Xiaomi 14T review

Xiaomi’s newest ‘flagship killers’ have landed. The 14T sequence goals to bridge the hole between the higher mid-range and fully-fledged flagship units. They ship spectacular specs, a Leica-branded digicam partnership, and a few very fascinating options at a extra approachable value level.

Nevertheless, whereas the Xiaomi 14T Professional has captured a lot of the limelight, its cheaper sibling, the 14T, deserves your consideration, too. This mannequin has a lower-tier processor at its core, however it gives a really comparable design, equally spectacular snappers and lots of the similar options – all for simply £549.

At face worth, it looks like the most effective mid-range offers available on the market right now, however what’s it prefer to dwell with?

I stuffed the Xiaomi 14T in my pocket and used it as my important handset for the previous week. I’ve used it for the whole lot, from images and video to productiveness and gaming and right here’s how I obtained on.

Design & Construct

• 7.8mm, 195g
• Glass again, aluminium-effect plastic body
• IP68 rated

The Xiaomi 14T is sort of similar to the Xiaomi 14T Professional, with the one main distinction being that the Professional has some added curvature on its rear panel. The common 14T has a totally flat entrance and rear, and in some methods, I favor it.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Identical to its pricier sibling, it’s out there with a metallic-looking end, and I believe that the mix of this colourway and the boxy form offers the system some retro allure. It jogs my memory of a Walkman from the 70s, or to make use of a extra modern instance, Teenage Engineering’s TP-7.

Regardless of outward appearances, although, there’s principally no steel to be discovered right here. The rear is a frosted matt-effect glass panel and the body is plastic with an aluminium-effect paintjob. That is the only largest design distinction between the 2 14T variants, because the Professional comes with a body that’s really comprised of steel.

I used to be happy to search out that the silvery end doesn’t choose up fingerprints too simply, and it’s not overly slippy within the hand both. Nevertheless, that’s not one thing that issues an excessive amount of, as there’s a good matte-black TPU case included within the field.

If you happen to don’t just like the Titan Grey mannequin on present right here, there are additionally Titan Black, Titan Blue and Lemon Inexperienced choices.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

It’s a pretty big telephone, with dimensions which can be simply shy of the iPhone 16 Professional Max. Nevertheless, it’s a bit slimmer and noticeably lighter than Apple’s largest handset at 195g. The digicam bump could be very minimal, and the lenses solely protrude from the rear by a couple of millimetres. This implies there’s little or no rocking whenever you place it screen-up in your desk.

The telephone has an IP68 score, so you possibly can take it to the seaside with out fear – or extra doubtless at the moment of yr, use it in a critical rain storm. It has Gorilla Glass 5 masking the display screen, and whereas Xiaomi hasn’t boasted about its sturdiness, plastic-framed telephones usually fare effectively within the occasion of an unintended drop.

The haptic suggestions is surprisingly good for this class of telephone, it’s usually an space the place manufacturers like to chop corners, because it’s not all the time instantly noticeable. However, the Xiaomi 14T haptics feels simply nearly as good because the flagship Xiaomi 14. The vibrations are exact and highly effective, it’s very useful when typing at velocity.

Display & Audio system

• 6.67-inch 144Hz AMOLED show
• 2712×1220 pixels, 4000 nits
• Stereo audio system

The Xiaomi 14T has similar display screen specs to the Xiaomi 14T Professional, and the Xiaomi 13T Professional, for that matter.

That’s an excellent factor, it’s speedy, brilliant and extremely responsive.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

A refresh price of 144Hz continues to be a rarity, outdoors of specialist gaming telephones, so it’s good to see right here. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t anticipate it to make a noticeable distinction in comparison with 120Hz rivals. Most video games don’t assist such excessive refresh charges, and also you’d be hard-pressed to inform the distinction when swiping across the OS. The essential factor is that it feels tremendous easy and snappy.

The show can peak at 4000 nits brightness underneath sure situations, which could be very brilliant certainly. It had no hassle competing with direct daylight and hues remained vibrant and correct in all situations. HDR content material seems to be very good on this show, too.

It’s a totally flat show, which suggests there are not any odd reflections such as you would possibly see on a curvy show, and infrequently any unintended touches, both. The bezel is symmetrical all the way in which round, and comparatively slim, too. It makes the telephone look a contact extra premium than its mid-range rivals.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

There’s a fingerprint reader underneath the show, and it’s your run-of-the-mill optical unit. It really works reliably sufficient, however it would possibly take a few tries in moist situations or when your arms are particularly chilly. The telephone additionally helps face unlock, so you possibly can keep away from the reader more often than not, in case you favor.

Fortunately, this mannequin homes the identical stereo audio system as its pricier sibling, and so they do an amazing job. There’s loads of element and readability, though they do lack the bass response that you just’ll discover on costlier flagship units.

Nonetheless, they’re miles higher than the mono speaker setups which can be surprisingly frequent on this value bracket.

