Xiaomi 14 Unboxing, First Impressions, Camera Samples - Refined and impactful changes?

Xiaomi has introduced the successors to its main line numbered Series of smartphones, now equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Leica cameras.

Xiaomi 14 is now official in the Philippines

One of them is the global version of the new Xiaomi 14 which comes with a 120Hz 6.36-inch custom C8 AMOLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.0, and a 4,610mAh high energy density battery.

At the back of the phone are the Leica Vario-Summilux cameras made up of the 50MP f/1.6 main camera with Light Fusion 900 sensor, an f/2.0 Macro Telephoto camera with Leica Floating Lens element, and a 10cm close-up and a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with an LED flash. While in front is the 32MP selfie camera.

Other key features include the 4-Mic array, stereo speakers, WiFi 7, USB 3.2 Gen1 5Gbps, 90W Hyper Charger, 50W wireless HyperCharge, and IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

This device is the only model from the Xiaomi 14 Series available in the Philippines. The starting retail price is PHP 45,999.

Let's dive in.

Unboxing/Accessories

Xiaomi 14 UI

It comes in a bright white box with the Xiaomi and Leica branding. Around the box are the key specs, features, and regulatory information.

Box inclusions

Inside the box is the Xiaomi 14 with a plastic screen protector, documentation, gray bumper case, SIM ejector tool, USB-A to USB Type-C cable, and the 90W wall charger.

There are no included earphones inside the box.

Build Quality/Design

Rear design

The Xiaomi 14 is made of a glass front, a frosted glass back, and a metal frame. This combination makes the phone not only solid and premium looking, but the whole design fit and finish make it one of the most beautiful Xiaomi phones to date. Out of the box, we are confident in saying that this is on Par with the latest flagships from the competition.

A refined design and it is not that heavy anymore

The phone measures 71.5 x 152.8 x. 82 mm and weighs 193 grams. The rear panel has a sharp curve at the edges that makes it easier to hold. However, even with the fingerprint-resistant frosted back panel, it is still slippery. We recommend wearing the included Gray case.

The phone isn't the slimmest in terms of thickness but it is one of the most compact we've had in a while.

Xiaomi 14-inch screen

The exterior features a 6.36-inch Xiaomi custom C8 AMOLED panel with a 2,670 x 1,200 resolution, a 1-120Hz refresh rate, and up to 3,000 nits peak brightness. It also supports DC dimming, Pro HDR10+, and is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protected.

Around the panel are the slim symmetrical bezels with a punch hole in the upper center of the screen. Hidden on the upper bezel is the earpiece that doubles as the second stereo speaker.

Top and bottom

On top of the phone are the antenna lines. On the bottom are more antenna lines, speaker grills, USB-C, microphone port, and SIM tray.

Left and right

On the left side are more antenna lines while on the right side are more antenna lines, a metal volume rocker, and a metal power button. These buttons have a smooth and satisfying click when pressed. Both have just enough resistance and give.

SIM Tray

The SIM tray can carry up to two nano-SIM cards. It has a black rubber gasket that aids in its IP68 water and dust resistance.

Rear cameras

Xiaomi and Leica deepen their partnership even further. The result is the Leica Vario-Summilux 1:1.6-2.2 14-75 ASPH cameras.

It is made up of a 50MP f/1.6 main camera with a 1/1.31-inch Light Fusion 900 sensor with dual ISO and 14-bit color(23mm equivalent), an f/2.0 3.2x Leica Floating Telephoto lens with 10cm close-up, and a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with an LED flash.

While in front is the 32MP selfie camera.

The two brands are boasting that the upgrade to an f/1.6 Summilux offers over an 80 percent increase in light intake.

The stock camera app modes include Photo, Video, Movie, Portrait, Pro, Documents, Night, 50MP mode, Panorama, Short Film, Slow Motion, Time-lapse, Long Exposure, Super Moon and Director mode.

The Pro mode allows for controls of ISO (50-12800), Shutter Speed (30-1/8,000 sec), EV (+-4), Focus, and White Balance. Users can also switch between ultra-wide, 1x, 2x crop, 3.2x and 60x digital zoom.

Let's see!

