Xiaomi 14 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: The waiting game

Introduction

The Galaxy S24 is still under wraps and the Xiaomi 14 Pro just came out of cover in China, but there’s no reason not to compare these two, right? We are impatiently waiting for what comes next Galaxy S24 Ultra and what Samsung has up its sleeve, and in the meantime we got a glimpse of Xiaomi’s next flagship, such exciting times ahead! What’s interesting is that Xiaomi often launches an Ultra model, sometimes globally, sometimes only for the domestic market in China. , and while waiting for the Chinese Ultra, we have no choice but to use the Xiaomi 14 Pro for this comparison. And from the looks of things, the Pro seems to be a worthy opponent for the Ultra. Already confused? Read on to get the full picture. This is our detailed (and still preliminary) Xiaomi 14 Pro vs Galaxy S24 Ultra comparison.Xiaomi 14 Pro vs Galaxy S24 Ultra expectations:

• 6.7-inch screen on the Xiaomi versus 6.8-inch on the Galaxy
• Similar physical height and weight
• S-Pen support on the Galaxy
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on both phones
• Similar storage and RAM configurations
• Triple camera system on both phones (variable aperture on the Xiaomi)
• 4880 mAh battery on the Xiaomi versus 5000 mAh on the Galaxy
• 120W fast charging on the Xiaomi versus 45W on the Galaxy

Contents:

Learn more:
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Design and size

Similar but different

The exact dimensions, weight and design of the Galaxy S24 Ultra are still a mystery, and we have a few leaks and renders, but you have to take this with a healthy grain of salt. That being said, as things currently stand, the Xiaomi 14 Pro and the Galaxy S24 Ultra are very similar in terms of physical dimensions and weight.

Design-wise, there are some differences. Although the concept remains that of glass-metal sandwich phones, the two companies do it slightly differently. THE Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to retain the familiar design of its predecessor, with a separate camera aisle for each snapper, a slightly curved screen on the sides, and a hole for the selfie camera.

The Xiaomi 14 Pro, on the other hand, just like most Chinese flagship phones these days, features a curved quad display with a punch-hole camera. The back is also curved, with a rectangular camera bump on the left side. The other big difference is the titanium option, still absent from the model. Galaxy S24 Ultrabut it’s still early, so we’ll have to wait and see.

The color options for the Xiaomi 14 Pro are already known, while there is speculation about the Galaxy S24 Ultra tints. Check them all out below.

Available colors of the Xiaomi 14 Pro:

Expected colors of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra:

Display differences

Blinding lights

As for the screens, the Xiaomi 14 Pro and the next one Galaxy S24 Ultra are equipped with the best panels you can get. The Galaxy features a slightly larger 6.8-inch Super AMOLED panel with a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz and an expected resolution of 3,088 x 1,440 pixels, or 501 PPI, while the Xiaomi sports a 6.7-inch OLED panel with a 1-120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels, or 521 PPI.

As you can see, these two are quite close and the real differences will become apparent when we finish our display tests. While we wait, the Xiaomi’s spec sheet lists a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, and we expect around 2,500 nits from the Galaxy. So interesting times.

As for biometrics, both phones rely on under-display fingerprint scanners, and we need to test them to see how effective they really are.

Performance and software

Hardware parity

No surprises in terms of hardware; both phones should have the latest version Snapdragon 8 generation 3 embedded processor. Additionally, some leaked Geekbench results show very promising results from what appears to be a Xiaomi 14 test device. The storage and RAM situation is almost identical; both phones have 1TB options and start at 256GB, with a decent amount of RAM to go with that. The Xiaomi 14 Pro has a 16GB RAM option, while we’re still not sure about it Galaxy S24 Ultra, but nowadays RAM is absolutely not a problem in smartphones, so you don’t need to read too much into it. We expect both phones to work smoothly and without any issues, just like real flagships.

The software situation is rather uncertain at the moment; we don’t know if Xiaomi will choose to extend the support cycle and try to match Apple, Google and Samsung. In our opinion, you get at least two years of major OS updates on the Xiaomi and four years on the Galaxy.

Camera

The real battle

This area is the most speculative at the moment. Even though we have the specifications of the recently announced Xiaomi 14 Pro, the device is launching in China and we don’t have a firm global release date yet. So we have to rely on the specifications. This is 100% more than what we have on the Galaxy S24 Ultrabecause it is still hidden in a secret laboratory.

However, we can first make some dry comparisons while waiting for some samples. The Xiaomi comes with three cameras on the back, all using 50MP sensors. The big news is that the main camera now has a variable aperture from f/1.42 to f/4.0, something we’ve already seen on the Huawei Mate 50 Pro and P60 Pro.

We don’t know much about the camera system of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, some say it’s the end of the super-zoom era, others say we’re in for a treat, but we’ll have to wait until January 2024 to be sure. What is certain is that the Xiaomi 14 Pro is a real contender with its Leica-infused camera system.

Battery life and charging

Fast versus faster

Chinese smartphones often offer ridiculously fast power and charging speeds, and the Xiaomi 14 Pro is no exception. The phone comes with 120W wired fast charging support, claiming 0-100% charge in just 18 minutes. Additionally, wireless charging is 50W, which can fully charge the 4,880mAh battery in 40 minutes. Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, remains a mystery in this regard. Samsung could choose to keep the S23 Ultra’s 45W wired fast charging or be brave and step it up a notch. Both phones feature reverse wireless charging, so you can charge other small QI-enabled devices.

Specification Comparison

Check out the quick spec comparison table below

Summary

It’s still early and we can’t say much about the Xiaomi 14 Pro and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Both of these products are legitimate flagships and while we don’t know much about the latter yet, it’s clear that it’s going to be an uphill battle.

Looking at the spec sheet, the Xiaomi might have a bit of an edge when it comes to the versatility of its camera system, charging speeds, and of course, the titanium option. But before we get these two in our hands, it’s too early to say who the winner will be.