Xiaomi releases new flagship phones… with a DOWNGRADE camera?!

Xiaomi has launched its latest flagship phones, the Xiaomi 14 Pro and its more mainstream sibling, the Xiaomi 14.

Xiaomi 14 Pro

In terms of camera hardware, the 14 Pro appears to be almost identical to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Pro, but in one key area, the new phone can be considered a downgrade. Where the 13 Pro has a large 1.0-inch main camera sensor, the 14 Pro has one Smaller 1/1.31 inch sensor. Both are 50MP, so the new phone has 1.2μm pixels where the older Xiaomi 13 Pro could have larger 1.6μm pixels, which theoretically increases light sensitivity and therefore better low-light performance.

However, 14 Pro has a trick up its sleeve. Its new 23mm equivalent is made by Leica. The lens has a variable aperture of f/1.42-f/4, which is a significant improvement over the f/1.9 lens on the 13 Pro. Whether this extra maximum aperture size is enough to overcome the reduced light sensitivity of the smaller sensor remains to be seen. Like the 13 Pro, the 14 Pro’s main camera features optical image stabilization, dual-pixel PDAF, as well as manual aperture control in 1/3 EV steps.

The Xiaomi 14 Pro also inherits the same Leica-branded ultra-wide and telephoto cameras from the 13 Pro, both with 50-megapixel resolutions. The 14mm equivalent of the ultra-wide camera has a 115-degree field of view and a maximum aperture of f/2.2, while the 75mm equivalent. The telephoto module enables 3.2x optical zoom while benefiting from OIS and f/2 aperture. Like the 13 Pro, the 14 Pro is capable of 8K HDR video recording at 24 frames per second and 4K video recording at a maximum speed of 60 frames per second.

Although the 14 Pro uses the same 6.73-inch screen size, 1440 x 3200 resolution, and 1-120Hz variable AMOLED technology, the 14 Pro’s screen specs have been upgraded elsewhere. The new phone now has a maximum brightness of 3000 nits, 68 billion screen colors, while retaining the same support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The 14 Pro also ditches the Victus 13 Pro’s Corning Gorilla Glass screen protector in favor of Xiaomi’s own ceramic glass. It is said to adopt this A special powder formula that is heated to over 800°C and through crystal formation produces microcrystals that form an interconnected structure and are evenly dispersed throughout the glass. It has 10 times more drop resistance and 1.25 times more scratch resistance while maintaining high transparency.”

The Xiaomi 14 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with 12 or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. The 4880mAh battery supports 120W wired charging and 50W wireless HyperCharge.

The Xiaomi 14 Pro is available for pre-order in China in black, white or green for 4,999 Yuan (approx. US$684) for the base 12/256GB model, up to 5,999 Yuan (approx. US$821). ) for the 16GB/1TB variant. Global availability and regional pricing are yet to be confirmed.

Xiaomi 14

The Xiaomi 14 is positioned as a more compact and slightly cheaper alternative to the 14 Pro. The size of 152.8mm x 71.5mm x 8.2mm is equal to the screen size of 6.36 inches. Those figures are all in line with the old Xiaomi 13, but the new model has a higher-resolution 1200 x 2670 OLED display, now with a variable refresh rate and a significantly higher maximum brightness of 3000 nits.

The camera hardware is pretty much the same as the 14 Pro, meaning three 50MP cameras on the back – a worthwhile upgrade over the 50MP/10MP/12MP wide/telephoto/ultrawide configuration on the Xiaomi 13. Although the wide-angle modules on the Xiaomi 13 and 14 have the same 50-megapixel resolution, the 1.49-inch sensor on the 13 has been replaced by the same 1.31-inch sensor on the 14 Pro. The only difference between the camera hardware of the 14 and 14 Pro is that the smaller phone lacks the f/1.42-4 variable aperture lens, instead using a fixed f/1.6 iris. That’s still an improvement over the Xiaomi 13’s f/1.8 max aperture, and Xiaomi claims optical sensitivity is up to 180 percent better.

Xiaomi 14 is equipped with Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and up to 16 RAM and 1 TB of memory. Its 4610 mAh battery can be charged up to 90 W wired and 50 W wireless. Color options include jade green, black, white, and snowy mountain pink. Like the 14 Pro, the Xiaomi 14 is currently only available for pre-order in China, and prices range from RMB 4,299 (approximately US$591) for the 12/256GB model to RMB 4,999 (approximately US$684) for the top model. Specifications 16GB/1TB