The Lenco L-3810 proves that lightning can indeed strike twice. After all, this isn't the first time Lenco has delivered a product with the sort of specification and functionality that makes a bit of a mockery of its asking price. The L-3810 may not be the answer to an audiophile vinyl-fancier’s prayers, but if you’re thinking of dipping a toe into the vinyl water without a) chucking money at it or b) forgoing a nicety or two, it’s a solid option.
It’s not, strictly speaking, a plug-and-play device – but it’s not far off. The headshell must be fitted, but it already has its Audio Technica 3600 cartridge fitted and adjusted. You have to put the platter onto the spindle and the slip mat onto the platter, and set the counterweight and anti-skate controls. But really, apart from connecting it to the mains and to your amplifier or wireless speaker, that’s about it.
Specification is very impressive at the money, too. The L-3810 is a direct drive turntable, which will please any budding superstar DJs. It’s got pitch control, a target light and a stroboscope too – so it looks the part. And thanks to an integrated phono stage, it can be connected to pretty much any system with an analogue input. It even has an analogue-to-digital converter behind its USB-B socket, so archiving your vinyl as digital audio files can be done too.
When it comes to the actual business of playing records, there’s plenty to like about the L-3810 that's comparable to the best turntables. It’s decently punchy and rapid, ties every element of a recording together confidently, extracts a fair amount of detail and summons a good amount of drive. It’s adept with rhythms and tempos, too. A lack of high-frequency extension and attack makes it sound rather duller than it otherwise would, though.
Lenco L-3810 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Released in March 2024
Priced at $499 / £279 / AU$499
The Lenco L-3810 turntable was announced as a super affordable option for vinyl and mixing beginners in late February and went on sale in March 2024. In the US, you should expect to pay $499, while in the UK, it goes for £279 and in Australia it will cost you AU$499.
As far as functionality is concerned, there’s quite a lot here by turntable standards, and it demonstrably doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. So well done Lenco, you have already piqued everyone’s interest.
Lenco L-3810 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
USB-B output
Switchable phono stage
Audio Technica 3600 moving magnet cartridge
It’s fair to say that the Lenco L-3810 is more fully featured than your average turntable. In fact, it makes your average belt-driven, one-function turntable look a bit remedial.
First of all, this is a direct-drive turntable, meaning the platter is connected directly to the motor that turns it. It’s an arrangement more commonly seen in pro/DJ equipment, because it offers both superior rotational stability and the ability to reach the correct rotational speed very quickly indeed.
Lenco has taken a lot of other cues, where features are concerned, from the established ‘DJ deck’ specification. The L-3810 has a stroboscope to confirm its platter is turning at precisely 33.3 or 45rpm. It has a target light, to help when cueing up vinyl in dimmer conditions. And it has a pitch control slider (+/= 10%) in case you would prefer the platter to turn at a speed other than 33.3 or 45rpm.
The ‘J’-shaped tonearm has a bayonet fitting for the headshell, which is in turn supplied with a very acceptable Audio Technica 3600 moving magnet cartridge pre-fitted and -adjusted.
At the rear of the chassis, along with the more usual input for power and stereo RCA outputs for connection to an amplifier, one of the best wireless speakers or what-have-you, there are two further features that serve to set the Lenco further apart from the mainstream turntable herd. One is a switch marked ‘phono/line’ – this switches the integrated pre-amplification on or off, depending on the type of system you’re connecting the Lenco to. The other is a USB-B output. Using this to connect to a PC loaded with the appropriate software (I like Audacity, but others are available) allows you to make digital copies of your vinyl in real time.
Features score: 5/5
Lenco L-3810 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
Good sense of rhythm
Punchy, quite driving presentation
Needs greater treble presence
First things first: if your current system doesn’t include any phono amplification, you’ll be very glad Lenco included some here. If it does, however, it’s well worth conducting an ‘A/B’ comparison between it and the L-3810’s phono stage – the amplification Lenco has fitted here is functional, certainly, but it’s nothing special.
Equally, if it’s the DJ-centric features that have caught your eye then you may need to temper your expectations a little. Yes, the direct drive arrangement here means the L-3810 comes up to speed nice and quickly when compared to a belt-driven alternative - but it’s not the instantaneous ‘go!’ of a true DJ design, and it can take a revolution or two before the platter is spinning at a stable and consistent speed. And that Audio Technica 3600 may be a very capable cartridge, but it won’t thank you for trying out a bit of scratching…
As a straight-ahead record player, though, the L-3810 has a fair bit to recommend it. It’s very ‘together’ in terms of its presentation, for starters – the sense of unity and singular it can create is impressive, and it makes a recording like The The’s I’ve Been Waiting For Tomorrow (All of My Life) sound like a performance, rather than a collection of individual events. This is one of the characteristics that the vinyl format is prized for, and the Lenco makes good on the promise.
It integrates the frequency range well too, and from the lowest frequencies to the top of the midrange it’s an even, quite detailed listen that strikes a nicely naturalistic balance. There’s a definite shortage of top-end extension and energy, though, a lack of treble sparkle or attack that can make the overall presentation sound just slightly dull and blunt. What treble presence there is integrates properly with the rest of the frequency information, mind you.
As far as dynamic headroom is concerned, the L-3810 plays things slightly safe – which, in the context of the system it’s likely to find itself part of, is probably sensible. It alludes to changes in intensity or sheer volume rather than pouncing on them, which makes for an easy listen that’s not quite as visceral with a recording like FKA twigs’ Two Weeks as it really should be. Harmonic variations are quite readily identified, though – as long as they don’t occur up at the top of the frequency range.
Low frequency grip and control of the FKA twigs album is good, though – bass sounds are straight-edged at the moment of attack, which means momentum is decent and rhythmic expression is straightforwardly good. There’s a reasonable amount of punch to the Lenco’s sound, and a fair amount of impetus as a result.
All of this applies, to a lesser or greater extent, to the digital copies the Lenco is capable of creating. Obviously the analogue-to-digital conversion process takes some of the heat (and some of the detail) out of the vinyl sound, and the lack of top-end confidence is always apparent – but if you’re after some digital versions of your favourite vinyl for use when you’re not sitting in front of your L-3810, you could definitely do worse.
