Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 14 Ultra now globally available: €999 for a telephoto, €1499 to add one more،
The Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra are available globally. Following the MWC announcement, we finally know what has caused many sleepless nights: their price.
Vanilla ” Xiaomi 14 is from €999 (nearly $1,100), while the maximum Xiaomi 14 Ultra costs €1,499 (over $1,600).
All Xiaomi 14 phones are camera-centric, but some Xiaomi 14 phones are more camera-centric than others.
That said, the non-Ultra Xiaomi 14 will give you immense joy using it as a mobile camera (you can also make calls and send text messages on this thing!), but the fun is taken to another level with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Your wallet is also taken to another level, but hey – it may cost an arm and a leg, but at least you keep the rest of your body.
THE Xiaomi 14 Pro – the intermediary between these two Xiaomi 2024 champions has not been revealed globally, so it will not be released outside of China, as many have predicted.
The Xiaomi 14 – what a saving of several hundred euros/dollars looks like
By swapping the “Ultra” addition to Xiaomi 14 nickname, you get great specs while saving several hundred euros/dollars. THE Xiaomi 14 contains a 6.36-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. This vanilla flagship runs on the almighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Xiaomi's HyperOS based on Android 14 is offered out of the box.
Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the 50-megapixel triple camera setup, developed with the help of Leica, and a 32-megapixel front camera capable of recording 4K videos. The device also offers a robust 4,660mAh battery with support for 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, IP68 dust and water resistance, and high-resolution stereo sound.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra – drooling in front of the camera
If you reach an additional €500, you can get the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. If you only care about photography, you will – don’t deny it. That is, if you buy your phones solely by looking at their technical specifications. Many tests are about to be conducted and we will see how good the results are. Xiaomi 14 Ultra is on the photography front. In the meantime, feel free to drool over these camera specs:
- LYT-900: 1x main camera (23mm), 1-inch sensor, f/1.63 to f/4.0 (variable aperture)
- IMX858: 0.5x (12mm) ultra-wide sensor, 1/2.51-inch, f/1.8
- IMX858: 3.2x optical zoom (75mm), 1/2.51-inch sensor, f/1.8
- IMX858: 5x optical zoom (120mm), 1/2.51-inch sensor, f/2.5
And, surprise-surprise, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra doubles as a smartphone, in addition to being a high-end mobile camera.
Users can expect a larger 6.73-inch screen, the same Snapdragon 8 generation 3 chipset and an upgraded battery capacity to 5,300 mAh, supporting juicy 80W wireless charging capabilities. The Ultra version stands out with a unique set of four rear cameras, including a 1-inch sensor (LYT-900 ) for the main camera with continuously variable aperture from f/1.6 to f/4.0, two telephoto lenses for 3.2x and 5x. (this one is a periscope) an optical zoom that doubles as macro cameras and an ultra-wide camera with a 122-degree field of view. It's wide!
Both smartphones share a commitment to high-quality build and design, with the Xiaomi 14 sporting an aluminum frame and flat glass front, while the Ultra goes for a more luxurious feel with its “nanotech vegan leather” back and an “all-around liquid display” that subtly curves at the edges.
Additionally, Xiaomi offers free screen repair within the first six months of ownership, underscoring its confidence in the durability of these devices.
And let's end on a familiar note:
The battle between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is inevitable, but let's take a look at another Android champion from China – one that also offers a quad-camera setup and uses the LYT-900 sensor for its main camera.
Enter the Oppo Find X7 Ultra:
- LYT-900: main camera, 1-inch sensor, f/1.8
- LYT-600: ultra-wide sensor, 1/1.95 inch, f/2.0
- IMX890: 3x optical zoom (65mm), 1/1.56-inch sensor, f/2.6
- IMX858: 6x optical zoom (135mm), 1/2.51-inch sensor, f/4.3
It is interesting to see how the physically smaller sensors of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, combined with the brighter lenses, will compete with the larger sensors of the Find ).
In digital photography, in general, you want bigger sensors with brighter lenses to collect as much light as possible. However, this has changed a bit with the introduction of computational photography and AI is now taking over. Small sensors are capable of doing some very intriguing things.
The Oppo flagship's camera performance has been fine-tuned in partnership with legendary Swedish brand Hasselblad, and Xiaomi relies on the German gods of Leica for their camera systems.
By the way, the lenses of the 14 Ultra are nicknamed “Summilux”. The name Summilux is used by Leica and Panasonic Lumix to refer to camera lenses that have a maximum aperture less than f/2, usually f/1.4, but greater than f/1.0. The lens has been in production since 1959 and continues today.
I'm talking legendary stuff!
It is also interesting to see the “Leica LYT-900 vs Hasselblad LYT-900” battle between the two flagships, as software adjustments will play a major role here, apart from the different optical elements of the lenses.