Camera Samples

Shot with the 23mm f/1.6 main camera at La Boqueria, Barcelona

Shot with the 23mm f/1.6 main camera at the Gothic Quarters in Barcelona

Shot with the 14mm f/2.2 main camera at the Catedral de Barcelona

Shot with the 23mm f/1.6 main camera at the Arc Triomf

Shot with the 46mm f/1.6 telephoto camera at the Arc Triomf

Shot with the 75mm f/2.0 telephoto camera at the Arc Triomf

Shot with the 14mm f/2.2 telephoto camera at the Arc Triomf

Portrait Shot with the 46mm f/1.6 telephoto camera

Low light Shot with the 23mm f/1.6 main camera

Low light Shot with the 75mm f/2.0 telephoto camera

Low light Shot with the 14mm f/2.2 ultra-wide camera

We brought the Xiaomi 14 with us to Barcelona, Spain for the Mobile World Congress 2024. We opted for the Leica Vibrant color mode which is said to enhance the vibrancy of the colors. The phone yielded images with good sharpness and detail with minimal noise across all cameras across both daylight, indoors, and low light situations. 

The saturation of color given by Leica Vibrant could be too much for some people. We recommend switching to Leica Authentic for this.

But what impressed me was the two new modes for video. The Movie mode allows the phone to capture in the 2.39:1 cinematic aspect ratio and users can add cinematic bokeh effects and automatic focus switching.

The other mode is the new Director Mode. It is like a Pro Video mode but on steroids. It has the usual Pro controls for the video while adding audio levels, a histogram, stabilization, current battery level, current storage capacity, time codes, flash, Leica color filters, microphone controls, aspect ratio, Log profile, Zebras (exposure verification), 24/30fps, 1080p/4K resolution, and focus peaking.

For professional video shooters, the Director Mode could be a reason to upgrade by itself. Not to mention the ability to record with Dolby Vision.

Inside is the 4,610mAh high energy density battery with Xiaomi Surge G1 battery management chipset, 90W HyperCharge, 50W wireless HyperCharge, and Xiaomi Urge P2 Charging chipset.

Other key features of the phone include an in-display fingerprint scanner, face unlock, Dual SIM, NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi 7, 4-Mic array, stereo speakers,  USB 3.2 Gen1 5Gbps, and IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

What impressed us the most were the notable camera hardware and software upgrades from the previous generation.

Running the show is the new Xiaomi HyperOS. The brand claims it is human-centric and designed to work with the "human, car, home" smart ecosystem. Visually, it is similar to the previous MIUI but out of the box, it is noticeably smoother and snapier.

Xiaomi 14 Specs

Display: 6.36-inch Gorilla Glass Victus protected LTPO AMOLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2670 x 1200 resolution at 460 ppi

CPU: 3.3GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processor

GPU: New-Adreno

RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X

ROM: 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.6 Light Fusion 900, Leica Vario Summilux lens, Hyper OIS + 50MP f/2.2 Sa,simg JN1 ultra-wide sensor + 50MP f/2.0 Leica floating telephoto with OIS + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.0

Battery: 4,500mAh w/ 90W fast charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless

OS: Android 14 w/ HyperOS

Connectivity: WiFi 7, 5G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.4, OTG, GPS, NFC, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, 4x mic USB-C, Colors:  Black, White, and Jade Green

Dimensions: 152.8 x 71.5 x 8.2mm

Weight: 193

Price: PHP 45,999 (12GB/256GB), PHP 47,999 (12GB/512GB)

As of the moment

Xiaomi 14 Web surfing

We have to commend Xiaomi for packing so many hardware and software additions in a compact size.

Out of the box, the phone is made of a metal frame and glass front and rear panels. What makes it even tougher is the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

As mentioned. earlier, the phone measures 71.5 x 152.8 x 8.2mm and weighs 193 grams only which should make small phone fans happy. Let's not forget the IP68 water and dust resistance.

Aside from the bleeding edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.0, the Xiaomi 14's claim to fame is the new 1/1.31-inch Light Fusion 900 sensor with dual ISO, 14-bit color, and SUMMILUX f/1.6 aperture. It sounds impressive but hopefully, it translates well in real life.

It is one of the first HyperOS-equipped smartphones for the global market. We hope it lives to its promise to work well with the future Xiaomi smart ecosystem.

We are excited to see what the Xiaomi 14 can do. 

Stay tuned for our full review soon. Coming up next is our camera samples article.

You can view its Pre-order details here.