Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G (Global) review

The competition

The pricing for the global model of the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G (with a 200MP camera and 5110mAh battery) starts at $399 for the 8/256GB model.

In India, the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G (with a 50MP camera and 5500mAh battery) costs INR28,000 for the 8/256GB model.

There are plenty of viable competitors at that price point. The Poco X7 is the first phone that comes to mind. Its global model is 50 euros/pounds cheaper, and it's essentially the same phone but with a 50MP main cam instead of 200MP.

We also should mention the ever-popular Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G. It is last year's model, and you have less software support to look forward to. And you do have to settle for a mere IP54 ingress protection rating. However, other than that, you still get excellent hardware and amazing value. Plus, a 3.5mm audio jack, if that is something you may fancy.

Xiaomi Poco X7 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro • Samsung Galaxy A55

Over in camp Samsung, you can easily fit a Galaxy A55 within this budget. It is a very capable and well-rounded phone. Well, except for literally, since its design is a lot flatter all around. Some of the highlights here include an IP67 ingress protection rating, which is almost as good as what Xiaomi is offering but achieved with arguably more premium materials like an aluminum frame. You also get four major OS updates instead of three and a microSD card slot, in case that's something you may want. You will, arguably, have to settle for a slightly inferior display, though.

Our verdict

It's really hard to find any glaring faults with the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G, as should frankly be the case with a phone that has all the makings to become insanely popular sales-wise. Xiaomi just knows how to deliver value at this competitive mid-range price point.

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G might not sport the most premium of materials, but it is extremely well made and also, new for this year, extremely well protected against the elements. An SD card slot would have been great, and we are sure some will mourn the demise of the trusty old 3.5mm audio jack, but other than that, we can't say anything is missing or out of place in this design. The controls are where they should be. The stereo speakers are symmetrical, well-balanced and quite nice-sounding. The display bezels are very reasonably seized, with practically every sensor hidden away somewhere and not in the way. This makes for an overall very clean and, dare we say, even classic design language.

The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra is far from a chart-topper in the grand scheme of things, but it is still a modern and efficient chip with all the connectivity features you may expect at this price point. There's ample battery to get most users through a full day, which is pretty adequate in our book. The same goes for the charging rate.

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G has a perfectly adequate and versatile camera setup. There are no glaring faults in either the photos or videos it captures. These are not quite flagship-grade by any means, but again, we can't realistically ask for much more for the class.

The fact that the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G ships with Android 14 and HyperOS 1 while some of its siblings, like the Poco X7 Pro, come with Android 15 and XyperOS 2 out of the box is far from ideal. Let's call this a pretty obvious and not-so-clever trick to offer users fewer major OS updates in total, which we don't approve of.

We definitely wish that Xiaomi had made things a bit easier when it comes to differentiating between all the different models and regional versions of the Redmi Note 14 line. Things still get more confusing when we branch out into the Poco X7 family. If you like the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G, then you might benefit from looking at the Poco X7 for essentially the same experience and potentially a better price tag.

All things considered, the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is an excellent overall package, and you can hardly go wrong when choosing the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G or its Poco X7 counterpart.

Pros

• Great build quality, now with an IP68 rating.
• Great AMOLED, high-res, 120Hz, Dolby Vision.
• Pretty good stereo speaker setup.
• Adequate performance for the price point.
• Excellent photo and video quality at night.
• Rich connectivity options.

Cons

• The 3.5mm audio jack is now gone.
• Slower charging than the previous model.
• Doesn't come with the latest Android 15/HyperOS 2 out of the box.