The Xiaomi 14 Ultra measures 9.2mm and is a bit hefty at 219g. The rear panel features a leather finish, providing a soft touch and secure grip, while the camera module resembles a traditional camera lens. The smartphone comes with an IP68 water and dust resistance which is appreciated.
Display
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with a 6.73-inch AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution and 3000 nits of peak brightness. The panel also has HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support paired with Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, resulting in a pleasing audio-visual experience.
Rear Cameras
The phone equips an impressive quadruple 50MP rear camera setup. The Lecia branded lenses come with a host of filters and camera modes. Daylight images offer excellent dynamic range and good sharpness. The portrait mode offers excellent skin colour accuracy. In low-light, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra preserves details without adding too much noise.
Front Cameras
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra features a 32MP front camera. The camera occasionally brightens the skin tone, but not too much. Features like Dynamic framing, Portrait mode, depth control and more allow for pleasing results and add versatility to your photography arsenal.
Performance
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and is available in a single storage variant with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Its performance is snappy, and despite carrying a multitude of features, the camera app feels extremely light. The device effortlessly handles heavy games.
Software
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs on HyperOS based on Android 14. The user interface feels more polished, but there's room for improvement in the experience, particularly by reducing the number of pre-installed apps and refining the AI features.
Battery
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery. At maximum settings, the device provides a respectable battery life, while at moderate settings, it can easily last an entire day on a single charge.
Charging
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra offers 90W wired charging support and 50W wireless charging support. The bundled 120W charger takes roughly 35 minutes to completely charge the smartphone from 0 to 100 percent.
Verdict
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a great choice if you want a more affordable camera-focused flagship. The other aspects of the smartphone, such as the display, battery backup, performance, and charging speeds, are also impressive. The software experience, however, is lacking compared to its Android rivals like Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro.
Editor's rating: 8.0/10
Cons
> Heavy with unbalanced weight distribution > No generative AI features yet
> Excellent cameras
> Great display with high end features
> Good fast charging support
> Turns into a digital camera with Xiaomi photography kit