Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G review

The Redmi Word 14 Professional+ from Xiaomi presents a sophisticated design, spectacular charging speeds, and a extremely succesful 200Mp primary digicam. It introduces Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, delivering strong efficiency for on a regular basis duties and reasonable gaming.

Nonetheless, it’s let down by outdated Android 14 software program at launch, extreme pre-installed bloatware, and unimpressive secondary cameras. Whereas the gadget shines in show brightness, design aesthetics, and battery effectivity, it struggles to distinguish itself meaningfully from its predecessor, the Redmi Word 13 Professional+.

I like to think about this £399 mid-range cellphone as what you see is what you get. You may see a formidable design and respectable cameras. Other than quick charging speeds, all the things on the within is much much less spectacular – software program included.

Design & Construct

• Premium appears and polished supplies
• Sturdy and sensible
• Curved edges make for a barely dated aesthetic

The Redmi Word 14 Professional+ is a superbly designed gadget that punches above its weight by way of aesthetics. It appears extra like a flagship cellphone than a handset you’d look forward to finding at this value. That is a part of Xiaomi’s goal with Redmi units.

The Lavender Purple vegan leather-based choice provides a contact of luxurious, making the cellphone look extra premium than its value would counsel. Apart from, I actually like this specific color.

The minimalist branding and color-matched aluminum sides elevate the general design – it feels distinctly premium. Regardless of weighing 210g, the superb weight distribution ensures the gadget by no means feels unwieldy.

The curved-edge design is purposeful, lowering bezel thickness and enhancing display actual property, however feels barely out of step with the present development towards flat-sided frames. I’ve lengthy been of the opinion that curved edges must go, so I’m personally not a fan.

That stated, many customers are nonetheless eager on the design alternative. The cellphone’s IP68 score is a standout function on this value vary, making certain dependable sturdiness in opposition to water and dirt.

The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 safety on the show is a welcome addition, although the fingerprint sensor placement might have been increased for simpler one-handed use.

Plus, the under-display fingerprint sensor wasn’t probably the most dependable in my expertise. Even after re-adding my fingerprint, it nonetheless took a number of makes an attempt on every unlock.

Total, the Word 14 Professional+ strikes a steadiness between sophistication and practicality.

Display & Audio system

• Vibrant 6.67-inch, 120Hz AMOLED show
• Excessive peak brightness at 3000 nits
• First rate stereo sound, however lacks bass

The 6.67-inch AMOLED panel on the Word 14 Professional+ impresses with its wealthy distinction and vivid colors. With a decision of 2712×1220, the show stays sharp for all content material varieties, from movies to net searching.

The panel’s peak brightness of 3000 nits ensures wonderful visibility open air, outperforming many rivals within the mid-range section.

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I discovered that the default color calibration leans cooler, which means that the show is commonly not as vivid as others. Colors simply don’t pop as a lot. However, some changes within the settings enable customers to attain extra pure tones.

The 120Hz refresh fee delivers easy scrolling, making interactions fluid and pleasant. Nonetheless, the ambient brightness sensor might be inconsistent. I usually needed to go in and make guide changes in sure lighting circumstances, significantly when it acquired darker.

The stereo speaker setup is passable for the worth, delivering clear vocals and respectable quantity ranges, although bass stays minimal. The addition of 1920Hz PWM (pulse-width modulation) dimming reduces eye pressure, a considerate contact for prolonged display use.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is strong however unspectacular
• Struggles with extended, high-intensity duties
• Outperformed by equally priced rivals

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset is a succesful performer for day-to-day use, dealing with multitasking and reasonable gaming with ease.

Paired with as much as 12GB of RAM with 512GB of storage (or 8/256GB), the gadget performs reliably for apps like Chrome, YouTube, and social media. Nonetheless, the mid-range Adreno 710 GPU reveals its limits with demanding video games, the place decreased settings are vital for easy gameplay.

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Benchmark comparisons reveal its middling efficiency. Its Geekbench 6 rating was 3189 for the multi-core take a look at. This locations it equally to the Poco X7 Professional and OnePlus Nord 4, however simply ever so barely under.

Not too far off is the Google Pixel 8a, however the Redmi gadget is unquestionably a step under. It’s a far cry from the efficiency you’d get from the Snapdragon 8 sequence chips, and it’s noticeable in day-to-day use.

Whereas the gadget isn’t a powerhouse, its UFS 3.1 storage ensures snappy load occasions, although UFS 4.0 would have been a welcome improve.

Redmi Word 14 Professional+ 5G benchmarks

Cameras

• Robust 200Mp primary sensor
• Weak secondary lenses
• Rivals like Google’s Pixel 8a do higher

The 200Mp primary digicam is one other standout function, producing crisp, vibrant images with wonderful dynamic vary.

OIS (optical picture stabilisation) ensures sharp outcomes even in difficult lighting circumstances, making it a dependable shooter for many situations. That stated, I seen that pictures usually appeared darker than the truth of the state of affairs.

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I discovered that the default autofocus settings usually picked the incorrect space of the picture to focus on. In some pattern images, you’ll discover that the gadget favoured the again of the picture slightly than the foreground.

