Xiaomi 14 Ultra launched globally with Leica quad-camera and stepless variable aperture
Electronics giant Xiaomi has announced the global availability of two Leica-branded phones at MWC 2024, the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, as well as a slew of other gadgets, including a tablet and smartwatch. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the first top-end flagship to make it to UK stores for a couple of years, with last year's Xiaomi 13 Ultra only launching in select markets.
Taking on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Xiaomi's 14 Ultra will be one of the only phones set for Europe and the UK with an Apple and Samsung-beating 1-inch camera sensor, and with its Leica partnership and one awesome-looking camera accessory, photography fans should take note.
Teasing a little bit more detail, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a Leica Summilux lens. Its ISP also integrates AI to combine flagship computational photography with Xiaomi's freshest smarts to take on Samsung's Galaxy AI, and with LOG video, it can grab an impressive 14 stops of dynamic range for HDR edits.
How much are the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra?
No US pricing or availability is expected for either phone, but Europe-wide availability means Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra software and network bands will be supported in the US across 4G and 5G by carriers if the phones are imported.
The compact Xiaomi 14 will be available for $1,075 / £849 with 256GB storage, or $1,140 / £899 with 512GB storage. Both versions have 12GB RAM.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes in one memory variant – 512GB with 16GB RAM – and costs a punchy $1,650 / £1299. Anyone who pre-orders the 14 Ultra between 25 February and 18 March 2024 will receive a free Photography Kit and additional money to spend on Xiaomi ecosystem products.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera explained
With four 50MP cameras, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra aims to cover all the key focal lengths between 12mm and 240mm. It does this by combining high-resolution sensors with four optical focal lengths: 12mm, 23mm, 75mm and 120mm.
23mm wide camera
Xiaomi's calling its 23mm wide camera variable aperture stepless, so we're expecting it to go from the widest f/1.63 aperture through to f/4.0 with seamless gradation. Matched with a big, second-generation 1-inch Sony LYT-900 sensor and an eight-element lens, the wide camera's photos should be packed with detail and dynamic range, even in challenging scenes.
75mm telephoto camera
With a Leica floating telephoto lens and a roughly 3.5 x zoom, the 14 Ultra's 75mm telephoto camera has a Sony IMX858 sensor with a modest 1/2.51-inch size. What's more impressive than the sensor size is the wide f/1.8 aperture lens with OIS, after all, telephoto cameras usually dial back aperture speed. With support for 10cm macro photography, the 75mm camera can get close to a subject and should capture near objects with a soft background.
120mm periscope camera
The furthest-reaching telephoto camera on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has the same 50MP IMX858 sensor as the 75mm camera, combining it with an f/2.5 aperture and OIS. it focuses as near as 30cm for macro photography, so should do a much better job at close-up snaps and video than the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 5x periscope camera, which doesn't focus closer than around 1.2m.
12mm ultra-wide camera
The third camera with a 1/2.51-inch Sony IMX858 sensor, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra's ultra-wide camera has an f/1.8 lens with a 122º field of view. Packing autofocus, it also captures close-up subjects as near as 5cm, and at 12mm, it's one of the widest ultra-wides on the market, so it should capture with a near-action-camera-perspective.
More than just specs, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is chock-full of flourishes that should help it stand out more than its hardware already does. LOG video capture can record with 14 stops of dynamic range for HDR video edits. The cooling system keeps both the camera and CPU cool – an upgrade over the 13 Ultra – and the phone's portrait mode captures at photographer-favourite focal lengths – 18mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm, rather than the optical focal lengths.
Going beyond the phone itself, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra Photography Kit looks excellent, including two components: a grip and case. The grip features a two-stage shutter button, a zoom lever, a customizable button, and a custom dial, while also adding 1500mAh of extra power to keep the 14 Ultra snapping happy for even longer.
Xiaomi 14 camera explained
If the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is too overkill, oversized or over-priced for you, Xiaomi has also announced the much smaller Xiaomi 14. This premium, pocketable powerhouse is a mighty camera phone in its own right, going toe-to-toe with the excellent OnePlus 12.
Also loaded with three 50MP cameras, it features a 23mm main camera with a custom sensor, a 75mm telephoto camera and a 14mm ultra-wide camera.
23mm wide camera
The Xiaomi 14's large 1/1.31-inch sensor is matched with a super-wide f/1.6 lens with OIS and seven elements. We've been using it for a week and can confirm, it's able to capture beautiful shots.
75mm telephoto camera
The Xiaomi 14 is one of a handful of relatively compact phones with a quality optical zoom, but Xiaomi appears to over-complicate the specs. According to the official product specs, the 75mm floating lens has a 50MP sensor and an effective 32MP resolution. After scrubbing through the zoom range on the phone, though, it appears to switch to the telephoto camera from the main camera at around 2.5x, which suggests the lens actually has a 58mm focal length. We have reached out to Xiaomi for comment to confirm this fact.
You can see some sample photos from the Xiaomi 14 below, which illustrates it's an impressive zoom camera, even with Xiaomi's confusing specs. This quality is likely helped by the fast f/2.0 lens with OIS and focus as near as 10cm.
14mm ultra-wide camera
The Xiaomi 14 supports auto-focus across all its cameras, with the 50MP ultra-wide capturing with an f/2.2 lens and a 115º field of view. Also able to capture macro photography, you can shoot close-up subjects on all three cameras on this phone for three different perspectives and impressive versatility given the phone's size.
Early impressions
Both the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which means flagship power and gaming performance. They sport flat displays that get retina-searingly bright at 3000 nits, and look sleek and stylish.
Xiaomi's seriously upped its camera game since it partnered with Leica, and these two camera phones make that point more clear than ever. The overly contrasted processing we saw on the Xiaomi 13T and 13T Pro appears to have been dialed back, and the cameras of both the 14 and the Ultra look set to directly compete with their respective Samsung and Apple competition.
On first impression, the biggest drawback of both 14 series phones seems to be Xiaomi's heavy interface, HyperOS. While it's been super-smooth in our time with it, the fact it tries to push the Xiaomi app store on us over the Google Play Store, and the default Themes app – which you have to use to browse wallpapers – asks you to allow cookies is overbearing for anyone coming from a more pared-back Android experience.
Camera-wise, though, the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra look like welcome alternatives to Galaxys, iPhones and Pixels in the UK and Europe, even if a US release isn't on the cards. Check back for our full review in March to see if it's one of the best camera phones of 2024.
