Xiaomi has just launched a new series of high-end smartphones, the Xiaomi 14. All models promise to use the best technologies available on the market. Here is everything you need to know about these smartphones that absolutely want to do better than the competition.
Every year, Xiaomi launches several high-end smartphones, each of which aims to become benchmarks in their respective segment. In 2023, it is up to the 14 series to arrive on the market and there should always be at least four:
- the Xiaomi 14
- the Xiaomi 14 Pro
- the Xiaomi 14 Ultra
- the Xiaomi 14 Lite
WHEN IS THE XIAOMI 14 RELEASED?
Xiaomi had initially planned to launch its Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro in China on December 1, 2022. However, due to national mourning, the Chinese manufacturer was forced to postpone its conference, which was finally held on December 14.
This year, the Xiaomi 14 arrived much faster than expected, since Xiaomi held a conference on October 26, 2023. Xiaomi is used to launching its smartphones just after the Snapdragon Summit, the annual event on the occasion of which Qualcomm launches a new chip for high-end smartphones. This took place on November 15 in 2022, but it was held on October 24, 2023.
As for their release in France, as usual, we will probably have to wait until the first quarter of 2024. Xiaomi had lifted the veil on the European versions on February 26, 2023, the day before the MWC show in Barcelona, and could therefore choose to do the same with this new generation. However, given their lead in China, it is hoped that Xiaomi will also bring forward the launch in Europe.
For its part, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra should only arrive in spring 2024. It is therefore currently too early to know its technical sheet or even its functionalities. However, we already know that it will arrive in Europe, because Xiaomi is already testing an international version of the smartphone. It has the model number 24030PN60G.
WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THE XIAOMI 14?
Last year, Xiaomi made its mark by significantly increasing the prices of all its Xiaomi 13s compared to previous generations. The Xiaomi 13 had notably suffered an increase of 100 euros, while it was necessary to pay an additional 200 euros for the Xiaomi 13 Pro, and no less than 300 euros more for the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
This year, Xiaomi has not increased the prices of its Xiaomi 14 in China. The Xiaomi 14 is still priced from 3999 yuan (519 euros) in China, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro is priced from 4999 yuan (€648). However, we already know that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 would be much more expensive than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 of the Xiaomi 13, which already cost smartphone manufacturers $160.
Xiaomi 14 price summary:
- Xiaomi 14 (8 GB of RAM + 256 GB of storage): 3999 yuan (€519)
- Xiaomi 14 (12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage): 4299 yuan
- Xiaomi 14 (12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage): 4599 yuan
- Xiaomi 14 (16 GB RAM + 1 TB storage): 4999 yuan
- Xiaomi 14 Pro (12 GB of RAM + 256 GB of storage): 4999 yuan (€648)
- Xiaomi 14 Pro (16 GB RAM + 512 GB storage): 5499 yuan
- Xiaomi 14 Pro (16 GB RAM + 1 TB storage): 6299 yuan
WHAT DOES THE XIAOMI 14 LOOK LIKE?
The Xiaomi 14s are not radically different from the previous generation in terms of design. There are always two different formats. The Xiaomi 14 is still a compact smartphone, while the Pro and Ultra models are much larger.
The Xiaomi 14, the smallest model, looks a lot like the Xiaomi 13. Xiaomi has once again focused on an ultra-modern design, with an almost distraction-free screen protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. The borders measure only 1.61 mm on the sides and 1.71 mm at the chin, which makes it the smartphone with the screen with the thinnest borders in the world. In terms of dimensions, you should count on a size of 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.20 mm, for a weight of 193 grams. It therefore becomes slightly thicker and heavier.
On the back, we find three photo sensors placed in a fairly elegant square photo module. We can also note the absence of openings on the top of the frame of the Xiaomi 14. The manufacturer has moved the infrared sensor in the photo module and the microphone directly next to the speaker above the screen.
The Xiaomi 14 Pro uses a screen curved on four sides with borders of only 1.8 mm to 2.08 mm. It measures 161.4 x 75.3 x 8.49 mm and weighs 223 grams, making it a little thicker than its predecessor. Solidity is in the spotlight, with a screen even more resistant than the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. At the back we find a photo module similar to the previous generation, but with different sensors.
The smartphone also marks the return of the second speaker on the upper edge of the smartphone, which made the Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 11 and 12 famous, but which disappeared with the 13 series. The sound should therefore be more immersive.
For its part, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra should still rely on a circular photo module, as was already the case on the previous 12S Ultra and 13 Ultra models. This would allow it to continue to look like a compact camera, smartphones still relying on Leica for the photo part.
WHICH SCREEN FOR THE XIAOMI 14?
The Xiaomi 13 was one of the Android smartphones with a “small” screen, and the same is true for the Xiaomi 14.
The flat screen of the Xiaomi 14 still measures 6.36 inches. For its part, the Pro model offers a diagonal of 6.73 inches, and it is a screen curved on all sides, unlike the previous generation which was only curved on the left and right.
The Xiaomi 14 does without Samsung and uses a C8 OLED panel from TCL CSOT, even better than the one found on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. However, the definition is limited to 1.5K 2670 x 1200 pixels (460 ppi) on the 14 model, compared to 2K 3200 x 1440 pixels (522 ppi) on the Pro model. Moreover, this one beats all brightness records, since we expect no less than 3000 nits at peak. That's more than most high-end TVs. The 120 Hz refresh rate and LTPO technology are present on all models of this generation.
