Xiaomi’s commitment to photography is continuing, and its greatest achievement is the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the mobile phone with the best camera on the market.
It is clear that the protagonist of the year for Xiaomi in 2024 will be the Xiaomi SU7 , its first electric car. This product has been a very strong and risky bet by the company to position itself in a sector in which no other smartphone manufacturer had yet directly entered.
To achieve this, the company has spent years designing this vehicle, and has made a strong economic and strategic investment. But this is not the analysis of the car, but of a mobile phone, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra , why are we talking about the SU7 then? Because of the way Xiaomi works .
The company, which entered the smartphone sector with very economical models and betting heavily on price, wanted to change this strategy a few years ago, leaving the idea of good products with an above-average quality-price ratio for the Redmi family . The Xiaomi would remain high-end models , terminals that were not going to be ashamed of costing the same or more than their rivals.
The company’s Ultra family is the perfect example of how, based on investment, design and perseverance, a top-level product can be created in a company that was not born for it, but that decided to focus on that market segment. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra costs 1,499.99 euros , not including the photographic grip accessory, which is 199.99 euros more. It is a price similar to the best proposals from Samsung and Apple, and its features are, at best, on par.
An iconic design
One of the most difficult things to achieve in industrial engineering is a functional design that is also iconic . For a product to be almost an advertising showcase for a brand is somewhat complicated, but if it is achieved, the benefits are many. This is what Xiaomi has achieved with the Ultra family, using its main feature, the camera, as a prominent element.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is very similar to the 13 Ultra, but with more comfortable shapes, fewer protrusions and less weight, although it maintains the IP68 certification. All in all, it is a terminal that has an important weak point here since the upper part weighs much more than the lower part , and that makes one-handed use complicated unless we put our fingers on the camera, staining the lenses.
This is something that already happened to its predecessor, and that can now be avoided with the photographic grip, but it is not something that everyone is going to buy. It is logical that the camera system of this mobile is so heavy, but perhaps another design solution would have helped with that. The rear finish, made of vegan leather, in white or black, does not change. It’s a shame that last year’s green tone hasn’t given way to another more iconic color , because these models go more unnoticed, at least the dark one.
The structure of this terminal is made of aluminum, and it conveys a very good feeling, with the volume and power buttons on the right side. At the top is the secondary speaker, which remains there despite the fact that many other brands are putting it in the headset. This makes the sound of this mobile one of the best on the market .
On the inside there is the main speaker, the microphone and the USB-C charging port. In addition, there is the SIM tray that does not have support for microSD, something that with the memory that this mobile has is not something that is going to be a problem either.
The maximum in processor
Although this mobile phone is designed for those who want to take advantage of photographic capabilities, this requires top-level hardware. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 , a processor that not only has high capabilities in terms of power and efficiency, but also integrates advanced AI functions that Xiaomi is starting to use, although not yet at the same level as Samsung.
The internal memory, 512 GB , uses UFS 4.0 technology, the highest on the market, and allows very fast data transfer. We have noticed this when configuring the mobile, downloading dozens of GB of data. Something similar happens with the 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which leaves applications in the background almost without limit. Here it is battery management that usually closes the apps earlier.
Connectivity is the maximum we can ask for with two exceptions. Xiaomi has eliminated the infrared sensor , although it maintains it in cheaper models. We spoke with some managers and they told us that users did not use it on high-end mobile phones. It also does not have a headphone jack , although currently, with the huge offer of wireless headphones, this no longer seems a problem, and at a given moment you can always choose to use a USB-C port to 3.5 mm jack adapter.
The screen is a spectacle
The screen of this smartphone is one of the best on the market. Xiaomi has not wanted to cut back on features, in any way, and has opted for a 6.7-inch panel with WQHD resolution of 3200 x 1440 px and AMOLED technology . Under the panel it has a fairly conventional fingerprint sensor, something that draws attention as this is the company’s best mobile. Firms like Samsung or Vivo have better sensors, although we must admit that in this case it has not caused any problems.
The screen is capable of going from 1 to 120 Hz , to display the content very fluidly and also not waste too much battery. The brightness of the screen is capable of reaching, occasionally in HDR content, for example, 3,000 nits in some areas , although conventionally the brightness does not reach these levels, remaining at 1,000 nits. All in all, it is the brightest screen we have seen and allows it to be used in literally any circumstance. It is compatible with Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
The screen also has drop protection that allows the glass to be much more resistant than that of previous models. This is especially important because the screen is now curved not only on all four sides, but also at the corners . This design, which is the first time it has been used by Xiaomi, looks very good to the eye, but when faced with knocks it seems to expose the terminal more. This is when the inclusion of a case in the sales package, in addition to the mobile charger, is very appreciated.
Cameras are the key
The most differential aspect of this Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the photographic one . Xiaomi has been collaborating with Leica for several years and little by little it is integrating more technology from the German firm and, at the same time, creating its own. In this case we have an evolution of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra cameras with new features such as the automatic aperture system of the main camera to capture more or less light and the possibility of recording video in logarithmic format to be able to edit it later.