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Extremely
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage

The Xiaomi 14T is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Extremely, the identical chip contained in the Poco X6 Professional (additionally a Xiaomi model).

On this case, it’s paired with 12GB of RAM and both 256- or 512GB of storage. As normal, there’s no microSD card assist on this mannequin so select correctly.

In both case, it’s a beneficiant sum. You’ll haven’t any points with heavy multitasking and you may load up the telephone with an enormous library of photographs, movies, video games and apps.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

The Dimensity 8300 Extremely is a sub-flagship chip, however it’s nonetheless fairly the performer. It impressed us after we reviewed the Poco X6 Professional, and that’s very a lot the case right here, too.

Don’t anticipate it to commerce blows with the mighty Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, however it bests the Tensor G4 from the Pixel 9 telephones in some graphically intensive duties.

I discovered it may comfortably run Genshin Impression on the very best graphical preset at 30fps, and in case you don’t thoughts a couple of body drops, 60fps stays playable, too.

The Professional model of the 14T is likely to be extra highly effective, however even in case you like a little bit of gaming, you’re not prone to be disillusioned. Outdoors of some very particular workloads, it’s exhausting to inform the distinction between this and a correct flagship chipset.

The one actual draw back is that it will get fairly toasty whereas gaming, you’ll need to maintain the included TPU case on to maintain that warmth away out of your fingertips. Surprisingly, although, there wasn’t a lot noticeable throttling when enjoying for an prolonged interval.

Xiaomi 14T benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp important digicam
• 12Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp 2x periscope telephoto
• 32Mp selfie digicam

The Xiaomi 14T has a triple digicam setup on the rear comprised of a 50Mp f/1.7 1/1.56-inch important sensor, a 50Mp f/1.9 2x telephoto and a 12Mp f/2.2 ultrawide.

In comparison with the 14T Professional, you get a barely smaller sensor on the primary lens, much less attain on the telephoto and the identical ultrawide digicam. Across the entrance, you get the identical 32Mp punch-hole selfie digicam.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

It’s a step down in {hardware} specs in comparison with the Professional mannequin, however trying on the outcomes, you might need problem telling. Straight out of the digicam, photographs from the primary lens usually appeared extra spectacular than photographs from my iPhone 16 Professional. It’s a tremendous feat for a telephone that prices round half the worth.

Identical to the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, and the 14T Professional, this telephone advantages from Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica. This implies you get the superb Leica Genuine and Leica Vibrant color profiles, in addition to quite a few Leica-approved filters to provide your photographs a extra distinctive look.

Pictures look sharp, detailed and lifelike with glorious dynamic vary. I actually like how the Leica Genuine profile provides a contact of distinction to clouds for a extra dramatic general picture, too.

The primary digicam is essentially the most spectacular, and that’s very true in dimmer situations, however the telephoto is a good performer within the daylight. The ultrawide is much less spectacular, missing some definition and sharpness in comparison with the opposite lenses. There’s additionally no autofocus on the ultrawide, so you possibly can’t use it for close-ups, and I discover that fairly limiting.

The selfie digicam is respectable, however it’s a bit of liable to movement blur in low-light situations. There’s no autofocus, so that you’ll want to face within the candy spot to get the very best end result, however occasionally, it’ll ship some spectacular snaps.

Xiaomi’s portrait mode results are very nice, and there are many completely different bokeh kinds to select from, all with their very own distinctive traits. The one draw back is that the cut-outs are fairly sharp and angular in comparison with the competitors. It detects the sides effectively, however the sharp cut-off doesn’t all the time look essentially the most pure.

What actually stunned me with this telephone is the wealth {of professional} video options which can be supported.

You get full handbook management over the digicam, if you need it, in addition to the flexibility to shoot in LOG. You’ll be able to even import your individual LUTs and use them for monitoring and recording. It places many top-tier flagships to disgrace – though it’s price noting solely the primary lens helps LOG taking pictures.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 67W charging
• No charger within the field

The Xiaomi 14T has the identical 5000mAh battery capability because the Professional however it’s paired with a lower-end processor, which gave me excessive hopes for battery life.

In use, it’s good, however not as spectacular as I had hoped. Nonetheless, the telephone will see you thru a day of comparatively heavy use with ease, which is all you really want.

I normally went to mattress with round 20% remaining, so realistically, you possibly can anticipate to cost it daily.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

The Xiaomi 14T helps 67W wired charging. It’s fairly speedy, and may take you from flat to full in underneath 45 minutes. In the meantime, a 15-minute cost ought to get you above 50%. Sadly, there’s no charger equipped within the field, so that you would possibly must consider the price of a speedy charger to take full benefit of those speeds.

There’s no wi-fi charging on this mannequin, however it’s nonetheless pretty uncommon on this value bracket, so that may be forgiven. You’ll be able to all the time step as much as the Professional in case you want wi-fi charging, as that mannequin can cost at a whopping 50W without having to plug in, far faster than the likes of Samsung, Google and Apple.

