Full Review of Xiaomi 14 Pro:
The Xiaomi 14 Pro is the latest smartphone from the tech giant Xiaomi. Launched in December 2022, the Xiaomi 14 Pro packs some impressive specs and features into a premium design. In this comprehensive review, we’ll look at the Xiaomi 14 Pro in-depth to see if it lives up to the hype.
Introduction
As a successor to the popular Xiaomi 13t Pro from earlier in 2022, the Xiaomi 14 Pro has big shoes to fill. Xiaomi has refined the design, upgraded the processing power, and improved the cameras on the 14 Pro to make it a true flagship contender. Some key features of the Xiaomi 14 Pro include:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor
- 6.73” QHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate
- 50MP main camera, 50MP portrait camera, 50MP telephoto camera
- 4,820mAh battery with 120W fast charging
- MIUI 14 based on Android 13
With premium specs and features, the Xiaomi 14 Pro is positioned to compete with flagships like the iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 series. But does it have what it takes to be a top choice for smartphone buyers? Let’s find out in this detailed review.
Design and Build Quality
The Xiaomi 14 Pro features an elegant glass sandwich design with a metal frame. The back panel has a frosted matte texture that resists fingerprints. The phone feels very premium in hand with its sleek rounded edges and narrow bezels.
With 163.1 x 74.6 x 8.8mm dimensions, the Xiaomi 14 Pro hits the sweet spot between comfortable one-handed use and an ample real estate display. It weighs 209g, which gives it a reassuring heft without feeling too heavy.
The build quality is excellent with no creaking or flexing of the frame. The phone has an official IP68 rating for dust and water resistance up to 1.5m for 30 minutes. Overall, the Xiaomi 14 Pro is a gorgeous, well-built flagship phone.
Display
The Xiaomi 14 Pro sports a 6.73-inch curved AMOLED display with a quad HD+ resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. This works out to a density of 522 ppi which produces incredibly sharp images and text.
The display supports a dynamic refresh rate from 1-120Hz using LTPO technology. This allows for fluid 120Hz scrolling when you need it while saving power with lower refresh rates for static content.
Some key display features include:
- 10-bit colors for over 1 billion hues
- 1500 nits peak brightness with HDR10+, Dolby Vision
- 240Hz touch sampling rate for fast response
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection
In daily usage, the 14 Pro’s display looks downright stunning. Everything from text to videos and games looks brilliant with vivid, accurate colors. The high brightness ensures easy outdoor visibility. While using dark mode, the OLED display delivers inky blacks. It’s simply one of the best smartphone displays right now.
Performance and Hardware
Powering the Xiaomi 14 Pro is Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. This 4nm processor blazes through demanding tasks with its octa-core Kryo CPU and Adreno 740 GPU.
You also get ample RAM and UFS 4.0 storage options:
- 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X RAM
- 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 storage
For real-world performance, the Xiaomi 14 Pro is an absolute beast. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chews through everything from demanding games to 4K video editing without breaking a sweat. Everything feels fast and fluid when using the phone. Even with heavy multitasking, there is no slowdown, thanks to the excellent RAM management.
Gaming is especially impressive on the 14 Pro. Graphics-intensive titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Genshin Impact run smoothly at the highest settings. The display’s high refresh rate and quick touch sampling rate results in highly responsive gameplay. The phone does get slightly warm when gaming, but thermal throttling is minimal.
Overall, if you want one of the most powerful Android phones, the Xiaomi 14 Pro delivers insane speed and smoothness. This thing is an absolute multitasking and gaming monster.
Camera Performance
The Xiaomi 14 Pro packs a triple camera array:
- 50MP f/1.8 main camera with OIS
- 50MP f/2.0 portrait camera
- 50MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with 3.2x optical zoom and OIS
On paper, this camera setup promises excellent versatility with the standard, portrait and telephoto lenses. The main sensor uses a 1-inch type with dual pixel PDAF autofocus. There is also Leica tuning and Xiaomi’s own computing algorithms at play.
So how do the cameras actually perform? In short – it went extremely well. The main camera captures highly detailed 12.5MP pixel-binned shots with excellent dynamic range. Colors are punchy without being oversaturated. The portrait camera takes fantastic background-blurred shots full of depth. The 3.2x telephoto also gets you impressively close to the action.
Low light photos still have noise but retain good colors and details, beating many other phones. The 32MP selfie camera takes crisp, well-exposed self-portraits even in dim lighting.
