Xiaomi 14 Ultra review

The two telephotos now focus close

The 14 Ultra doesn't make radical changes to the camera system - at least at first glance. Last year's model had things pretty well dialed in, so there wasn't a whole lot of room for improvement. That said, the improvements that are there are most welcome.

The most significant development overall is in the close-focusing capabilities on the two telephoto cameras (which have kept the same sensors as on the previous model). The 3.2x zoom camera can now focus on objects as close as 10cm, while the periscope 5x unit's minimum focusing distance is specced at 30cm. Sure, that same longer telephoto lens is also now brighter, but the f/2.5 vs. f/3.0 improvement will be harder to spot.

The lens is where one of the two changes to the main camera can be spotted - a lot more easily than the move from the IMX989 to the newer LYT-900 sensor. The new optics are now brighter (f/1.63 vs. f/1.9), but the aperture can be adjusted continuously throughout the whole range - not just stopped all the way down to f/4.0, which was the case on the 13 Ultra. The diaphragm uses 6 blades, but they're notched in such a way so as to make a dodecagonal shape.

The stepless adjustment is available in the Pro mode, while in the regular Photo mode you get the wide open f/1.63, the fully stopped down f/4.0, and intermediate steps at f/2.0 and f/2.8.

The ultrawide camera's specs remain unchanged from the previous generation, and it's still the same IMX 858 sensor as on the two teles. It's paired with an AF-capable lens that's on the wider end of the ultrawide spectrum. The selfie camera isn't much different this year either, relying on a 32MP OmniVision sensor and a fixed-focus lens - we've never been fans of this, but Xiaomi keeps using it.

• Wide (main): 50MP Sony LYT-900 (1", 1.6µm - 3.2µm), f/1.63-f/4.0, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 4K@120fps
• Ultrawide: 50MP Sony IMX858 (1/2.51", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.8, 12mm, dual pixel PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto 1, 3.2x: 50MP Sony IMX858 (1/2.51", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.8, 75mm, dual pixel PDAF (10cm - ∞), OIS; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto 1, 5x: 50MP Sony IMX858 (1/2.51", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.8, 120mm, dual pixel PDAF (30cm - ∞), OIS; 4K@60fps
• Front camera: 32MP OmniVision OV32B40 (1/3.14", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/2.0, 22mm, fixed focus; 4K@60fps

Main camera

The main camera of the 14 Ultra captures great-looking photos, as expected. Detail is excellent and is rendered in a relatively natural way, with only particularly intricate textures that outresolve the 12MP image getting a more artificial look. Noise is very well controlled.

The auto white balance was consistently accurate and we encountered no blunders in the area. Color saturation is well judged producing expressive results without going too far. Dynamic range is nicely wide too.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x)

If you'd like to get some artificial vignetting and a moodier look, the Leica Authentic mode is your thing. It isn't ours, though.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Leica Authentic

We explored a little how the variable aperture affects sharpness. In good light the phone will normally set it at f/2.0, which is typically ever so slightly sharper than the f/1.63 setting, with further stopping down making little to no difference, particularly with subjects closer to infinity.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x): f/1.63 • f/2.0 • f/2.8 • f/4.0

More evident is the effect on depth of field, particularly with nearby subjects. With those, you'll oftentimes want to stop down a little to make sure you get more of your subject in sharp focus.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x): f/1.63 • f/2.0 • f/2.8 • f/4.0

You can also check out a few photos of our resident people shots model, in both Photo mode and Portrait mode.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Portrait mode, 23mm

For completeness' sake, here's also a handful of full-res samples. When examined at 1:1, these probably have a bit of extra detail in there, but there's also a more water color-y look to it.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP

The 50MP mode serves more as our segue into the 2x zoom level samples. The Xiaomi does a great job here, showing very good detail even when pixel peeping. It's still not as amazing as the vivo X100 Pro is at 2x, but it's just a notch below and perfectly good enough.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x)

Faces also look well detailed at this zoom level, particularly in Photo mode. Portrait mode does add a bit more softness on the subject, but the results remain good, both at the 50mm and the 35mm simulated focal lengths.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, main camera (2x), Portrait mode, 50mm

Daylight samples, main camera (2x), Portrait mode, 35mm

3.2x telephoto camera

At 3.2x zoom the Xiaomi 14 Ultra shows a noticeable improvement in sharpness compared to the previous model, delivering what are quite possibly the sharpest 3x images we've seen to date. No complaints on global parameters either - dynamic range is excellent, auto white balance is on point, colors are vibrant.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3.2x)

It's great for people too, whether in Photo mode or Portrait mode.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3.2x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3.2x), Portrait mode, 75mm

But the real treat comes with closeups. Even at minimum focusing distances, the 14 Ultra's 3.2x maintains excellent sharpness and is capable of some stunning results.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3.2x), closeups

It's one of the areas where the generational difference is most obvious - the 13 Ultra at minimum focusing distance can't get anywhere near the new model's reproduction ratio.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3.2x), closeups: 14 Ultra • 13 Ultra

