Xiaomi 14T Pro review

A bit of added reach, different main camera

The 14T Pro introduces a few tweaks to what was a mostly successful camera setup on the 13T Pro. The main camera is apparently lifted off the Xiaomi 14, while the telephoto gets a slightly longer lens. The ultrawide remains unchanged.

The main camera gets a 1/1.31" OmniVision sensor that Xiaomi likes to call by its own name. It's more or less the same size as the Sony imager on the previous generation, so by the obvious metrics things shouldn't be all that different. The lens is slightly wider and slightly brighter - again, not a dramatic difference from the previous generation.

The telephoto employs the ubiquitous Samsung JN1 sensor, itself inconsequentially larger than the OV50D on the 13T Pro's zoom camera. In place of the 50mm equivalent lens of the predecessor, the new model gets 60mm optics with an f/2.0 aperture. Sadly, there's no close-focusing capability here - the minimum distance is around 45cm.

The ultrawide camera is unchanged, and the 13MP OV sensor gets cropped to 12MP because of... reasons. There's no AF here, so no ultrawide close-ups either.

The selfie camera is seemingly new, relying on a recently announced 32MP Samsung sensor that's on the small-ish side of things. We've learned not to expect much from Xiaomi selfies anyway, and just seeing the 32 number makes us question their choices, but let's wait and see.

• Wide (main): 50MP LightFusion 900 (Omnivision OV50H, 1/1.3", 1.2µm-2.4µm), f/1.6, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps/8K@30fps
• Ultrawide: 13MP OmniVision OV13B (1/3", 1.12µm), f/2.2, 15mm, fixed focus; 4K@30fps/FullHD@60fps
• Telephoto 2.6x: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 (S5KJN1, 1/2.76", 0.64µm-1.28µm), f/2.0, 60mm, PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Front camera: 32MP Samsung ISOCELL KD1 (S5KKD1, 1/3.44", 0.64µm-1.28µm), f/2.0, 25mm, fixed focus; 4K@30fps/FullHD@60fps

Daylight photo quality

Main camera

Daylight photos out of the 14T Pro's main camera are pretty great. They have generally accurate white balance (more so outdoors than indoors) and very pleasing color saturation. Dynamic range is nicely wide too. Sharpness and detail are very good, though random textures can have a bit of that overprocessed look - not too bad, but not exactly 'natural'-looking.

One point worth making is that the sensor/lens combo has a relatively shallow depth of field, which can be both an advantage and an issue with nearby subjects - you do get to isolate your subject from the background, but then you may not be able to get all of your subject in sharp focus if there's more depth to it.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x)

The Leica Authentic mode results in somewhat moody pictures with darker exposures, some vignetting and less saturated color. It's not necessarily our cup of tea for general shooting, but it could be the right choice for certain scenes.

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

People shots from the main camera look solid too, with well defined facial detail and good skin tones. Now, that first scene might be a little off in terms of white balance, but between the wood paneling and the model's clothes, we doubt that any auto white balance would have done a lot better.

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

Portrait mode does alright too, both at the native field of view of the camera, and at a slightly zoomed in 35mm equivalent.

Daylight samples, main camera, Portrait mode, 23mm

Daylight samples, main camera, Portrait mode, 35mm

We wouldn't say we're seeing more detail in the main camera's full-res shots, but we are seeing more grain - and, well, larger grain.

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

On the other hand, the 2x shots from the main camera can be quite likable. They're better detailed on a pixel level and offer improved definition compared to the 50MP 1x counterparts. So, if you're after a 50-ish mm focal length, the 2x button in the viewfinder will deliver good results.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x)

Photos of people at 2x are fairly good too. There's no Portrait mode at 2x (or '50mm'), though.

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

Telephoto camera

The telephoto camera on the 14T Pro offers a 60mm focal length or a 2.6x zoom magnification from the main camera's 23mm focal length (equiv.). The shots have excellent sharpness and definition and no noise in outdoor settings at base ISO (also well controlled noise reduction in dimmer indoor conditions). Dynamic range is very good (though the photos are a bit more contrasty than ideal, perhaps), and the colors are looking excellent too.