Software program & Apps

• HyperOS, based mostly on Android 14
• Circle to Search and Gemini
• AI options

The 14T runs HyperOS, Xiaomi’s customized taste of Android 14. If you happen to’ve used a latest Xiaomi or Poco telephone, you then’re in for a really acquainted expertise.

It might need a brand new title, however HyperOS features nearly identically to MIUI, simply the aesthetics have a bit of extra polish to them.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

This implies it takes some getting used to in case you’re switching from one other Android model. The notifications shade and fast settings are cut up, like they’re in iOS, and there’s no app drawer activated by default.

HyperOS has a fairly stylised look, too, however it’s extremely customisable if it’s to not your tastes. It’s not my favorite Android pores and skin, however with some tweaking, you will get it to behave a bit of extra usually. 

There’s numerous bloatware pre-installed, in addition to folders filled with urged apps. It’s not excellent, however I do recognize that there doesn’t appear to be an higher restrict on the quantity of apps you possibly can choose in bulk. It means you possibly can simply nuke the whole lot in a single go and begin recent with a clean residence display screen.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

What’s new this time round is a deeper integration with Google’s companies. This might be one of many first telephones apart from Samsung or Pixel to get Circle to Search performance. It hasn’t arrived but, however it’ll someday in October.

I’m actually completely happy to see this, Circle to Seach is a kind of options that turns into second nature in a short time. I’ve my fingers crossed that it rolls out to different Android units sooner or later, too.

It doesn’t cease there, both. On this telephone, you’ll discover Google Gemini because the default voice assistant just like the Pixel 9 sequence, and Gemini additionally popped up asking if I needed writing help in my messages. There appears to be much more synergy between Google and Xiaomi than we’ve seen in earlier generations.

Xiaomi has promised loads of its personal AI options, too, however most of them aren’t out there but. There’s an AI Subtitle producing operate, however it’s not very intuitive and you should join as a beta tester in its present state. Many of the different AI options are promised in future updates, just like the AI Interpreter, AI Notes and extra.

Apparently, there are some fairly superior AI picture modifying instruments out there, however it’s important to add a plug-in to the gallery app to unlock them.

When you do, you’ll be capable of use a extra superior model of the AI eraser and develop the FOV of a picture, whereas generative AI fills within the gaps. The outcomes aren’t excellent, however they undoubtedly rival Samsung’s Galaxy AI choices.

Worth & Availability

The Xiaomi 14T begins at £549/€649 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it’s additionally out there with 512GB of storage for £599/€699. As normal for Xiaomi units, it’s not formally offered within the US.

You should buy the telephone instantly from Xiaomi or through a third-party retailer like Amazon. We haven’t discovered any contract offers for the Xiaomi 14T simply but, so in case you choose one up, you’ll want to take a look at our information to the very best SIM solely offers.

The value means it undercuts many true flagships however you may additionally take into account telephones just like the Google Pixel 8a, OnePlus Nord 4 and Nothing Telephone (2a) Plus if you need one thing cheaper.

Take a look at our chart of the very best mid-range telephones to see what the Xiaomi 14T is up in opposition to.

Must you purchase the Xiaomi 14T?

The Xiaomi 14T gives nice worth for cash, and also you don’t lose out on an excessive amount of by choosing this mannequin over the costlier Professional variant. You get a placing design, a stunning show, nice cameras, strong efficiency and all the identical software program options. Each day, likelihood is that you just’ll barely discover the distinction.

That mentioned, the Professional mannequin has some very distinct benefits, and for lots of people, it’ll be price the additional outlay. It has a steel body, extra spectacular gaming efficiency, higher important and telephoto sensors and wi-fi charging. Personally, I’d fortunately pay an additional £100/€150 for these options, however it’s good to have this feature for many who don’t worth them as a lot.

There’s a number of competitors at this value level, however the Xiaomi 14T stands out as some of the compelling choices. I believe you’d be hard-pressed to discover a telephone with higher photographic chops at this value, though the Honor 200 Professional can usually be discovered discounted for the same sum, and that’s actually a powerful contender.

If the styling and options enchantment, the Xiaomi 14T gained’t disappoint, it has been a pleasure to dwell with. It’s an almost-flagship expertise at half the worth.

Specs

• Android 14
• 6.67-inch, 1220 x 2712, OLED, 144Hz
• Below-display fingerprint sensor
• MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Extremely
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp important digicam
  • 12Mp ultrawide
  • 50Mp 2x telephoto
  • 32Mp selfie digicam
  • As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM + eSIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 5000mAh battery
• 67W charging
• 160.5 x 75.1 x 7.8 mm
• IP68 licensed
• 195g
• Colors: Lemon Inexperienced, Titan Black, Titan Grey, Titan Blue