The 14 Ultra also does quite well at 3.2x zoom when shooting at the nominal 50MP resolution, though we're not entirely sure why you'd want to be doing that since there's the 5x telephoto to bring things closer.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3.2x), 50MP

5x telephoto camera

The revamped 5x telephoto doesn't disappoint either, capturing great photos during the day. It's also an expert at closeups, as promised, almost matching the 3x camera for reproduction, while letting you keep your distance from your subject.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x)

Here too you can see the level of improvement compared to the old model, when it comes to closeup photography.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x), closeups: 14 Ultra • 13 Ultra

There's no Portrait mode beyond 75mm, but you can take regular photos of people at 5x just fine.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x), Photo mode

You can also shoot at 5x zoom at 50MP resolution, getting some questionable results.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x), 50MP

If you're after more reach, however, you're better off pinching to 10x (or using the onscreen dial, or better yet the Photography kit's rocker). The images we got have very good sharpness, better than what the Galaxy S24 Ultra can muster. Contrast can be a bit much though.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x), 10x zoom

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera will not be ruining the overall impression. Other than a bit more graininess, there's little in the way of flaws in its photos and even that is barely prominent enough to be mentioned. Very good detail, great colors and dynamic range, close focusing for some exaggerated perspectives - there's a lot to like here.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

You just might be able to make a case for the 50MP mode on the ultrawide, though you might have to look long and hard to find extra detail.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x), 50MP

Selfies

The selfies from the Xiaomi are good, but not our favorite. Skin tones and colors in general are likable and we have no complaints about dynamic range. But the continued insistence to output selfies at the nominal 32MP doesn't sit well with us and the fixed focus is also not up to the Ultra standard.

Selfie samples

Low-light photo quality

Main camera

With everything set to Auto, the 14 Ultra's main camera captures excellent low-light photos. It does pleasing exposures that retain a lot of the highlight data, while also doing a great job with shadow development - the 14 Ultra gives us a touch brighter shadows than direct competitors and we'd say that is our preferred approach. Even in mixed lighting the auto white balance is dependable and color rendition is easy on the eyes.

Viewing from up-close, there's very good detail and the Xiaomi strikes a nice balance between retaining actual information and disposing of noise. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example, leaves more noise but has a slight edge in detail, while the Find X7 Ultra can be a bit softer than the Xiaomi.

Low-light samples, main camera (1x)

At 2x, the 14 Ultra's output varies from very good in better-lit scenes to meh in darker settings. You'll always be getting excellent exposures, dynamic range and colors, it's just that the darker scenes will be softer on a pixel level.

Low-light samples, main camera (2x)

3.2x Telephoto camera

Even in the dark, the 3.2x telephoto will hardly leave you wanting. Exposures are on point, dynamic range is very good, and there's plenty of fine detail.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (3.2x)

5x Telephoto camera

The 5x telephoto is a bit less excited about shooting in low-light. Its dynamic range is somewhat limited and with the phone prioritizing for highlights, you may often get shots that are darker than ideal. It will also tend to render warmer light sources too orange for our liking. Given a decent amount of light, however, it will still capture a lot of detail.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (5x)

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide delivers more of an okay showing at night. Its colors are a little anemic and detail is somewhat sketchy when viewed from up close.

Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

Video recording

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra can record video up to 4K60 with all of its cameras - the four on the back and the front-facing one. The rear ones can also do 4K24 in addition to 4K30, and they're also capable of 8K at both 30fps and 24fps. The main one, meanwhile, is also capable of 4K120.

The default codec is still h.264 for all but 8K capture, where you only get h.265, but you can switch to h.265 for all your videos. Dolby Vision capture is also on the menu, but just for the main camera in 4K at either 30fps or 24fps.

Video stabilization is available in all resolutions and frame rate combos (except for 4K120) and can't be disabled in the regular video mode, though there is a toggle in settings that can switch it off for recording in Director's mode.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra's video quality is quite possibly the best we've got at the moment. All four rear cameras are expertly matched in overall look and have great dynamic range and color reproduction. 4K24 and 4K30 clips from each camera look identical and have excellent detail (okay, more like 'very good' on the ultrawide), while the 60fps modes are ever so slightly softer, but far from being actually soft. The main camera's 4K120fps is actually the sharpest of them all.

Stabilization is also great on the 14 Ultra. The main camera and the ultrawide turn walking shake into a gentle float, and all four cameras pan smoothly and keep things nicely steady when just pointed in one direction.

At night, the Xiaomi does reasonably well too. Its main camera is about on par with the Galaxy S24 Ultra for detail, but has wider dynamic range, though the Find X7 Ultra might be a little better still. The ultrawide suffers from a bit of desaturation and noise performance isn't great. The 3.2x telephoto is significantly better than the Galaxy's, but a notch below the one on the Find X7 Ultra. When it comes to the longer telephoto, the Xiaomi's 5x is perhaps a little better than the Find's 6x, the Galaxy being further behind.

Video sample playlist

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.