Sound quality score: 3.5/5
Lenco L-3810 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Pastic chassis
Clear dust cover
Looks just like a record player
When it comes to the design of a turntable, every manufacturer has to make a binary choice: it either goes with the basic ‘rectangle with a circle on it, plus tonearm’ or ‘control-heavy alternative a la Technics’. There’s no shame in either. Lenco has gone for the second option – it’s decided its L-3810 should look like a junior SL-1200.
Without its clear plastic dust-cover, the L-3810 measures an unremarkable 151 x 450 x 365mm (HxWxD). The chassis (which is available in white or grey finishes) is made of plastic, the platter that supports your vinyl is made of aluminium, and the slipmat that sits between them is felt. The ‘J’-shaped tonearm is made of aluminium, too.
The main body of the turntable stands on four big, rubber-bushed plastic feet that have a degree of articulation.Which is handy both for helping the deck stay level, and also to isolate it a little from external vibrations.
There’s nothing luxurious about the way the Lenco L-3810 looks or feels, and its all-in weight of just over 4kg lets you know it’s not the last word in solidity. But then when you consider the asking price, compare it to the feature set, and then bear in mind the competence with which this record player is built and finished, ‘nothing luxurious’ seems absolutely fair enough.
Design score: 4.5/5
Lenco L-3810 review: Usability and setup
(Image credit: Future)
Cartridge is pre-fitted and pre-adjusted
Controls are reliable and responsive
Phono stage is defeatable
All you need to do to get the L-3810 ready to play is put the aluminium platter on the spindle and put the felt slipmat on top of it, attach the headshell, fit and adjust the counterweight, and finesse the anti-skate control. Or, at least, that’s all you have to do to get it ready to play a record - if you want to actually hear it, you’ll need to connect the stereo RCA outputs on the rear to your amplifier, speaker or whatever, and then establish whether or not the Lenco’s integrated phono stage needs to be switched on or off.
Setup, then, is pretty simple. And usability is simple, too – the ‘power on/off’ dial, the ‘stop/start’ button, the pitch control and the speed selector all operate smoothly, and the manual tonearm lift feels robust, too. There’s really nothing here that’s going to create even a moment’s confusion. About the trickiest part of operating the Lenco is getting to grips with the third-party software that’s required if you’re going to make digital copies via its USB-B output.
Usability and setup score: 5/5
Lenco L-3810 review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
Great performance for the price
Not suitable for amateur DJs
There’s certainly no arguing with the functionality Lenco provides at the asking price, and it’s difficult to take meaningful issue with the way the L-3810 is built and finished either.
It’s not a realistic proposition for anyone who takes DJing even half-seriously, of course – but when it comes to system compatibility, very acceptable digital versions of your vinyl and a politely forceful overall sound, the L-3810 offers pretty decent value for money.
Should you buy the Lenco L-3810 review?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Lenco L-3810 review: Also consider
How I tested the Lenco L-3810
(Image credit: Future)
Tested for over a week
Listened by itself and with a reference pre-amp
Made digital copies of vinyl on my MacBook Pro
The Lenco L-3810 replaced my reference turntable on the top shelf of my home system, and it stayed there for well over a week while I listened to (and occasionally copied) records.
It played via its internal phono amplification and via my reference pre-amp, and it was connected via its USB-B output to my MacBook Pro in order to see what sort of digital copies it makes.
The Final Audio VR500 are among the Japanese specialist’s most affordable headphones – but that doesn't mean they’ve missed out on the customary Final Audio attention to detail. The company wants to make the VR500 the default affordable wired headphone for gamers and music-lovers alike – and it’s given them every chance to succeed in the best wired headphones arena.
Specification is good, inasmuch as the VR500 are fitted with proven full-range dynamic drivers. Build quality is solid, thanks to their neat ABS resin construction. The 1.2m cable a) is long enough for most scenarios, and b) features a one-button in-line remote with mic.
And in practice, the VR500 work very well indeed. Some listeners might hanker after more outright punch, but where detail retrieval, spaciousness, precision and fidelity are concerned, the Final Audio outperform their asking price quite comfortably. In fact, the VR500 are good enough that they give the established go-to affordable wired in-ears from SoundMagic (namely the SoundMagic E11C) plenty to think about.
Demure build, but the Final VR500 aren't shy about sound (Image credit: Future)
Final VR500 review: Price & release date
Released February 20, 2024
$34.99 / £29.99 / AU$49.99
The Final Audio VR500 wired in-ear headphones have been on sale since February 20, 2024, and in the United Kingdom they’re a penny under £30. In America they’re a touch less than $35, and in Australia you get a tiny amount of change from AU$50.
This, it hardly needs pointing out, is not very much money for a pair of headphones from a company as auspicious and high-achieving as Final Audio – you only have to look at the price of the sort of headphones TechRadar routinely reviews to realise that.
But everything’s relative, of course; there’s no point in spending this sort of money on a pair of wired earbuds if they don’t represent decent value for money. So let's get to that…
Final VR500 review: Specs
The level of care Final has delivered at this price point is unmatched (Image credit: Future)
Final VR500 review: Features
6.4mm dynamic drivers
Oxygen-free copper cable
Five sizes of eartip included
Final Audio is keen to present the VR500 as ideal for gaming, and consequently has plenty to say about the earbuds’ ability to create a big, three-dimensional soundstage and place sound effects precisely on it. I’ll discuss the veracity of these claims in the ‘sound quality’ section, but what’s already for certain is that Final Audio has definitely specified the VR500 to do the business.
The cable connecting the earbuds to the three-pole 3.5mm jack is of oxygen-free copper. The earbuds themselves house a couple of 6.4mm dynamic drivers – they’re the same high-precision devices that feature in a couple of the company’s more expensive in-ear designs and offer full-range frequency response. And by including five different sizes of high-quality silicone eartip in the packaging, Final Audio has done its utmost to ensure your VR500 fit snugly and comfortably.
Features score: 5/5
The single button in-line remote feels good to use (Image credit: Future)
Final VR500 review: Sound quality
Open, spacious sound
Impressive levels of detail
Not the outright punch you might be after
In almost every respect, Final Audio has it the bull’s-eye where the sound of the VR500 is concerned. Its drive for clarity, spaciousness and good location of effects when gaming has been a complete success. By the standards of profoundly affordable wired in-ear headphones, the VR500 are basically as good as it currently gets.
