This is the peak camera phone, according to Xiaomi. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is an unwavering flagship smartphone that prioritizes photography and boasts hardware that would make any well-established competitor nervous. It’s truly unique, especially with Leica contributing its image processing expertise. I’m thrilled that it will truly be launched outside of China, as the company’s previous Ultra endeavor was restricted to its territory.

When it comes to camera hardware, rivals boast about having the best, but none can match the specialized accessories that add physical controls or filter threads for results that rival those of pros. Given that the Xiaomi 14 will cost as much as a top-tier Apple or Samsung device, that will be crucial to its success.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra hands-on review

Design & build

In terms of design, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is an improvement over the 13 Ultra from the previous year. It retains the rear’s vegan leather covering, which was modeled after Lecia’s renowned M-series cameras and ought to cover minor blemishes better than a glass panel. This time around, the mid-frame is made from a single aluminum block, which should provide more rigidity. The large circular camera bump at the back still dominates proceedings, but the screen bezels up front are pleasantly thin.

I like the White color, which contrasts sharply with the black camera module by using a lighter shade of aluminum for the frame. The black variation is a tad more understated. Regretfully, the titanium special edition is still only available in China.

Every version is shielded by custom Xiaomi Shield Glass and has IP68 dust and water resistance. Although the company claims that it is extremely scratch-resistant, it lacks the remarkable ability to absorb reflections that the Corning Gorilla Armour glass on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra exhibits.

The phone weighs almost 230g and has a pleasingly dense feel to it. It’s large as well; the camera bump sticks out a good bit. I have no idea how easily a phone fits in a pocket, given that every phone at Xiaomi’s event was tethered.

Screen & sound

The 14 Ultra’s front panel is referred to by Xiaomi as a “All Around Liquid display,” which essentially means that all four sides of the glass are gently curved. I believe the company has discovered the perfect compromise between curved-edge panels and flat glass, which is currently popular in competitor flagships. Because of the glass’s smooth transition into the mid-frame and lack of uncomfortable sharp edges, there are also no problems with usability or visibility because of the extremely subtle curvature.

The 6.73-inch AMOLED panel beneath is of the highest caliber, featuring a highly detailed 3200×1440 resolution, an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz LTPO, and support for Dolby Vision. For HDR content, its peak brightness will approach 3000 nits, and it should produce more than enough light to be visible in direct sunlight. I was unable to take one outside to verify, but that is the theory, at least.

The colors appeared precisely as vivid and zesty as I’ve grown to expect from AMOLED. With numerous color settings, a color temperature wheel, and separate RGB sliders, Xiaomi still provides a plethora of customization options. I wish more screen manufacturers offered this level of customization.

Cameras

It is obvious from the way it looks that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s quad-lens camera setup is what makes it what it is. With the same excellent 1in LYT-900 as the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, the lead lens on each of them has a 50MP sensor. Its step-less variable aperture, which ranges from f/1.6 to f/4.0, is unique to this location and should result in stunning bokeh when desired and incredibly sharp images when not.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s 0.5x, 1x, 3.2x, and 5x zoom levels—or, if you prefer, 35mm equivalent focal lengths—12mm, 23mm, 75mm, and 120mm—have been retained by Xiaomi. Both telephoto lenses have impressively close minimum focus distances and optical image stabilization. The shorter lens has an f/1.8 aperture, while the longer lens has an f/2.5 setup.

It all sits behind glass developed by Leica and comes with two image processing modes. Leica Authentic produces more subdued colours for a more realistic look, while Leica Vibrant increases saturation for a more aesthetically pleasing image. I didn’t have enough time to properly test all of the shooting modes during my little hands-on time, and there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. It’s safe to say that this has something to offer photographers of all stripes.

I have to wait for a thorough review before I can comment on image quality. However, I have very high hopes for this phone because of the amazing hardware and Xiaomi’s track record of producing image processing that works well.

Since the optional camera kit wasn’t on show at the launch event, I’m betting that it will also be a must-have purchase. Along with a more ergonomic grip, a two-stage shutter button, a zoom lever, a customizable command dial, and a separate video recording button, this slip-on case adds a 1500mAh battery bank for longer shooting sessions.

Software experience

One of the first phones to run Xiaomi’s new HyperOS is the 14 Ultra. If you also own a Xiaomi tablet, this is a more radical take on the Android skin than most, with an emphasis on cross-device connectivity. With a few tweaks to the visual style, there are a lot of apps and menus that are similar to MIUI, in my opinion.

This indicates that there are many iOS influences present, such as the split notification tray (swipe down to reveal notifications from the left and down to reveal quick settings shortcuts from the right). Anticipate an abundance of in-house applications, along with a dubious app store on a phone intended for the international market that comes pre-installed with the Google Play store.

Several AI capabilities will eventually be included, but they weren’t tested during the launch event. Some, like live captioning for video calls, seem helpful for people with disabilities; others, like generational image editing that splits processing between on-device and in-the-cloud options, are targeted at creative professionals.

Regarding Xiaomi’s assurance of four years of Android updates and five years of security patches, I’m not sure how I feel. Yes, this is less than what Google and Samsung have promised for their flagship smartphones, but so far, neither business has lived up to the hype.

Performance & battery life

With the 14 Ultra, Xiaomi has increased performance even further with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of fast flash storage. Compared to the standard Xiaomi 14, it has a stronger cooling system, which should guarantee steady performance even when you’re deep in a Genshin Impact hole.

During my hands-on experience, I was unable to properly test any games on the device, but Xiaomi is confident that the large vapor chamber cooling system can handle gaming at 60 frames per second for at least 30 minutes without experiencing any issues with temperature. This is encouraging for gamers as it implies that the phone won’t overheat when recording or editing 4K footage.

When using split-screen multitasking, it felt incredibly fast on the Android home screen, loading apps nearly instantly and exhibiting no lag. That performance is exactly what I would anticipate from a flagship phone.

There is only one storage option available in Western markets, and 512GB should be more than enough for most people—even if they frequently record videos for YouTube or press the shutter button on their camera all the time.

Although the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s battery life is currently unknown, it is at least well-equipped in that regard. With a 5000mAh battery, it ranks among the top Android flagships, if not marginally ahead of the recently unveiled Honour Magic 6 Pro. The larger battery with a capacity of 5300mAh is exclusive to the Chinese version. Even so, I anticipate using this device for at least a day in between charges, though precise numbers will need to wait until a thorough review.

With a peak 90W over USB-C and an even more impressive 80W wirelessly on a Qi pad that is compatible, charging speeds are suitably quick. This puts the Xiaomi 14 Ultra far ahead of the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra, as you should never have to wait longer than 31 minutes for a full top-up.