TechRadar Verdict
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is, hands down, the best camera phone ever made.
Its Leica-powered camera system delivers high-resolution photos that are crisp, vibrant, and free from noise.
It also performs incredibly well in low light, besting even the impressive Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)
For that reason alone, we’re forced to deny this remarkable handset the full five stars.
The quality continues with the phone’s design.
The softness of nano-tech vegan leather on the rear helps to give a nice tactile experience, too.
Annoyingly, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra kept tipping out of the top of my hand.
The performance of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is another one of its strengths.
All in all, then, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a fantastic phone.
If the answer is ‘yes’, then the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is hard to beat.
This will get you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with no other options to choose from.
This incredible camera phone is yet to be released in the US or Australia.
This phone is very much for photography enthusiasts.
The case is dominated by a sizable circular notch that protrudes out of the back.
Inside are four amazing Leica cameras alongside a flash, with everything protected by strengthened glass.
There’s no denying that the phone looks great, but I have a couple of problems with it.
The first is that I was scared of breaking it.
Every time I tried, the phone just flopped out of the top of my hand.
Not great at all.
Aside from the problematic notch, the overall design is incredibly impressive.
It’s beautiful to look at and masterfully engineered.
It sounds impressive, and believe me, it is.
I tried bending the phone, and it didn’t budge a bit.
The material choices not only keep everything safe but also increase durability.
The strength represents a doubling of rigidity compared to theXiaomi 13 Pro.
The back of the rig is covered in a new material developed by Xiaomi called nano-tech vegan leather.
It is resistant to both wear and dirt, increasing overall durability.
(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)
The equipment lacks a range of different colors to customize the user experience.
Xiaomi has instead opted to only ship it in either black or white.
This is achieved by stacking multiple layers and thereby introducing the required flexibility at the edges.
(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)
It works really well, and it blends seamlessly into the frame.
This is noticeably larger than the 2670 x 1200 resolution on theXiaomi 14.
I would love to have seen the resolution pushed up to4K, especially for a phone labeled ‘Ultra’.
(Image credit: Future)
The inclusion of an LTPO panel with a variable refresh rate significantly improves light efficiency and power consumption.
The technology allows for refresh rates of anything between 1 and 120Hz.
The top end is perfect for gamers needing the quickest refresh speeds.
(Image credit: Future)
It performs really well and delivers buttery smooth graphics, whatever you’re using the phone for.
At this brightness, the display is still visible in the brightest of environments.
I had no concerns and was glad to see the glass survive a few knocks.
(Image credit: Future)
This is Xioami’s new interface, which looks very much the same as its old OS, MIUI.
These changes are most welcome, as MIUI was beginning to struggle on recent new phone releases.
The adoption of HyperOS is not all uneventful, though.
(Image credit: Future)
There are, of course, some things that I love about HyperOS.
One of the most significant positives is its gallery app, which integrates natively withGoogle Photos.
This helps to keep your photos backed up without requiring much human intervention.
(Image credit: Future)
Quite simply, it boasts the best cameras of any phone, ever.
It all begins with an all-new Leica 1-inch sensor for the main camera.
Above all, I was most impressed by the sensor’s ability to handle such a wide dynamic range.
(Image credit: Future)
Rather than blowing out highlights, it was able to sensitively control them and retain the necessary detail.
It was the same story with the darker areas.
Noise is also kept to a minimum in low-light areas.
(Image credit: Future)
The Xiaomi defaults to a Leica Vibrant profile but this can be swapped out for Leica Authentic.
This seemed equally vibrant in my estimations.
This provides four different lenses, ranging from a 120mm periscope down to a 12mm ultra-wide.
In between, there’s a 75mm telephoto and a 23mm main.
It’s clean, predictable, and all generated in-camera.
The front-facing camera offers a lower but still impressive 32MP lens, and is fixed at f/2.0.
(Image credit: Future)
Images from the front camera are as sharp as a pin and auto-focus is bang on every time.
Video quality is equally good, with 4K resolution possible up to 120 fps.
It is possible to increase the resolution to8Kbut this results in a drop in frame rate to 30 fps.
(Image credit: Future)
The CPU is boosted by a Qualcomm Adreno GPU to help with graphics processing.
As a result, this is one of the most powerful phones on the market.
Everything about the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is quick, from the fingerprint scanner to app loading and switching.
HyperOS manages performance like a pro, with power profiles that keep all your favorite apps under control.
There is a dedicated ‘performance mode’ but I never found a need for it.
With its 120Hz display and powerful processors, the 14 Ultra is also sure to appeal to gamers.
I didn’t experience any performance drops and loading bars were few and far between.
Wireless charging is also possible up to 80W, rather than only 50W.
Wired charging still tops out at 90W, but that’s to be expected.
Advertised charging speeds are 33 minutes for wired and 46 minutes for wireless.
I wasn’t able to test the latter, but the wired charging time is relatively accurate.
Such quick charging times are incredible and will help ensure you’re never out of juice for long.
you might expect to enjoy two or even three days of average use from the battery.
If you are regularly gaming or streaming videos, then this will naturally reduce in time.
Should you buy the Xiaomi 14 Ultra?
It’s 1-inch sensor is capable of handling low light and wide dynamic range like a pro.
This is a significant design issue.
Unfortunately, some of these apps are considered essential and therefore can’t be uninstalled.
You want an affordable phoneAt 1,299, this is one of the most expensive phones around.
Samsung Galaxy S24 UltraThe only camera phone to rival the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Alongside great optics, it also has great battery life, top-notch performance, and new AI features.
My use extended to third-party apps and included web browsing and gaming.
During my testing, I also paid careful attention to how the Xiaomi 14 Ultra felt to use.
Considering how much time we spend handling our phones, this is a vital part of any phone review.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed June 2024
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