WHAT PERFORMANCE FOR THE XIAOMI 13?
Every year, Xiaomi uses Qualcomm's new most powerful chip, and it's the same on this generation. The Xiaomi 14 are powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a chip engraved in 4nm by TSMC. This is a direct improvement of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and we must therefore count on increased performance.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 relies on a completely new configuration in terms of cores, with a main Cortex-X4 core at 3.30 GHz, three Cortex-A720 cores at 3.15 GHz, 2 Cortex-A720 cores at 2.96 GHz as well as only 2 Cortex-A530 cores at 2.27 GHz. According to ARM data, the chip offers up to 30% more performance on the CPU side and 25% on the GPU side, while consuming almost 30% less power.
On the Geekbench 6.2.0 benchmark, the Xiaomi 14 managed to achieve no less than 2207 points on one core, and 7494 points on all cores. This will place it above the iPhone 15 Pro in multi-core, a real feat.
The GPU part is provided by an Adreno 750 chip, and we will still find LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. For the modem, it will be a Snapdragon X75, which also offers ever faster speeds while consuming less battery.
BATTERY, AUTONOMY AND CHARGING OF THE XIAOMI 14
With the improvements of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the reduction in screen consumption, of around 17%, we should expect better autonomy on this generation, but Xiaomi has above all improved the battery capacity to reach this goal.
The Xiaomi is powered by a 4610 mAh battery, compared to 4500 mAh on the Xiaomi 13. For its part, the Xiaomi 14 Pro will benefit from a 4880 mAh accumulator, also a small evolution compared to the previous 4860 mAh.
In terms of charging, Xiaomi has increased the Xiaomi 14 to 90W wired, but the Xiaomi 14 Pro still relies on a maximum of 120W. Both also benefit from 50W wireless charging. Unlike Samsung or Apple, Xiaomi continues to include the charger in the box of its smartphones.
Note also that the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Pro both have a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port. However, that of the Xiaomi 14 is limited to transfers at 5 Gbps, compared to 10 Gbps on the Pro model. Both therefore have a video output allowing you to connect the smartphone to an external screen.
THE XIAOMI 14 CAMERA
Xiaomi makes a point of improving the photo part with each generation of smartphone. The Chinese manufacturer can always count on its partnership with Leica to bring the expertise of the German company to its cameras.
The Xiaomi 13 had finally replaced the old macro sensor with a telephoto lens, and it is the same on this generation. There are still three cameras on the back, with a new 50 MP Light Hunter main sensor larger at 1/1.31 inch. It should therefore allow you to capture better photos than the Xiaomi 13 sensor, especially since it is accompanied by new Summilux lenses from Leica. These allow it to offer an aperture of f/1.6. It is supported by a 50 MP Samsung JN1 ultra-wide-angle sensor as well as a third 50 MP JN1 telephoto sensor offering 3.2X optical zoom (f/2.0). It inherits the same liquid lens technology, which also allows it to capture macro shots. Like the iPhone or the Pixel, the Xiaomi is also capable of capturing 2X shots with its main sensor thanks to pixel binning technology.
On the Xiaomi 14 Pro side, we find the same 50 MP Light Hunter 900 main sensor, measuring 1/1.31 inch. This time, it offers an aperture of only f/1.42, but variable up to f/4.0. The rest of the technical sheet in the photo is identical to the model 14.
Finally, since Xiaomi 14 Ultra will arrive after the other models, and it is currently too early to say what the photo part will consist of. However, we know that we will still find four cameras arranged in a square in a rectangular photo module, with probably a new generation 1-inch LYTIA 900 main sensor.
Another new feature of this generation is the possibility of filming in 4K with the 32 MP OV32B front camera, when previous models had to be satisfied with a Full HD definition at most.
THE XIAOMI 14 WILL ARRIVE WITH HYPEROS, THE REPLACEMENT OF MIUI
The Xiaomi 14 will not arrive with a new version of the manufacturer's MIUI overlay, but with a brand new mobile operating system called HyperOS. The latter will look a lot like MIUI so as not to disorient the millions of users of Xiaomi smartphones, but the changes will mainly be present behind the scenes.
This new operating system is no longer a simple overlay of Android, since it is now directly based on the Android Open Source Program, like Huawei's HarmonyOS before it. Additionally, HyperOS abandons Unix for NuttX, another open source system designed to be highly configurable, lightweight and suitable for embedded systems, as well as Xiaomi Vela, another home-made system. The advantage of HyperOS is its interoperability, that is, it will allow multiple devices to communicate with each other easily. Xiaomi is already planning to use the same system in several of its products, including in the infotainment system of its first electric car. We also expect better fluidity, better stability, and compatibility of Android applications.
Designed to be as light as possible, HyperOS will occupy only 8.75 GB on Xiaomi smartphones. This makes it the lightest at present. It also promises a focus on AI, and is expected to roll out to other devices such as the Xiaomi Watch S3 soon after its release.
The first compatible smartphones will receive the first version of the operating system from December 2023, and Xiaomi has confirmed that HyperOS will be deployed in France in the first quarter of 2024. Among the smartphones on which the update will be deployed quickly, we finds the Xiaomi 14, the Xiaomi 13, the Xiaomi 12, the Redmi K60, the Redmi K50, the Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 and 3 as well as the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro tablet. In China, we know that Xiaomi will then update older devices up to the Redmi Note 9, but we do not know whether or not the update will arrive on as many smartphones here.