Nonetheless, the secondary cameras are disappointing, with the 8Mp ultrawide scuffling with element and the 2Mp macro providing restricted usability. I doubt you’ll ever use the macro digicam, and the ultrawide’s high quality actually begins to disintegrate if you happen to look too carefully.

Zoom pictures maintain element remarkably nicely although, and look slightly sharp. Even whenever you begin to pixel peep, I used to be impressed with how good these pictures appeared.

Word that if you wish to take any photograph in its full 200Mp glory, you’ll want to make use of a devoted mode that takes barely longer to course of.

Low-light pictures advantages from the superior sensor and OIS, however rivals just like the Pixel 8a supply extra constant outcomes. Video recording is capped at 4K/30fps, which is sufficient however underwhelming for a tool on this value vary.

Connor Jewiss/Foundry

Selfies taken with the 20Mp entrance digicam are greater than sufficient for social media.

Some processing options attempt to help in numerous lighting circumstances, and there are a selection of magnificence options baked into the digicam app if that’s your kind of factor. That stated, I used to be anticipating sharper images from the 20Mp lens.

Battery life is a robust go well with for the Redmi Word 14 Professional+. The 5110mAh cell supplies a full day of reasonable utilization, although it doesn’t fairly attain the longevity of units just like the Honor Magic 7 Lite with its huge 6600mAh battery.

That said, I rarely ended a day below 20% of battery remaining during normal use, so you’ve got more than enough in that respect.

Connor Jewiss/Foundry

One observation I made over testing is that the battery seems to drain rather quickly during more performance-intensive tasks.

Watching a 4K HDR show on Netflix for 30 minutes sucked up 7% of the battery. This likely comes from the chipsets inside needing to crank up the power to handle the task.

The 5110mAh cell provides a full day of moderate usage, though it doesn’t quite reach the longevity of other devices.

Where the Note 14 Pro+ truly shines is in its 120W wired charging, which takes the battery from empty to full in just under 25 minutes, outpacing most competitors.

Of course, you’re going to need the right charging brick and cable to achieve these speeds which is not included in the box and costs £59.99. Using a normal charging brick, you’ll get slower (but still speedy) charging times.

Software & Features

• Ships with Android 14 instead of Android 15
• Excessive pre-installed bloatware detracts from the experience
• Barely 3 years of Android OS updates

As a Xiaomi-owned brand, Redmi phones run the company’s own HyperOS software on top of Android.

The HyperOS skin feels functional but somewhat dated, with its reliance on Android 14 being a major drawback in 2025 as Android 15 is starting to trickle out.

Connor Jewiss/Foundry

Personally, I find that Xiaomi’s software lacks the polish of competitors like Samsung’s One UI or Google’s Pixel experience. You don’t get nearly as much ecosystem compatibility as you’d find from the likes of Google, Samsung, or Apple.

The sheer amount of bloatware you get on this handset is frustrating, requiring a rather time-consuming cleanup when you first get the device to free up space. I despise bloatware, and it seems particularly egregious here.

The HyperOS 2 skin feels functional but somewhat dated, with its reliance on Android 14 being a major drawback in 2025 as Android 15 is starting to trickle out.

Xiaomi promises three Android updates, but the fact that Android 15 will count as one of these updates is disappointing. You’re sort of only getting two updates.

AI tools like Circle to Search and object erasers in the Gallery are useful but fail to justify the software’s overall limitations.

Price & Availability

The Redmi Note 14 Pro+ is priced at £399 for the 8GB/256GB variant and the 12GB/512GB version available for £449.

It launched in India in December 2024, before rolling out globally in January 2025. Colour options include Lavender Purple (with vegan leather), Frost Blue, and Midnight Black.

You can buy it from the official Mi store as well as Amazon. It’s additionally accessible at Amazon US in some fashions for round $370.

Check out one of the best mid-range telephones to see our prime suggestions.

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Must you purchase the Redmi Word 14 Professional+ 5G?

The Redmi Word 14 Professional+ is a succesful mid-range smartphone with highlights like a shocking design, wonderful charging speeds, and a reliable 200Mp primary digicam.

Nonetheless, it fails to innovate meaningfully over its predecessor, providing minimal enhancements in secondary cameras, efficiency, and software program. The bloatware-laden HyperOS 2 and outdated Android 14 additional detract from its enchantment.

Whereas the Word 14 Professional+ is an honest alternative for customers prioritising charging velocity, digicam versatility, and design, rivals just like the Poco X7 Professional, OnePlus Nord 4, and Google Pixel 8a supply extra well-rounded packages.

Specs

• Display: 6.67-inch AMOLED, 2712×1220, 120Hz, 3000 nits peak brightness
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
• Reminiscence: 8GB/12GB RAM
• Storage: 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1
• Rear Cameras: 200Mp (f/1.65, OIS) + 8Mp ultrawide (f/2.2) + 2Mp macro
• Entrance Digicam: 20Mp (f/2.4)
• Battery: 5110mAh, 120W wired charging
• Software program: Android 14 with HyperOS 2
• Dimensions: 163x75x8.75mm, 210g