The main camera uses a one-inch LYT-900 sensor with a resolution of 50 Mpx, although through 4-in-1 Pixel Binning the default photos are 12.5 Mpx. The aperture ranges from f/1.63 to f/4.0, which allows the blur to be natural and at the same time the image is not overexposed or underexposed. Of course, this sensor is optically stabilized, with autofocus and an 8-element lens.
The second sensor, a Sony IMX 858, also has 50 Mpx and is a telephoto lens equivalent to 75 mm (3x) with optical image stabilization and an f/1.8 aperture. It is capable of focusing at 10 cm, which enables the macro function even when you do not want to use the wide angle, as it sometimes deforms the environment.
There is a second telephoto lens , equivalent to 120 mm, 5x magnification, with f/2.5 aperture and optical image stabilization. It is capable of taking macro photos at 30 cm, which together with the zoom makes this mobile one of the best for this type of photography. And yes, you can also record macro videos.
The last rear camera is a 50 Mpx wide angle with IMX 858 sensor and an equivalent focal length of 12 mm. It has a seven-element lens and allows macro photography at 5 cm. The rear cameras have two photographic styles , Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic. To achieve images that are as close to reality as possible, it is better to use the latter, but if you want more striking photos, it is better to opt for the former. Of course, there is a quick release option available on either camera, and at either focal length. There are more than cameras because sometimes Xiaomi uses the sensor cutout of some to offer lossless images.
There are also two types of portraits , available on several of the cameras, in addition to a night portrait mode and filters that allow you to take photos in different styles or in black and white. Highlight the Xiaomi ProFocus system, which allows tracking focus on an object or a person’s eyes.
Video recording is also another of the most elaborate aspects of this mobile. The quality rivals many of the best mobile phones on the market, although depending on the scenarios it is not the best. We have a cinema mode, a director mode and you can even record in logarithmic format, which allows you to professionally edit what you obtain later.
The quality of the cameras is outstanding , especially in terms of sharpness and textures. Xiaomi has managed to turn its mobile phone into one of the best on the market in this section, if not the best, by combining top-level hardware, a commitment to professional photography at the level of Samsung or Apple and the ability to take good photos with a single touch that will make anyone fall in love.
As for the front camera , Xiaomi has used a 32 Mpx sensor capable of recording 4K video. Both the images and the video recording are at a high level, being one of the best phones in this aspect of the Android ecosystem.
Battery and fast charging
This Xiaomi terminal comes equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery , which allows it to have autonomy in line with what is expected of it. It does not reach the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which gives more hours of screen, but in all the use cases we have done it reached the end of the day. The only exception to this has been on a day with many 4K photos and videos, days that are also not supported by high-end mobile phones from Samsung or Apple.
As for charging, it has 90 W of wired charging (33 minutes to charge to 100%), with a charger included, as well as wireless charging of up to 80 W (46 minutes to 100%). The problem is the camera module. In some chargers, such as those from IKEA, it works well, but in others, such as those from Vivo, the camera module makes contact between the mobile coil and the charger impossible, preventing charging. This is another of the design problems of the photographic module.
Evolve with HyperOS
Xiaomi has used the new operating system, successor to MIUI, in its flagship. HyperOS has already been seen on mobile phones like the Xiaomi 14, which we analyzed a few days ago , and there are not excessive changes to the interface. Of course, a small update has activated HyperMind , a Xiaomi artificial intelligence system that allows a very high interconnection with all the products in its ecosystem.
The interface maintains Xiaomi’s own aesthetics, which is not the prettiest, but it does not cause problems either. Of course, the control center icons appear by default without text, although this can be easily solved . Customization is still one of the most elaborate aspects of the interface, although they now have to take into account more details, when used in more types of products, not just consumer electronics.
The fluidity of the system is very high , partly due to the system management and partly due to the hardware of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra itself. Of course, HyperOS gets the most out of it, as happens in other ecosystems, when it is used alongside other Xiaomi products, such as tablets or watches.
I buy it?
Yes and no. If you are looking for a terminal that is the maximum exponent of everything that technology can offer in 2024 (except for folding screens) and you value the camera above all, yes . The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a great phone, and a better camera. The point is that paying 1,499 euros is not affordable for everyone , not even the majority.
But this also applies to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro Max . If we look at its main rivals, Xiaomi has created a good alternative. It is not perfect, and the design needs to improve in terms of weight and ergonomics, but in general the mobile phone is a safe bet. Especially for the camera.
Xiaomi is making the most of its agreement with Leica and is doing what it must do to fight with Samsung, Apple and Google to be the reference in photography . Again, it is something that the common user will not take advantage of, for whom the Xiaomi 14 will already give impressive photos, but that the most experienced will value.
