Reviewing the Xiaomi 14 Ultra: The Combination of Luxury and Functionality
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is truly impressive, and not only because of its excellent appearance. At first glance, its design evokes luxury and durability. With clear influences from Leica's flagship M10-P camera, this superphone combines luxury with high durability.
A thin layer of nano-tech vegan leather surrounds the back of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, adding a sense of refinement and prestige. The resistance to stains, wear and scratches, as well as the sealing against water and dust (IP68), make this mobile ideal for everyday use.
However, the real impression comes from the camera. The "island" of the camera is completely visible, and it can create some problems regarding the placement of the device, especially when it comes to wireless charging or horizontal holding with two hands, such as during gaming. However, this impressive camera is not only a design highlight, but also enhances the performance of the device in photo and the video.
In conclusion, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a mobile that combines luxury, durability and excellent photography performance. With its impressive looks and advanced features, it deserves to be at the top of your list for your next purchase in the world of smartphones.
In short, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the ideal choice for those looking for a mobile phone that combines style, durability and excellent photography performance.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Leading signature performance Snapdragon 8 January 3
For Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset it's already getting rave reviews, as it's the top offering for Android devices right now, alongside MediaTek's awe-inspiring Dimensity 9300. Therefore, Qualcomm's "beast" of performance was, in practice, the natural choice for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, since it attempts to claim the "crown" of smartphone king. Turning our gaze to the insides of the 4nm chipset, we see the octa-core processor consisting of a… leading Cortex-X4 clocked at 3.3GHz, five Cortex-A720s (three at 3.2GHz and two at 3.0GHz) and two Cortex-A520s at 2.3 GHz, which are deployed for simpler tasks, spending less energy. Adreno 750 GPU promises a next-gen pocket gaming machine, with the ability to support even ray tracing graphics!
Xiaomi also broke the bank in terms of RAM, providing 16GB of high-speed LPDDR5X 14 Ultra RAM. The version we got our hands on was equipped with 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage, with no support for adding a microSD card for expansion.
In terms of connectivity, for a smartphone of this level the latest versions of all standards, such as 5G, WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 are self-evident. Waiting for the "Desktop Mode" that the upgrade promises to bring to Android 15, in order to give a computer air to the graphic environment when we move to a larger display surface, it is worth mentioning that the USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port also works as a DisplayPort, allowing a wired connection to an external display.
An important role in performance is also played by the HyperOS user interface, which is extremely lightweight, masterfully handles the available resources and adds additional functionality and well-thought-out conveniences to the Android operating system. On the contrary, we will express our ... discomfort with Xiaomi's persistent effort to promote its own applications, such as Mi Wallpaper Carousel, Mi Browser and the App Mall online store, some of which carry ads and do not allow full uninstall it. You can, of course, disable them or use any other alternative, but from such a premium device we would expect a little more… tact in this area.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Charges wirelessly at almost twice the speed of the competition's wired charging!
A high-capacity battery (5.000mAh) is the necessary power source for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which comes with a 90W charger in its package, in order to complete the journey from 0% to 100% in just 33 minutes with an enviable speed! The news is good for wireless charging "fans" too, as Boost mode is supported for 80W wireless HyperCharge, which translates into a full charge without cables in 46 minutes. If you consider that competing flagship phones from other companies charge wired at about half a watt, then you will undoubtedly give Xiaomi's flagship another significant advantage. At the same time, the back of the device can work as a 10W wireless charger to donate some of its energy to other devices that support wireless charging, such as compatible headphones, watches, or even your friend's cell phone that doesn't have the autonomy of a Xiaomi device!
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Satisfying every photographic… fantasy
There are many reasons to get a Xiaomi 14 Ultra, but the biggest one "nests" under the impressive glass tray on the back of the device. We are referring, of course, to the camera system of the Ultra version of the Xiaomi 14, a quartet of sensors and lenses that stirs the... stagnant waters of recent years around the developments of mobile photography technologies.
Getting out of the way with the… appetizer of the very capable 32MP front camera with 90° FOV, f/2.0 aperture, EIS and video up to 4K@60fps or up to 30fps for HDR Dolby Vision, we move on to the main course!