The Xiaomi 14 Pro can record video up to 8K/24fps quality. 4K video is excellently stabilized with good detail. Slow motion 1080p video goes all the way up to 1920fps. Video quality is definitely flagship-grade across the board.
The Xiaomi 14 Pro is among the best camera phones out there for camera versatility and overall image quality. In most scenarios, it holds its own against the iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro.
Battery and Charging
Powering the Xiaomi 14 Pro is a large 4,820mAh battery, a bump up from the 4,600mAh cell in the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Combined with the power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, this big battery delivers excellent battery life.
With moderate use, expect around 1.5 days of use per charge. Even with very heavy use, the phone should last a full day no problem. Screen-on-time is between 6.5 to 8 hours depending on usage scenarios.
When you do need to top up, the Xiaomi 14 Pro supports insanely fast 120W wired charging. Using the included 120W charger, you can go from 0% to 100% battery in under 25 minutes. It also supports 50W wireless charging to conveniently juice up without cables.
The battery life and charging speeds are right up there with the best phones in 2022. You won’t have any complaints in terms of longevity or recharge times with the Xiaomi 14 Pro.
Software
The Xiaomi 14 Pro launches with MIUI 14, Xiaomi’s custom Android skin, running on top of Android 13. MIUI 14 continues the design and features of previous versions while promising faster performance and fluidity.
Some notable additions in MIUI 14 include:
- Enhanced Liquid Engine for smoother UI animations
- Atomized Memory for improved RAM management
- Feature Drop style updates every quarter
- Better privacy controls and security
While MIUI has traditionally suffered from adware concerns, Xiaomi has cleaned up the experience considerably. MIUI 14 feels polished and responsive with lots of customization options for power users.
If you are already used to MIUI, you will feel right at home. The software works fluidly on the 14 Pro’s hardware. Those new to MIUI may find the lack of an app drawer and significant visual changes from stock Android to be different at first. But MIUI has matured into a fast, feature-packed skin.
Connectivity and Audio
In terms of connectivity, the Xiaomi 14 Pro packs Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, dual SIM 5G, and more. Call quality over the phone’s earpiece is crisp and clear. The stereo speakers provide balanced, loud audio with Dolby Atmos support. There is no headphone jack, however.
Satellite connectivity allows the Xiaomi 14 Pro to connect to navigation systems like GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo for accurate location tracking. The under-display optical fingerprint scanner is very fast and accurate. Face unlock using the selfie camera is also available but less secure than the fingerprint reader.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi 14 Pro launched in China in December 2022 starting at around $710 for the 8GB/128GB model. More RAM and storage configs are also available.
For that starting price, the level of premium design, display, performance, and camera quality you get with the Xiaomi 14 Pro is very competitive. The phone undercuts Apple and Samsung flagships by hundreds of dollars while offering a similar experience.
Global availability is expected in early 2023. Based on the China pricing, the Xiaomi 14 Pro will likely cost between $800 to $1000 for Western markets. This makes it a great value flagship phone.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi 14 Pro checks all the boxes for an ultra high-end flagship phone in late 2022 and early 2023. You get a gorgeous premium design, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power, an incredible display, versatile camera setup, long battery life, and blisteringly fast charging. MIUI 14 runs smoothly on the excellent hardware. There are very few areas for improvement with this well-rounded phone.
For shoppers wanting a top-tier Android phone experience without the ultra-premium price tags of the Galaxy S23 Ultra or iPhone 14 Pro Max, the Xiaomi 14 Pro is easy to recommend. It offers virtually everything the most expensive flagships do for hundreds less. Unless you absolutely need the S Pen or iOS, the Xiaomi 14 Pro deserves to be on any smartphone shortlist. It earns our strong recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Xiaomi 14 Pro have good cameras?
Yes, the Xiaomi 14 Pro has one of the best camera setups on any smartphone right now. The three 50MP cameras offer crisp detailed photos with natural colors and great versatility.
How long does the battery last?
With moderate use, the large 4,820mAh battery provides around 1.5 days of use per charge. Even heavy users should get a full day of use before needing to recharge.
Is the Xiaomi 14 Pro worth buying over the Xiaomi 13 Pro?
The 14 Pro has a better processor, improved cameras, slightly bigger battery, and faster charging compared to the 13 Pro. If you want Xiaomi’s newest cutting-edge phone, the 14 Pro is worth the upgrade over its predecessor.
