. Allegiances on either side are often born from years-old usage, and the rivalry can get intense.
Indeed, whether you find yourself in camp Android phone or camp iPhone, you’ve probably had to justify that decision more than once. But even if you’re using the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Xiaomi 14 series is here to test your loyalty.
That starts at the top with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. There, a quad-camera array on the rear of the device offers a superb photography experience.
You’ll find a one-inch Sony LYT-900 main sensor, with a stepless variable aperture from f/1.63 to f/4. That’s adjustable in 0.01-stop increments, for the ultimate fine tuning experience.
That’s paired with separate 50MP floating telephoto and periscope sensors, as well as a 50MP ultra-wide — all using IMX858 sensors. All of those are, of course, given the once over from camera legends, Leica. Their partnership has been ongoing for years, making the Xiaomi camera one of our favourites out there.
A total of six different focal lengths can be found in that setup — 12mm, 23mm, 75mm and 120mm, plus 46mm and 240mm via in-sensor zooming. That’s in addition to the 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 90mm options in the Master-lens system. It’s like a fully stocked lens bag in your pocket.
Videographers will also be excited here. The introduction of Movie mode recording allows users to adjust the focus and the bokeh — similar to Cinematic mode on Apple devices.
Of course, it’s not just the camera which is worth shouting about. Inside, the current flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip powers things.
That’s a really powerful chipset, and should help to ensure a smooth experience. It’s paired with a 5,000mAh battery with 90W wired or 80W wireless charging. All of that should mean you’re never too far from a full battery.
The display technology is equally impressive. On the Ultra, that’s a 6.73-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, with 522ppi and up to a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It’s also TUV Rheinland Certified for low blue light, flicker free and circadian friendly operation.
The vanilla model Xiaomi 14 offers much of the same experience, too. Sure, you’ll lose that periscope lens, a little battery capacity and have to settle for only 50W wireless charging — but the core spec sheet remains in tact.
In terms of price, the vanilla model Xiaomi 14 comes with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, priced at £849 and £899 respectively.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra only comes in a 16+512GB configuration, and costs £1,299. That’s no spare change, but it’s certainly a competitive price for the market. Closer to home than the top-spec iPhone, you’ll find the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra only comes in a 16+512GB configuration, and costs £1,299. That’s no spare change, but it’s certainly a competitive price for the market.Closer to home than the top-spec iPhone, you’ll find the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
With this release, though, Xiaomi is asking to be noticed. And if you're on the hunt for a top handset, you’d better listen.