In ultimate terms they’re fractionally lightweight, and short of the sort of low-frequency heft and impact that some genres of music can rely on. The bass presence they generate is swift and detailed, which allows rhythms good expression and keeps the sensation of momentum high – but if it’s out-and-out wallop you’re after, you may find the VR500 just slightly tentative.
In every other respect, though, they’re a straightforward pleasure to listen to. The soundstage they generate is big and well-organised, so both music and games are convincingly laid out. They retain and contextualise an impressive amount of detail, locate every element of a recording or a soundtrack confidently in respect to every other element, and unify even complex information into a persuasive whole.
There’s plenty of drive and attack available when it’s required, and more than enough headroom to give dynamics decent expression. But they’re also able to do ‘small-scale’ and ‘quiet’ very well too, keeping silences nice and dark while giving as much emphasis to spaces as is required.
Sound quality score: 4.5/5
Bijou branding and a compact design (Image credit: Future)
Final VR500 review: Design
15g
ABS resin housing
1.2m cable
I’m going to say it for the umpteenth time during the course of this review: everything’s relative. So while there’s nothing, really nothing, unusual about the design of the Final Audio VR500, it’s nevertheless a considered product where design is concerned and all the better for it.
An all-in weight of just 15g is a strong indication of how comfortable the earbuds are when they’re in position. The cable is tangle-resistant, and at 1.2m is long enough for all likely applications. The ABS resin the earbud- and 3.5mm jack housings are built from is smooth, nicely finished and seems helpfully resistant to scratching. The single button of the in-line mic feels positive in its action.
That’s it as far as ‘design’ is concerned, and I’m tempted to ask “what else were you expecting?”, because there’s nothing about the VR500 to suggest Final Audio has paid anything less than full attention.
Design score: 5/5
Final VR500 review: Value
Properly built and finished
Impressively specified at the money
Enjoyable sound quality
There aren’t many products on the pages of techradar.com that cost less than £30, and fewer still that don’t feel like they’ve been overtly built down to a price. The care Final Audio has taken with the physical and performance aspects of the VR500 is really quite impressive.
Value score: 5/5
Should I buy the Final VR500?
Buy them if...
Don't buy them if...
Final VR500 review: Also consider
How I tested the Final VR500
Plugged into a laptop…
...and a smartphone
Used for games and for music
I used the VR500 for well over a week, and in a variety of situations. At home, connected to a laptop and a smartphone, where I listened to music and played a few games. And on an aeroplane, where they were again attached to my laptop but also to the in-flight entertainment system.
And at no point was I anything less than impressed.
The Realme Narzo 70x 5G launching on April 24 will pack a centered punch-hole display, which we now know will have a 120Hz screen refresh rate. However, the brand is yet to reveal whether it's an LCD or an AMOLED type.
Realme hasn't detailed the Narzo 70x 5G's specs sheet, but it previously confirmed the smartphone would be IP54-rated, sport a 50MP primary camera, and pack a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W charging support.
The Realme Narzo 70x 5G will be priced under INR12,000 ($145/€135) and sold through Amazon.in in India. A few more features of the Narzo 70x 5G could be revealed...
The Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer – also known as the Revlon SmoothStay Coconut-Infused hair dryer is lightweight, flexible and budget-friendly, and it dries hair fast and effectively. Revlon is well-known for selling a wide range of hair and beauty products, and the SmoothStay is one of its latest hair dryer designs that’s both reasonably priced and versatile. If you're looking for the best hair dryer but don't have a lot to spend, this is definitely worth your consideration.
(Image credit: Future)
The model features ceramic tourmaline ionic technology to help reduce static and frizz, and smooths your locks every time you use it; I certainly noticed that the heat flow left my hair feeling nicely dried and tame. The hair dryer also has a triple-coated ceramic coconut-oil infused grill to help enhance shine and achieve a frizz-free finish. It’s hard to know if this is entirely capable of adding that extra bit of shine, but having used the SmoothStay a number of times, I was pleased with how quickly it blow-dried my hair as well as the sleek results.
At 1875W, the hair dryer is powerful, and if you’re someone who prefers that their hair dryer to be at peak temperature from the moment you press the button, you won’t be disappointed. There are two speed and three heat settings to choose from, depending on how hot you like the blast of air. The cool shot is also quick to chill, which means there’s no hanging around when you want to fix your hair to flick up the ends or set in specific styles.
(Image credit: Future)
I think one of the best features of this hair dryer is the unique concentrator nozzle that comes in the box, which is shaped like a comb. It’s designed to help you smooth your hair as you dry it and makes blow-drying easier. I found I had to use quite a bit of force to connect the nozzle to the body of the hair dryer at first, but I soon got the knack of snapping it firmly in place. I used the nozzle together in tandem with a wet brush to smooth out my wavy hair. There’s also a volumizing diffuser in the box that attaches easily and looks like a good size to define curls on both long and short hair.
Unlike most powerful hair dryers that feature ionic technology, the Revlon SmoothStay comes in at an excellent price. We’ve found it on Amazon for a reasonable $29.99 / £30 (currently reduced to £20), and you can also pick it up directly from Revlon or at select local retailers such as Argos in the UK. In the box, you’ll find a concentrator comb nozzle and a volumizing diffuser to help enhance your finished results.
I found the Revlon SmoothStay comfortable to hold. The even distribution of weight makes the hair dryer feel solid and robust, but it isn’t so heavy that you run the risk of suffering arm ache with extended use.
The SmoothStay features a good mix of controls, which is just what you would expect from a premium hair dryer. There are three heat and two speed settings conveniently placed on the inner side of the handle, plus a separate cool shot that seals hair cuticles when styling. The controls sit in place securely, so there’s no risk of accidentally knocking them while in use.
(Image credit: Future)
The hair dryer is made from plastic and offers a good grip; I was able to hold the handle of the hair dryer comfortably. It also comes complete with a grill that’s triple-coated in ceramic infused with coconut oil, to help create a smooth and shiny finish to hair.
A hanging hook can be found at the top of the cable, making the hair dryer easy to store on display. While the 1.8m cable is ample, I’d have liked a little more length. I was previously using a hair dryer with a 3m cable, and a bit more room to maneuver with the Revlon SmoothStay would have been welcome.
