Review Verdict: Despite looking similar to last year’s Xiaomi 13, the brand made big improvements to the standard 14 especially with its three 50-megapixel Leica-branded cameras. This makes the Xiaomi 13 a running candidate for best compact flagship for 2024.
Pros
-Camera setup is the best in class
-Gorgeous display
Cons
-HyperOS doesn’t feel different from MIUI
-Glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet
After four months of waiting, Xiaomi is making the 14 series official globally with their MWC 2024 debut. We may not get the Pro version, but the standard Xiaomi 14 is already good enough–even if your main priority are the cameras. We got our hands on the global version of the Xiaomi 14 ahead of its MWC 2024 debut (and it’s eventual arrival in the Philippines), and here’s our first impressions:
Xiaomi 14 Philippines: Design
The Xiaomi 14 retains the same core design of its predecessor, though the camera bump is significantly bigger this time because you are getting physically larger camera sensors. Our review unit is in Jade Green, and while the color is eye-catching, we wished Xiaomi has done away with using glossy finishes. The Xiaomi 14 attracts fingerprints and smudges like crazy, you’ll most likely use the included case to keep the back panel looking as pristine as possible.
Like its predecessor, the button and port layout remains the same on its aluminum frame, and you also get the same IP68 rating as well. The Xiaomi 14 has slight curves on its back panel, and its compact size makes it comfortable to use one-handed.
Xiaomi 14 Philippines: Display and speakers
On the outside, the Xiaomi 14 retains the same, compact 6.36-inch display size of its predecessor–but there are some upgrades to the panel used. The resolution is now 1.5k (or 1200×2670 to be specific), and the maximum brightness is higher at 2600nits. You are also getting Gorilla Glass Victus protection, so the Xiaomi 14’s front display should be more resilient against accidental drops. The Xiaomi 14 also uses an LTPO panel, so you are getting 120hz variable refresh rate that dynamically adjusts based on what you are doing with the phone.
You also get stereo speakers on the Xiaomi 14, and they sound excellent, which is expected on a premium flagship device.
Xiaomi 14 Philippines: Cameras
As a camera-focused flagship, the Xiaomi 14 has a solid camera setup to boot: 50-megapixel f/1.6 main camera with OIS, 50-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, and 50-megapixel telephoto camera with 3.2x zoom. All three cameras come with Leica optics, with the main camera boasting Summilux branding.
Comparing it with our experience on the Xiaomi 13, the Xiaomi 14 took even better photos: you are getting a lot of details in daylight shooting, and low-light photos are very polished, with details well-preserved in crucial areas. The ultra-wide camera may lack the autofocus feature found on the 14 Pro (that’s unfortunately exclusive to China), but the photos we got from it are surprisingly good.
The biggest improvement on the Xiaomi 14 is the telephoto camera, which uses a 50-megapixel sensor and has a 3.2x optical zoom. Details on the telephoto camera is just as good as the main camera, making the Xiaomi 14’s cameras more well-rounded compared to its predecessor.
Xiaomi has been pushing for better image quality in its numbered flagship series, and the 14 proves that even the standard model gets the same level of flagship imaging quality.
The selfie camera is still the same at 32-megapixels, but Xiaomi has finally listened to its users and added 4K selfie video recording–both at 30 and 60 FPS. This effectively makes the Xiaomi 14 a premium option for those who want to use the phone heavily for content creation. Speaking of content creation, the Xiaomi 14’s main camera can shoot at up to 8K video.
Xiaomi 14 Philippines: Internals and Battery
You are getting the latest and greatest processor on the Xiaomi 14 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The global version comes with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, along with either 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage–with our review unit being the latter.
There’s no question about how powerful the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is: you are getting true flagship performance with the Xiaomi 14, and it can run demanding games like Genshin Impact at the highest graphics settings–with average FPS hovering around 45-50FPS. The Xiaomi 14 does heat up with prolonged gaming, but not to the point that it becomes too uncomfortable to hold.
The Xiaomi 14 is the second Xiaomi device we’ve tested (the first one being the POCO X6 Pro) that uses Android 14-based HyperOS. Just like with our experience with the POCO X6 Pro, HyperOS does not feel too different from MIUI save for a few tweaks with animations and widgets.
You get a 4610mAh battery on the Xiaomi 14, which is a smidge bigger than the one on its predecessor. Wired charging speeds are now faster at 90w, while you still get the same fast 50w wireless charging speed–provided you used the required Xiaomi wireless charging pad.
Xiaomi 14 Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions
Despite that the Pro version remains exclusive in China–and we’re not sure if Xiaomi Philippines has plans to bring over the Ultra version–the Xiaomi 14 proves that even the standard version of the brand’s premium flagship line is already good enough for the country. Aside from its compact size, what makes the Xiaomi 14 stand out is having three large camera sensors in the back–all of them having a 50-megapixel resolution–to make it a formidable camera-focused flagship.
We still don’t know the official price of the Xiaomi 14 in the Philippines, but we expect it to not breach beyond the Php 50k mark even if European pricing states that it will be expensive.
