THE NEW FLAGSHIPS
If you’re over oversized phones, the Xiaomi 14 could be the pocketable powerhouse you’re looking for. While many compact options are spec compromises, Xiaomi has loaded up this one with a proper top-tier Snapdragon CPU and Leica-powered imaging.
The flat screen meets a polished aluminium frame to create a sleek look and feel, and its rounded corners nuzzle comfortably into the palm.
If you get the Xiaomi 14 in black, its glass back is frosted for a matt finish, while the white and jade options are super-polished. The phone’s IP68 rating adds durability, and it also ships with a case and pre-fitted screen protector.
Display for today
The 6.36in screen is manageable enough to swipe across easily, and with its AMOLED tech it looks zingy. The smooth variable refresh rate (up to 120Hz) glides, while a beaming 3000-nit peak HDR brightness delivers ample depth when playing back Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content. It’s easy to see outdoors and responsive to the touch.
The Leica camera system will capture your amazing dinner with one of three 50MP snappers. The wide-angle camera packs the biggest sensor size, and takes high-impact shots with luscious depth blur; it’s also the best option at night, competing head-on with some of the best camera phones around.
You can punch into subjects with the powerful telephoto, which has a 62mm optical focal length (roughly 2.5x zoom). It focuses as near as 10cm, making stunning macro snaps possible, and there’s also an auto-focusing ultrawide for GoPro-like photos.
And how are those photos? Xiaomi lets you pick between Vibrant and Authentic styles, resulting in either super-punchy or muted snaps. For a happy medium, you’ll need to jump into the phone’s powerful Pro Mode and get editing. It’s a shame Xiaomi didn’t give us a third option somewhere between Vibrant and Authentic… but even so, there’s no denying the Xiaomi 14 is an impressive and versatile camera phone.
OS sir, I can boogie
Xiaomi’s new mobile operating system, HyperOS, is a variation on a theme that gives big iOS energy. The core experience is smooth, stable and – with four years of Android version updates and five years of security updates expected – relatively futureproof too.
While Xiaomi promises AI smarts in everyday use, if you’re after the most artificially intelligent smartphone around you’ll get more fiendish photo-editing and translation features in Google and Samsung alternatives. But performance should be smooth for years thanks to the latest-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset; and with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage, you’ll be hard-pressed to max out the Xiaomi 14’s memory.
