Just a few days after its debut in China, Xiaomi has now launched its flagship smartphone of the year, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, globally at MWC 2024. This device marks the third installment in the 14 series, and true to Xiaomi’s tradition with its Ultra phones, it boasts top-of-the-line specifications while maintaining an affordable price point. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Specifications
The rumors about the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s specifications were indeed accurate. The phone boasts a 6.73-inch WQHD+ AMOLED LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Xiaomi’s Ceramic glass and offering 3,000 nits peak brightness. In a move reminiscent of Samsung, Xiaomi has opted for a Titanium chassis for the 14 Ultra.
Xiaomi has dubbed the protective glass on the display “Shield Glass,” which boasts 10 times higher drop resistance and improved clarity. The screen features lightly curved corners on all sides, a design Xiaomi refers to as an “All Around Liquid” display.
Notably, the 14 Ultra has moved away from the raised frame around the camera island, opting instead for a sleek, sloping module that blends seamlessly with the back panel.
When it comes to performance, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra doesn’t disappoint, featuring the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. However, the real star of the show is its camera system. The phone boasts improved cooling thanks to a 3x larger vapor cooling chamber. Running on Android 14 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS on top, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra offers a smooth and efficient user experience.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Camera
Let’s dive into the camera setup, which is a key highlight of this device. Xiaomi has retained the quad-camera setup with 50MP lenses at 0.5x, 1x, 3.2x, and 5x zoom levels, maintaining the same hardware configuration as its predecessor. The main camera features a 1-inch type sensor, now upgraded to the latest Sony LYT-900 imager with improved design and faster readout.
The lens is a dual-aperture 23mm unit, capable of switching between f/1.63 and f/4.0 apertures. This allows for up to 136% more light compared to the f/1.9 – f/4.0 lens of the 13 Ultra. Xiaomi refers to this mechanism as a “stepless aperture,” suggesting it can adjust to any value between f/1.63 and f/4.0, although only samples at specifically f/1.63 and f/4.0 were shown on Xiaomi’s website and presentation. We’ll verify this information once we have the phone in hand.
Xiaomi referred to the 13 Ultra as a Simmicron lens and has named this one a Simmilux – in Leica terminology, Simmicron is an f/2 lens, while Summilux is an f/1.4. Technically, the f/1.63 Xiaomi 14 Ultra doesn’t qualify, but it aligns with typical phone marketing logic. Regardless, the main camera can capture Ultra RAW images with all the computational magic, saved into a DNG file format with full image data.
The zoom lenses include a 3.2x 75mm f/1.8 regular lens and a 5x 120mm f/2.5 periscope lens, both sharing the same 1/2.5-inch Sony IMX858 sensor as the 12mm f/1.8 ultrawide lens. The 120mm periscope lens has been upgraded from an f/3.0 to an f/2.5 aperture. Xiaomi has shared a comparison of the light-gathering capabilities of the 14 Ultra’s telephoto lens with the iPhone 15 Pro series – the 120mm f/2.5 lens captures 196% more light than the Pro Max and a remarkable 474% more than the Pro.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra boasts AI-powered 30x Ultra Zoom, which Xiaomi claims surpasses competitors, as demonstrated in several comparisons during the 14 Ultra’s presentation. Both zoom lenses on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra offer an impressive minimum focusing distance – the 75mm lens can shoot as close as 10cm, while the 120mm lens focuses from 30cm away.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra offers video specifications that match the Galaxy S24 Ultra, with the ability to record in 4K at both 60fps and 120fps (main camera only), as well as 8K video recording. The camera performance is expected to rival or surpass that of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, it’s too soon to make a definitive statement before thorough testing of the cameras.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Battery
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra boasts around 6% bigger battery at 5,300mAh, offering up to 90W wired charging and up to 80W wireless charging with a compatible clip. The battery is safeguarded by the G1 and P2 surge battery chips. Additionally, the phone is IP68 water-resistant. Xiaomi claims that the battery has the highest energy density and that its overall battery life expectancy has been increased by 17%.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra Titanium Special Edition includes support for two-way satellite communication. All versions of the phone feature the T1 Signal enhancement chip, which Xiaomi claims will improve cellular performance by up to 37% and Wi-Fi performance by up to 16%, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections.
While it may appear similar to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra features a refined design. It comes in three finishes: the black and white model has a faux leather back panel and weighs 224.4g, which is 3 grams lighter than the 13 Ultra. The blue model features what Xiaomi calls Dragon Crystal on the back and weighs 229.5g. Finally, there’s a Titanium Special Edition weighing 229.6g. Xiaomi claims this edition uses grade 5 titanium, similar to the iPhone and higher than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s Leica Pro Kit
Xiaomi will offer an upgraded Photography Kit camera accessory for the 14 Ultra, which connects to the phone via USB-C and adds a camera-like grip. This grip features a dedicated shutter button, a dedicated video recording button (customizable for other functions), and wheels for controlling settings such as lens switching, EV adjustment, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and more.
The Leica Pro Kit’s camera grip also features a 1,500mAh battery to charge your phone when it drops below 80%, supporting 90W fast charging. Additionally, it has a USB port for simultaneous charging of the camera grip and your phone. The Leica Pro Kit comes in Black and White colors, priced at CNY 699 (~$99, €90, £77, INR 8,200). Xiaomi will also offer a special 80W wireless charger for CNY 499 (~$71, €64, £55, INR 5,800).
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra will be available globally in a single storage variant with 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. Here the prices in China:
- 12GB + 256GB: CNY 6,499 (~$903, €830, £710, INR 74,900)
- 16GB + 512GB: CNY 6,999 (~$973, €900, £770, INR 82,100)
- 16GB + 1TB: CNY 7,799 (~$1,085, €1,000, £860, INR 91,500)
- Titanium Edition 16GB + 1TB: CNY 8,799 (~$1,224, €1,130, £970, INR 103,100)
The pricing of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra shows a slight increase compared to last year’s Xiaomi 13 Ultra, but considering all the improvements, it seems like a worthwhile upgrade. Are you considering buying the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra? Let us know in the comments below.
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