Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra: Redefining Flagship Photography

Introduction:

After multiple leaks and rumors, Xiaomi finally revealed its Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra in China today. The new flagship sits at the top of the Xiaomi 14 series as the new camera king of the lineup. The device brings all the flagship specs you might expect like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a high-quality OLED display. However, its unique trait is its impressive camera setup with a 1-inch camera and Summilux lens. We will dive into the specifications of this almighty kind in this article.

Camera Excellence: A One-Inch Sensor Reigns Supreme:

At first glance, the Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra may look unchanged from its predecessor. The design is the same with some minor refinements. The device comes in three finishes. The Black and White model has a faux leather back panel and weighs 224.4g which is 3 grams lighter than the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The blue model comes with what Xiaomi calls Dragon Crystal on the back and it’s heavier at 229.5 grams. Finally, there is a Titanium Special Edition that’s 229.5 grams. According to Xiaomi, it uses grade 5 titanium, just like the iPhone.

Camera Specifications of Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra:

The new Xiaomi 14 Ultra leaves the abruptly raised camera island frame in the 13 Ultra. The new model has a gentle design that fits better. Since we’re talking about the camera, let’s detail this impressive camera setup. Xiaomi kept the Quad 50 MP camera setup with a 0.5x + 1x + 3.2x + 5X zoom formula. The main camera is a 1-inch sensor, but now it uses Sony’s latest LYT-900 image with a better design and faster readout. The lens is still technically a dual-aperture 23mm unit. However, it’s wider at the bright end. It switches between f/1.63 and f/4.0 aperture and lets up to 136% more light than the f/1.9 – f/4.0 lens of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

The brand calls the mechanism a stepless aperture which hints it could go anywhere between f/1.63 and f/4.0.For the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Xiaomi adopted the Simmicron lens moniker. Now, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with Summilux. Considering Leica’s way of describing its lens, the Simmicron is an f/2 lens, while the Summilux is an f/1.4. The main camera can also snap Ultra RAW with impressive quality and deliver it into a DNG with full image data. It’s a powerful camera that won’t disappoint photographers and professionals in this area.

The zoom lenses are a 3.2x 75mm f/1.8 regular and 5x 120mm f/2.5 periscope. Both use the same 1/2.5-inch Sony IMX858 sensor with 12mm f/1.8 ultrawide. The 120mm periscope got a bump from an f/3.0 lens to an f/2.5 one. Xiaomi shared a light-gathering comparison between the Xiaomi 14 Ultra telephoto light-gathering abilities and the iPhone 15 Pro series. The 120mm f/2.5 captures 196% more light than the Apple iPhone Pro Max and 474% more than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra can do AI-powered 30x Ultra Zoom. Xiaomi states that this wipes the floor with the competition. Another impressive aspect is the minimum focusing distance of both zooms – the 75mm can shoot as close as 10cm, while the 120mm focuses from 30cm.

Display:

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with a 6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3,200 x 1,440 pixels of resolution. The phone has Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. The panel is a bit brighter at 3,000 nits.Xiaomi calls the glass on top of the display Shield Glass and says it has 10 times higher drop resistance and is also clearer. The corners of the screen are lightly curved on all sides. Xiaomi calls this an All Around Liquid Display. The phone has a centered punch-hole for the selfie camera.

Performance:

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra Comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and has up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of Internal Storage. To ensure the best possible performance, the device comes with a 3x larger vapor cooling chamber to keep thermals in check. You can run everything from apps to games in this powerhouse and the cooling system will keep everything running smoothly.

In terms of software, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with Android 14 and HyperOS atop.The device draws power from a huge 5,300 mAh battery that comes with 90W wired charging. It also supports wireless charging at 80W. That’s a very small difference between the wired and wireless charging solutions. The battery is protected by the Xiaomi G1 and P2 surge battery chips.

Satellite Communication:

As we’ve stated before, there is a special Xiaomi 14 Ultra Titanium Edition. That particular variant comes with two-way satellite communication. It allows users to send emergency alerts even in areas without cellular connectivity. The device has a T1 signal enhancement chip that helps with cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections.

Pricing:

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is available in Blue, Black, and White color options. It has three variants, there is a 12GB/256GB model priced at CNY 6,499 (€830), a CNY 6,999 (€900) 16GB/512GB model, and the 16 GB variant with 1 TB that costs CNY 7,799 (€1,000). The special Titanium Edition costs CNY 8,799 (€1,130). The Xiaomi 14 Ultra will hit international shelves on February 24 during MWC 2024.

However, the global pricing may be different from the Chinese price. Also, we don’t have high hopes for the Titanium Edition to be sold outside the domestic market.Xiaomi is offering a Photography Kit camera accessory for the 14 Ultra. It’s a two-piece accessory with a case and an attachable camera grip with a 1,500 mAh battery, and Bluetooth-enabled camera controls. It costs CNY 699 (€90). There is also a special 80W wireless charger CNY 499 (€64).

Specifications of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra:

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