Product test
Xiaomi 15 tested: a compact top smartphone
by Jan Johannsen
Xiaomi 14T Pro review: back to that good ol’ value for money
6/11/2024
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
The T series refers to old Xiaomi. When smartphones from China offered great value for money. With the Xiaomi 14T Pro, you won't be missing anything compared to top smartphones. Plus, you'll be paying significantly less.
With the Xiaomi 14T, I was particularly disappointed by the camera. Good then that the 14T Pro offers hope for better photos thanks to its new image sensor. The added performance in turn isn’t a must, but nice to have. Longer battery life is also always great.
A convincing camera setup
Xiaomi has continued its cooperation with Leica in the 14T Pro. The team-up has resulted in the lenses as well as the two available shooting modes: Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic. With one exception, I took my test photos with Authentic. Vibrant is designed to make colours even more intense.
The ultra-wide-angle camera is paler than both other cameras
I’m pleased as punch Xiaomi’s software doesn’t make all pictures look the same. Instead, the sensors really have an effect on the result. While the Sony IMX906 in the Xiaomi 14T mixes too much yellow into images for my taste, this isn’t the case with the Light Fusion 900 in the 14T Pro. For me, this camera is a good reason to spend a few euros more.
Colour reproduction’s natural, the level of detail is very high and strong contrasts are no problem for the camera. I just wonder whether vignetting in Leica Authentic, i.e. darkening towards the corners and edges, was the right choice.
The ultra-wide-angle camera bleaches colours somewhat and becomes blurry on closer inspection due to the distortions towards the edges.
The telephoto camera doesn’t have these problems. It also delivers colours at the same high quality as the main camera.
Creates good pictures in the dark
In the dark, all three cameras in the Xiaomi 14T Pro deliver a better image quality than the 14T. Even without night mode, the images on the smartphone look good. When viewing on a larger screen, I prefer night mode. This time, I notice the higher level of detail.
With the ultra-wide-angle camera, blurring towards the edges remains, even in the dark. In terms of colour, however, you lose less compared to the main camera than during the day.
Automatic and night mode are much closer together on the telephoto camera than with the other two cameras.
Selfies: made to be seen on a smartphone
Selfies taken with the 32-megapixel front camera look excellent on the display of the 14T Pro, even if the background in my example photo is a little too bright. Only on a larger monitor do you notice the problems the camera has with detailed small elements, such as facial hair.
In the dark – and with at least some street lighting – the front camera doesn’t shine with the greatest level of detail, but it still delivers respectable images. Night mode doesn’t increase the level of detail in any way. Still, it brightens up the shot as a whole and compensates for the yellow cast caused by the street lighting.
Performance at the highest level
The Dimensity 9300+ is equipped with twelve gigabytes of RAM. Its processor also ensures the 14T Pro can handle LTE, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. Xiaomi offers versions with 256 or 512 gigabytes as well as 1 terabyte of internal memory, which can’t be expanded.
Long-lasting battery
With 5,000 mAh, the Xiaomi 14T Pro has the same battery capacity as the 14T. However, my battery test with PCMark Work 3.0 results in a runtime that’s 50 minutes longer at full display brightness. Impressive, considering the identical display and a more powerful processor.
The 14T Pro even lasts a little longer than Xiaomi’s top smartphone, the 14 Ultra. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, also with 5,000 mAh, chugs along for 1.5 hours longer.
Sleek design, stylish display
The plastic back on the Xiaomi 14T Pro is plain and monochrome. Its defining element is the camera hump with four circles for the lenses and flash. The case is comfortable to hold, and I like the hatched power button.
The smartphone is also dust and waterproof to IP68. In tests, it survived 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of water – clean fresh water, mind you – without damage. It still isn’t intended for use under water, but rain and a short, unintentional bath shouldn’t harm it.
HyperOS gets plenty of AI
Android 14 is installed on the Xiaomi 14T Pro from the off. Xiaomi expands it to HyperOS with its user interface. The smartphone will receive Google updates for four years – i.e. until Android 18 – and security updates for five. Others offer more, but for the average life cycle of a smartphone, this seems appropriate.
Xiaomi’s pushing AI on its T series smartphones. For example, Google Gemini is replacing Google Assistant, and Circle-to-search is no longer only available from Samsung and Google.
But Xiaomi also has its own AI functions to offer. These include a live translator, a notes app that summarises content and helps with layouts, corrections and translations, and a recorder that can distinguish between different people in transcripts on top of translating. AI subtitles can apparently translate the entire audio output of the smartphone – independent of any apps.
AI also helps with editing videos and photos, even making suggestions for composition and music in films. The T series adopts the AI Portrait feature from the Xiaomi 14. This creates an avatar from a portrait photo that can be used in pictures. All these AI tools require an internet connection and process data in the cloud.
I already took a closer look at the subtitles created by this AI, as well as AI-assisted video creation.
However, not all of the announced AI features have arrived on the 14T Pro yet. The Recorder app provides good transcriptions and coherent summaries when I tried it. In the Notes app, on the other hand, I’m still looking in vain for the AI functions. And when image editing, I don’t know whether the old automatic function still powers «Automatic» or whether it’s already the new AI. The translator app’s still completely missing on the 14T Pro.
A whole host of pre-installed advertising apps from third-party providers is still a bothersome trend in Xiaomi smartphones. Luckily, they can be uninstalled with little effort to stop them being a nuisance after a few minutes.
In a nutshell
Excellent price-performance
While I wasn’t convinced by the Xiaomi 14T, I like the 14T Pro all the more. This is mainly down to the camera setup, which delivers better image quality. I’m also happy with improved performance and less power consumption. They've kept the excellent display, too.
Both smartphones are already available at a lower price less than they were a month after their release, meaning the 14T Pro currently only costs about as much as Xiaomi initially wanted for the 14T. And for around 650 euros/francs, the Pro’s features and functions are pretty close to top models – even Xiaomi ones. And those will usually set you back four figures.
The 14T Pro’s software’s my biggest sore spot. Pre-installed third-party apps can be removed, but they’re still annoying. In addition, not all of the announced AI features are available yet. The existing ones also require an internet connection and sometimes aren’t yet fully developed. But for that price and the other features, I’m prepared to accept this.
Pro
- Outstanding display
- Impressive image quality
- A lot of power for a comparatively small price
Contra
- Pre-installed third-party apps are annoying
- AI tools all require an internet connection
- Not all announced AI tools available yet
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