In the box, you’ll also find a concentrator comb nozzle and a volumizing diffuser. I found the comb nozzle a little stiff – it required quite some force to snap it into place, although I’m sure it will ease over time. The shape of the nozzle is well designed, since you can use it like a comb to help guide the airflow for a smoother finish. The volumizing diffuser is also large enough to gather long hair.
(Image credit: Future)
The removable end cap of the dryer is a nice touch, since it protects your hair while in use, but can be removed easily for cleaning. The diffuser can also be cleaned in warm, soapy water and rinsed when required. I used argan oil on my hair and managed to get some onto the body of the hair dryer, which resulted in noticeable fingerprint marks. Thankfully, these were easily wiped off with a damp cloth and buffed dry to remove all trace of the oil.
Design score: 4 out of 5
Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer review: performance
Ceramic tourmaline ionic technology for smooth results
Volumizing diffuser included in the box
Coconut-oil infused grille to limit frizz and add shine
Having recently had my wavy, mid-length hair dyed a shade lighter than natural, it was left rather more dry and frazzled than usual and in desperate need of taming. When I first used the Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer, I was surprised by its power and pleased with how smoothly it dried my hair.
As mentioned, there are three heat and two speed settings to choose from, with a cool shot close to hand, too. Unlike some hair dryers I’ve tried that take a while to get to temperature, the Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer reaches the desired temperature, whether hot or cold, instantly. It's good to know that while the hair dryer can get very hot, it does include a safety feature that will cut the power if the temperature exceeds the optimum drying level.
The benefit of it getting hot quickly is that it produces fast results. When using the dryer on my own hair, I used the hottest level; but found this temperature a tad too hot when drying my 10-year-old’s hair, so I selected a more comfortable and steady level 1. Using the Decibel Meter App, I measured noise levels at 81.3dB on the hottest setting, which is around average.
(Image credit: Future)
The hair dryer features ceramic tourmaline ionic technology, which is designed to reduce static and frizz, and enhance shine. My hair felt smooth after use and had a nice weight to it – possibly the result of the coconut-oil infused grille, which also helps to achieve sleek results. While I still had to resort to using my hair straightener after drying to further tame my wavy hair, the Revlon SmoothStay definitely made my hair feel more manageable.
My favorite feature of this hair dryer has to be the concentrator comb nozzle. It helped to evenly guide the airflow to smooth and straighten my hair. Used alongside a wet brush, it offered greater control over the final result.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Should you buy the Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer review: alternatives to consider
How I tested the Revlon SmoothStay hairdryer
I have tested a wide range of hair dryers over the past few years, as well as speaking to a number of hair stylists to find out what matters to them when choosing a hair dryer to use in their salons. With this in mind, I feel that I have gathered good insight into what makes for a decent hair dryer.
I have medium-length, wavy hair that’s prone to getting very frizzy when it dries naturally. I was keen to see whether the Revlon Smoothstay could calm my hair as it dried and leave it feeling salon fresh. I used it over the course of a month with the concentrator nozzle and a wet brush to blow-dry my hair. I also used it on my kids' hair – I was keen to see how well it could tackle the very straight flyaway hair of my young daughter and whether she found the noise levels comfortable.
iOS 17.4 came out last month with monumental changes for iPhone owners in the EU, including the ability to use third party app stores, and pay for apps and services outside of Apple's App Store.
This was made possible by force - namely, the European Digital Markets Act made Apple allow these things, otherwise they never would have happened. A similar case of a 'walled garden' impenetrable to third parties has so far been the ability to pay for stuff using the iPhone's NFC functionality, which the company restricts to only its own service, Apple Pay. That, however, will change in the EU,...
A lot of people will consider any non-round smartwatch inspired by the Apple Watch, regardless of how close the design actually is aside from the rectangular-ish shape. And even if something is inspired by something else, it's still pretty easy to distinguish between the inspiration and the "inspired by".
Huawei, however, is in a different realm with the upcoming Watch Fit 3, if the renders of the device that leaked today turn out to be accurate. It would be very hard for most people to tell this one apart from an Apple Watch from afar - and even up close, we'd wager.
Huawei Watch Fit 3...
The nubia Flip was announced in February as the world's cheapest foldable smartphone, as it starts at just $499. It looks like its reign will be very short-lived, however, for Blackview is set to release the Hero 10 in May, and this one will cost just €399, which at the current exchange rate translates into $425. Of course pricing might differ in various regions, but it seems pretty clear that the Blackview Hero 10 will indeed be cheaper than the nubia Flip, and it's also a flip-style foldable.
So it looks like we're finally reaching a place where affordable foldables are more than just a...
There are good smartphones for the price, there are great smartphones for the price, and then there's the newly unveiled Umidigi G9 5G. This was just presented in Hong Kong at the 2024 Global Sources Mobile Electronics show, and it has an insane price: just $99.99.
That's incredibly cheap, but the specs are actually pretty good. So let's go through them. Unsurprisingly to hit that price point, the G9 5G uses a Unisoc chipset, specifically the T765. This comes with an octa-core CPU with two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.1 GHz.
Umidigi...
Google is rumored to launch at least three smartphones in October at its annual hardware unveiling event - the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. Recently we heard that the Pixel Fold 2 has been renamed to Pixel 9 Pro Fold and might join these.
The Pixel 9 Pro has now leaked in hands-on live images, one of which shows it next to an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
If you're confused about the size difference, note that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is said to be the successor of the Pixel 8 Pro in size, while the Pixel 9 Pro should have similar dimensions to the vanilla Pixel 9, just with added Pro...
The Xiaomi 14 is unquestionably in the running to be one of this year's top compact flagships, even if it is a little larger than the iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S24. The phone boasts Qualcomm's best and brightest Snapdrgon 8 Gen 3 chip, a camera system that's been developed in collaboration with Leica, and a sizable battery with impressively fast 90W charging.
Xiaomi was actually first to market with an 8 Gen 3-powered phone, with the Xiaomi 14 series first debuting in China back in October 2023. As of February 2024, the company confirmed that both the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra would be going global (the Xiaomi 14 Pro isn't getting an international release, but that's not as much of a loss as you might think), with the phones touching down in late February and mid-March, respectively.
