Xiaomi 14 Ultra with case
Prakhar Khanna
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is more than a flagship smartphone – in the sense that like other top-of-the-line phones, it’s got the latest processor, a gorgeous display, and a glorious build. But Xiaomi takes it up a notch with the camera experience, on both the hardware and software front.
It’s not often that I wish I could’ve saved a headline from the past for my current story but my Xiaomi 13 Pro’s review headline is the most apt description of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra – it is a camera with a phone on it.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Is A Camera Powerhouse
Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera module
Prakhar Khanna
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra packs four 50MP cameras – a 1-inch LYT-900 primary sensor with stepless variable aperture (f/1.63 – f/4.0), a 3.2x telephoto camera, another 5x optical zoom lens and an ultrawide-angle camera. That’s a whole lot of cameras with a whole lot of variety and room to play around with.
The photos clicked on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra have a more emotional feel to them, thanks to the Leica tuning. The Xiaomi x Leica partnership isn’t limited to branding; the companies have collaborated on hardware as well as color tuning. I like the tone and the slight vignette look in portraits.
You can sit with the camera app and discover new stuff to try for days. It includes understanding which of the Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic modes you prefer, trying the 16-bit UltraRAW photo mode, different filters and understanding where to use them, Fastshot for quick capture, post-editing with Leica frames, and more. The list goes on.
I’ve had the phone for more than two weeks and I still haven’t had the opportunity to go in-depth with everything. The flexibility makes it a more enjoyable camera system to use than the more mainstream flagships like the iPhone 15 Pro or the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra shots
Prakhar Khanna
I shot most of my photos in Leica Authentic mode for a less vibrant look with a more camera-like feel. By contrast, the Leica Vibrant mode gives you brighter, more social media-friendly photos. In any mode, you’ll be pleased by the output. It clicks good-looking photos with plenty of details and great dynamic range.
The 3.2 and 5x optical zooms are sharp with better natural bokeh and more versatile than both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra because the former degrades the quality between 1x and 5x zoom, whereas the Samsung phone has a weaker 3x sensor. While both of those phones can shoot portraits in 5x, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra can go up to 90mm in swirly bokeh mode (which I don’t prefer using) and 75mm / 3.2x in normal portraits.
The 10x shots offer good details without adding too much noise, while 30x zoom shots impressed me too, thanks to the AI “Ultra-Zoom.” The 50MP ultrawide-angle camera clicks sharp photos with plenty of details too. I like the fact that the colors stay consistent across the rear lenses.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera samples
Prakhar Khanna
While I’m on the comparison train, I’d also like to mention that photos clicked at night are better than the iPhone 15 Pro because they have almost no lens flare (a major issue on the iPhones).
One annoyance I’ve had with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the shutter lag in portraits. If my subject is moving and I tap on the shutter button, it changes to the next frame after processing. This makes it hard to shoot portraits of anyone who can’t be stable (me) including kids and pets. For those wondering, the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t better either. In comparison, the Vivo X100 Pro does much better in this regard. It gives you near to the exact frame that you tried to click.
I feel like you need to understand photography more than an average phone user to get the most out of Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s cameras. You need to understand when to use which of the four (23mm, 35mm, 50mm and 70mm) lenses for portraits.
But if you’re into photography, you’re in for a treat. For instance, UltraRAW allows you to capture photos in both RAW and JPEG formats. It comes in handy when I’m shooting with the high-contrast black and white Leica filter (I love it) but I still have the RAW file to bring back the colors in third-party photo editing apps because it retains the color information.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra black and white shots
Prakhar Khanna
It’s worth noting that in my time with the phone in Delhi heat, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra got warm to the point where the camera shut down, and it wasn’t usable for a couple of minutes. This happened while I was clicking photos of flowers and plants in a nursery (no video recording) for around 20 minutes continuously. I cleared the cache and camera data that day, and have tried recreating it but the camera hasn’t bailed on me again.
The 32MP selfie shooter is better than before but remains average.
How’s The Non-Camera Stuff On The Xiaomi 14 Ultra?
Xiaomi 14 Ultra display
Prakhar Khanna
At 219 grams, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra feels good in the hand despite being a big phone. It’s comfortable to hold and shoot for long durations, thanks to the leather finish on the back. It’s got a sturdy build, and you get an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
On the front, you get a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 3,200 x 1,440-pixel resolution, up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with Dolby Vision certification for supported content. I liked watching videos on the device. While it’s less bright than the Galaxy S24 Ultra in direct sunlight, I didn’t have major issues using it outdoors.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Apart from that one time when my unit got unusually warm, I haven’t had a problem in day-to-day life.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs HyperOS based on Android 14, which I like for the most part. I’m not a fan of having Themes app notifications every now and then but I like the overall snappy feel of the UI and the extra customizations.
The Xiaomi flagship packs a 5,000mAh battery that supports 90W fast wired charging (goes from 20% to 100% within 30 minutes), and 80W fast wireless charging. It lasted me an entire day on most of the days. When pushed to its limits with the cameras, I had to charge it again during the day, which is normal for any phone.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Verdict
Xiaomi 14 Ultra filters inbuilt filters
Prakhar Khanna
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is made for serious mobile photography enthusiasts. It’s got top-notch camera hardware, a plethora of software features, unique Leica color tuning, excellent UltraRAW mode for professionals, pleasing-looking filters, and more.
Talking about the competition, if you click photos for fun and need a camera phone that gives you a good-looking image with minimal effort, the Vivo X100 Pro is a great option – if you’re ok charging your phone more than once a day. I love the Telemacro shots and portraits clicked on the Vivo phone but the average battery life is a bummer.
As for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, it fares better in display with the less reflective Gorilla Armor protection and a cleaner OneUI skin. However, I like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra better for the cameras, especially for its color tuning, filters, and better zoom shots.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro clicks good-looking photos but it isn’t an ideal smartphone for photography with less versatile cameras, and the Tensor G3 requiring you to carry a power bank with you at all times.
At 99,999 Indian Rupees, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is an easy recommendation because it’s better value for money than the competition. On the other hand, at 1,299 British pounds, it might not look as good, but it remains a great phone for the price. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra packs a great set of feature-rich cameras, comfortable to hold design, a big and sharp display, smooth performance, and a good battery life.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the best choice for serious mobile photographers at the moment.
Pros:
Best camera hardware
Leica tuning makes for a unique look
Good-looking design
Vibrant display
Super fast charging
Cons:
Portrait shots of moving subjects are tricky to capture
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