The latest smartphone from Xiaomi, the Xiaomi 14 series sees a collaboration with camera giant Leica, elevating its photography and videography capabilities with Next-Generation Leica Optics. Today we’re taking a look the Xiaomi 14 in the stunning Jade Green.
Leica Optics
The renowned magic of Leica Summilux comes to life on Xiaomi 14 with an f1.6 maximum aperture main camera. Paired seamlessly with the innovative Light Fusion 900 image sensor, allowing for an impressive 80% increase in light intake compared to the previous Xiaomi 13. This means that you get shallower and more natural-looking bokeh but also faster shutter speeds that improves quality in low-light scenarios, making your everyday photos look stunning without even trying.
Leica’s 75mm floating telephoto camera has been introduced to Xiaomi 14, comprising six elements arranged into two groups, this versatile camera excels in capturing both portraits and close-ups, boasting an impressive minimum focus distance of just 10cm. Additionally, Xiaomi 14 is equipped with a Leica 14mm ultra-wide camera, at 50MP, making it the perfect lens for shooting in either tight spaces or capturing landscapes with precision and clarity, making sure you get all the shots whenever and wherever you are.
The camera also lends its Leica aesthetics with the two Leica photography styles—Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look. Driven by the Xiaomi Imaging Engine, Xiaomi 14 ensures a consistent tone across all focal lengths, as white balance and exposure settings are derived from the always-on main lens.
Videography
Not forgetting videography, the Xiaomi 14 also allows to shoot up to 4K at 60fps and directly edit within the photo album for a seamless video production experience. The newly introduced Movie mode allows users to effortlessly create cinematic videos, employing the 2.39:1 aspect ratio commonly used in the film industry. Xiaomi 14 goes beyond standard offerings by supporting automatic and manual rack focusing, lending a film-like bokeh effect to your content for maximum cinematic vibes.
Staying true to the saying that audio is the measure of a good video, the all-new 4-mic array offers recording capabilities on both the front and back of the device, thereby supporting directional audio recording, significantly enhancing the vlogging experience, fully maximising the Xiaomi 14’s true end-to-end Dolby Vision® capability.
Perfect Viewing Screen
Xiaomi 14 features a stunning 6.36″ CrystalRes dynamic 1-120Hz AMOLED, elevating its viewing experience with a total pixel density of 460 ppi, with variable 1-120Hz refresh rate and goes all the way up to a peak brightness of 3000 nits. According to Xiaomi, the screen is also capable of 12-bit colour depth and support for Dolby Vision®, HDR10, HDR10+, and Hybrid log-gamma.
With the Pro HDR Display feature enabled in the Xiaomi Gallery application, the display backlight is eight times brighter, providing users with an unparalleled viewing experience for HDR content, even under the most intense sunlit conditions.
Ensuring eye protection for longer viewing sessions, Xiaomi 14 is TÜV Rheinland EyeCare certified, incorporates DC dimming across all brightness ranges, and features a hardware-level low blue light design that produces 56% lower blue light than the previous generation, making sure that your eyes stay protected after a whole day’s worth of screen time.
Performance and Endurance
Xiaomi 14’s latest Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform represents a significant upgrade compared to the previous generation, paired with the Xiaomi IceLoop cooling system, ensures an unparalleled level of smoothness even under demanding conditions. The Xiaomi 14 packs a 4610mAh battery, supported by the Xiaomi Surge P2 charging chipset and Xiaomi Surge G1 battery management chipset, that’s capable of 90W HyperCharge, achieving a full charge in a mere 31 minutes, complemented by the convenience of the 50W wireless HyperCharge, providing a full charge in just 46 minutes.
Compact and Elegant Design
Xiaomi 14 introduces an ultra-thin bezel design with an exceptionally slim chin of just 1.71mm and a back panel slightly curves down to provide a perfect grip for sustained periods of use. The Clous de Paris-inspired camera deco adds a touch of timeless elegance, while the portless design on the top frame achieves a clean look by relocating the speaker to the display and the infrared port to the deco.
The Xiaomi 14 comes in three captivating color options, Black with exclusive AG glass back featuring a matte finish for a better grip while minimising fingerprints, White and the Jade Green, featured on this review.
Xiaomi HyperOS
The all-new Xiaomi HyperOS, packing revamped UI and dynamic animations, is a human-centric operating system designed for the “Human x Car x Home” smart ecosystem. Experience enhanced system fluidity through Xiaomi HyperOS’ advanced task management, resource scheduling, and optimized memory handling, unlocking the full hardware potential of Xiaomi 14.
Seamless connectivity is at your fingertips with new features such as Home screen+, cross-device notifications, and shared clipboards, making interaction between devices effortless.
Conclusion
All-in-all, the Xiaomi 14 comes is a great size that’s definitely a must-try for photography enthusiasts especially with the Leica collaboration. The super fast charging capabilities are a welcome feature, along with the all new Xiaomi HyperOS that makes the whole experience super smooth and enjoyable. Super promising as Xiaomi’s flagship offering in 2024.
Xiaomi 14 is available for purchase now at RRP S$1,099 can be purchased from Xiaomi authorised retailers and Shopee.