There's more than a passing resemblance between this phone and the Xiaomi 13 – both phones have a prominent square main camera bump, and they have near-identical dimensions, with the new phone's fractional weight increase a result of the larger rear camera system and bigger battery. Xiaomi's fit and finish is up there, but the mirror-polish straight-sided design is decidedly more iPhone 14, than iPhone 15, which won't be to everyone's taste.
The 6.36-inch display has received a gamut of nice upgrades – there's a resolution bump between generations, while the move to an LTPO panel facilitates a true 1Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate for greater power efficiency. It's a significantly brighter panel too, also trumping the figures promised by Apple and Samsung's latest.
This marks the fifth generation of flagship phones (if you include the company's mid-year 'S' refreshes) on which Xiaomi has collaborated with optical specialists Leica. For the most part, the user experience offered up by the camera remains much the same as last year's– including the ability to shoot in Leica Vivid or Classic color profiles, but the underlying hardware has been upgraded significantly, with a larger 50MP main sensor sporting a wider aperture, and backed up by two additional 50MP sensors (an ultra-wide and a 3.2x telephoto), which collectively deliver better light, detail, dynamic range, and color reproduction than previously.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Even without flicking the 'high performance mode' toggle on, the Xiaomi 14 benchmarks among the top tier of the current Android pile, which translates to excellent real-world performance, whether multi-tasking or gaming. For all the raw grunt and software optimization the 14 clearly serves up though, the refreshed HyperOS user experience still falls foul of the same convolutions found in the previous MIUI; quirks that newcomers to the brand, and even some veteran Xiaomi users, would likely scratch their heads at when trying to perform certain actions or find particular features.
With this being 2024, there are also a raft of AI features that debut on the Xiaomi 14 series – from AI-generated portraits to semantic search in the gallery app – however, at the time of writing these features remain in beta, with access to them requiring approval from the Xiaomi Community admins, meaning most users won't be able to enjoy these new features and enhancements out of the box until later in the year.
Battery life is a highlight: for all that the Xiaomi 14 delivers, the increased capacity year-on-year also means the phone offer impressive longevity, surpassing the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 in terms of screen-on time, and leaving mainstream rivals in the dust when it comes to a full recharge, which takes a matter of minutes, rather than hours.
It's true that Xiaomi's new flagship starts at a higher asking price than both Apple's and Samsung's comparable models, the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24, but it also comes with twice the storage, meaning in like-for-like comparisons (using UK pricing for the 256GB model in each case), it's actually the best-value compact flagship of the bunch. One caveat is that despite having been given an 'international' launch, the Xiaomi 14 – like all of the company's phones – remains unavailable in the US and Australia, with third-party retailers or import being the only real way to get ahold of Xiaomi handsets in those countries.
Xiaomi 14 review: Price and availability
Priced from £849 / €999
Released October 2023 – China only, February 25, 2024 – internationally
Limited to no availability in US and Australia
Every time Qualcomm announces a new flagship mobile chipset, I'm always curious to see which phone maker will be first to market with a phone toting said cutting-edge silicon. In the case of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it was Xiaomi, with the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Pro first debuting in China back in October 2023. However – as with previous generations of Xiaomi flagship – international audiences would have to wait.
It wasn't until a dedicated event in Barcelona in February 2024, ahead of MWC 2024 that we'd have a clear picture of the 14 series' international rollout. This event also served as a release announcement, with the phone being made available on February 25 across various markets, including the UK and Europe.
The Xiaomi 14 Pro didn't make it beyond China, but the gap between the 14 and 14 Pro in terms of specs and features is far smaller than it was with the previous 13 series, making the Pro's absence from the international stage far less of an issue this generation, especially with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra also available.
Despite throwing around words like 'international' and 'global' at the phone's February announcement though, Xiaomi's presence in the US and Australia only extends to smart home and lifestyle products, with its smartphones remaining distinctly absent. This means that, outside of importing or purchasing from fringe third-party retailers, you won't readily be able to pick up the Xiaomi 14 locally, and that's before taking into account whether it supports the carrier bands for local networks.
As for pricing, while a starting price in the UK of £849 places it well above the baseline price of key rivals like the iPhone 15 ($799 / £799 / AU$1,499) and Samsung Galaxy S24 ($799 / £799 / AU$1,399), those phones both come with just half the amount of storage (128GB).
In like-for-like comparisons against the £849 (equivalent to $1,070 / AU$1,640) 256GB base Xiaomi 14, both Apple's and Samsung's 256GB rivals actually cost more, at £899 and £859 respectively.
Value score: 5 / 5
Xiaomi 14 review: Specs
Xiaomi 14 review: Design
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Color choice affects finish
Squared, polished aluminum alloy frame
IP68-certified against dust and water
Fans of the Xiaomi 13 will appreciate what the company has done with the design of its successor – or rather what it hasn't done. The overall look of the two phones is much the same, although the 14 sports a hardier build, with tougher Gorilla Glass Victus and IP68-certified dust and water resistance, but elsewhere the dimensions to weight have remained consistent (a larger main camera system and battery have added a couple of grams).
Versus those aforementioned mainstream rivals, Xiaomi's latest is a little thicker and heavier by comparison, but is still small and comfortable enough to be considered a 'compact' flagship, and while the iPhone 15 series has embraced more rounded sides this generation, the Xiaomi 14 retains the iPhone 14 Pro line's straight-sided, mirror-polished aluminum surround, for better or worse, depending on your taste (I like the look but hate the fingerprints).
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The Clous de Paris guilloché detailing around the Xiaomi 14's camera
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A close-up on the Xiaomi 14's Jade Green glass back
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The Jade Green variant featured in this review is the most head-turning colorway on the international stage, with the white model featuring a tasteful silver frame and the black option serving up textured – instead of polished – color-matched rear glass, which better repels fingerprints at the expense of a little grip. The only color that appeared in China but is missing from the global gamut of colorways is 'Snow Mountain Pink.'
Despite its similarities to the last model, Xiaomi has added interest around that new larger rear camera, with what it's dubbed a Clous de Paris (that's a hobnail pattern to you and me) to add a little interest. While it's not the only phone maker that has turned to classic analogue watch styling for design inspiration, this particular adornment is one I wouldn't every expect to find on a phone, and it serves as an aesthetic through-line with the recently-release Xiaomi Watch S3, too.
