The Redmi Note 14, Redmi Note 14 Pro, and Redmi Note 14 Pro+ are the three smartphones in Xiaomi’s recently released Redmi Note 14 Series. After receiving the Redmi Note 14 Pro, we have been using it as our main driver for almost 2 weeks. These phones have similar designs; however, they have different internals. So, without further ado, this is our review of the Redmi Note 14 Pro.
Redmi Note 14 Pro review: Design and Display
Let’s examine the contents of the retail packaging before moving on to the aesthetics. The retail box for the Redmi Note 14 Pro contains:
- Of course, the handset
- A silicone back cover
- A SIM ejector tool
- Some documentation
- A USB Type-C charging cable
- 33W power adapter
From the front, its design completely differs from that of the Redmi Note 13 Pro, which was its predecessor. The new Note 14 Pro features a whole new curved design in contrast to the 13 Pro’s flat design language. It is not only has a curved front but also a curved rear. When we first held it in our hands, it was quite comfy.
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We’ve got the Titan Black colour for the review, and we must say that the hue and pattern are both gorgeous. However, we lean more towards the vegan leather back that Xiaomi chose for the Note 14 Pro and its other two types, Spectre Blue and Phantom Purple. Unlike the other two, the product we have for the review has a plastic back.
Indeed, the Redmi Note 14 Pro is aesthetically exquisite, even with its updated camera cutout that perfectly matches the overall tone. The Note 14 Pro+, the older brother of this year’s Pro version, draws considerable inspiration in how it looks. Interestingly, a metal ring encircles the camera housing.
With an IP68 rating and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the smartphone is incredibly durable for its class.
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A large, chunky-looking camera module with four cutouts—three for the camera sensor and one for a flashlight—is also located in the top centre of the back panel. The Redmi 14 Pro’s design has been completely redesigned from the previous Redmi Note Series generation. As said, it has a lovely appearance. The phone weighs roughly 190 grams and has dimensions of 162.33 x 74.42 x 8.4 mm.
It has a new design, as we mentioned, but the headphone jack was something we truly missed. Yes, the firm has made a compromise on the beloved headphone jack in order to give it a sleeker appearance. In any case, it is not a significant trade-off because the majority of phones nowadays do not have a headphone jack.
An IR blaster, a secondary speaker, and a microphone are located at the top of the frame. The speaker grill, USB Type-C port, and SIM card tray are located at the bottom of the smartphone. The power button and volume rocker controls are located on the right side of the frame. There are no additions on the left side of the frame.
Overall, there are a lot of design resemblances between the Redmi Note 14 Pro and the more expensive Note model from the previous year. The camera island has been moved and modified as part of the overall redesign.
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Although it weighs just the correct amount, the phone isn’t particularly heavy. However, because of its curved panels, you can’t use it with a single hand.
Additionally, it has a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, which increases its durability with minuscule bezels. It has a 6.67-inch, curved AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, and a touch sampling rate of 480 Hz. Additionally, it supports Dolby Vision, has a 5000000:1 contrast ratio, 1,920Hz PWM dimming, a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, and Adaptive HDR10+. In addition, the screen has TUV Triple Eye Protection, 68Bn+ colours, and wet hands touch support.
In addition to having a practically bezel-free design, screen protection is something that flagship phones typically offer their customers. The exceptional touch reaction rate generated by the 120Hz refresh rate is primarily apparent when exploring Instagram or other social media feeds and websites.
When streaming HD content, the OLED display does a superb job of delivering colours and visuals that are in balance. The display is wonderful; it’s rich and vibrant. In terms of screen brightness, even in direct sunshine outside, the text is clear and sharp, and the colour reproduction is excellent. Keep in mind that the Pro model from the previous year only had a maximum brightness of 1,800 nits.
Scrolling around the user interface and social media feeds is significantly smoother because of the faster refresh rate display, which enhances the entire smartphone experience. Additionally, during our testing, we have not encountered any jitters or stutters.
We were deeply impressed by its audio output, which is sufficiently loud and suitable for watching films and listening to music.
Also Read: Redmi A4 5G Review: A fantastic budget smartphone
Redmi Note 14 Pro Review: Performance and Cameras
We’ll now discuss the performance side of things. A MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra CPU with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage powers the Redmi Note 14 Pro. It comes pre-installed with HyperOS 1.0, which is based on Android 14. When an application is launched, the CPU responds quickly and is sufficient for daily workloads. Additionally, we found no lag, which is noteworthy given the cost. The chipset is an upgrade over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC from last year.