One relatively obvious shortcoming of this camera is its inability to focus up close - minimum focusing distance is around 45cm, so it's not the fabulous 'telemacro' of some higher-end Xiaomis.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (2.6x)

The telephoto is great for portrait shots, whether in plain Photo mode, or in Portrait mode. The shooting distance is just right so it's comfortable for both parties, and the perspective is flattering. We'd say the 75mm setting is unnecessary - it's not that big of a difference in terms of perspective, but image quality drops visibly.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (2.6x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, telephoto camera, Portrait mode, 60mm

Daylight samples, telephoto camera, Portrait mode, 75mm

The 50MP mode of the telephoto is better than expected and captures some extra detail in well lit outdoor scenes.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (2.6x), 50MP

The 5x mode is also quite usable, capturing plenty of detail.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x)

Ultrawide camera

Despite the relatively unremarkable hardware, the ultrawide camera takes solid photos during the day. They're not the sharpest, but they're sharp enough, dynamic range is wide and colors are quite pleasing, particularly outdoors. The lack of autofocus means you won't be getting sharp results with nearby subjects, though.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)

Selfies

Selfies on the 14T Pro are decent, but hardly praiseworthy. The 32MP resolution is excessive, and there's certainly not that much detail in the shots. There's also the super aggressive processing of detail in most scenes that is rubbing us the wrong way. We'd be happier if Xiaomis would output selfies at a more sensible resolution that would also likely allow them to treat detail in a more likable way. There's also the fact that the camera doesn't have autofocus, so you won't be able to do close-ups of your mug.

Selfie samples

Low-light photo quality

Main camera

The 14T Pro's main camera is a proficient night-time shooter. Its photos have great dynamic range and will give you well developed shadows,, while also preserving the highlights. Colors are also hard to fault both in terms of white balance and saturation. Detail is excellent too.

Low-light samples, main camera (1x)

The 2x photos aren't nearly as likable, the heavy sharpening trying to mask their flaws when it comes to capturing fine detail. That said, if you limit yourself to fit-to-screen viewing, the photos are easily good enough.

Low-light samples, main camera (2x)

Telephoto camera

The telephoto does okay in the dark, but we're not exactly ecstatic. It can be a little overly contrasty and with relatively harsh tonal extremes. Detail is very good and colors are also rendered well, so it's still a respectable showing.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (2.6x)

Detail gets sketchy at 5x, though once again, if you're not overly picky and look from far enough, the photos are usable.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (5x)

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide exposes well too and has good dynamic range for what it is. Colors aren't too bad either, it's just that pixel-level sharpness isn't ideal.

Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)

Video recording

The 14T Pro can record video in a multitude of modes with its main camera - it maxes out at 8K30, supports 4K at 30fps and 60fps, and can also do both 8K and 4K at 24fps. The telephoto doesn't do 8K, but does support 4K at all three frame rates. The ultrawide can record in 4K30 and 4K24, but for 60fps you'd need to lower the resolution to 1080p.

There's the usual selection between the h.264 codec for wider compatibility and the more efficient h.265 option. HDR10/HDR10+ recording is also an option in the menu (but no Dolby Vision). As is customary with Xiaomi phones, there's always-on electronic stabilization in all modes - you can't turn it off, if you have other means of supporting the phone.

Video sample playlist

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

Main camera footage out of the 14T Pro is quite good. Dynamic range is nicely wide, as proven in our overcast weather samples. White balance can be ever so slightly off though the extra warmth doesn't hurt and we're loving the saturation. What's bugging us a little is the high sharpening - contrasting edges have very visible halos and detail has a heavily processed look. The zoom camera gets more natural processing, but then it's a bit grainy and not quite pin-sharp either - not bad by any means, just not quite perfect. The ultrawide's videos can be summed up in a similar way - there are small missteps (like the magenta tinge in the road), but overall it's looking alright.

Low-light videos from the main camera are very good. Exposure and dynamic range are excellent, colors are on point, and that leaves only the slight softness in the shadows as a minor blemish in an overall great performance.

Unsurprisingly, stabilization is excellent across the board. Pans are smooth on all cameras, and all three will stay firmly in place if you're just trying to keep the phone pointed in one direction. The main camera and the ultrawide will also expertly iron out walking shake.