The flat 6.36-inch 'CrystalRes' C8 AMOLED fronting the Xiaomi 14 is a new panel of company's own design (manufactured by TCL), offering across-the-board upgrades over the same-sized screen on the Xiaomi 13, while also keeping it competitive against 2024 competitors.
First and foremost, it's sharper than the display on its predecessor, pushing past Full HD+ to a 1200 x 2670 resolution at the same size, upping pixel density from 414ppi to 460ppi, and making it as pin-sharp as the iPhone 15's Super Retina XDR OLED panel. It's also brighter – a lot brighter – with a peak of 3,000 nits (the Xiaomi 13 peaked at 1,900 nits) supports the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ standards. There's also a quoted full-panel high-brightness mode of 1,400 nits (up from the 13's 1,200 nits), which in real-world use ensures the screen is still comfortably visible against a bright sky. I just wish every phone adopted the reduced reflectivity of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's display.
Regardless, the hits don't stop, with the move to an LTPO panel greatly improving power efficiency, as the refresh rate can now scale far more dynamically, depending on what you're doing on your phone. For context, the Xiaomi 13 could only switch between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, so its successor's ability to rove anywhere between 1Hz and 120Hz is a welcome upgrade.
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The screen serves up pleasing visuals across photos, video streaming, and gaming, and Xiaomi includes a wealth of controls for tinkering with the display experience. By default the phone is set to 'Original Color Pro', but there are additional color profile presets like 'Vivid' and 'Saturated' alongside the ability to force the display to operate in the DCI-P3 gamut or sRGB, and that's before you touch the independent sliders covering things like RGB values, hue, saturation, contrast, and gamma.
There are arguably too many display control on offer as, alongside the above, you can also tweak color temperature, toggle adaptive color temperature adjustment, which adjusts the color temperature relative to ambient lighting, toggle DC dimming for more comfortable low-light viewing, choose between multiple reading modes, add texture and color temperature controls to a grayscale viewing experience, and even have AI step in to upscale videos, enhance photos in your gallery, add HDR viewing to SDR content, and add frames to certain video content for smooth playback.
Display score: 4.5 / 5
Xiaomi 14 review: Software
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First phone to debut HyperOS out of the box
Runs on top of Android 14
4 years of OS + 5 years of security updates
MIUI is out and HyperOS is in, with the Xiaomi 14 series being the first of the company's phones to debut this revitalized user experience out of the box. If you watched the phone's launch, you'd be forgiven for assuming that HyperOS is something totally new, but in real-world use you'll be hard-pressed to spot any major differences with MIUI at a glance.
Xiaomi says that HyperOS follows a new 'Alive' design philosophy, boasting real-time rendering on certain graphical elements, alongside a color palette "based on natural hues" and while it's unquestionably more consistently fluid and responsive, the general look and feel still feels decidedly MIUI.
Nevertheless, that performance uptick across load times and animations might have something to do with the fact that despite its similarities to MIUI, Xiaomi has rebuilt HyperOS almost entirely. Not only does it take up almost a third less space on-device than its predecessor, it has new underpinnings to enable greater cross-platform interconnectivity with the company's wider product ecosystem, from its wearables and tablets, to its newfound push into automotive – even its debut car, the Xiaomi SU7, comes running its own build of HyperOS.
Back to the Xiaomi 14 though, and as before the user experience is feature-packed and serves up a decidedly different form than a lot of other smartphones out there. By default, there's no apps drawer, notifications and quick settings live behind swipe-down gestures from the top left and right corners of the screen, respectively (very iOS), swiping down on your home screen summons a device-wide search, while swiping up reveals Content Center, featuring links to news and YouTube video. There's a lot going on.
The Security app on the Xiaomi 14 does a lot more than just keep your device secure. (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Provided that you're willing to put in some time to learn, HyperOS serves up a lot of flexibility and practically endless personalization too, although it's easy to get lost in disparate controls and settings screens. There's also a degree of bloat out of the box, with various third-party apps – like Booking.com – which can be uninstalled but ideally wouldn't be there to begin with. As for first-party apps, plenty of those could be considered bloat too, with multiple ways to perform seemingly the same action. The App Vault, Cleaner, Game Center and Security apps, for example, all help boost memory performance. Why do users need four different ways to access this feature, Xiaomi?
There are, of course, welcome additions too, like Game Turbo, which handles notification suppression, as well as relevant device controls (over things like brightness), when gaming and even includes a voice changer. Meanwhile HyperOS' Gallery app offers Google Photos integration native, which is a rare and handy bonus.
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Of course, this wouldn't be a 2024 flagship phone without some AI functionality thrown in, and Xiaomi has promised everything from generative fill when expanding the canvas of images to AI portraits, AI-generative subtitles, semantic search in the Gallery app, and more. Notice I said Xiaomi has 'promised' this suite of AI features, as at launch they remain in beta, meaning you have to sign up to be given access to unfinished iteration of what is one of the Xiaomi 14's headline upgrades.
There's good news, though – I did sign up for the beta once I'd mostly done testing the phone, and the AI features I tried worked as advertised and seemed stable (although wait times on processing for the AI Portrait feature surpassed an hour). So far Xiaomi has, unlike Samsung, made no mention of charging for the use of any AI functionality, although that's a policy that likely won't last forever.
To round things out, HyperOS on the Xiaomi 14 runs atop Android 14, with the company promising four years of update support and five years of security update support. That's behind market leaders like Apple, Google and Samsung, but should prove more than ample for the average smartphone user in 2024, ensuring that the Xiaomi 14 will continue to gain new features and remain secure for the duration of your time with it.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Xiaomi 14 review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
50MP f/1.6 Xiaomi Light Fusion 900 main sensor with OIS
50MP f/2.2 ISOCELL JN1 ultra-wide with 112-degree FoV
50MP (32MP effective) f/2.0 ISOCELL JN1 3.2x telephoto with OIS
32MP f/2.0 front camera with 89.6-degree FoV
While the camera system on the Xiaomi 14 isn't without its flaws, it looks to have the edge over compact rivals like the latest iPhone and Galaxy, with an across-the-board sensor upgrade compared to the Xiaomi 13, and ongoing input from optical specialists Leica.
