Xiaomi 14T Pro review

Competition

The Xiaomi 14T Pro launches at a fairly steep price point of €800 for a 256GB version (another €100 to double the storage) and there's a reasonable selection of slightly older devices that can make you question its value proposition.

The highest profile handset that you can get for about as much money (at least in some places) is the Galaxy S24+. It's not going to charge nearly as fast as the Xiaomi, and its zoom camera isn't quite as good as the 14T Pro's. But perhaps the Samsung badge carries more weight for some people, so there's that.

If you're into badges, a certain Edge 50 Ultra can deliver a bat logo of some pedigree. This Motorola has an overall better camera system on paper, though it's not necessarily winning by a large margin in practice and it's certainly not the better option for video recording. The Moto does offer superior selfies, though.

You can also consider the OnePlus 12 at about the 14T Pro's asking price. It's a superior cameraphone, we reckon, and as good or better than the Xiaomi at most other things. The 12 is missing a proper submersion-grade IP rating though.

And finally, if you're eyeing the 14T Pro but would rather save some cash, the 14T non-Pro might be a viable option too. You'll be sacrificing some charging speed, a bit of zoom reach, as well as some processing oomph, but the differences aren't all that major, and may be worth the savings.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ • Motorola Edge 50 Ultra • OnePlus 12 • Xiaomi 14T

Verdict

The not-quite-flagship in the Xiaomi roster for the Fall 2024 season is a predictably solid package that does a few things better than most. It's among the fastest charging phones in the industry and it's got a 144Hz display, and that's in addition to a high-end chipset and a camera system that only falls short in one or two niche areas.

Admittedly, if selfies are of utmost importance, one of the niche areas becomes more of a pressing issue. Similarly, if you're into closeups, you'll probably need to look elsewhere (or try to work with the main camera, because the ultrawide and the telephoto won't be of much use).

In the end, the 14T Pro is a very competent offering with a compelling set of capabilities. But it's not necessarily an obvious recommendation against similarly well-specced handsets that you can get for about as much money.

Pros

• Premium design, IP68 certification.
• Superb OLED, 12-bit color depth, color accurate, 144Hz, Dolby Vision.
• Excellent camera performance, stills and videos, dedicted zoom camera.
• Super-fast wired charging; wireless now an option too.
• Top-tier chipset performance.
• Feature-rich HyperOS with 4 years of support.
• 256GB base storage, IR blaster, Circle to Search, UFS 4.0, Wi-Fi 7.

Cons

• No AF on the ultrawide; No OIS on the zoom camera and it can't focus very close either.
• Meh selfies.
• The panel doesn't reach 144Hz in most apps and system menus.