Xiaomi 14 review

Competition

Xiaomi 14's official launch price in Europe is the same as last year's Xiaomi 13 - €1,000 for the 256GB version. That makes it almost as expensive as an iPhone 15 Pro and even more expensive than the just-released Galaxy S24. We'll see this launch price decrease in the first month or two, but it sets the bar high for Xiaomi's mini flagship. It's a good thing that Xiaomi's regional stores are running varying early bird promotions which take down the price by up to €200 or you get a free Xiaomi Pad 6.

The Xiaomi 14 is definitely one of the most capable compact flagships out there, and we can now see why the Chinese tech giant decided to release only the vanilla 14 and the 14 Ultra outside of China. The compact flagship market is rather scarce, and offering a competitive solution like the Xiaomi 14 is a smart move, especially since the 14 and the 14 Pro are much closer in terms of features this year.

The new 14 rocks an LTPO OLED now, a faster chipset, a much-improved camera experience, longer battery life, faster charging and plentiful storage. But even if the potential price hike is easy to justify, does it trump the Xiaomi 14's competitiveness?

Perhaps the most direct competitor is the Samsung Galaxy S24. It's a worthy competitor at a lower price of around €860-900 for the 256GB version. However, the lower cost doesn't come without its drawbacks. The Xiaomi 14 has a far superior camera experience in any aspect (maybe except selfies); it's faster to charge and can go longer off the charger, too. Of course, software and design preferences could tip the scales either way.

The Google Pixel 8 is another well-rounded mini flagship at a more manageable price, but not without its flaws. Availability is quite limited, there's no telephoto camera, battery life is shorter. The display doesn't support Dolby Vision, and charging is much slower. Then again, the Pixel 8 sells for almost half the price, so for many, it could be a better deal.

Samsung Galaxy S24 • Google Pixel 8 • Asus Zenfone 10 • Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Last year's small Asus Zenfone 10 is yet another compact Android solution, but it's a hard sell given that it's within the same price range as the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Pixel 8, while having an inferior display, unimpressive camera experience and an older chipset. It does have a pretty solid battery life, but still not enough to beat the Xiaomi 14.

Last but not least, we have the iPhone 15 Pro matching the Xiaomi 14's price. Not many Apple users would consider the Xiaomi 14, while current Android users are less likely to flirt with the thought of getting an iPhone 15 Pro. Either way, both of these phones offer similar prices and similar experience in most aspects, except that the iPhone 15 Pro has a more premium design, better display and arguably better cameras too. We would like to stress on "arguably". On the other hand, Xiaomi's contender runs longer off the cord and charges faster.

Verdict

The Xiaomi 14 is a pricey phone, but for the most part, it justifies it with excellent hardware and few drawbacks. Overall, the handset is a capable mini flagship with plenty of big-screen features - a full stack of excellent cameras, LTPO OLED, fast charging, solid battery life and plenty of storage.

What we would like to see in the next version of the Xiaomi 14 is autofocus on the ultrawide camera, better selfie and better thermals during long and heavy workloads. We found the Xiaomi 14 to throttle significantly under load, which may ruin your gaming experience in some cases.

Still, the Xiaomi 14 is easy to recommend as it's perhaps the most capable compact Android flagship currently on the market.

Pros

• Upgraded LTPO OLED panel with variable refresh rate.
• One of the few compact flagship phones
• Exceptional battery life
• Very fast charging.
• Versatile and reliable camera experience, great videos.
• The new HyperOS seems more streamlined and efficient.

Cons

• Quite slippery by design.
• Throttles under heavy load.
• A bit on the pricey end.