You'll find an impressive-looking trio of 50MP sensors on the back, fronted by the new custom Xiaomi 'Light Fusion 900' (a tuned OmniVision OVX9000 sensor, with input from both Xiaomi and Leica), along with ISOCELL JN1 sensors for the ultra-wide and telephoto, collectively offering a focal range from 14mm to 75mm (although the telephoto's effective resolution is actually cited at 32MP and appears to kick in at 2.5x, which would suggest a shorter max optical range than Xiaomi claims).
AI Portrait... one of the most ambitious and unsettling AI features I've encountered on a phone to date
Leica's involvement, meanwhile, extends to branded 'Summilux' lenses, the 'Leica Vibrant' and 'Leica Authentic' color profiles the phone can shoot in, and the 'master lens system' of digital focal presets built into portrait mode.
Beyond that, the camera UI seems simple enough at first blush, but like the rest of HyperOS is absolutely jam-packed with features. The breadth of features on offer will be welcomed by those happy to spend the time required to learn of the nuances of the user experience, but will likely prove overwhelming for those who just want to tweak basic settings.
Stills shooting is primarily managed via Photo mode, or Pro mode if you want more control, while for video recording, Video and Movie mode are both on hand. More experimental modes include Short Film, which serves as a template complete with filters in which to capture footage; Director Mode, which lets you connect multiple cameras and even monitors wirelessly to orchestrate a multi-cam recording; plus Long Exposure, Supermoon, and more.
Xiaomi 14 camera samples
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0.6x zoom (ultra-wide sensor)
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1x zoom (main sensor)
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2x zoom (main sensor)
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3.2x zoom (telephoto sensor)
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60x zoom (i.e. maximum lossy zoom range)
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0.6x zoom (ultra-wide sensor)
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1x zoom (main sensor)
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2x zoom (main sensor)
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3.2x zoom (telephoto sensor)
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60x zoom (i.e. maximum lossy zoom range)
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Zoom range comparison: Apple iPhone 15 (top), Xiaomi 14 (center), Samsung Galaxy S24 (bottom)
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Front camera
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Front camera comparison: Apple iPhone 15 (left), Xiaomi 14 (center), Samsung Galaxy S24 (right)
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AI Expanded by 150%
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Artificial lighting
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Artificial lighting
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Front camera
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Low light
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Night mode
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Low light comparison: Xiaomi 14 (left), Google Pixel 8 Pro (right)
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Night Mode comparison: Xiaomi 14 (left), Google Pixel 8 Pro (right)
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In side-by-side tests with the usual suspects (the iPhone 15 and the Samsung Galaxy S24), Xiaomi's distinct photographic look shone through. Leica Vivid (which all the Xiaomi 14 camera samples featured in this review were captured in) served up consistently brighter and and more vibrant results than rivals, with good detail captured across its entire (optical) focal range.
There's a pleasing consistency in terms of color, contrast and detail between shots captured with the ultra-wide and that new primary sensor, while telephoto shots adopt a bolder look, with stronger contrast that still equates to pleasing images, although with an unpredictability that the 14's competitors don't suffer from.
In more challenging scenarios, while the 14's macro capture offers good center-frame detail, chromatic aberrations, or color fringing, around the edge of subjects isn't always welcome, while low-light environments did result in exposure hunting from time to time. On the flip side, taking Night Mode shots results in great final images, with this phone only really falling short of category leaders like the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
The phone's stabilization is shown off to great effect in video footage (beyond the impressive capture controls mentioned earlier), while selfies also shine against similar photos from competitors, provided that you're comfortable with Xiaomi's heavier-handed beauty settings as standard – skin tones are accurately represented, but smoothing and blemish-removal algorithms are also clearly enabled by default. Interestingly, you'd assume that the 32MP front-facing sensor would pixel-bin down to 8MP final images, but the Xiaomi 14 unapologetically captures front-facing shots at the sensor's native resolution, and does so with aplomb.
AI camera features
Using AI Expansion on the Xiaomi 14(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
There are also all of the aforementioned (beta) AI imaging abilities that debut on the Xiaomi 14 (practically all of which are accessed from the native Gallery app after capture). AI Expansion lets you punch out of a shot by up to 200% and have the phone's on-device AI processing try to generate new background content that's consistent with the original image. Each generative fill takes around 15 seconds to complete (with tests at 150%) and the results are hit-and-miss – but the fact that they hit as often as they do is what's surprising.
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Original image...
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...enlarged by 150% using AI Expand on the Xiaomi 14
Then there's AI Portrait, which is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious – and unsettling – AI features I've encountered on a phone. Once you snap around 30 selfies (or at least shots of the same subject with their face visible) and submit them to the AI Portrait creation wizard, it'll use off-device processing to construct an AI-generated simulacrum that – with the help of a written prompt – can be placed into all manner of scenes.
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The processing time to create my (beta) AI Portrait avatar took over an hour...
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...but, once done, individual results with the completed avatar took only minutes to generate.
The developmental nature of the AI features coming (as at the time of review, they're still in beta, remember) to the Xiaomi 14 was made clear when the creation time for my AI avatar was cited at over an hour, but once I had it, prompts took around a minute to generate results, once again with varying degrees of success. The feature automatically served up prompts like 'beach resort' and 'northern islands' of its own accord but did a respectable job coming up with convincing images based on my prompt of 'in a kayak' too, as you can see above.
As for how useful this feature is, it's easy to imagine novel scenarios in which your AI Portrait could feature – hilariously implausible holiday snaps on Instagram, for example – but as with any AI-generated imagery, there remain unanswered and ungoverned ethical quandaries surrounding a technology that is evidently already in peoples' hands and will continue to improve in time.
With regards to Xiaomi's specific AI policies, the phone details which devices use solely on-device processing and which rely on the cloud, while the company's AI white paper goes into greater detail around training data-sets and the like. That said, unlike Samsung's Galaxy AI image tools, there's no obvious watermarking to help people discern which images have and haven't been created or altered by Xiaomi's AI, which is something the company should address in a future update, and on future products with AI-enhanced features.
Camera score: 4.5 / 5
Xiaomi 14 review: Performance
Genshin Impact on the Xiaomi 14 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC
12GB of LPDDR5X RAM on all models
Impressive thermal performance for a compact phone
Although the Xiaomi 14 has the distinction of being first to market with Qualcomm's latest and greatest flagship mobile silicon in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, its staggered release meant that by the time it made it to international audiences, rivals with that same cutting-edge chipset were already on store shelves. Even so, this remains one of the most capable phones currently on the market.
