Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 review
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is the top model in this year's series, boasting some notable upgrades over its counterparts. However, whether these improvements justify its higher price remains to be seen. With a powerful chipset, fast charging, and advanced camera capabilities, this device seems promising. But how does it stack up against other smartphones in its class? Our review aims to explore the pros and cons of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus, helping you decide if it's worth considering. Let's dive into our detailed analysis.
Build Quality and Design
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus boasts an impressive build quality that sets it apart from its predecessors. The phone's design has seen some upgrades over the other models in this year's series, but does it justify the higher price point? Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus has packed a lot of nice features into its design. The curved display on the front is a definite highlight, measuring 6.6 inches diagonally and boasting a stunning 1220p resolution. The bezels are thin, making for an immersive viewing experience. Moreover, the screen glass is Gorilla Glass Victus 2, providing adequate protection against scratches and drops. On the back, you can choose between a sleek glass finish or a vegan leather option on our unit. Both options curve into a thin aluminum frame that adds to the phone's premium feel. One notable upgrade over its predecessors is the IP68 rating for dust and water submersion resistance. This means you can use the screen with wet fingers, which is a nice touch. The camera bump, while rounded off, still protrudes slightly from the back panel, but it doesn't detract from the overall aesthetic. The phone's build quality is top-notch, with Xiaomi claiming that it's extra durable against drops and falls. This, combined with its IP68 rating, makes the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus a solid choice for those who want a reliable device without breaking the bank.
Battery Life
The battery life of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is underwhelming, earning an active use score of just 10 hours and 40 minutes with weak web browsing. This is equally as unimpressive as last year's model, which suggests that there hasn't been a significant improvement in this area. In comparison to other devices in its price range, the battery life of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus falls short. The high-density 5,110 mAh battery should have delivered better results, but it seems that the power efficiency of the device is not where it needs to be. One redeeming factor is the support for fast charging at 120W, which can charge the phone from 0 to 75% in just 15 minutes and a full charge takes around 21 minutes. This is certainly helpful in topping up the battery quickly when needed, but it's not enough to make up for the overall poor battery life. Overall, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus's battery life is a major disappointment, especially considering its price point. While fast charging is a nice feature, it's not enough to save the device from its subpar battery performance.
Display
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus boasts an impressive curved 6.7-inch OLED display with a 1220p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen glass is Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the back is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i (or vegan leather, depending on the model). In our hands-on experience, we found the display to be sharp and contrasty, with nice and thin bezels. One of the standout features of this display is its support for HDR10+ video and Dolby Vision Video. The colors are vibrant and lifelike, making it perfect for watching movies or streaming your favorite shows. We measured a maximum brightness of nearly 500 nits, which can boost up to around 1200 nits in auto mode. The display's performance is also notable, with smooth movements on screen thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. When idling, the screen can drop down to 60Hz to conserve power. The only drawback we found was that the display isn't the brightest around these days, but it still performs admirably in bright outdoor conditions. Audio-wise, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus has a pair of stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, which earned a good score for loudness. While not the most impressive sound experience, it's nice to have good audio quality from your phone. In terms of camera features, the rear setup is identical to last year's model, but that's a discussion for another time. The display itself feels premium and is well-suited for everyday use. Overall, we're impressed with what Xiaomi has done with the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus's display – it's a solid choice for anyone looking for a great viewing experience on their phone.
Camera
The camera setup on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is a familiar arrangement, with a 200-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The main camera's default 12.5-megapixel photos are quite good, with sharpness and detail on par with expectations. Colors are accurate, but dynamic range is somewhat lacking, often resulting in clipped highlights or shadows that are too dark. However, when zooming in on subjects, the results are less impressive, especially in low light. The dedicated portrait mode delivers some solid results, but overall skin rendition leaves much to be desired. Two times zoom is done digitally, which further degrades image quality, making it harder to notice sharpness and detail, particularly in darker areas. One of the main camera's strong points is its performance in low-light conditions. The automatic night mode does an excellent job, delivering photos that are clean, sharp, and decently detailed. Unfortunately, this doesn't extend to other aspects of the camera setup. The ultra-wide camera, for instance, fares poorly both day and night, producing soft and lackluster images with narrow dynamic range. Color saturation is a redeeming quality, but overall, it's not particularly impressive. A new 20-megapixel front-facing camera has been added to this year's model, but unfortunately, selfies are underwhelming. Detail is poor, and images appear soft, with the focus often being behind where it should be, making for somewhat blurry mug shots. Video recording capabilities on the main camera are a highlight, however. Daylight 4K videos are solid, boasting good sharpness, contrast, and dynamic range. Even at two times zoom, the footage holds up well. Unfortunately, ultra-wide footage is subpar, with soft images and washed-out colors. Low-light video from the main camera is also impressive considering the device's price point. The video is rather sharp, mostly clean of noise, and features good electronic stabilization.
Price and Value
As we dive deeper into our review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus, one aspect stands out as a crucial factor in determining its value for money: price. With a price tag that puts it in direct competition with last year's model and other devices in this range, does the new Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus offer enough to justify the cost? The truth is, while the new device has some notable upgrades over its predecessor, such as a more powerful chipset, improved display, and enhanced camera capabilities, these features don't necessarily change the game at this price point. In fact, when you compare it to last year's model or other devices in the same category, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus feels like an iterative rather than revolutionary update. The price of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus puts it squarely in the mid-range segment, where competition is fierce and value for money is paramount. Unfortunately, this device doesn't seem to offer enough unique selling points or significant improvements over its predecessor to make it stand out from the crowd at a higher price point. In our opinion, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus feels overpriced compared to other devices in the same segment that offer similar or even better features. While it's still a solid mid-range device with some nice touches, like its durable build and impressive video recording capabilities, it fails to deliver on value for money at this price point. Ultimately, if you're looking to upgrade from an older Redmi Note model or considering the Poco X7 Pro or Motorola Edge 50 Pro in this segment, we'd recommend waiting for more aggressive pricing before making a decision.
Performance
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, which is a significant upgrade over its predecessors. In benchmarks, the phone delivers impressive numbers for its class, with CPU performance having jumped quite a bit. However, the competition in this price range is fierce, and last year's Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus still puts up a good fight. The device passed our prolonged stress test with flying colors, showing hardly any throttling. This is a testament to Xiaomi's efforts in thermal management. The global model of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus features a 5,110 mAh battery, which is slightly larger than last year's model. While it should provide better battery life, especially in cold temperatures, our tests revealed an active use score of just 10 hours and 40 minutes with weak web browsing. Despite this, the phone does support fast charging at 120W, and the charger comes included in the box. We were able to charge the device from 0 to 75% in 15 minutes and achieve a full charge in just 21 minutes. This might help mitigate the lackluster battery life. In terms of performance, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is certainly capable, but it doesn't quite live up to its potential. While it's not a bad phone by any means, there are other options available at this price point that offer better chipsets and longer battery life. Until Xiaomi adjusts its pricing strategy, these alternatives will remain more attractive choices for consumers seeking top-notch performance.