Yesterday, Xiaomi revealed the Xiaomi 14 series, which includes the newly announced Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, making it the first smartphone series to incorporate this chipset.
The series also underwent a redesign, received upgraded Leica-branded main cameras, and runs on Xiaomi’s newly introduced HyperOS, replacing the MIUI.
Xiaomi 14 Pro
The Xiaomi 14 Pro is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, based on TSMC’s cutting-edge 4 nm process. It offers a choice of 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage.
The device features a 6.73-inch 1440×3200 pixel LTPO OLED display with 12-bit colour depth, providing a smooth 120 Hz refresh rate.
Notably, this impressive display can achieve a remarkable brightness of up to 3,000 nits and is protected by Xiaomi’s durable Longjing Glass. The phone also has slimmer bezels encompassing the entire screen and IP68 water and dust resistance.
In a departure from its predecessor, Xiaomi has opted for a new imaging approach in the 14 Pro. They introduce the “Light Hunter 900″ sensor with a custom Leica Summilux lens, boasting 50MP resolution and a substantial 1/1.31” sensor size, along with 1.2 μm pixel dimensions and an exceptional dynamic range of 13.5 EV.
The custom 23 mm lens is adaptable, ranging from a wide f/1.42 aperture to a closed f/4.0. Despite the sensor’s smaller size compared to the previous 1-inch type sensor, this new lens provides an impressive 80% increase in brightness.
Additionally, the 14 Pro incorporates a 75 mm f/2.0 floating telephoto camera, similar to the one found in last year’s Xiaomi 13 Pro. This camera can capture stunning 40MP regular photos and remarkable 50MP portrait mode images.
The third camera is a 50MP f/2.2 14 mm ultrawide shooter, offering close-up macro capabilities from as close as 5 cm and a 32MP selfie camera.
To ensure the phone remains powered throughout the day, it features a 4,880mAh battery and supports rapid 120W wired charging, as well as 50W wireless charging.
The phone supports Bluetooth 5.4, WiFi 7, USB-C 3.2, under display fingerprint scanner, and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.
Xiaomi’s design philosophy for the 14 Pro moves away from the curved edges of its predecessor, embracing a flat metal frame.
The Xiaomi 14 Pro is available in black, white, rock green, and an exclusive Titanium Special Edition, featuring a matte titanium alloy side, similar to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Xiaomi 14
The Xiaomi 14 has similar specs to the Pro version but with a smaller 6.36-inch 1200×2670 resolution display.
The camera setup is slightly different from the Pro version. The 50MP primary camera retains the same 1/1.31″ “Light Hunter” sensor with 1.2 μm pixels, but it’s now paired with a fixed-aperture 23 mm f/1.6 lens.
The 75 mm floating telephoto camera remains unchanged. However, it appears that the 50MP 14 mm ultrawide camera may not have autofocus (AF) capabilities, which subsequently affects its macro photography capabilities. The 32MP selfie camera remains the same.
It also has smaller 4,610mAh battery that support 90W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi 14 Pro has a starting price of CNY4,999 (~RM3,261) and goes all the way up to CNY5,999 (~RM3,914) for the most expensive model, while the Xiaomi 14 starts at CNY3,999 (~RM2,069) and up to CNY4,999 (~RM3,261).
As usual, don’t expect the phones to launch in Malaysia this year. We expect it will arrive on our shores in Q1 2024.