HyperOS – like MIUI before it – is pretty hands-on with performance management, with overarching power profiles that limit just how much apps and services can ask of the CPU/GPU/NPU; but even without switching 'performance mode' on, in artificial benchmarks the Xiaomi 14 holds its own against many of the other best Android phones right now – including the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra – while other flagships like the Pixel 8 Pro score far weaker across compute and graphical tests.
Real-world use shows that, between the processor and the optimizations HyperOS brings over MIUI, the Xiaomi 14 has more than enough clout to handle demanding everyday use, with the AI features being among the few instances where you'll still find yourself staring at a loading bar for a moment or two.
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Gaming is a dream on the Xiaomi 14 too, as not only does the phone offer a great visual experience by being on the larger side (within the compact flagship space), but the engineering team has done solid work with the thermal management in spite of the phone's relatively small proportions. Even with Genshin Impact's graphical settings at 'overclocked' (namely by forcing 60fps gameplay) the Xiaomi 14 never got more than a little warm, even after 30 minutes of continuous playtime.
There are also the added benefits of Game Turbo, which can prioritize networking latency, touch response input and, of course, boost performance at the expense of power consumption.
Performance score: 5 / 5
Xiaomi 14 review: Battery
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Larger 4,610mAh battery than predecessor
Up to 90W wired and 50W wireless charging
8.5 hours of screen-on time per charge (using Balanced power profile)
Charging speeds and battery capacity have both received a generous generational upgrade, with the standard Xiaomi 14 now matching the Xiaomi 14 Ultra's impressive 90W fast wired charging and up to 50W wireless charging. This means a pleasingly-rapid full recharge is possible in just 40 minutes, while my tests found the phone consistently passed the 50%-charge mark after just 15 minutes. That's in stark contrast to the likes of the iPhone 15, whose 20W wired charging means a full recharge takes over two hours (based on our tests).
The phone doesn't give you its quickest speeds right out the box (although it's still quick to charge); as well as the (included) 90W 'HyperCharge' power adapter, you also have to enable the 'boost charging speed' toggle in the phone's settings menu. This ensures that maximum 90W speeds are made available, with the phone charging on a logarithmic curve – i.e., the lower your Xiaomi's 14's battery percentage is to start with, the faster it'll charge, slowing as it approaches 100%. This ensures that fast charging is most effective when you realize your battery is low and you only have limited time to charge it, while still protecting battery health over the lifetime of the phone.
As for longevity, the Xiaomi 14 puts in a superb effort – especially for a compact smartphone, doling out 8.5 hours of screen-on time in testing. That equates to up to two day's use; particularly if you're willing to toy with the aforementioned power profiles: Performance, Balanced, Battery Saver and Ultra Battery Saver – which limits apps access and background processes to maximize battery life. This is among the best longevity for its size right now, only falling short of the ever-enduring iPhone 15 (which in our tests mustered over 11 hours of screen-on time), however, the Xiaomi is probably the best compact flagship, when you collectively consider battery life and charging performance.
Battery score: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Xiaomi 14?
Buy it if...
You want a compact powerhouse The Xiaomi 14 outpaces the big-name compact phones currently on the market in terms of both value and hardware prowess, so long as you're okay with the slightly shorter update support roadmap, compared to Apple and Samsung's rivals.
You like trying new things The Xiaomi 14's hardware and software offer near-endless degrees of customization and functionality. HyperOS takes a very different approach to most Android-based smartphone user experiences, but if you put in the time it demands it's an incredibly rich offering.
Battery life and fast charging are high priorities The Xiaomi 14 probably strikes the best balance of battery longevity and fast charging on the market right now, especially for a phone of its size.
Don't buy it if...
You want the stylish smartphone Sure, aesthetics are subjective, and while the Xiaomi 14 isn't bad looking, it's squared design feels dated and unexciting. That's not to say it isn't well built and durable, however.
You like a clean easy-to-use OS experience HyperOS might be far better optimized than MIUI ever was, but many of its predecessor's worst traits persist. The Xiaomi 14 has features upon features, and layers upon layers of menus, and while the breadth of functionality makes it a powerful and versatile phone, not everyone will want to spend time learning its seemingly convoluted way of doing things.
You want AI functionality, right now! At launch Xiaomi promised a wealth of AI features destined for the Xiaomi 14 series, and while you can get your hands on some of them with a little tinkering, they're still in beta at the time of writing, and not easily accessible if you don't know how to unlock them.
Xiaomi 14 review: Also consider
The Xiaomi 14 has some clear strengths, but also some clearly-defined shortcomings. If you've got this far and think something else might be more your thing, why not consider one of these alternatives.
Apple iPhone 15 The iPhone 15 doesn't exactly need an introduction, but if you like elements of Xiaomi's HyperOS or just want a slimmer, smaller but equally-capable compact flagship, this might be your next phone.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Samsung and Google are arguably the biggest phone makers shouting about AI features right now, and the standard S24 condenses the company's suite of Galaxy AI functions into its most compact flagship form. A slim design, decent cameras and a killer display don't go amiss either.
How I tested the Xiaomi 14
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Review test period: six weeks
Testing included: everyday use including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Xiaomi was able to provide me with a sample of the Xiaomi 14 just ahead of its international launch, giving me plenty of time to get to grips with the hardware, software, generational upgrades and so on. With the abundance of time available, I've throughly tested the phone while using it as my daily driver over a course of weeks, taking it to social events for camera testing, using it for navigation in my car, gaming around the house and other general smartphone use, from smart home control to social media and web browsing.
It took longer to gain access to some features – namely its promised AI functionality – which I was only able to do once I signed in with my Xiaomi account to the brand's forums and registered for beta access, which then had to be approved, but after that I felt like I was fully able to experience what the Xiaomi 14 promised.
Benchmarking apps is never the be-all-and-end-all, but the results do at least provide an empirical indication of performance that some find useful as a comparison tool. As the user has control over the power state the phone operates in, these benchmarks were carried out in both Balanced and Performance modes, although numerous scores out-paced rivals with the need for Performance mode.
Having reviewed smartphones for well over a decade, including numerous Xiaomi phones, as well as devices from the company's key competition, I felt more than comfortable reviewing this latest Xiaomi flagship, in order to balance its strengths and weaknesses against the market in which it competes.
