Earlier this month, Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi added a new entry-level smartphone to its arsenal. The Redmi 14C is essentially a rebadged version of the Poco C75 5G, which was launched in December 2024. The two smartphones share their specs and internals but showcase different designs. This big advantage that Redmi 14C carries over Poco C75 is its 5G support across all network providers. Meanwhile, the 5G support offered by Poco C75 is limited to Jio. Redmi’s entry-level offering is also available in more RAM and storage variants than its Poco counterpart (read our Poco C75 5G review). We used the Redmi 14C 5G for a week to find out how it fares in everyday use – here is our review of the smartphone.
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Redmi 14C 5G Review: Design and Display
Here’s what you get inside Redmi 14C 5G’s retail box:
- Smartphone
- 33W power adapter
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- SIM ejector
- Quick start guide
Like its Poco counterpart, the Redmi 14C does not pack a plastic cover in its retail box. However, it comes with a more powerful 33W power adapter as opposed to Poco’s 10W unit. Both smartphones support 18W wired charging.
Redmi 14C is available in 3 colour variants – Stardust Purple, Stargaze Black, and Starlight Blue. The Stargaze Black variant has a glass back and weighs 7g heavier than the other 2. We used the Starlight Blue variant for this review and it is easily our favourite of the lot. While glass back panels are more premium, this variant replicates the in-hand feel with a ‘glasstick’ back while flaunting a better design. The star trail pattern orbiting the circular camera cutout is beautiful without being too gaudy. The silver and blue gradient adds to the cosmic aesthetic of the device.
Redmi 14C’s form factor is another key aspect that puts it ahead of other entry-level smartphones. The centrally aligned camera cutout does not protrude a lot. It occupies a large area on the back panel, which eliminates any kind of wobble when the phone is placed on a flat surface. The flat back and edges of the device feel very premium. The plastic frame houses the hybrid SIM slot on its left edge, the volume and side keys on its right edge, and the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top. The microphone, USB slot, and speaker grille are positioned on the bottom edge.
The 6.88-inch LCD panel has a 120Hz refresh rate and can hit 600 nits in High Brightness Mode. In an outdoor setting, the display gets washed out by surrounding light. Restoring legibility requires shielding the screen with your palm. The legibility improves significantly in indoor conditions. The touch response of the display is fine but isn’t totally free of the odd jitter. The selfie camera is housed inside a waterdrop notch. It feels dated but punch hole cutouts aren’t the norm in this price segment yet. The chunky bezels around the display get thicker around the chin.
A delightful media streaming experience is one of the advantages of a big display. The LCD panel produces rich images with a good amount of detail. The colours are vivid and punchy, adding to the viewing experience. The lone bottom-firing speaker produces a clear output at a decent volume. While a stereo setup would have significantly improved the output’s low end, it is one of the trade-offs that Redmi has made to keep the price of the device in check.
Redmi 14C 5G Review: Performance and Cameras
Redmi 14C 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC which is based on a 4nm process. On the Geekbench 6 benchmark, the smartphone scored 920 points in the single-core test and 2,196 points in the multi-core test. In comparison, the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2-powered Poco C75 5G 845 and 1,956 points in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
Redmi 14C is available in 3 RAM (LPDDR4X) and storage (UFS 2.2) variants:
- 4GB + 64GB: Rs 9,999
- 4GB + 128GB: Rs 10,999
- 6GB + 128GB: Rs 11,999
The smartphone handles basic tasks like calling, instant messaging, social media browsing, and video calling quite well. While there are no big roadblocks that get in the way of routine tasks, the overall performance is a bit sluggish due to the UFS 2.2 storage. However, this is something that every device in this price segment struggles with. You will need to shell out more money for a faster storage configuration. We even tried gaming on the Redmi 14C 5G during the review period and were happy with how it handled titles like Subway Surfers and Candy Crush Saga. More demanding titles like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile are not this device’s forte as the gameplay with riddled with jitters and frame drops.
Redmi 14C 5G runs the Android 14-based Xiaomi HyperOS out of the box. The company has promised 2 major OS upgrades for the smartphone. This includes the HyperOS 2 upgrade. There are a lot of bloatware apps on the device, but they can be uninstalled with ease.
The software experience on the Redmi 14C is snappy and fun. HyperOS is very accessible to first-time smartphone users. There is a good range of customisation options for the lock screen, home screen, and app drawer. Privacy features like app lock are also present on this device. Long-pressing the side key triggers Google’s AI assistant, Gemini. Overall, we don’t have any major complaints with Xiaomi’s software experience in this price range.
During the review period, we got significant mileage out of the 5,160mAh battery pack on the Redmi 14C 5G. Our daily tasks consisted of calling, messaging, social media browsing, media streaming, and navigation. After an average screen time of 5 hours per day, we were left with a 20-25% charge on the device. The smartphone supports 18W charging and takes 90 minutes to fully charge.
The rear camera array of the Redmi 14C packs a 50MP primary shooter and an auxiliary lens. The primary shooter takes decent pictures in outdoor daylight conditions, producing vivid and clear images with rich colours. However, its performance takes a hit in limited lighting conditions. Even with the Night Mode turned on, the results are grainy and soft.
We took a bunch of portrait shots with the Redmi 14C and were satisfied with how they turned out. The camera does a good job of focusing on the subject and assigning it close-to-life colours. The intensity of the background blur and depth of field leaves more to be desired, but that is the case with every smartphone in this price bracket. Selfies taken with the 8MP front-facing camera are clear and well-composed. The smartphone adds skin-smoothening and tone-correction effects in the processing stage but the final results are quite satisfactory.
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Verdict
After using the device for a week, we can confidently say that the Redmi 14C 5G is a great deal at Rs 10,000. The smartphone has a stunning design and great aesthetics. Its flat form factor gives a premium feel to the device. If you want to access blazing 5G but don’t have a Jio SIM, we’d recommend this smartphone over the Poco C75 5G. The media viewing experience on this device is arguably the best in the class. The fast 5G speeds take the streaming experience to another level. To top it off, the smartphone has a good primary sensor that takes vivid images in well-lit conditions.
Redmi 14C 5G: Pros
- 5G speed
- Amazing design
- Large display
- Affordable
Redmi 14C 5G: Cons
- Contains bloatware
The post Redmi 14C 5G Review: The complete package under Rs 10,000? appeared first on Gadget Bridge by Utkarsh Joshi.