The gadget can easily manage routine activities. Performance didn’t suffer while playing games, viewing movies, utilising social media, or browsing the internet. We played games like Asphalt 9, COD, and BGMI on the Redmi Note 14 Pro. We got a mixed results here. While some games ran very well, some would need all the background apps to shut down for optimal performance.
HyperOS 1.0.2 and Android 14 are preinstalled on the smartphone. Xiaomi guarantees four years of security patches and three years of major OS updates. Since it is now running Android 14, it should soon receive 15 and eventually reach Android 17. Given that rivals like Samsung provide more than five years of software support, Xiaomi ought to have provided at least 4+5 years of support.
Let’s check out the camera specs before we discuss the optics.
The camera section also undergoes some changes; it looks like the quality has been downgraded. It has three cameras: a Sony LYT-600 50MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro.
Xiaomi has kept things simple with a 50MP camera rather than aiming for a large 200MP sensor. Additionally, the sensor size has decreased, now measuring 1/1.96 inches instead of the much bigger 1/1.4-inch sensor that was used in the past. Although the Redmi Note 13 Pro has a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor with an aperture of 1/1.4″ f/1.65, the sensor is a Sony LYT-600. Aside from that, the auxiliary lenses—a 2MP macro and an 8MP ultrawide—stay the same. This time, the selfie camera has been upgraded from a 16MP version to a 20MP one.
Thus, the primary sensor’s image quality is excellent in well-lit environments. In bright ambient lighting, it is able to generate high-quality photos. It seems to have sufficient colour, contrast, and sharpness. However, we also observed that its primary camera occasionally exhibits some kind of inconsistency.
Especially striking are the low-light photos taken using Night Mode. Furthermore, images taken with the 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens could have been better. Going by what Xiaomi what usually does is that with future software updates the teething issues are taken care of.
The portraits seemed to be good enough. Additionally, the edge detection is precise. Additionally, there is an option for a close-up portrait with improved subject focus. However, because it only crops on the primary sensor, those portraits appear to be somewhat soft.
The selfies from the front camera are decent. They are no super sharp, but for the price they can pass off as very decent. Hopefully they will become better in future OS updates.
Dynamic shots, dual video recording, lightning-fast burst mode, and AI bokeh effects are just a few of the cutting-edge photography capabilities available in the Note series for artistic storytelling and expert portraiture.
In terms of videography, the back camera with OIS supports 4K at 30 frames per second. Therefore, while the video quality is likewise passable, the stabilisation is not very good. Unfortunately, you can only capture videos at 1080p, which is equivalent to 10K on a smartphone.
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Additionally, it offers a number of intriguing and practical AI functions. Using the AI Erase Pro, with just one tap, you can remove unnecessary elements from pictures.
Other AI features include AI Image Expansion, AI Smart-Clip, AI Cutout, and AI Sky, which allow users to add context to shots, transform photos into dynamic video clips, isolate subjects for custom stickers, and transform the sky’s colours for stunning visual effects, respectively.
The battery’s capacity has also increased to 5,500 mAh from 5,100 mAh the previous year. Though still quite quick, the charging speed has decreased from 67W to 45W. With moderate to heavy daily use, including social media browsing, hours of content viewing, and an hour or so of gaming, the smartphone lasted us through the day with roughly 25–30% of its battery left.
Dual SIM 5G cellular and dual-band Wi-Fi 6 connectivity are supported by the Redmi Note 14 Pro. Additionally, Bluetooth v5.4 is included, along with top-notch codecs including LDAC and LHDC-V. Other wireless connectivity options include an IR blaster, five-way navigation capability, and NFC.
Verdict
During the review, we tested the camera, played a lot of games, and watched multimedia content. It is obvious that the Redmi Note 14 Pro has a better design, display, and charging speed. Additionally, it has a long battery life. Because of the Victus 2 glass and all those IP classifications, it is also durable. Apart from this, Xiaomi could have opted for better cameras and a slightly more powerful CPU.
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Redmi Note 14 Pro Pros
- Excellent display
- The design and the curved display looks premium
- Long battery life
- Sturdy
Redmi Note 14 Pro Cons
- Average cameras
- Could have provided a more powerful processor
- Downgraded charging speed