The quadruple camera with Leica VARIO-SUMMILUX 1:1.63-2.5/12-120 ASPH. lenses and Dual-LED dual-tone flash uses four Sony-made 50MP sensors, an impressive 900″ LYT-1 sensor and three IMX858 with the same 50MP resolution.
So we begin by telling you how impressed we were by each camera individually, although the Xiaomi 14 Ultra treats its quad as… indivisible, allowing seamless switching from one lens to another with a very wide coverage of focal lengths from 12mm to 120mm.
Starring, due to… size, is the one-inch LYT-900 sensor, which sits under a wide-angle 8P lens with a fully variable aperture from f/1.63 to f/4.0, with no mandatory preset stops. Whichever style you prefer, the more 'modest' and realistic Leica Authentic or the more vibrant and impressive Leica Vibrant, the colors remain convincing and exciting, highlighting every detail captured on the spacious sensor. We didn't notice annoying or unnatural oversaturation of colors or "faded" scenes, every shot had a balanced and pleasing to the eye result. At the same time, the ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) coating on the lens minimizes the possibility of unwanted reflections and unpredictable "plays" of light. Thanks to the huge surface of the LYT-900, the highest performance is a given, even when the light is scarce.
Unique levels of detail are also captured by the 50MP IMX858 sensors that work with the other three lenses. The 75mm telephoto 6P lens excels at 3,2x optical zoom, with a large f/1.8 aperture, OIS and dual pixel PDAF, while it can also be used as a macro lens for shots from 10cm distances. If your subject is at 30cm, the macro capabilities of the 120mm periscope lens are brought into play, although its main role is to offer a stunning 5x optical zoom, with f/2.5 aperture, OIS optical stabilization and autofocus that leaves nothing to the eye. luck!
At this point, we must also praise the effectiveness of the digital zoom, which even if you "pull" it to the maximum limit, 120x, gives usable results, with unprecedented quality for this level of magnification! Thus, you can turn the Xiaomi 14 Ultra into... binoculars, as with 120x digital zoom you can comfortably read text that is at a great distance.
A 858MP Sony IMX50 sensor is also present below the 12mm ultra-wide 7P lens, with an aperture of f/1.8. This particular lens, in addition to fitting a huge 122 degree "slice" of your field of view into your frame, allows you in macro photography conditions to get even closer to your subject, up to 5 cm.
In summary, the main camera quad encourages the owner of the device to experiment, teaching him photography! If you still prefer to leave everything in the hands of Xiaomi's "autopilot", the result will be guaranteed to be admirable. The ƒ/1.63 aperture is capable of delivering bokeh that professional cameras would envy, while the dynamic range up to 14EV, the unprecedented focus range from 12mm to 120mm, the shutter speed of 0,7 seconds, the ability to record in 16-bit UltraRAW format and the use of artificial intelligence (AI LM) by the Xiaomi AISP image signal processor, compose a photographic… masterpiece.
Cinematic finale!
Even a quick read of the technical specifications of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra's video recording capabilities is enough to impress even the most… untrained eye. Support for 8K resolution at 24 or 30 frames per second, 4K video recording up to 120fps, compatibility with HDR10+, 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR, 10-bit LOG, and up to 1920 frames per second in Full HD resolution for slow motion are some of the elements that raised the bar of our expectations and, fortunately, Xiaomi did not disappoint us. Instead, it left us speechless in areas such as video stabilization. If you record footage while moving, the end result is similar to what a post-production professional would achieve after a lot of work on a "beast" computer with expensive software.
And in terms of audio recording, however, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the new standard of quality that its competitors are expected to surpass in the future. With a four-microphone array, it captures every sound with clarity, sonically 'mapping' a full 360° angle around you, and Audio Zoom is also supported.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Photography Kit: "Must-have", without discussion!
