Xiaomi's 14 Ultra seriously impressed us with its photography skills, especially when it came to photographing Taylor Swift. Though the company's new 14T and 14T Pro lack the same high-performance camera setup, they still have plenty to offer as all-round Android flagships. Xiaomi doesn't sell its phones in the US, but the 14T, 14T Pro and Xiaomi's new wearables and earbuds will be hitting shelves in the UK and wider Europe in the coming weeks.
Xiaomi refused to confirm pricing ahead of launch, but the base Xiaomi 14 is currently on sale for £849 (about $1,130), while the previous 13T Pro went on sale for around £700 in the UK. I'd expect the 14T Pro to sit closer to the price of the 14, possibly around the £850 mark, with the base 14T costing at least a couple of hundred less. I'll update this article as more information on pricing becomes available.
The 14T Pro is best thought of as Xiaomi's answer to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus. Though it doesn't have the same standout camera as the Ultra, the 14T Pro is aimed at those of you who want a more general high-performance phone with enough power to handle everyday tasks as well as gaming, video streaming and photo editing.
The cameras are the main area in which the 14T Pro differs from the 14 Ultra. While the Ultra retains its position as Xiaomi's ultimate photography-focused phone, the 14T Pro has a more typical camera setup aimed at more casual photographers.
Taken with the main camera, this shot is bright and vibrant with lovely fall tones.
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This image of a flower stall is packed with color and detail.
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The ultrawide camera has captured a good-looking shot here.
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With its 5x optical zoom, the 14T Pro has been able to get a nice view on this distant building.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETIts main camera's 50 megapixel resolution is on par with most Android flagships, and its 1/1.31-inch image sensor is about the same as the one you'd find in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It's a step down in size from the 1-inch sensor found in the 14 Ultra, but it's still capable of taking great-looking shots so far.
It also lacks the 14 Ultra's variable aperture, but its fixed f/1.6 aperture is wide enough to let in lots of light for bright, clear nighttime shots. Like the 14 Ultra, it's co-branded with Leica, and you'll find various Leica color presets designed to emulate film styles.
Powering the 14T Pro is a MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus chip, along with 12GB of RAM. It's a powerful piece of silicon, resulting in great performance on benchmark tests and providing a smooth and swift experience when navigating the Android interface or playing games.
The 14T Pro's display is bright and sharp.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETIt runs on Android 14, though I expect an update to Android 15 will come later in the year. Xiaomi's interface is straightforward enough, though I don't like that the phone comes preinstalled with a bunch of nonsense, including AliExpress, Amazon, Opera, TikTok, WPS Office and a variety of Xiaomi apps and services. It makes the phone feel cluttered right out of the box, so I had to go on an uninstalling spree on day one to get the phone looking how I wanted it.
The phone runs on a capacious 5,000 mAh battery, which should comfortably get you through a full day of use. But don't worry about pushing the battery, considering the 120-watt fast charge can fully replenish the phone in around 19 minutes. You'll need to source your own 120W charger though, as one doesn't come in the box.
The Buds 5, Watch 2 and Smart Band 9
Andrew Lanxon/CNETXiaomi 14T, Watch 2, Smart Band 9, Buds 5
Joining the 14T Pro is the base Xiaomi 14T. It comes with a variety of trade-offs from the Pro model, in order to achieve a presumably lower price tag.
Its charging maxes out at at 67W, it uses a slower Dimensity 8300-Ultra processor, and its main camera sensor is a slightly smaller, lower-end model. That said, it still uses Leica optics, and I expect it'll still offer solid all-round image quality for casual snappers.
Xiaomi has also taken the wraps off various wearables, including the Smart Band 9, which offers health, sleep and workout tracking and can be housed in a variety of wristbands or worn as a pendant (forgoing heart rate tracking as a result). The Watch 2, meanwhile, runs Google's WearOS for deeper integration with your phone, is powered by a Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 chip and offers the usual slew of health and sleep tracking functions.
Finally, the Buds 5 are Xiaomi's answer to the Airpods, offering an open-ear design, hi-res audio support, noise canceling and up to 39 hours total battery life using the charging case.