This is the Xiaomi 14, and here are 4 reasons why you should get it and 2 reasons why you should not. I’ll compare it with the Xiaomi 13 to let you know if it’s better.
✅ Build Quality
So, the first reason you should get it is the build quality. If you loved how the Xiaomi 13 looked and felt in your hands, you will surely love the build quality on this.
The very solid and sleek design language is carried over from the previous generation but a little more refined.
The mirror-like finish on the phone’s aluminum sides and the Clous de Paris-inspired camera deco around the camera bump add another layer of “premium-ness” to the device.
In case you do not know, Clous de Paris is a French term for a design type usually found on premium watches, which is pretty fancy. However, fancy words aside, the finish on the camera bump is great – not mind-blowing, but nice to have.
The phone’s back is slightly curved, making it super comfy to hold, but the mirror finish is a fingerprint magnet. If fingerprints on your phone drive you nuts, you might want to lean towards the white variant.
It also has IP68 dust and water resistance, which is expected since the previous variant had one, but it’s always nice to have.
Another significant upgrade from a build quality perspective is the screen, as it now features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, a massive leap from the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the Xiaomi 13. So, you’re getting a much tougher screen on this phone.
✅ Display
Speaking of the screen, the next reason would be the display. Although both phones have the same screen size, the 6.36-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display on the Xiaomi 14 is indeed a minor but great upgrade, thanks to its higher 1.5k resolution.
Since it has an LTPO panel, the dynamic refresh rate goes from 1 to 120 Hz, providing an overall smoother performance. The huge upgrade, though, is the 3,000 nits of peak brightness compared to just 1,900 nits on the previous generation. This made me appreciate the phone a bit more, as it was bright and vibrant even under harsh sunlight.
Other screen features like HDR10+, Dolby Vision, TUV Rheinland, and the incorporation of DC dimming across all brightness ranges were a huge plus during extended usage.
Whether you’re using the phone daily or watching videos, this phone is an excellent video consumption device with Widevine L1 playback specifications and HDR10 support on Netflix.
While the bezels were a bit reduced on the Xiaomi 14, the differences weren’t night and day, but it does sometimes look like I have a bigger screen.
✅ Camera
On to number three, the bigger Leica camera sensors.
The Xiaomi 14 features a significant step up in the camera department compared to the Xiaomi 13. Instead of just one 50MP main camera, all three lenses are 50MP each, providing usable and proper camera lenses without unnecessary additions like a dedicated macro lens or depth sensor.
And with this new Light Fusion 900 image sensor surely has better dynamic range and more details thanks to its bigger sensor too.
High Megapixel
And because of the fact that the 50MP lens is for each focal length, hence you can take High Megapixel Mode images for each on the Xiaomi 14 compared to just using the main lens and a 2x crop on the Xiaomi 13
So, if you are the kind of person who needs high-megapixel photos, then you have a very versatile option on the Xiaomi 14.
Ultrawide Lens
And the ultrawide lenses look extra crisp, once again, thanks to its bigger 50MP sensor and the focal length on the Xiaomi 14 is wider at 14mm compared to 15mm on the Xiaomi 13, so that was nice.
Main Lens
And thanks to the new image sensor, you get an aperture value of F1.6 instead of F1.8; hence, there will be more light and details on the new Xiaomi 14 for the main lenses, as seen in these sample photos.
Telephoto Lens
And the aperture value remains the same for the telephoto lenses, and the focal length is slightly different, where the Xiaomi 14 was at 46mm compared to 23mm; hence I needed to adjust where I was standing in order to get a somewhat similar compositions to compare these shots side by side.
But I wouldn’t say that the Xiaomi 14 was a million times better or what, as the images were more the less the same over here, especially if you are comparing the 75mm focal length on each, as they have the same aperture value at this focal length.
Portrait Mode
Portrait Mode on objects is also better on the Xiaomi 14 when compared side by side, again thanks to the better focal length, where it is once again nice and versatile with different distances to switch between 23mm and 60mm compared to just only 75mm on the Xiaomi 13
As for the Portrait Mode on humans, although the shallow depth of field and background blur were flawless on both, but the Xiaomi 14 did look nicer on the composition side since it is wider, even at the same aperture value, once again with better overall skin tones as well.