Sold separately (at the time of writing there is an early-bird promo to get it for free), but the Xiaomi 14 Ultra Photography Kit is, in our opinion, a must-buy for anyone who has the company's photographic "flagship" in their hands. Opening the package of the kit you will find inside a beautiful and durable one case, faithful to Leica's design philosophy, two decorative rings for the camera (one silver and one Orange), a ring that acts as adapter 67mm to add extra filters, the grip, which in itself is a reason to buy and one hand strap to complete the DSLR look of the device.
The grip "snaps" into the USB-C port of the mobile phone and in addition to a better grip, it also gives a gift additional 1.500mAh battery. The smartphone can also be connected to an external charger without having to remove the grip, which also has a USB-C port for charging. Once you lock the grip on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, it is automatically recognized and gives you the right to change the functionality of its controls. On top, just as you'd expect from a digital camera, it houses your precious new… partners for every shot. We start with two-stage shutter button, which makes sure to "wake up" the camera immediately with a long press. Press it halfway to focus and finish pressing for the final shot (single or burst, depending on your preference). Right in front of him is the lever zoom button to instantly change focal lengths or take advantage of continuous zoom. For videos there is a separate one button with the characteristic red dot for rec, but no one forbids you to redefine its use to support any other functionality, such as photo format, aspect ratio, etc. It is also configurable washer, to which you can assign the change of elements such as EV, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc.
Using the grip really elevated the experience we had with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It's so much fun experimenting with assigning different functions to its controls that you'll spend several hours "playing" with alternative approaches to your shots. Compact, "husky" but light, the grip and the case will be in our backpack every time we suspect that we will need to photograph or video a subject at our destination, leaving behind (with a few regrets, admittedly!) our bulky DSLR …
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Technical characteristics
Screen: 6,73-inch LTPO AMOLED "All Around Liquid Display" aspect ratio 20:9, WQHD+ resolution 3200×1440 pixels, 68 billion colors, refresh rate up to 120Hz (AdaptiveSync Pro), Dolby Vision, HDR10+, UltraHDR, brightness HBM 1000 nits (typ) / 3000 nits (peak), DC dimming / 1920Hz PWM dimming, touch sampling rate up to 240Hz, Xiaomi Shield Glass
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) with octa-core CPU ([email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected], GPU Adreno 750@1GHz
Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
Storage space: 512GB (UFS 4.0)
Camera: Quad camera with Leica VARIO-SUMMILUX 1:1.63-2.5/12-120 ASPH. lenses and Dual-LED dual-tone flash, 50MP LYT-900 1″ size sensor, with 23mm wide-angle 8P lens (variable aperture from f/1.63 to f/4.0, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, ALD coating) + 50MP IMX858 sensor with 75mm telephoto 6P lens (3,2x Optical Zoom, f/1.8, OIS, 10cm macro, dual pixel PDAF) + 50MP IMX858 sensor with 120mm periscope lens (5x Optical Zoom, f/2.5, OIS, 30cm macro, dual pixel PDAF) + 50MP IMX858 sensor with 12mm ultra-wide angle 7P lens (f/1.8, FOV 122˚, 5cm macro, dual pixel PDAF) + TOF 3D depth sensor | Videos: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@24/30/60fps (HDR10+, 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR, 10-bit LOG), 1080p@30/60/120/240/480/960/1920fps, Xiaomi ProFocus Selfie-cam 32MP sensor1/3.14”, 90° FOV (f/2.0) with EIS |Videos: up to 4K@60fps (HDR Dolby Vision 4K@30fps)
Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax(6E)/7 tri-band WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4 (A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LHDC)
Sound: Dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res & Hi-Res Wireless audio, 24-bit/192kHz
Extras: GPS (L1+L5)/ GLONASS (G1)/ BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a)/ GALILEO (E1+E5a)/ QZSS (L1+L5)/ NavIC (L5), USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (OTG & DisplayPort), under-display fingerprint sensor, dual-SIM, IR Blaster (infrared), IP68 waterproof and dustproof certification
Network: 5G
Battery: 5.000mAh with 90W charging (charger included), 80W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging
Functional: Android 14 (with HyperOS)
Dimensions: 161,4×75,3×9,2 mm.
Weight: 219,8 gr.
