The company's flagship phone, the simplest version of the Xiaomi 14 series, and with very good performance nonetheless, let's move on to the positives and negatives.
Positives:
- The phone comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 gen 3, a beast in its field and a dominant processor in the market until the next generation is announced. Its performance is amazing as one would expect from a Snapdragon processor.
- The phone comes equipped with a camera system from Leica. Excellent performance in my opinion, especially if you know how to use it properly, you can take very powerful photos and if you are a fan of editing, you will appreciate the features that Xiaomi offers you in this area. The telephoto lens takes photos of very good quality and resolution on par with the regular camera, while it can also serve as a macro lens in many cases due to the detail it provides. The ultra-wide is very strong in bright landscapes, however, it loses a bit in indoor low-light conditions. Also, the optical zoom offers a satisfactory result up to x30, while after that it gradually starts to lose quality, but not in a very bothersome way. Video recording is excellent, it doesn't falter anywhere. Finally, the additional features that the Xiaomi 14 provides in the system will seem quite useful, especially if you like to experiment.
- The screen is amazing, a 6.36-inch OLED panel, with a resolution of 2670×1200p and very nice colors. Quite comfortable at 120Hz and brightness that reaches 1200nits in typical conditions, enough to see under sunlight.
- The size in my opinion is a positive aspect, quite convenient and easy to use with one hand. Although I was hesitant at first due to the small size, I ultimately settled on this choice and I am fully satisfied. I don't believe it will be difficult for anyone, it's purely a matter of habit. Additionally, the design gives you the premium feel you seek in phones of this category.
- Super-fast charging at 90W from 0-100 in 30-35 minutes. At the same time, it supports wireless charging at 60W for those who need it, as well as reverse charging at 10W. It's a lifesaver in many cases, especially when you don't have time and need to leave. The battery is quite satisfactory, with continuous use it can last up to 10-12 hours depending on usage, while with very light use, its life ranges within one to one and a half days. However, don't forget that when you get something, you have to sacrifice something. So I believe that battery aging will knock on your door within two years.
Negatives:
- The Xiaomi 14 may come equipped with the most powerful processor on the market, however, we wouldn't say it is adequately prepared to support it as its hardware lags behind quite a bit.
And what do I mean by that? The Snapdragon 8 gen 3 is a very powerful chip that generates huge amounts of heat and unfortunately, Xiaomi has not managed to contain it to a great extent so that it is not noticeable. This means that during use, you will often feel the temperature of your phone rising, but not to an excessive degree that you can't endure. I think it's a sacrifice worth making.
- The battery, although quite decent, unfortunately cannot meet some of the phone's demands, especially when it comes to using the camera for a very long period of time. You will see your battery dramatically decrease, so I would suggest taking some breaks and of course staying away from the sun.
-The software is considered quite inferior to that of competing companies, however, I don't believe it will cause you any problems. It certainly doesn't compare to Samsung, but you can't say it's the worst either.
Final conclusion: The Xiaomi 14 is a very good phone that can satisfy even the most demanding users, however, you should take the above factors into account and after weighing the positives and negatives, judge whether it is worth the purchase.
*Unfortunately, I couldn't add more than one photo, however, you can see photos from my amateur profile on Instagram: olgaktgl.