Then both have the same Master-lens system to get dedicated effects and focal lengths if needed in the camera app, and the Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant Look are available in the Xiaomi 14 too.
Seflie
Then, as for the selfie images, the skin tones on the Xiaomi 14 once again is slightly better than the Xiaomi 13
Video
The Xiaomi 14 can also shoot up to 8K at 24fps, where both qualities were the same except for probably just the slight difference in color.
And since I am not a fan of 24 fps, I have been using the 4K mode since it can go up to 60 fps, and here is how the video is side by side at 30 fps.
And speaking of 4K recording, finally, one major reason to get this new Xiaomi 14 over any other Xiaomi phones before this generation is the 4k front video recording.
The image stabilization and, most importantly, the quality were amazing, and like the Xiaomi 13, it records in a Dolby Vision format.
There is the new Movie mode, which you can use to shoot cinematic videos with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, which is commonly used in the film industry, so that’s a nice little cinematic touch to the phone’s video recording capabilities.
Night
As for the images at night, you will see overall better results on the Xiaomi 14 since the image sensor is bigger, and so is the video footage as well.
✅ HyperOS
Reason number four is the fact that the Xiaomi 14 comes with a new HyperOS built-in straight out of the box. This is the second device to be shipped globally with HyperOS since the POCO X6 series, and it is finally the best-revamped UI compared to the older MIUI, which I was never a huge fan of.
There’s new lock screen customization, including adding a depth effect similar to the iPhone, which is the same, but I’m not complaining because it’s a good integration. 
There’s also a Dynamic Island effect that gives you a popup at the top part of the screen when you’re charging the phone or changing the ring mode.
The control panel has also had a makeover, looking super nice and clean, with tons of visual tweaks all over the place, like the menu and widgets.
As mentioned in my POCO X6 versus video, this HyperOS is looking to be the future of Xiaomi devices, powering not only their upcoming smartphones but also the entire ecosystem of Xiaomi devices, including tablets, earbuds, speakers, vacuum cleaners, TVs, and more.
While HyperOS has just been released on the Xiaomi 13 here in Malaysia, knowing that the Xiaomi 14 already ships with it is a huge plus for me.
As of the time of this review, I did not get the official word on how long the software updates will be supported, so I’ll update that as soon as this product officially launches globally.
✅ Bonus!
As for the bonus reason for getting the Xiaomi 14 over the Xiaomi 13, it’s the bigger 90W charger that comes inside the box, compared to the 67W charger on the Xiaomi 13.
Other notable features include the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm chipset, Dolby Atmos audio playback with four mic arrays, and great connectivity features of Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Now let’s move on to reasons why you should not consider getting the Xiaomi 14.
❌ Battery
Reason number one is the battery life. The Xiaomi 14 might be a point of concern because it has a fantastic display and a very bright one at that. However, this amazing screen could take a huge chunk of battery life.
Despite the fact that the device comes with 90W of HyperCharge that can charge from empty to 100% in 31 minutes, and also supports Wireless HyperCharge up to 50W, the battery is still 4,610mAh, which might not last you the whole day and isn’t a huge upgrade compared to the previous Xiaomi 13, which has 4,500mAh.
So, while the charging speed is great, the actual battery capacity might leave you looking for a plug before the day is done.
❌ Retail Price
Reason number two on why you should not get it is that, we don’t know the exact retail price of the Xiaomi 14 in Malaysia yet.
The whole deal with the Pro and Ultra models adds to the uncertainty, as we’re wondering whether or not they will make a global debut and, if they do, will they even show up here in Malaysia or other parts of the world? It’s all up in the air right now.
So if you’re planning to get your next smartphone, this could be a little headache. You might be dreaming about a Pro or Ultra, but without any official word, it’s a waiting game to see if those dreams can become a reality depending on your location.
–
However, if you’re curious to know more about the previous Xiaomi 13, check out my in-depth review of that over here: https://youtu.be/XZi3s00WJrE
